Question

read the excerpt from \tools of the spymaster.\

general gates troops held their ground. benedict arnold, one of gates generals, argued for a counterattack that would smash the british force. gates, outraged that arnold would challenge his order, took away his command. but the rash arnold saw a chance to strike a crucial blow. he galloped through the crossfire of both armies, inspiring his men. a bullet struck his leg, but he rode on, leading the final assault that shattered the british fortifications. if he had died of his wounds that day, arnold would be remembered as one of the great heroes of the revolutionary war.

the authors main purpose in this excerpt is to

describe to the reader a brave act by a historical figure.
illustrate to the reader the dangers of questioning orders.
persuade the reader that challenging orders is heroic.
show the reader how violent the revolutionary war was.

Explanation:

Analyze the text and identify key details

The excerpt describes Benedict Arnold's actions during a battle. Despite having his command taken away by General Gates for challenging an order, Arnold "saw a chance to strike a crucial blow," "galloped through the crossfire," and led a "final assault that shattered the British fortifications" even after being shot in the leg. The passage concludes by stating that if he had died that day, he "would be remembered as one of the great heroes of the Revolutionary War."

Evaluate the options against the text

• Option 1 ("describe to the reader a brave act by a historical figure"): This directly matches the text, which details Arnold's daring charge through crossfire and leading a successful assault despite his injury.
• Option 2 ("illustrate to the reader the dangers of questioning orders"): The text shows that questioning orders led to his command being taken away, but his subsequent defiance actually led to a successful assault and heroic status, rather than focusing on "dangers."
• Option 3 ("persuade the reader that challenging orders is heroic"): The text is informative and descriptive rather than persuasive, and it does not argue a general rule that challenging orders is always heroic.
• Option 4 ("show the reader how violent the Revolutionary War was"): While violence is mentioned (crossfire, bullet wound), the focus is specifically on Arnold's individual actions and bravery rather than the overall violence of the war.

Determine the correct choice

The primary focus of the passage is describing Benedict Arnold's courageous and decisive action on the battlefield, making the first option the correct choice.

Answer:

• (A) describe to the reader a brave act by a historical figure. (Correct answer)
• (B) illustrate to the reader the dangers of questioning orders.
• (C) persuade the reader that challenging orders is heroic.
• (D) show the reader how violent the Revolutionary War was.