Question

Which sentence best states the controlling idea of the passage?

Wyke used the technology available in the 1950s to tap cable.
Caution and precision enabled Wyke’s cable-tapping success.
Without Wyke, Americans could not have completed the tunnel.
Wyke worked to avoid detection by the Soviets in East Berlin.

Answer 1

Without Wyke, Americans could not have completed the tunnel.

Step-by-step explanation:

This sentence shows the overall idea of the passage; the impact of what he did.

Answer 2

B). Caution and precision enabled Wyke’s cable-tapping success.

Step-by-step explanation:

Controlling idea is demonstrated as the key idea that functions to reveal the author's purpose for creating the particular work and the message and direction he/she is going to proffer and follow respectively.

In the given passage, option B i.e. 'Caution and precision enabled Wyke’s cable-tapping success' exemplifies the statement that most appropriately expresses the controlling idea of the passage taken from 'The Dark Game: True Spy Stories from Invisible Ink to CIA Moles' authored by Paul B. Janeczko. It reveals the author's opinion about Wyke that how vigilant he was towards his work('Wyke...Gently and carefully', with a 'deft hand', 'drew off too much power') and his artifice('did a masterful job') and reflects his purpose to the audience clearly. Thus, option B is the correct answer.