Question

read the passage from chapter 17 of the prince. cesare borgia was considered cruel; notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the romagna, unified it, and restored it to peace and loyalty. and if this be rightly considered, he will be seen to have been much more merciful than the florentine people, who, to avoid a reputation for cruelty, permitted pistoia to be destroyed. how does the passage support machiavellis claim that a ruler must sometimes be cruel? with an appeal to emotions with a historical example with anecdotal evidence with empirical evidence

Explanation:

The passage uses Cesare Borgia as a historical figure. It describes his actions (considered cruel but having positive outcomes like unifying the Romagna) and contrasts it with the Florentine people's inaction (to avoid a cruel reputation but leading to destruction of Pistoia). This is a historical example to support the claim.

Answer:

B. with a historical example