Question

read the excerpt from \lise marie de baissac.\
in normandy, baissac pretended to be a refugee from paris living in the house of a schoolmaster. there, she helped to set up more resistance groups and organize sabotage actions. again traveling by bicycle, she maintained secret communications between groups and transported supplies. this was extremely dangerous work. often covering forty miles in a single day, she carried arms and explosives as well as information about targets. her actions, along with those of her colleagues, often delayed the arrival of german reinforcements to the front lines of battle.
which best describes the central idea of this paragraph?
○ when she lived in normandy, baissac assumed a different identity in order to complete important work while she lived there.
○ baissac’s goal was to get in the way of german troop movement, and she was often successful when she worked with resistance groups.
○ baissac did significant work as a spy when she lived in normandy, sometimes traveling by bicycle to complete her tasks.
○ as a spy in normandy, baissac performed a variety of important and sometimes dangerous tasks in order to get in the way of german troops.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Focuses on identity assumption but the paragraph emphasizes her spy tasks (organizing sabotage, transporting supplies, etc.), not just identity. Eliminate.
• Option 2: Mentions delaying German troops but the paragraph details her varied tasks (setting up groups, communications, carrying arms) beyond just working with resistance groups. Eliminate.
• Option 3: Mentions significant spy work and bicycle travel, but the paragraph highlights the variety and danger of tasks (e.g., carrying explosives, forty - mile trips) and the goal of hindering German troops, which this option understates. Eliminate.
• Option 4: Captures that as a spy in Normandy, Baissac did various important (setting up resistance, communications) and dangerous (carrying arms/explosives, long - distance trips) tasks to impede German troops, matching the paragraph's content.

Answer:

D. As a spy in Normandy, Baissac performed a variety of important and sometimes dangerous tasks in order to get in the way of German troops.