How could this essay draft best be revised to clarify meaning and enhance stlye?

Arrange the events in chinese history in chronological order using the numbers 1-4. the ming dynasty falls to the qing. china experiences a 400-year period of peace known as the pax sinica during the han dynasty. a golden age of expansion and culture occurs during the tang dynasty. nationalists and communists fight a civil war for control of china.

It is true that prior to 1914 the united states often had been disturbed by events in other continents. we had even engaged in two wars with european nations and in a number of undeclared wars in the west indies, in the mediterranean and in the pacific for the maintenance of american rights and for the principles of peaceful commerce. but in no case had a serious threat been raised against our national safety or our continued independence. what is the theme of this excerpt? a. the responsibility for americans to avoid involvement in war. b. america’s history of international involvement. c. a new kind of threat to american security. d. america’s history as a peaceful nation.

Read this excerpt from the exposition in "the monkey's paw." father and son were at chess, the former, who possessed ideas about the game involving radical changes, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment from the white-haired old lady knitting placidly by the fire. what is one piece of information you can infer about the story from this sentence? a. the father in the story is possessed, so he probably says insane things a lot. b. the woman in the story is knitting, so the characters probably don't have good clothes to wear. c. the father is playing chess with the son, but the son is not old enough to know the rules. d. since the father likes taking risks in a game, he might like taking risks in life as well.