Copernicus should be the topic, and the central idea should be how he came up with the heliocentric theory. I hope I helped, please tell me if I am incorrect or if you need more help!
The answer would be “but” since it contrasts his motivation with competing with others for a high score.
Hopefully this helped.
Well "and to take the shortcut" just doesnt sound right, the rest is fine..
Etymology is the study of the history and origin of words