Why does Lincoln use the first-person plural mode of address? Because he is speaking to a large group of people To create a feeling that everyone in attendance is aligned and united Because he wants to emphasize who is responsibile for the desperate state of the nation Because he wants to inspire his audience and motivate them to take action

The correct answer is "to create a feeling that everyone in attendance is aligned and united". In political speeches, the pronominal choices made by the politician can have different approaches or meanings. The first-person plural is used to evoke a feeling of collectivity and share responsibility. There are two types of "we" (first-person plural) in political speeches. One is the inclusive "we" and the other one is exclusive "we". Both types create an idea of unity and integration, but they differ in something. While the inclusive "we" includes the speaker, the government, and the public/listeners, the exclusive "we" only includes the speaker and the government or the party. As regards the first-person plural mode of address of Lincoln, the pronoun "we" is used as an inclusive "we", for instance, on his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863: "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war.".

The correct answer is to create a feeling that everyone in attendance is aligned and united. In Lincon's speeches it was very common for him to use personal pronouns to create a sense of unity and togetherness. Words like "we, us or our" fulfilled the function of including the entire population that listened to the discourse in the same cause and at the same time showed that the ideas were not only of him but of the whole people.