Your correct on everything
The power (or exponent) of a number says how many times to use the number in a multiplication.
It is written as a small number to the right and above the base number.
In this example the little "2" says to use 8 two times in a multiplication:
82 = 8 × 8 = 64
But power can also mean the result of using an exponent, so in the previous example "64" is also called the power.
Another example: 24 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16
• the power is 4: "2 to the power 4 is 16"
• or we can say the power is the result of 16: "the 4th power of 2 is 16"
<u>Explanation:</u>
We notice how the author chooses his language to showcase his viewpoint about the leadership of Mao. He said,<em> "If the project was outsized and over-ambitious, so was its author." </em>Meaning, he viewed him as an over-ambitious leader.
Furthermore, the author referred to him as an<em> "advocate of violence..." </em>which shows he views him as an authoritarian and aggressive leader.
In conclusion, the author used a metaphor to show that even after his death, the mistake Moa made during his rule brought severe consequences years later. He said, <em>"The grapes of wrath planted by Mao’s blunders ripened in the spring of 1989..." </em>
