Question

read the excerpt from \how we entered world war i.\

in the midst of it came the revelation of the telegram from german foreign minister arthur zimmermann inviting mexico into alliance as a belligerent. as a scheme to keep u.s. forces occupied on their own border, it offered to help mexico regain her lost territories of texas, arizona, and new mexico.

the author most likely uses the word \scheme\ to

○ explain to the reader that acts of war are carefully planned and executed.
○ point out the anger the united states had toward mexico and germany.
○ show the reader that germany was a legitimate threat to the united states.
○ demonstrate that germany had no allies in world war i.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The word "scheme" here isn't about general war planning, but a specific German plan against the US, so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: The excerpt focuses on Germany's plan, not US anger towards Mexico/Germany, so this is wrong.
• Option 3: Germany's scheme to involve Mexico to occupy US forces shows Germany was a threat to the US, which matches the context.
• Option 4: Germany had allies (like Austria - Hungary) in WWI, so this is false.

Answer:

C. show the reader that Germany was a legitimate threat to the United States.