Code Talker

from Code Talker

by Joseph Bruchac

I seemed to be the perfect student.

When my bilagaanaa1 teachers looked at me, they saw a little Navajo boy who did just what he was told, never got in trouble, and studied hard. Whenever I was called on, I would stand right up.

"Yes, teacher," I would say, widening my eyes and nodding my head as I spoke.

Yes, teacher! Those were the two words I spoke more than any others when I was in mission school. They were like magic. Even if I did not understand something, all I had to do was say those words to make my white teachers nod back at me or smile. Sometimes they did not even ask me to answer the question.

"Very good, Neddie," they would say.

However, I was stubborn in ways the teachers could not see. I spoke nothing but Navajo whenever I was alone with other Indian students. In the basement of the school or out back behind the wood shed, I learned Navajo songs and stories. Some students in that school, especially after being beaten enough times for talking Indian, reached the point where it became hard for them to speak Navajo, even when they wanted to. But it was not that way for me. If anything, rather than taking my language away from me, boarding school made me more determined never to forget it.

1 bilagaanaa: White; Caucasian

This question has two parts. Answer Part 1, then answer Part 2.

Read the first three sentences from the fourth paragraph.

"Yes, teacher! Those were the two words I spoke more than any others when I was in mission school. They were like magic."

Part 1:

What does Ned mean when he says that the words "Yes, teacher" are "like magic"?

• The words allow him to misbehave in front of his teachers.

• The words help him feel like he belongs at the school.

• The words immediately make his teachers happy.

• The words make his teachers think he speaks English.

Part 2:

What does the answer to Part 1 show about Ned's teachers?

• The teachers do not treat all their students equally.

• The teachers do not want students to use their Indian names.

• The teachers mostly care that students obey them.

• The teachers want to be sure the students are learning.

This question has two parts. Answer Part 1, then answer Part 2.

Part 1:

According to the passage, how does the boarding school setting affect some students who are beaten for speaking Navajo?

• They lose their ability to speak Navajo.

• They choose not to speak Navajo, even though the school allows it.

• They refuse to listen to their teachers.

• They become more determined to speak Navajo.

How does the boarding school setting affect Ned?

• He protests by speaking and singing Navajo when teachers are nearby.

• He tries to speak only English to please his teachers.

• He resolves to speak and remember the Navajo language.

• He does not speak Navajo because he is afraid of being beaten.

Which statement best summarizes this passage?

• Although Ned appears to be the perfect student, he secretly defies his teachers by speaking Navajo.

• Though Ned can speak Navajo, his main goal is to please his teachers, so he avoids speaking Navajo.

• Because Ned behaves so well and says, "Yes, teacher," his teachers allow him to speak and sing Navajo.

• While he usually obeys his teachers, Ned also tries to convince other students to honor their Navajo heritage and language.

from "Pearl Harbor and World War II"

by Brandon Marie Miller and Mark Clemens

Early on a Sunday morning in December, hundreds of Japanese planes came screaming out of the sky over the Hawaiian island of Oahu. They dropped bombs and torpedoes and covered the ground with machine-gun fire. Their target: the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Two hours later, more than 2,400 Americans were dead and 18 ships and 188 airplanes had been destroyed.

The attack came as a complete surprise to the American people. December 7, 1941, was "a date which will live in infamy,"1President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared. He told the American people "that since the unprovoked2 attack by Japan... a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire." Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

Over the next four years, the United States changed from a nation trying to isolate3itself from the world's problems to becoming a leader among nations. It raised and supplied a huge fighting force. Americans produced guns, vehicles, vessels, aircraft, and manpower. Hundreds of thousands of American soldiers enlisted to fight overseas. Meanwhile, the men and women who remained at home did not remain untouched by the war. They filled the jobs left empty by the men who became soldiers. World War II was an event that impacted the world, and the lives of all Americans were altered by it.

1 infamy: Fame for a bad reason

2 unprovoked: Not brought about by anything said or done

2 isolate: Completely remove

Read this sentence from the second paragraph.

"December 7, 1941, was 'a date which will live in infamy,' President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared."

What did President Roosevelt's phrase live in infamy suggest about the date of December 7, 1941?

• The day would be celebrated around the world.

• The day was one that would be forgotten.

• The day would be remembered for its tragic events.

• The day felt as if it would go on forever.

Which three details should be included in a summary of this passage?

• More than 2,400 Americans died, and 18 ships and 188 airplanes were destroyed.

• World War II changed the lives of all Americans.

• Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor.

• Americans who stayed home took over soldiers' previous jobs.

• Americans made guns and other supplies needed for war.

This item has two parts. Answer Part 1, then answer Part 2.

Part 1: According to the passage, how did the United States change after Pearl Harbor?

• The economy began to suffer, with fewer goods being produced and fewer jobs for Americans.

• The United States learned the importance of protecting itself and ignoring other nations.

• The United States stopped isolating itself and contributed significantly to the war.

• The society became increasingly fragmented as more people turned on each other in suspicion.

Part 2:

Which detail best supports the answer to Part 1?

• "Germany and Italy declared war on the United States."

• "an event that impacted the world"

• "the men and women who remained at home"

• "raised and supplied a huge fighting force."

from Code Talker

by Joseph Bruchac

Where did the idea of using Navajo come from? There was a white man named Philip Johnson who was the son of a white trader on the reservation and so he could speak "Trader Navajo." He liked our people and had Navajo friends. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he brought some of his Navajo friends to the Marines in San Diego to demonstrate how our language could be used to send messages.

An important Marine had already been thinking about making an Indian code. His name was Major General Clinton Vogel... After hearing of Philip Johnson's demonstration, General Vogel authorized the recruitment of that first class of twenty-nine Navajo Marines. Just like us, they were brought to Camp Elliot, where they were locked in this same classroom and told to develop an unbreakable code.

Those Navajos did it all by themselves. Some have said that Philip Johnson developed the code and taught it to the Navajos. That is not true. He did not know our sacred language well enough to do this. He was nowhere near Camp Elliot during the summer of 1942 when the code was being created by Navajos. Later on, Philip Johnson came to work at Camp Elliot. His job, with the rank of sergeant, was to be an administrator for the school, help things run well, and write reports. He could not speak the code and never taught it to anyone.

This question has two parts. Answer Part 1, then answer Part 2.

Part 1:

Which best describes Philip Johnson's knowledge of the Navajo language?

• He understood the Navajo language, but he could not speak it.

• He could speak and understand some Navajo but was not fluent.

• He could communicate in the language as well as the Navajo.

• He could speak the language but did not appreciate how special it was.