Question

Which statement best summarizes the central idea of the paragraph?

The Spartans and the Romans are alike in how they retain possession of newly acquired states.
The Spartans and the Romans are alike in their approach to ruling newly acquired states.
Observing what happened to the Spartans and the Romans shows that it is best to destroy a newly acquired state that is accustomed to freedom.
Observing what happened to the Spartans and the Romans shows that it is best to establish an oligarchy in a newly acquired state that is accustomed to freedom.

Answer 1

I don’t have the paragraph you’re asking about. Please paste the paragraph (or summarize its content), and I’ll pick the best summary and explain why.

If you can’t paste it, here’s quick guidance to choose among the four options:
- Pick option 1 if the paragraph focuses specifically on how both powers kept possession of newly acquired states (methods of maintaining control).
- Pick option 2 if it’s more generally about their overall approach to ruling those states (broader governing strategy rather than just possession).
- Pick option 3 if the paragraph argues that the lesson from Spartans and Romans is that you should destroy newly acquired states that were free.
- Pick option 4 if it argues that the lesson is to establish oligarchies in such states.