Secret Messages

What is the most likely reason the author includes paragraph 3 in the selection?

• To reveal a little-known factor that influenced the outcome of the Revolutionary War.

• To teach readers how to prepare the invisible ink that members of the Continental Army used.

• To argue that British people sympathized with Americans during the Revolutionary War.

• To question whether Washington was as honest as many Americans believe.

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Read the dictionary entry. Which definition of the word opted is used in paragraph 2?

• to select

• to follow

• to withdraw

• to decide or to make use

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The Culper Ring used Dr. Jay’s invisible ink rather than lemon juice because Dr. Jay’s ink was –

• Washington’s preferred way to send a message

• suitable for writing between the lines of a letter

• a symbol of British support for the Americans

• more difficult for the enemy to discover

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Based on the information in paragraph 10, what can the reader infer about the author’s opinion of Washington’s strategy for information gathering?

• The author believes that Washington’s patience helped him perfect his methods.

• The author thinks Washington should have been more selective in choosing the Culper Ring.

• The author admires Washington’s resourcefulness.

• The author believes that Washington should have been more careful about sending messages.

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Based on the details from paragraph 6 and 7, the reader can conclude that spies who made up the Culper Ring

• all came from Culper country in Virginia.

• were the first to use lemon juice for secret messages.

• were each assigned a specific job.

• all fought in the Continental Army

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What details in paragraphs 9 support the key idea that Washington’s military strategy led to a positive result?

• Sometimes the spies wrote their secret messages between the lines of a letter to a friend or business partner.

• And in November 1780, based on information from Woodhull, Major Tallmadge led a successful raid on Fort St. George on Long Island.

• He regularly used such tricks as a secret agents, double agents, and codes.

• The Culper Ring operated for six years in and around New York City.

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Which words best matches the way sophisticated is used in paragraph 5?

• attractive and alluring

• risky and dangerous

• expensive and lavish

• elaborate and detailed

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What is the best summary of this article?

• Although many people believe that George Washington never lied, he did use deceptive tricks such as secret agents and codes against the British during the Revolutionary War. He found that using invisible ink to send secret messages was especially useful.

• During the Revolutionary War, George Washington established a network of spies that provided him with information about the British forces. One group, the Culper Ring, sent him many valuable messages that helped Washington defeat the British.

• The Culper Ring was a group of American spies that operated around New York City during the Revolutionary War. The spies included Robert Townsend, Abraham Woodhull, Austin Roe, and Major Tallmadge.

• Invisible ink, which helped George Washington win the Revolutionary War against the British, can be easily made out of lemon juice. Another way to use invisible ink is to use chemicals called “stain” and “sympathetic stain.”

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According to the article, why did Washington want his own information gathering agency?

• He was unable to defeat British forces by traditional methods.

• He was fascinated with the idea of spies and invisible ink.

• He trusted only friends to bring him accurate information.

• He thought the British were spying on his continental forces.

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Which sentence from the introduction best reflects the main idea of the text?

• 1. name three things about George Washington,

• 1. of them would be that he did not tell lies

• 1. Washington commanded the

     Continental army,

• 1. he used many deceptive tactics to give his forces an

     advantage over the stronger British forces.

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