Fill in the blank.
'Of the sword and pen the ____ is more powerful.'

Question

Fill in the blank. 
'Of the sword and pen the ____ is more powerful.'

Accepted Answer

The question asks to fill in the blank in the sentence: 'Of the sword and pen the ____ is more powerful.'

Let's analyze each option:

**Correct Answer: Option 3 (latter)**

*   **Explanation for Option 3 being correct:**
    The word 'latter' is used to refer to the second of two things or people that have just been mentioned. In the given sentence, "sword" is mentioned first, and "pen" is mentioned second. Therefore, 'the latter' correctly refers to the "pen". The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" is a well-known idiom, and the sentence 'Of the sword and pen the latter is more powerful' directly alludes to this idiom, stating that the pen (the second item mentioned) holds more power. Thus, 'latter' is the grammatically correct and semantically appropriate choice to complete the sentence.

**Explanation for other options being incorrect:**

*   **Option 1 (later):**
    'Later' refers to a point in time that is subsequent to another time. For example, "I'll see you later." It is used for temporal sequence, not for referring to the second of two items in a list or comparison. Using 'later' in this sentence would be grammatically incorrect and would not make sense in the context of comparing the power of a sword and a pen.

*   **Option 2 (last one):**
    'Last one' refers to the final item in a sequence, typically when there are three or more items. While the pen is indeed the last of the two items mentioned, 'last one' is not the precise or idiomatic choice when specifically referring to the second of *only two* items. 'Latter' is specifically designed for this purpose.

*   **Option 4 (last):**
    Similar to 'last one', 'last' refers to the final item in a sequence. While the pen is the final item in the list of two, 'latter' is the more formal, precise, and grammatically preferred word when distinguishing between the first and second of *only two* mentioned things. Using 'last' here is less specific and less elegant than 'latter' in this particular construction.