Read the excerpt from The Dark Game.
On January 16, 1917, in a clear attempt to convince the
Mexican government to help Germany in the war,
Arthur Zimmermann, the German foreign secretary,
sent a telegram to Count von Bernstorff, the German
ambassador in Washington. The foreign secretary
wanted to be certain that this message reached von
Bernstorff, so he made arrangements for it to be carried
aboard a U-boat to Sweden and from there to
Washington through diplomatic channels.
Which statement best explains how the evidence from
this excerpt leads to the inference that the message
Zimmermann sent was important?
O Because Arthur Zimmermann rarely sent telegrams
to von Bernstorff, the contents of the message had
to be very important.
O Because the message was so important and
needed to reach von Bernstorff, Zimmermann
wanted the message to be carried across the ocean
in a U-boat.
The telegram's destination, Washington, D.C.,
suggests that the contents of the telegram were
important to the Germans and the British.
O The route the telegram was to take, first to Sweden
and then to Washington, D.C., supports the idea that
the contents of the message were important.



Answer :

In the given excerpt from "The Dark Game," the evidence suggests that the message sent by Arthur Zimmermann was important for several reasons: 1. Zimmermann went to great lengths to ensure the message reached von Bernstorff, the German ambassador in Washington. By choosing to send the telegram via a U-boat to Sweden and then through diplomatic channels to Washington, it indicates the significance and sensitivity of the message. 2. The elaborate route chosen for the message, bypassing traditional communication methods and utilizing covert transportation, implies that the contents of the message were crucial and required a high level of security and confidentiality. 3. The fact that the message was intended for Washington, D.C., a key political center during the time of World War I, further emphasizes the importance of the message. It suggests that the message had diplomatic implications or strategic importance that warranted direct communication with the German ambassador in the United States. In conclusion, the combination of the special delivery method, the strategic routing, and the destination of the message strongly supports the inference that the contents of the telegram sent by Zimmermann were indeed important and significant in the context of wartime diplomacy.