C2 – Reading and UoE Part1
Operation Mincemeat
In 1943, British intelligence launched Operation Mincemeat, a cunning deception designed to (1) _____ German forces about the Allies’ true invasion plans. The scheme involved planting false documents on a corpse disguised as a Royal Marine officer, which would then (2) _____ into the hands of Nazi intelligence.
The corpse, dubbed “Major William Martin,” was carefully prepared with personal effects and a fictional backstory to make the identity entirely (3) _____. The documents he carried suggested that the Allies were planning to invade Greece and Sardinia, rather than the true target: Sicily. To increase credibility, the body was set adrift off the coast of Spain, in the (4) _____ that the information would be picked up by German agents operating there.
The operation’s success (5) _____ heavily on attention to detail. Even the contents of the man’s pockets were scrutinized to ensure they would (6) _____ the illusion. Incredibly, the Germans accepted the ruse, and significant forces were diverted away from Sicily, (7) _____ the Allied landings there far easier.
Operation Mincemeat is often hailed as one of the most (8) _____ wartime deceptions in history, illustrating how strategic misinformation can profoundly influence the outcome of military campaigns.
1.
A) distort
B) mislead
C) confuse
D) divert
2.
A) fall
B) crash
C) tumble
D) slip
3.
A) authentic
B) trustworthy
C) convincing
D) valid
4.
A) assumption
B) belief
C) hope
D) risk
5.
A) relied
B) leaned
C) depended
D) stood
6.
A) prolong
B) maintain
C) sustain
D) preserve
7.
A) making
B) causing
C) rendering
D) resulting
8.
A) ingenious
B) imaginative
C) misleading
D) resourceful
Scroll down for key
1. B) mislead
“…designed to mislead German forces…” — the most appropriate verb meaning to cause someone to believe something untrue.
2. D) slip
“…which would then slip into the hands…” — suggests something being passed secretly or subtly.
3. C) convincing
“…to make the identity entirely convincing.” — the goal is to create a persona that seems real and believable.
4. C) hope
“…in the hope that the information would be picked up…” — common phrase: “in the hope that…”
5. C) depended
“The operation’s success depended heavily on attention to detail.” — “depended on” is the standard collocation.
6. D) preserve
“…to ensure they would preserve the illusion.” — “preserve” fits best with the idea of maintaining a deceptive scenario.
7. A) making
“…forces were diverted… making the Allied landings… easier.” — this conjunction works grammatically and logically here.
8. A) ingenious
“…one of the most ingenious wartime deceptions…” — “ingenious” means clever and original, fitting the context.