Question

the lengths for a letter
creating connections social studies: world history iii
during world war i (1914 - 1918), the british identified three things every soldier needed. the first two were food and ammunition. the third was mail.
the central powers were threatening europe. why did the british think mail was so important? it was a matter of keeping the soldiers spirits up during wartime. before landlines (phones connected by a cable plugged into the wall), the internet, or cell phones, people stayed connected via handwritten letters. maintaining this connection was key to raising morale.
to keep everyone in touch, the british postal service had to quickly deliver mail to the front lines. the goal was for a letter sent from britain to reach a soldier in france in just two days. at the time, that was considered exceptionally fast.
to get things rolling, a giant building called the home depot was constructed in london. at 5 acres (2 hectares) in size, it was supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world. inside, about 2,500 people worked as sorters. most were women. today, when a letter is mailed, it gets scanned by a machine that organizes mail by zip code. but during world war i, the sorters had to go through every piece of mail. they looked at each address and put the item into a pile with other letters and packages going to the same unit. over the course of the war, 2 billion letters and 114 million packages, filled with family photos and delicacies like cookies and fudge, were
question 5
the author probably wrote this article in order to ________.
a. show how the british mail system kept soldiers in touch with their families during world war i
b. provide details about how letters and packages were sorted by hand during world war i
c. suggest that british soldiers during world war i got more mail than any other soldiers
d. criticize the use of trench warfare during world war i because it kept soldiers from moving

Explanation:

The article starts by highlighting the importance of mail for British soldiers during World War I (to keep their spirits up). Then it details how the British postal service (including the sorting process in the Home Depot) worked to ensure mail reached soldiers quickly. Option A is too narrow as the article is not just about family connection but the overall mail - related efforts. Option C has no basis as there's no comparison with other soldiers. Option D is off - topic as trench warfare is not the main focus. Option B aligns with the description of how letters and packages were sorted (by hand, as mentioned about the sorters in the Home Depot) during World War I.

Answer:

B. provide details about how letters and packages were sorted by hand during World War I