Question

Read the excerpt from Pericles’s funeral oration by Thucydides.


Here is a proof of this: When the Spartans invade our land, they do not come by themselves, but bring all their allies with them; whereas we, when we launch an attack abroad, do the job by ourselves, and, though fighting on foreign soil, do not often fail to defeat opponents who are fighting for their own hearths and homes. As a matter of fact none of our enemies has ever yet been confronted with our total strength, because we have to divide our attention between our navy and the many missions on which our troops are sent on land.

What is the speaker’s primary purpose in this excerpt?

to persuade his audience that it is better to fight alone
to inform his audience of the military strength of his city
to entertain his audience with stories of military victories
to explain to his audience how the city’s military often wins

Answer 1

to explain to his audience how the city’s military often wins

He’s describing the Athenian strategy and reasons for their successes (fighting alone, naval power, distributed forces), explaining why they frequently defeat opponents.