WHY DO HUMAN BEINGS DO GOOD THINGS? THE PUZZLE OF ALTRUISM

What is the author’s main purpose in the text?

A
to argue that humans are capable of acting unselfishly altruistic towards others
B
to prove that people can be altruistic for a rewarding feeling, without being selfish
C
to explore the origins of altruism and how “pure” altruism has developed over time
D
to show how altruism is actually an essential part of human survival

Educated guess: C.

Explanation:

Okay, so this is another example of needing the text for me to really give you the absolute, 100% proper answer. So if there was a way you could screen shot it and add it to your question, or send a link to the text, copy and paste it, etc. that would be extremely helpful, because I cannot read the mind of the writer just through the asked question, you know what I mean?

The question is asking "what was the author's main purpose in the text?", which means "what is the basic theme the author is trying to express?" and it sounds like it's subjective - meaning, from the author's POV, or opinion. Therefore, it's not necessarily a "factual" answer. It's about reading the text and finding out the author's opinion of altruism.

HOWEVER, I can make an educated guess based on the previous question you put up about the same topic (that I answered).

I think it's C. clearly, the author believes all the rest are true, but C. sounds most like a "main purpose" to me.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)

where is the article