medium · SAT Reading & Writing
In his study of the Roman Empire, historian Peter Heather suggests that the 'fall' of Rome was not a sudden collapse but a protracted process driven by the high cost of maintaining a vast frontier.
Heather argues that as border defenses became more expensive, the central government was forced to increase taxes, leading to internal instability. To exemplify this, he examines the military expenditures in the Danubian provinces during the late fourth century. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence as a whole?
- It concludes that the Roman Empire was completely destroyed by a single invasion in the year 476.
- It provides a specific historical case to support the general argument about defensive costs.
- It proves that Rome would have remained powerful if it had never expanded toward the Danube.
- It describes the specific agricultural techniques used by Danubian farmers to pay their taxes.
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