Great Battles for Boys: WWII in the Pacific

Chapter 9 - “The Two Battles of Attu” & Chapter 10 - “The PT Boat”

Vocabulary Practice
Draw a line to match the vocabulary word to its definition.
1. territory a. robbers; pirates
2. desolate b. damage; disrupt/destroy something on
3. interrupt purpose
4. reconnaissance c. necessity, basic; vital, very important
5. essential d. unused, barren; empty.
6. unreliable e. domain, region; land belonging to a country
7. sabotage f. inspection; surveillance; gathering information
8. vessel g. to sign up for responsibility; to enter
9. enlist h. ship; boat
10. buccaneers i. to bother, interfere; to talk over someone
j. not trustworthy, not true, can’t be believed
Here are five verbs and their definitions. Use each one in a sentence you think of on your own (do not
copy the example sentence from the dictionary or from the book).
1. Word: testify || to confirm the truthfulness of something; to speak up for something.
Sentence:
2. Word: assault || to attack something.
Sentence:
3. Word: divert || to turn a different direction; to take attention away from something.
Sentence:
4. Word: operate || to perform, to function.
Sentence:
5. Word: manufacture || to build, to produce.
Sentence:

Grammar Practice Part 1

Fill in the table below with the correct verb tense.
Present Plural Present Singular Past Perfect

*sing sings sang sung

testify

assault

divert

operate

manufacture

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 Great Battles for Boys: WWII in the Pacific
Chapter 9 - “The Two Battles of Attu” & Chapter 10 - “The PT Boat”

Reading Comprehension Questions

Select the correct answer for each question below.
1. Why did Japan want to occupy Alaska?
a. Because of its oil
b. Because of its location
c. Because of its gold

2. Why was it a problem for Americans to have Japanese soldiers occupying some of the Aleutian
Islands?
a. The islands had important military bases.
b. The Japanese could stop shipments to American allies and possibly invade other
American states and territories.
c. The islands had many important resources on them.

3. What is the Bushido Code?

a. A moral code for Japanese samurai.
b. The name of an attack operation.
c. What Japanese soldiers would yell before charging into battle.

4. What does PT stand for?

a. Patriotic Turbo
b. Patrol Torpedo
c. Painted Tiger

5. What were PT boats useful for?

a. Moving soldiers from one location to the next.
b. Transporting goods.
c. Defending the coastlines.

Writing Questions
Answer each question by using at least 1-3 complete sentences.
1. What mistakes did Americans make when they went to battle the Japanese
soldiers on the Aleutian Islands and why were those mistakes bad?

2. Explain why were the wounded Japanese soldiers committing suicide

(killing themselves).

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 Great Battles for Boys: WWII in the Pacific
Chapter 9 - “The Two Battles of Attu” & Chapter 10 - “The PT Boat”
3. What happened to Lieutenant John F. Kennedy and the men on the PT-109?

Extended Response
Answer the question in complete sentences. Write at least one paragraph (4-7 sentences) for one of the
prompts.
a. It took several tries to perfect the PT boat. Recall a time when you had to
try multiple times to get something right. What did you do? How did it
make you feel once you succeeded?
b. OR Write a short summary of what you read in these chapters.

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