As if merely according to his self-imposed rules weren’t strenuous enough…

As if merely subsisting according to his self-imposed rules weren’t strenuous enough…

Explanation:

The word "subsist" is a gerund that means sustenance, dependent, survival on one's own. In other words, it means the ability or capacity to support and survive by oneself on a minimal level.

The given line "as if merely subsisting according to his self-imposed rules weren't strenuous enough..." is from Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild." The lines go like this-

As if merely subsisting according to his self-imposed rules weren't strenuous enough, Rosellini also exercised compulsively whenever he wasn't occupied with foraging. He filled his days with calisthenics, weight lifting, and running, often with a load of rocks on his back. During one apparently typical summer, he reported covering an average of eighteen miles daily.

Thus, the correct word for the blank in the line is "subsisting".

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)