Question 9 • CMS 2025-2026 English I CREDIT RECOVERY
Read the excerpt from The Dark Game . On February 24, when Hall sensed that the Zimmermann telegram would tip the balance in favor of the U.S. joining the Allied forces, the British home secretary presented the telegram to President Wilson. One week later, news of the Zimmermann telegram was splashed across the front page of American newspapers. On April 6, 1917, the Congress of the United States declared war on Germany and its allies. What statement best explains the cause and effect structure of the excerpt?
Answer
A
As Hall sensed that the telegram would increase public outrage, the Americans joined the war against Germany.
B
While the Americans declared war on Germany, the contents of the message were published on the front pages of the newspapers.
C
After the contents of the telegram were published on the front page of American newspapers, the US declared war on Germany.
D
When the British home secretary took the telegram to Washington, D.C., President Wilson was stunned by the message.
Explanation
The excerpt gives a sequence in which the telegram was presented to Wilson, its contents were published in American newspapers, and the United States declared war on Germany afterward. Choice A best captures this cause-and-effect relationship: publication of the telegram was followed by the U.S. declaration of war. Choice B makes the events seem simultaneous, but the excerpt places the declaration later, on April 6.
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