Politically, the Roman Empire laid the foundations on which modern Europe was built. Culturally, partly through native genius and partly through absorbing the achievements of the older and richer culture of Greece, its literature became the basis of European values, in particular those values that arise out of the individual’s relationship to their society. Rome began to produce literature between 300 and 100 BC at about the same time as it was conquering the rich Greek colonies in the south of Italy.

Roman writers and orators began to expand their imaginative and intellectual horizons and refine the Latin language through the study of Greek literature. Early Roman literature had been basically of two kinds: the recording and examination of public life and behavior through life stories of famous men, and
the particularly Roman art of satirical comedy and drama.

There were those, however, who objected to the Greek influence, most notably Cato the Censor, who did his best to uphold the virtues of no-nonsense Latin prose against Greek luxury. More typical, and in the end more successful, was the poet Ennius, who managed to keep a balance between Greek and Latin
values by writing a Homeric epic poem in Latin idiom, but using Greek poetic metre.

According to the text, which of the following statements is true of ancient Roman literature?

On meeting a person for the first time, our first question is often “What do you do?” That is, we ask what they do for a living, what their job is, because we feel this will help us place them. It helps us to define their status. We can judge where they stand socially, we can make a guess at how much they earn, and through that what kind of a standard of living they can afford. In addition, it can give us a fairly good idea of their educational background.

The problem is that people often choose a career for the wrong reasons. For instance, some people follow in the footsteps of a parent, either entering the same trade or profession, or inheriting the family business. Others make exactly the opposite decision, either out of a fierce desire for independence, or to spite a parent, or simply to get away from family. They decide that whatever else they might do, they will certainly not do what their mother or father did. People may also persuade themselves to pursue a career for which they are unsuited out of hero-worship, or as a result of meeting people they admire. It is a pity that we have to make such an important decision about our future career at a stage in our lives when we are so easily influenced by factors which have little or nothing to do with the central issue, namely, that we should do those things for which we have a natural talent.

Which of the following is not given as an example of a wrong reason for choosing a career?