Scope: Code Talkers

In the introduction, author Joseph Bruchac writes, “World War II was raging around the globe.” He means the war was _______.

• just beginning

• about to be over

• very intense

• unpopular

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Consider this line: “Months before, [Nez and Begay] had helped invent a secret code using Diné, their native language—a language they had once been punished for speaking.” Where can readers find information about why they had been punished for speaking Diné?

• in the section “Inventing the Code”

• in the sidebar “On the Battlefield”

• on the map of the World War II Pacific front

• in the section “Painful History”

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What problem is presented at the beginning of the section “Top-Secret Project”?

• The Navajo language is difficult to learn.

• Nez did not know he had been recruited for a top-secret project.

• There was only one book written about the Diné language.

• The Japanese were expert code breakers and had broken every American code.

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Navajo soldiers helped the U.S. forces by improving their _______.

• weapons

• communication

• marksmanship

• attack plans

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Bruchac writes, “Yet Nez couldn’t tell his loved ones about his role in the war. The code talkers were still under strict orders to keep it a secret.” Based on these lines, which is an inference readers can make?

• The war left Nez spiritually wounded.

• The U.S. thought it might use the code again in future wars.

• Being away from his family during the war was difficult for Nez.

• Nez didn’t want to tell his family about his role in the war.

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Which of the following details would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?

• Nez pursued a degree in art at the University of Kansas.

• The Diné word for “potatoes” was the code word for “grenade.”

• Basic training was like a game to Navajo soldiers.

• Code talkers helped America and its allies win World War II.

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What is one reason Diné was chosen as a language for secret communication? Use text evidence to support your answer.

• The language was hard to break

• Many people knew the language, so everyone would understand what they were saying

• It was the language of the tribe

• The brothers made it up, so they could teach it to anyone

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Someone’s legacy is the long-lasting impact of their actions. Which piece of evidence supports the idea that the code talkers’ left a legacy?

• In 2001, Nez traveled to the White House, where he and other code talkers were awarded gold medals by President George W. Bush.

• Native nations are working to preserve and restore their languages

• This legacy is about more than the pride Native people feel in the crucial work they did during the war

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Which is the central idea of the article?

• The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor plunged the US into WW2

• Although the Navajo language was prohibited in boarding schools, it became a secret weapon to help the US defeat Japan

• Phillip Johnson, the son of missionaries, grew up on the Navajo reservation

• Some 6,800 Americans died at the battle of Iwo Jima

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