Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Real Name: Steve Rogers Occupation: Crime fighter, (former) freelance artist Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record Identity: Secret Other Aliases: Nomad, the Captain Place of Birth: New York City Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Joseph (father, deceased), Sara (mother, deceased) Group Affiliation: Former member of the Invaders, former partner to Bucky, the Falcon, and Nomad, current member of the Avengers Base of operations: New York City Steve Rogers was born during the Depression and grew up a frail youth in a poor family His father died when he was a child, his mother when he was in his late teens. Horrified by newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to try to enlist in the Army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy's earnest plea to be accepted, General Chester Phillips of the U.S. Army offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment called Operation: Rebirth. Rogers agreed and was taken to a secret laboratory in Washington, D.C where he was introduced to Dr. Abraham Erskine (code named: Professor Reinstein), the creator to the Super-Soldier formula. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last ad ministered the Super-Soldier serum. Given part of the compound intravenously and another part orally, Rogers was then bombarded by "vita-rays," a special combination of exotic (in 1941) wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the serum's effect on his body. Steve Rogers emerged from the vita-ray chamber with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. A Nazi spy who observed the experiment murdered Dr. Erskine mere minutes after its conclusion. Erskine died without fully committing the Super-Soldier formula to paper, leaving Steve Rogers the sole beneficiary of his genius. Roger was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program, teaching him gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat and military strategy. Three months later, he was given his first assignment, to stop the Red Skull. Ultimately, it will be Captain America's duty to help stop the evil Red Skull from taking over the planet. However, the task will be difficult. To help him become a symbolic counterpart to the Red Skull, Rogers was given the red, white, and blue costume of Captain America. 1) Why is Captain America popular initially in 1941? What was going on in America to cause that? 2) Who becomes the arch-enemy of Captain America after he undergoes extensive training? 3) Who does this arch-enemy represent in reality? 4) Captain America's popularity soared especially during the 1950s. Why do you think that is so
