Espionage, Intrigue and Fighting for Equality — Test

Question 14 • English Language Arts 9

Which excerpt from " The Enigma Machine ” supports the idea that Allied forces expected the Germans to complicate their coding system?

Answer

The Enigma machine was invented at the end of World War I by German engineer Arthur Scherbius. He used rotors and an electrical pathway in his design.

The telegram was intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence, and it caused such outrage in the US that it helped generate public support for the United States’ entry into the war.

After 1938, when the Germans introduced additional rotors and plugs to increase the number of possible combinations, Polish and British cryptologists had already developed alternative methods of recovering the daily keys.

The two main weaknesses of the Enigma machine were careless operators and the distribution of the daily key. The daily key was printed on paper, and it had the potential of being captured en route to the field.

Explanation

Choice C directly shows that the Germans made their coding system harder by adding rotors and plugs, which increased the number of possible combinations. It also says Polish and British cryptologists had already developed other ways to recover the daily keys, supporting the idea that Allied forces anticipated this complication. The other excerpts describe the machine’s invention, an intercepted telegram, or weaknesses in its use.

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