"The Titanic Tragedy" Comprehension Questions

The White Star Line was founded in

• 1845

• 1891

• 1907

• 1908

At which of the following places did the Titanic NOT pick up passengers?

• Queenstown

• New York

• Southampton

• Cherbourg

Why did the author include photographs of the first and third class staterooms?

• to show you how tiny the third class staterooms were

• to show you how luxurious the first-class staterooms were

• to show you the differences between the first and third class staterooms

• to encourage you to ride on a ship like the Titanic

What was the main problem with the lifeboats?

• There wasn't enough time to load all of the passengers before the ship sank.

• The lifeboats were lowered only half-full.

• The lifeboats couldn't hold more than 50 passengers in each.

• There weren't enough lifeboats for the number of passengers onboard the ship.

Who spotted the iceberg?

• Captain Edward Smith

• Frederick Fleet

• J. Bruce Ismay

• First Officer William Murdoch

Which of the following is NOT a good subheading for the section, "The Titanic Sinks?"

• "A Tragedy Occurs"

• "Into the Waters"

• "The Carpathia Helps"

• "The Ship Sinks"

Which detail from the text BEST supports the idea that the White Star Line was in some way responsible for the loss of passengers?

• There were not enough lifeboats on board for all of the passengers.

• The Carpathia was too far away to rescue the Titanic in time.

• Captain Smith ordered that the Titanic proceed at full speed despite the iceberg warnings.

• Many passengers ignored warnings to report to deck.

Which of the following statements about the fate of the Titanic's passengers is true (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)?

• Most of the passengers bought second-class tickets.

• First-class passengers were more likely to have survived the sinking than second or third-class passengers.

• Most of those who survived were third-class passengers.

• Second-class passengers were more likely to have died than first-class passengers.

What is the main idea of the section, "Aftermath?"

• J. Bruce Ismay rescued himself instead of helping women and children.

• In response to public outcry over the Titanic tragedy, some laws were changed and new laws were passed.

• The public was outraged.

• The US Coast Guard formed the International Ice Patrol.

What was the author's purpose for writing, "The Titanic Tragedy?"

• to persuade readers to use caution when sailing in the Atlantic Ocean

• to describe what it was like to ride on the Titanic

• to inform readers about the Titanic and what happened to the ship

• to explain to readers how to survive a ship's sinking