Question

read the excerpt from \tools of the spymaster.\

james jays invisible ink did not become visible by heating. as he described it, his ink \would elude the generally known means of detection, and yet could be rendered visible by a suitable counterpart.\ jays invisible ink consisted of two chemicals. an agent used one chemical to write an invisible message. to read the message, the reader had to brush a second chemical on the paper; that chemical made the message visible. the two-bottle system, supplied by jay, gave washington the secure form of writing that he wanted.

which statement is best supported by text evidence from the excerpt?

heating was a generally known means of reading invisible ink.
james jay was widely considered a hero for his invention.
both the british and the americans used james jays invisible ink.
washington helped james jay develop the two-bottle system.

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt

The text states: "James Jay's invisible ink did not become visible by heating. As he described it, his ink 'would elude the generally known means of detection, and yet could be rendered visible by a suitable counterpart.'"

Evaluate the options

• Option 1: "Heating was a generally known means of reading invisible ink."
• Analysis: The text says Jay's ink did not become visible by heating, but would elude the "generally known means of detection." This directly implies heating was a generally known method of detection.
• Option 2: "James Jay was widely considered a hero for his invention."
• Analysis: The text mentions he supplied the system to Washington, but does not state he was widely considered a hero.
• Option 3: "Both the British and the Americans used James Jay's invisible ink."
• Analysis: The text only mentions supplying it to Washington (American side). It does not mention British use.
• Option 4: "Washington helped James Jay develop the two-bottle system."
• Analysis: The text states the system was "supplied by Jay" to Washington, not that Washington helped develop it.

Select the best supported statement

Option 1 is directly supported by the contrast between Jay's ink (which required a chemical counterpart) and the "generally known means of detection" (heating).

Answer:

• (A) Heating was a generally known means of reading invisible ink. (Correct answer)
• (B) James Jay was widely considered a hero for his invention.
• (C) Both the British and the Americans used James Jay's invisible ink.
• (D) Washington helped James Jay develop the two-bottle system.