Read the excerpt from "Tools of the Spymaster." General Clinton, concerned about what General Howe was planning and doing.made use of a mask to write a letter to General Burgoyne. Before writing the letter.Clinton had placed an hourglass- shaped mask on a piece of paper and then had formed the secret message within that shape. The unmasked letter had enough false information in it to fool any American who happened to see it.But when Burgoyne viewed the letter with the mask, he read Clinton's view of the real situation: Howe has made a bad move; I don't have enough men to do anything about it. Which statement is best supported by text evidence from the excerpt? General Howe was embarrassed by his mistake. General Clinton hoped that General Burgoyne could help him. The Americans read General Clinton's letter to General Burgoyne. The Americans did not have the mask to read General Clinton's letter.

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the context of the excerpt. The excerpt is from "Tools of the Spymaster" and it describes a situation where General Clinton uses a mask to write a letter to General Burgoyne. The letter contains false information to mislead any American who might see it.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />The next step is to analyze the options given in the question. The options are:<br />- General Howe was embarrassed by his mistake.<br />- General Clinton hoped that General Burgoyne could help him.<br />- The Americans read General Clinton's letter to General Burgoyne.<br />- The Americans did not have the mask to read General Clinton's letter.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />The final step is to match the options with the information provided in the excerpt. The excerpt does not mention General Howe being embarrassed by his mistake, nor does it suggest that General Clinton hoped that General Burgoyne could help him. The excerpt also does not indicate that the Americans read General Clinton's letter to General Burgoyne.<br /><br />## Step 4<br />The excerpt does, however, suggest that the Americans did not have the mask to read General Clinton's letter. This is because the false information in the unmasked letter was intended to mislead any American who might see it, implying that the Americans did not have the mask to read the true message.