Question

Read this passage from chapter 22 of The Prince. There were none who knew Messer Antonio da Venafro as the servant of Pandolfo Petrucci, Prince of Siena, who would not consider Pandolfo to be a very clever man in having Venafro for his servant. Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehended; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless. Therefore, it follows necessarily that, if Pandolfo was not in the first rank, he was in the second, for whenever one has judgment to know good and bad when it is said and done, although he himself may not have the initiative, yet he can recognize the good and the bad in his servant, and the one he can praise and the other correct; thus the servant cannot hope to deceive him, and is kept honest. How does the text structure help the author convey his central idea that a prince is judged by the quality of his servants? by explaining the prince of Siena’s reasons for choosing Antonio da Venafro as his servant by suggesting a solution to the problem of princes having to select intelligent and honest servants by providing supporting evidence of a prince believed to be clever because he chose a good servant by comparing and contrasting the qualities of Pandolfo Petrucci with those of his servant Antonio da Venafro

Answer 1

The answer is:

by providing supporting evidence of a prince believed to be clever because he chose a good servant.

In the excerpt from "The Prince," the author makes reference to the reasons why the Prince of Sienna, Pandolfo Petrucci, has appointed a servant like Messer Antonio da Venafro. For example, he mentions that Petrucci must be intelligent and perceptive enough to identify the good and bad in his servant. As a result, he compliments and disciplines his servant so that the latter remains reliable and does not betray him.