Which term describes Puritans' belief that America should serve as an example to the world?

• A. City upon a hill
• B. Promised land
• C. Beacon of liberty
• D. Divine mission

Answer: (D)

Puritans described their new society as a city upon a hill—a visible, morally charged example for others to see, imitate, or judge. This image comes from John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon, delivered aboard the Arabella, where he urged Massachusetts Bay to be “a shining city set on a hill” that would model Christian charity and covenant with God for the world to observe. The metaphor conveys not just purpose, but the idea of an exemplary community that others look to as a standard. The other phrases miss that specific image: Promised land is a broader biblical concept about land and inheritance, beacon of liberty points to later Enlightenment-era ideals of freedom, and divine mission is too general and lacks the particular metaphor of a conspicuous, moral example.