Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• Summarize the Crucible exercise and explain how Jacob James’s team tackled the rope bridge obstacle. (Summarizing)
The Crucible is a 54-hour challenge that recruits have to complete at the end of boot camp to officially become Marines. Jacob James told his team members to cross the bridge with the ammo cans hanging around their necks. When that did not work, the team completed the obstacle using Katelin Bradley’s idea instead—by tying the cans to the bridge and pushing them across.
• What evidence supports the statement “for a long time, women were treated unequally throughout the armed forces”? (Text Evidence)
Women weren’t allowed to officially join the military until 1917, and they could only serve in supporting roles like nursing. They couldn’t enlist during times of peace until 1948. All combat positions weren’t opened to women until 2016. Also, female Marine recruits still face limits on how many can go through boot camp at a time because of gender-separated training.
• What does the graph “A Growing Presence” show? (Text Features)
The graph shows how the percentage of female service members has increased in four U.S. military branches since 1970, when less than 2 percent of service members were women. In 2018, the Marines had the lowest percentage of female service members, at 9 percent, while about 20 percent of both the Air Force and Navy identified as female.