Question

Read this excerpt from "Geronimo: The Warrior" by Edward Rielly: Geronimo was primarily a fighter, a lasting reputation that led American paratroopers in World War II to call out the name "Geronimo" before plunging from their planes. Schoolchildren, for decades after Geronimo’s death, would similarly yell his name before undertaking a real or imagined feat of bravery, such as leaping from a swing into a river. A much more recent, and highly controversial, use of Geronimo’s name was its employment by the U.S. military as a code name linked to the 2011 operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. The association of Geronimo’s name with that of the hated terrorist elicited considerable resentment by a wide range of organizations and individuals, including the National Congress of American Indians, the Onondaga National Council of chiefs, Native American publications, Fort Sill Apache Tribal Chairman Jeff Houser, and Geronimo’s great-grandson Harlyn Geronimo. Their response was so intense that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs took up the issue at a hearing previously scheduled to discuss use of Indian names and images as sports mascots and in other areas of popular culture. Defense Department officials argued that they had intended no disrespect to Geronimo and had named the total operation against bin Laden Operation Neptune Spear, further naming each step alphabetically. The "G" step involved the capture or killing of bin Laden and was coded with the Indian leader’s name, an explanation that did not do much to satisfy those who had raised objections to the use of Geronimo’s name. Which statement best describes the author’s purpose for including these paragraphs in the essay? The author wants people to accept Geronimo for what he believed in and not for controversial reasons. The author wants to depict the ill-effects of using a famous name for controversial missions. The author wants to convey how bitterly people have viewed Geronimo’s name over the years. The author wants to inform people about how Geronimo’s name has been used for different purposes.

Answer 1

The author wants to inform people about how Geronimo’s name has been used for different purposes.

The author does not insert any of his own bias about the use of Geronimo's name, he simply informs the reader about how and why is has been used, and some of the controversies that have risen from its use.