Author's Purpose And Viewpoint In The Dark Game, Part 3

Which sentence has an optimistic tone?

Which article is most likely written to persuade readers?

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game: True Spy Stories from Invisible Ink to CIA Moles. As Montgomery and de Grey slowly made their way through the message, they noticed more and more oddities. For example, 97556 appeared near the end of the message; the 90000 family indicated important names that were not used very often in messages. We can imagine their shock when they realized that 97556 stood for Zimmermann. That single name fired the men with excitement as they began working on the message from the beginning. In time, some of the coded "words" began to give up their secrets. They found most secret and For Your Excellency's personal information. The men pushed on, discovering Mexico and Japan in the text. What could that mean? And what was Germany's interest in Mexico? How did Japan figure into the plan? The men could not think of a reason for the connection among Germany, Japan, and Mexico. Quickly thumbing the pages of the codebook, the men worked on at a fever pitch. Which word best describes the tone of the passage?

Which texts are written to inform readers? Check all that apply.

Read the passage. The county's "Technology 2020" initiative proposes that the school district provide laptops for every student in grades 9-12. This would cost millions of dollars in planning, implementation, and maintenance. Taxpayers may wonder whether this expensive proposal is a practical solution. It is better than practical, and it is an innovative approach with the potential to enhance students' educational experience. Which phrase best reveals the author's viewpoint?

Read the excerpt about Elizabeth Van Lew from The Dark Game: True Spy Stories from Invisible Ink to CIA Moles. No one in Libby Prison hospital paid much attention to this tiny, birdlike woman with a thin nose and alert blue eyes as she went about her business of visiting the hospitalized soldiers. She read to them and brought them baskets of goodies. The Confederate guards had no idea that this kindhearted woman was gathering military intelligence from the prisoners and laying the groundwork for espionage activities. Which statement best describes the author's viewpoint about Elizabeth Van Lew?

What sentence has a critical tone?

Read the paragraph about carbohydrates. It seems as if every modern diet plan includes an elimination of carbohydrates from one's diet. "Carbs" are being shunned as everyone seeks out "low-carb" foods and diets. But not every carbohydrate is a cookie; not every "carb" should be rejected. Consider a healthy bowl of pasta and vegetables before a swim or a run. Pasta can provide athletes with energy and a feeling of fullness and satisfaction that might not come from vegetables alone. What is the controlling idea?

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game: True Spy Stories from Invisible Ink to CIA Moles. Armed with invisible ink, a cipher system, and a passion to end the war and preserve the Union, Elizabeth Van Lew became Butler's eyes and ears in the Confederate capital city. Truth be told, however, she became much more than that. She became a spymaster, the person responsible for running a network of agents, couriers, and safe houses that was very active during the war. Which word best describes the tone of the passage?

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game: True Spy Stories from Invisible Ink to CIA Moles. There are theories as to why the Soviets did not "discover" the tunnel sooner. One likely answer is that they waited until Blake was reassigned by MI6 to London in order to protect him from being found out. Since Blake knew about the tunnel from the first day of its planning and was in Berlin while the tunnel was being dug, fingers would soon point to him as a Soviet mole. The KGB did not want to lose Blake. Some historians feel that the KGB waited because they actually wanted the Americans to hear their transmissions, as a way to let it be known that Russia had no intention of invading Germany and going to war with the U.S. On balance, however, some valuable information was gathered from the tapped conversations. The U.S. learned, for example, a great deal about the Soviet and Eastern European order of battle, or its military organization. Others feel that the intelligence was valuable to check against similar information obtained from other sources. Tim Weiner in his recent history of the CIA, Legacy of Ashes, writes that "The evidence suggests that the CIA gained two invaluable and untainted kinds of knowledge from the taps. The agency learned a basic blueprint of the Soviet and East German security systems, and it never picked up a glimmer of warning that Moscow intended to go to war." Which sentence best states the controlling idea of the passage?