Dark Game

What is the central idea of the first paragraph of The Dark Game?

• The Civil War was a short conflict between the North and the South.

  
  

• The Civil War lasted longer than people at first expected it to last.

  
  

• During the Civil War, there were many casualties on both sides.

  
  

• During the Civil War, Fort Sumter was overtaken by the Confederacy.

  
  

Which excerpt best states the central idea of the second paragraph of The Dark Game?

• Most of the war was fought in states south of Washington, D.C. . . . 

  
  

• For the Union soldiers, this meant they had to fight in unfamiliar and hostile territory. 

  
  

• This matter of geography affected the spies who worked behind enemy lines. 

  
  

• Confederate spies could usually find a safe house, or at least a sympathetic soul . . .

  
  

Which excerpt best states the central idea of the third paragraph of The Dark Game?

• most . . . spies of the Civil War were amateurs

  
  

• spying was . . . easy for both sides 

  
  

• . . . the chances of getting caught were low

  
  

• as the war progressed . . . some spies were caught and executed

  
  

Read this paragraph from The Dark Game.

To assure that the intelligence reached the commanders as quickly as possible—the postal services having become slow and unreliable—Van Lew created a system of couriers that moved the intelligence on its way without burdening one operative with the responsibility (and danger) of making the entire trip. She also created a credible cover story for each of her couriers, should they be stopped and questioned along the way.

The central idea of this paragraph is that

• the postal service at the time was slow and unreliable.

  
  

• secret intelligence needed to reach the commanders quickly.

  
  

• Van Lew used multiple messengers to get her information across.

  
  

• Van Lew gave all her couriers a believable cover story to hide their mission.

  
  

In The Dark Game, what is the central idea of the section about Elizabeth Van Lew?

• Elizabeth Van Lew used her servants to transport information.

  
  

• Elizabeth Van Lew helped many prisoners escape from Libby Prison.

  
  

• Elizabeth Van Lew obtained information from enemy prisoners.

  
  

• Elizabeth Van Lew was a valuable and legendary spy in the Civil War.

  
  

Read this paragraph from The Dark Game.

Realizing that they could do more if they banded together, groups of the Richmond Unionists began to organize. As Van Lew built stronger relationships with wounded soldiers, the Unionists made plans to hide Union soldiers who escaped from Libby Prison. In fact, the Van Lew mansion became a primary safe house, a place where escaped prisoners would be hidden and cared for. Elizabeth, her mother, and their servants did all they could to prepare the escaped soldiers for the treacherous journey behind enemy lines as they attempted to rejoin their fellow soldiers. The Unionists well understood that every escapee was a potential source of valuable military intelligence, and they made certain that each soldier was debriefed before starting back to the Union lines.

This paragraph is mainly about how

• Van Lew prepared the Union soldiers to return to their army.

  
  

• Van Lew’s home was a safe house for escaped Union soldiers.

  
  

• Van Lew obtained information from escaped Union soldiers.

  
  

• Van Lew’s mother and servants were part of her secret operation.

  
  

In The Dark Game, how does the author develop the central idea that Elizabeth Van Lew was a spymaster during the Civil War?

• by including details about the work that Van Lew did

  
  

• by recounting an anecdote that Van Lew tells in her own words

  
  

• by citing an example of Van Lew’s coded messages

  
  

• by illustrating the technology that Van Lew had available to her 

  
  

How does the first paragraph of The Dark Game best support the central idea that the Civil War was a long war?

• It shares the detail that the war lasted four years.

  
  

• It states what people believed about the war at the time.

  
  

• It tells how many soldiers actually died in the war.

  
  

• It gives an example of a battle that lasted almost two days.

  
  

The central idea of The Dark Game is that women were involved in espionage during the Civil War. How does the author develop this central idea in the text?

• by stating facts about how many women acted as spies

  
  

• by sharing quotations from women who were spies

  
  

• by discussing the story of a famous woman spy

  
  

• by giving details about how women trained to become spies

  
  

Read this excerpt about Elizabeth Van Lew from The Dark Game.

She became a spymaster, the person responsible for running a network of agents, couriers, and safe houses that was very active during the war. In addition to the spying, Elizabeth Van Lew continued to maintain her Church Hill home as a safe house and something of a local Union spy headquarters.

How does this excerpt develop the central idea that Elizabeth Van Lew helped expand the role of women in society? Choose two answers.

• It states how Van Lew acted as an important leader and manager at a time when women were generally discouraged from taking on those roles.

  
  

• It shows that Van Lew was dedicated to a cause outside of her family and worked hard for her beliefs.

  
  

• It illustrates how Van Lew became the most successful spy during the war and greatly helped the Union Army, though she was a woman.

  
  

• It describes how Van Lew organized women to fight for their legal rights and equal representation in government.