When people today recall Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian general who lived from 247 to circa 181 BCE, they typically focus on the one fact that is commonly taught in history classes: during the Second Punic War against Rome, Hannibal marched across the Alps with a team of war elephants, nearly all of which were lost due to the harsh conditions of the region.
Historians and students of history alike regard this decision as a blunder. Of course, were this the only notable event in Hannibal’s military career, it would be correct to look upon him with disfavor. No one would disagree that Hannibal underestimated the number of souls that would be lost on the perilous march through France and incorrectly believed that the elephants would be hardier than they turned out to be for the trek. Nonetheless, it is abundantly clear from historical accounts that he was aware of the danger and planned well ahead of time to reinforce his numbers by using both his charisma and his military might to convince the Gauls and other tribes native to the Alpine foothills to join him in fighting the Romans, and was largely successful in doing so.
He was also a master tactician, able to take advantage of the diversity of his fighting forces, the local terrain, and the single-minded regimentation of the Roman forces to win skirmishes in which his own troops were vastly outnumbered. The two highlighted sentences play which of the following roles in the passage?
A The first states the main thesis of the passage; the second is a fact that seems at odds with this thesis.
B The first is a position that the author intends to refute; the second is a justification for this refutation.
C The first is a position the author regards as legitimate but incomplete; the second is support for the author’s thesis.
D The first provides a reason for doubting the position maintained by the author; the second is the author’s main conclusion.
E The first states an outside position that the author reluctantly concedes; the second is part of an explanation for this reluctance.