Based on information in the passage, it can be concluded that Hooker lost the Battle of
Chancellorsville mostly because of his
a) Vanity
b) Ignorance
c) Overconfidence
d) Faulty information
e) Vices
Answers
Answer:
c Overconfidence
Explanation:
Throughout the passage, the author portrays Hooker as very confident. In paragraph 3, the author tells us that even though the
Union army was weakened and demoralized, “Hooker proclaimed, ‘My plans are perfect. And when I start to carry them out, may
God have mercy on Bobby Lee, for I shall have none.’” Then the author asks, “Why, aside from a propensity for narcissism, was
Hooker so confident?” In paragraph 4, the author answers this question by explaining that Hooker’s confidence was based on the
“vast amount of intelligence he had compiled on Lee’s army” as well as on his “superior numbers,” since he had over twice as many
men as Lee did. Furthermore, Hooker had enacted a plan to “cut off the Confederate soldiers in front and behind” by dividing his
troops. Then the author notes, “Satisfied with his advantage, Hooker became convinced that Lee’s only option was to retreat to
Richmond, thus assuring a Union victory.” Based on this information, we can conclude that Hooker became so confident that Lee
would retreat and that the Union would win, he believed he could not lose. In the final paragraph, the author writes, “Union soldiers
who tried to warn Hooker that Lee was on the offensive were dismissed as cowards. Having become convinced that Lee had no
choice but to retreat, Hooker began to ignore reality.” As a result of this, Hooker’s soldiers were caught “completely unprepared for
battle” when Lee’s army attacked, so Hooker lost, despite having more men and an advantageous position. This tells us that Hooker
was too confident. As a result of his belief that he could not lose, Hooker failed to prepare his soldiers for battle, and so they lost.
This means that Hooker lost the Battle of Chancellorsville mostly because of his overconfidence. Therefore (C) is correct. In
paragraph 2, the author writes, “Hooker was a blond, strapping young man whose vanity over his appearance was but one aspect of
his egotism.” But Hooker’s “vanity over his appearance” is not what caused him to fail to prepare his men for battle. This
means (A) is incorrect. In paragraph 4, we learn that “Hooker began to ignore reality.” But this does not mean that he was ignorant
or uninformed. In fact, the author tells us that “Union soldiers…tried to warn Hooker that Lee was on the offensive,” but he chose not
to listen to them. This means that Hooker did not lose the battle because of his ignorance. This eliminates (B). In paragraph 4, we
learn that “Union soldiers who tried to warn Hooker that Lee was on the offensive were dismissed as cowards.” This means that
Hooker did not have faulty information. He had accurate information, but he chose to ignore it. This makes (D) incorrect. In
paragraph 2, the author describes Hooker’s “rollicking enjoyment of both women and whiskey,” and these things could be
considered vices, but these vices are not what caused Hooker to fail to prepare his men for battle. Therefore (E) is incorrect.
Hooker lost the Battle of Chancellorsville mostly because of his Overconfidence. Option C is right
- The battle of Chancellorsville happened in 1863.
- Hooker's Union soldiers fought against Lee's American soldiers.
- Lee was an experienced, intelligent, and focused army man.
- Everyone warned Hooker about the state of his army, which was famished, exhausted, and demoralized, but being a drunkard and womanizer Hooker ignored all.
- He was overconfident, he carried out extensive homework and implemented his plans.
- He believed that he has already won and started to rest, he ignored others' warnings that Lee's army is about to defend itself.
- He failed to prepare his soldiers for the battle because of his overconfidence.
- At last Lee's army attacked them from all directions and Hooker lost the battle.
- #SPJ2