Camels Join the Army

What does the word secede mean in paragraph 7?

• to purchase

• to break away from

• to join and pledge allegiance

• to avoid and reject

Read the dictionary entry. retire \ rə-'tī(-ə)r \ v 

1. conclude a working career 2. remove from danger 3. retreat from a position 4. withdraw to bed 

Which definition best matches the meaning of retired in paragraph 10?

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• Definition 4

Read this sentence from paragraph 9. 

Soldiers reported seeing this camel “swinging along, under a little mountain of carpet-sacks, cooking utensils, blankets, etc.” 

The most likely reason the author uses figurative language in this description of the camel is to — 

• 1. support the purpose for the camels being sold

• 2. emphasize the hardships the camels endured 

• 3. convey the peculiar sight of the camels roaming

• 4. describe the type of terrain traveled by the camels 

Part B 

Which phrase from paragraph 7 best supports the answer to Part A? 

• 1. argued whether their state should also secede 

• 1. rid his command of the camels

• 3. before he received an answer

• 4. found themselves in charge of weapons, supplies 

Part A 

The word “politician” has a Greek root that means “affairs of the city.” Based on this information, what does the word politicians mean as it is used in paragraph 7?

• 1. People who supervise transportation systems

• 2. People in charge of buying and selling goods 

• 4. People engaged in government 

Which sentence from the article shows that some people viewed the camels as useful?

• 1. Davis hoped that the camels could be used to explore the deserts of west Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. (paragraph 2) 

• 2. He suggested that he could save the U.S. government more than $500 each month by ending the Camel Corps. (paragraph 7) 

• 3. They loaned other camels to the postal service to deliver mail around San Antonio, Texas. (paragraph 8) 

• 1. When the Civil War ended in 1865, the camels at Camp Verde became the property of the U.S. government. (paragraph 10)

What is most likely the author’s purpose for organizing paragraphs 9 and 10 using cause-and-effect? 

• 1. To explain how the camels were able to travel long distances

• 2. To indicate that the camels were more helpful in certain locations 

• 3. To illustrate why the soldiers ignored the camels

• 4. To explain how the camels ended up in many places

What is the best summary of paragraphs 6 through 8 of the article? 

• 1. Despite the ability of camels to carry large loads and go for long periods of time without water, the use of camels did not receive much support from the soldiers. Eventually, the camels were used for delivering mail in Texas. 

• 2. Camels began to gain the respect of some of the army leaders. The camels were admired for traveling long distances in severe environmental conditions. However, one general requested that the camels be released from military duty.

• 3. Camels were useful to the army because they could carry food and water without consuming any. However, one general wanted to end the use of camels, suggesting that it would save the government money. While his efforts were not successful, the camels were eventually used for other services. 

• 4. Even though the camels were praised by the expedition leader, one general wanted to release them on the prairie in order to save the government money. Then Texas seceded from the Northern states, and the camels were put to work carrying supplies and mail. 

Which sentence best expresses the controlling idea of the article? 

• 1. The camels were bound for the newly formed U.S. Camel Corps that belonged to the U.S. War Department. (paragraph 2) 

• 2. He believed the camels could carry supplies to remote army outposts and even carry soldiers to watch over pioneer settlements. (paragraph 2) 

• 3. The Southern states decided to secede—or break away—from the Northern states and form the Confederate States of America. (paragraph 7) 

• 4. He asked permission to sell the camels or let them loose on the prairie. (paragraph 7)

Based on information presented in the article, the reader can infer that Edward Fitzgerald Beale — 

• 1. believed that the camels had earned some time to relax

• 2. retired from the army after the Civil War

• 3. felt that the camels could survive only in a desert environment

• 4. left Texas after it seceded from the North