Which of the following sentences best describes the author's central claim in this excerpt?

trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. and we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the almighty effort, and advancing on chaos and the dark. which of the following sentences best describes the author's central claim in this excerpt?

a. men must accept the reality of life if they want to find true happiness.

b. men should retain their innocence and trust their instincts to achieve great things.

c. men have to believe in the existence of good and evil and do what is right.

d. men must accept whatever the divine being has set for them and trust themselves.

The correct answer is D. Men must accept whatever the divine being has set for them and trust themselves.

Explanation:

In texts, the central claim refers to the main idea an author develops in a text, which is not neutral but linked to the position of the author towards some situation or issue. This central claim is in some cases stated by the author at the beginning at the text and then explained during the text, which means the claim can be identified by analyzing the details provided and whether the author directly provides the main claim.

In this case, the author begins by stating "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string", which refers to the importance of trusting oneself, and after this the author mentions "Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events", which is linked to the first idea by stating the importance of accepting the circumstances set by God. These two ideas are developed during the text by providing examples on the way great men had done this and the importance of following their example as in "obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark" or "working through their hands, predominating in all their being". This means the claim or position the author is to show men should accept their circumstance but also trust themselves to face them or that "Men must accept whatever the divine being has set for them and trust themselves".