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Reading level

Small Whale · Reading worksheet

Letters of last resort

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/letters-of-last-resort

Step 2 · Questions

1. Who wrote Letters of last resort?
2. What is the number of letters?
3. What is the storage location?
4. Why does the UK keep these letters?
5. Who receives the letters?

Step 3 · Words to know

Write what each word means, using the article.

Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN)

Step 4 · Two facts in your own words

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

1.

2.

Answer key (teacher copy)

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote Letters of last resort?The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
2. What is the number of letters?Four identical handwritten letters
3. What is the storage location?On board each of the four British ballistic missile submarines
4. Why does the UK keep these letters?If a nuclear attack destroyed the government, the letters would let the submarines know to retaliate and keep the country safe.
5. Who receives the letters?The commanders of the UK's four ballistic missile submarines receive the letters.

Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN): A nuclear-powered submarine armed with ballistic missiles, designed for strategic deterrence.