A symbol is something that carries meaning to humans and is used to represent something else. The United States representing freedom and liberty makes it a symbol. A social construct is something which exists only because of, and is defined by, society. Because the United States (as is the case with all countries) only exists because of the agreement of people, it is also an example of a social construct. (C) is correct.
Expert Approach:
I begin by glancing at the answer choices and noting that they have a "2 + 2" structure, in which each answer choice makes one of two possible evaluations (in this case truth and falsehood) about two separate claims (in this case whether the US is a symbol and whether it's a social construct). This structure can be quite helpful for elimination; for example, if I could only determine whether the United States fits into one of the two categories, and knew nothing about the other, I could still eliminate two answer choices.Of course, I may not need an elimination strategy at all. The stem describes the United States as a nation that is often seen as representing the concepts of "freedom and liberty." This definitely makes it a symbol, as symbols are things that carry meaning and represent something else. Additionally, the United States, like any nation-state, is a social construct, because its very existence depends on shared societal agreements and definitions. Since the United States is both a symbol and a social construct, (C) is the correct answer.As I noted up front, even if I were not sure about one of the two concepts, this question would not be a total loss. For instance, if I only knew that the United States functions as a symbol, because it represents certain ideals, I could eliminate (B) and (D), leaving me with a 50/50 chance of getting the right answer.
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