A student is writing a report and wants to edit it to make better transitions among the paragraphs. Read the students report and answer the question that follows. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Pennsylvania. The first speaker at the dedication, Edward Everett, orated for more than two hours. President Lincoln spoke after him, and his speech lasted little more than two minutes. Afterward, Everett told Lincoln that he wished he could express in two hours what Lincoln had said in two minutes. Lincoln had delivered one of the most memorable speeches in history. This was fitting, as over 50,000 soldiers had died at the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the Civil War. Lincoln's speech focused on a "new birth of freedom" in the United States, as he invoked the Declaration of Independence and its principles of liberty and equality. He stated clearly the need for the nation to be both united and free. The oldest copies of the speech are different from one another. The Library of Congress has two copies, and the others were recorded by Lincoln well after the speech. One copy was made for Everett, but "Bancroft" and "Bliss" versions also exist. The "Bliss" version is carved into a wall of the Lincoln Memorial in our nation's capital. Choose the sentence that provides the BEST transition between paragraphs 2 and 3.

Furthermore, Lincoln's speech had a lasting impact on the nation.

Furthermore, the significance of Lincoln's speech is evident in the various versions and copies that exist.

To create better transitions among the paragraphs in the student's report, we need to find a sentence that smoothly connects the information in the second paragraph about President Lincoln's speech with the information in the third paragraph about the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Let's look at the end of the second paragraph: "Lincoln had delivered one of the most memorable speeches in history." This sentence serves as a good introduction to the third paragraph, which discusses the focus of Lincoln's speech and the historical context of the Battle of Gettysburg. However, it lacks a clear transition phrase to connect the two paragraphs.

To find the sentence that provides the best transition between paragraphs 2 and 3, we need to identify an option that smoothly flows from the mention of Lincoln's memorable speech to the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg. Here are the available options:

- "This was fitting, as over 50,000 soldiers had died at the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the Civil War."
- "Afterward, Everett told Lincoln that he wished he could express in two hours what Lincoln had said in two minutes."
- "The oldest copies of the speech are different from one another."
- "He stated clearly the need for the nation to be both united and free."

Among these options, the sentence that provides the best transition between paragraphs 2 and 3 is: "This was fitting, as over 50,000 soldiers had died at the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the Civil War."

This sentence directly connects the significance of Lincoln's memorable speech to the Battle of Gettysburg. It highlights the context of the battle as an important turning point in the Civil War, which emphasizes the importance and impact of Lincoln's speech.