Which describes the Zimmermann telegram that made headlines in 1917?

Which describes the Zimmermann telegram that made headlines in 1917?

• A. It promised Mexico its lost provinces in the United States if it would declare war on its northern neighbor.
• B. It telegram revealed German plans to destroy the Panama Canal.
• C. The telegram encouraged Mexico to recruit men for service in the German army.
• D. It conveyed the Germans' belief that the United States would adhere to its neutral position.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is understanding what the Zimmermann telegram proposed. In 1917, Germany secretly offered Mexico a military alliance against the United States. In return, Germany promised to help Mexico recover land it had lost to the U.S.—Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona—if Mexico joined the war on Germany’s side. When Britain intercepted and released the message, it shocked the American public and helped spur the U.S. to enter World War I on the side of the Allies. The other options don’t fit the telegram’s content. It didn’t involve destroying the Panama Canal, it didn’t call for Mexico to recruit soldiers for Germany, and it didn’t express a belief that the United States would stay neutral.

The key idea here is understanding what the Zimmermann telegram proposed. In 1917, Germany secretly offered Mexico a military alliance against the United States. In return, Germany promised to help Mexico recover land it had lost to the U.S.—Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona—if Mexico joined the war on Germany’s side. When Britain intercepted and released the message, it shocked the American public and helped spur the U.S. to enter World War I on the side of the Allies.

The other options don’t fit the telegram’s content. It didn’t involve destroying the Panama Canal, it didn’t call for Mexico to recruit soldiers for Germany, and it didn’t express a belief that the United States would stay neutral.