Question

Read the excerpt from "Tools of the Spymaster."

General Clinton, concerned about what General Howe
was planning and doing, made use of a mask to write a
secret message in a letter to General Burgoyne.
Before writing the letter, Clinton had placed an
hourglass-shaped mask on a piece of paper and then
had formed the secret message within that shape.
The unmasked letter had enough false information in it
to fool any American who happened to see it. But when
Burgoyne viewed the letter with the mask, he read
Clinton's view of the real situation: Howe has made a
bad move; I don't have enough men to do anything
about it.
Which statement best expresses the central idea of th
excerpt?
O Generals were able to send secret messages to
each other using a mask.
O General Howe failed to help the other generals
defeat the Americans.
O The British were better at using codes than the
Americans.
O False information in a letter could cause problem
for the Americans.

Answer 1

The central idea of the excerpt is that General Clinton used a mask to conceal a secret message within a letter to General Burgoyne, in order to deceive any Americans who might see the letter.

The statement that best expresses this idea is:

General Clinton used a mask to send a secret message to General Burgoyne, in order to deceive American forces.

Step-by-step explanation: