The correct answer is A) the Roman Empire ruled territory to the South and East of modern Europe.
The conclusion of the contrast rather than comparison would be that the Roman Empire ruled territory to the South and East of modern Europe.
The historian is interested in how the continent has changed since the time of the Roman Empire. When analyzing the two maps, he uses contrast instead of a comparison between the Roman Empire and modern Europe. The conclusion of the contrast rather than comparison would be that the Roman Empire ruled territory to the South and East of modern Europe. The contrast helps the historian to find differences instead of similitudes of that epoch. The contrast highlights the differences he is looking for.