Final answer:
Philip II was the King of Macedonia who united Greece and had ambitions to conquer Persia. He reformed the military and secured economic resources, paving the way for his son, Alexander the Great, to carry out his plans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II was the King of Macedonia who reigned from 359 to 336 BCE, and he is best known for uniting Greece and setting the stage for the conquest of the Persian Empire. Under his leadership, Macedon became a significant power; he achieved this through diplomatic skills and military innovations. Philip recruited common farmers and developed a formidable infantry, while trained aristocrats formed an elite cavalry. His reorganization of the infantry into a new phalanx with longer spears and an effective combined arms tactic with the cavalry proved decisive.
His conquests included securing territories in Thrace, providing economic resources essential for military expansion. He also seized gold mines in northern Greece, and after subduing Greek city-states, he assumed a symbolic leadership role, promoting the cultural pretext for a Greek invasion of Persia. However, before he could implement this plan, Philip II was assassinated, and the task of invading Persia was taken up by his son, Alexander the Great.
The correct answer to the student's multiple-choice question is: C) Philip II was the King of Macedonia who united Greece and had the goal of conquering Persia.