Code Talkers

What was the problem facing the U.S. military?

• The soldiers couldn’t learn the old codes.

• The Navajo wanted to be involved in World War II.

• The military was losing to Japan.

• The enemy was very good at breaking its secret codes.

Why does the section “Mysterious Messages” follow the section “Philip Johnston’s Bright Idea”?

• After learning that the military is going to create a new code, the reader needs to understand the nature of coded messages.

• The reader needs to compare the previous Native peoples’ codes with the one to be developed from the Navajo language.

• While the book begins by describing World War I, the second section backs up to trace its historical causes for the reader.

• The second section further explains the history of code as it was used by the United States government.

What is the author’s purpose for the section “Why Navajo?”

• to inform readers about the connection between the Navajo and the war

• to persuade readers that they should learn to speak Navajo

• to inform readers about the reason Navajo was a good fit for the code

• to persuade readers to develop a new coded system

What is the main idea of the section “Unsung Heroes”?

• Twenty-nine Navajo soldiers helped come up with a system for coding messages.

• The military quickly started using the code and began training more code talkers.

• After World War I, both Germany and Japan had sent students to the United States.

• For many years, no one knew of the amazing work the Navajo code talkers performed.

What was one of the reasons the military chose to solve its problem by developing a code based on the Navajo language?

• The German and Japanese students had studied the Navajo language.

• The Navajo language was a “hidden language” and unknown outside the country.

• The Navajo language was easier to work with than the languages of other Native peoples.

• The other allies in the war advised the U.S. military to make the code.