Question

Read this passage from chapter 22 of The Prince. But to enable a prince to form an opinion of his servant there is one test which never fails; when you see the servant thinking more of his own interests than of yours, and seeking inwardly his own profit in everything, such a man will never make a good servant, nor will you ever be able to trust him; because he who has the state of another in his hands ought never to think of himself, but always of his prince, and never pay any attention to matters in which the prince is not concerned. Which statement best summarizes the central idea of this excerpt? One must know the process of hiring servants. It is important to always honor one's servants. It is necessary to choose trustworthy servants. The intelligence of servants must be considered

Answer 1

In this passage from chapter 22 of "The Prince", by Machiavelli, the statement that best summarizes the central idea of this excerpt is It is necessary to choose trustworthy servants. Machiavelli tells the Prince that the first impression about him will be given by his servants and therefore it is important to choose trustworthy servants, so people will form a good opinion of him.

Answer 2

The correct answer is:

One must know the process of hiring servants.

In the excerpt, especially here:

"when you see the servant thinking more of his own interests than of yours, and seeking inwardly his own profit in everything, such a man will never make a good servant, nor will you ever be able to trust him; because he who has the state of another in his hands ought never to think of himself, but always of his prince, and never pay any attention to matters in which the prince is not concerned."

They describe how to analyze a servant, how to know when they are going to priorize you, and if the servant does not checks for all of this characteristics is better not to hire him.