a. the audience knows something the character(s) don't
D. meeting one particular dog
A gerund phrase begins with a -ing word and then includes any modifiers and objects, so A, B and C are not the correct answers.
Answer:
<em>There are three means of holding a newly acquired state that is accustomed to freedom.</em>
Explanation:
In this excerpt Niccolò Machiavelli is arguing for the prince that no place already accustomed to freedom such as republics and democracies will accept to be ruled by a prince without trying to defeat him, so he tells there are three ways which the prince can conquer it, this is the main idea here.