Question 5 • CMS 2025-2026 English I CREDIT RECOVERY
Read the excerpt from "Code Talkers.” Although American Indian soldiers had effectively used their languages to create and transmit secret messages during World War I, military leaders were reluctant to use the code a second time, fearing that it would no longer be effective. The Japanese and German governments had sent students to the United States specifically to learn certain American Indian languages. The Navajo language, however, was so complex that few people outside the Navajo Nation itself could speak it. In 1942, it was estimated that only thirty non-Navajos spoke the language worldwide. Which questions would improve the reader’s ability to understand the military leaders’ fear that the code would no longer be effective? Choose two correct answers.
Answer
A
Did any of the Japanese or German students learn to speak Navajo?
B
What kind of code did the American Indians use during World War I?
C
Was the US government able to figure out other countries’ codes?
D
How many people spoke Navajo before World War I?
E
Why did the Navajos try to prevent outsiders from learning their language?
Explanation
Knowing what kind of code American Indian soldiers used in World War I would help explain why military leaders worried that using it again might make it easier to recognize or decipher. Finding out whether Japanese or German students learned Navajo would clarify whether the enemies could understand the language used for the new code. These questions directly address the code’s previous use and the risk that outsiders might know Navajo.
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