Question

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game. Cable messages from Europe to the United States traveled through transatlantic cables that passed deep in the English Channel. The British saw the cables as an opportunity to gain access to secret diplomatic messages sent from Berlin to its ambassador in Washington, D.C. Knowing they couldn't tap the cables the way they could tap phone lines, the British did the next best thing. The cable ship Telconia cut all five of the cables that carried communications through the channel. To make sure that the sabotage had a lasting effect, the Telconia rolled up a few of the cable ends on her drums and carried them to England. This act of sabotage was Great Britain's first offensive act of the war. Which inference can a reader make based on the information in the excerpt? The Germans often sent important messages concerning their war efforts to their ambassador in Washington, D.C. Although the British cut the underwater cables, the Germans planned to lay new ones as quickly as possible. Without the underwater cables, the Germans had no way of communicating with their ambassadors. The German ambassador in Washington, D.C. was unaware that the cables had been cut by the British.

Answer 1

The Germans often sent important messages concerning their war efforts to their ambassador in Washington, D.C. I think this is the inference to be made from this excerpt as it merely says that important messages were sent by transatlantic cable from Berlin to Washington and the British cut the cables and removed a section.

Answer 2

The Germans often sent important messages concerning their war efforts to their ambassador in Washington, D.C.

This is the only answer we can safely infer to be true. The passage states that the cables were "an opportunity to gain access to secret diplomatic messages sent from Berlin to its ambassador in Washington, D.C.". Because it states that secret diplomatic messages were sent, we know that these must be important.

The other options are incorrect because we don't know anything about the German's plans after the cables are cut. We also do not know if the cables were the only means for communication. Usually governments would have more than one way to communicate with their ambassadors. We also haven't been told about any plans to lay new cables.