Passage A—During the American Revolution, many women took up arms and helped fight against the British. Deborah Sampson was one such woman. She bravely disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the army. She had to change her appearance and her name. She enlisted under the name Robert Shurtlieff. She served for 17 months and was almost discovered a few times. One of the closest calls she had was when she was admitted to the hospital for wounds that she received in battle. She had pieces of metal in her head and her leg. After the doctor fixed her head wound, he wanted to begin removing the metal from her leg. Sampson was worried that she would be found out if he operated on her leg, so she decided to remove the metal herself. The doctor disagreed with her, but he could do nothing to stop her.

Passage B—During the American Revolution, it was up to us all to do everything we could to free our country from British rule. Many women were raising money or nursing soldiers wounded in battle. I, Deborah Sampson, wanted to do more. I felt that I could serve my country best by fighting on the battlefield. I found some of my husband's old clothes, put them on, and enlisted in the army. I was always scared that someone would find out that I was a woman, and then I'd be kicked out of the army. I came close to being caught once, and it was frightening. I woke up on an operating table with a doctor removing metal pieces from my head. Even though I was afraid that I might die, when he tried to remove metal from my leg, I stopped him. I had to remove it myself. If he operated on my leg, he might find out my secret. I couldn't let that happen, no matter how terrified I was. Unfortunately, I couldn't get all of the metal out, and there is still some in my leg today. It bothers me sometimes, when it rains. But, I feel that my sacrifices were worth it to live in a free country.

What additional information does the reader gain because Passage B was written as a firsthand account from Deborah Sampson's point of view?



The reader learns that people believed Sampson was brave.
The reader learns that Sampson felt her sacrifice was worth it.
The reader learns that Sampson was almost caught.
The reader learns that Sampson dressed in men's clothing​