Question

read this passage from chapter 5 of the prince
and he who becomes master of a city accustomed to
freedom and does not destroy it, may expect to be
destroyed by it, for in rebellion it has always the
watchword of liberty and its ancient privileges as a
rallying point, which neither time nor benefits will ever
cause it to forget. and whatever you may do or provide
against, they never forget that name or their privileges
unless they are disunited or dispersed, but at every
chance they immediately rally to them, as pisa after
the hundred years she had been held in bondage by
the florentines.
how does text structure help machiavelli convey his
central idea?
○ machiavelli identifies the problem of the florentines
holding pisa after conquest and offers the solution
of disuniting the city to keep it.
○ machiavelli uses reasoning and an example as
evidence in an argumentative structure to support
his claim that a prince must destroy a city that is
accustomed to freedom if he wants to hold it.
○ machiavelli uses a compare-and-contrast structure
to contrast a city that rebels with one that does not,
thus supporting his central idea that a prince must
destroy a city that is accustomed to freedom.
○ machiavelli identifies freedom as a cause of
rebellion in a conquered city and describes how the
new prince can subdue the rebellion by destroying
the city

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• First option: The passage doesn't focus on disuniting the city as a solution for holding Pisa; it's about the need to destroy a free city. Eliminate.
• Second option: Machiavelli reasons about the nature of a city accustomed to freedom (they never forget liberty/privileges unless disunited) and uses the example of Pisa (after a hundred years of bondage, they rallied). This argumentative structure (reasoning + example) supports his claim that a prince must destroy such a city to hold it.
• Third option: There's no compare - and - contrast between a rebelling and non - rebelling city. Eliminate.
• Fourth option: The passage's main idea is about the necessity of destroying a free city to hold it, not just subduing rebellion by destroying. The second option's focus on reasoning and example to support the claim is more accurate.

Answer:

B. Machiavelli uses reasoning and an example as evidence in an argumentative structure to support his claim that a prince must destroy a city that is accustomed to freedom if he wants to hold it.