Words by Wire!

What Happened Next? Think about the news story. Which fits best in the empty box above? This question asks about when events happened.

• The Pony Express started.

• The telegraph wire was invented.

• Samuel Morse made a secret code.

• The Pacific Telegraph Act was passed.

What is the main idea of this news story?

• People used to send telegraphs through the Pony Express.

• Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph in 1844.

• Electrical pulses carried codes over telegraph wires.

• The telegraph changed communication in the U.S.

Think about the news story. Why did the telegraph make communication easier?

• It connected Nebraska and Nevada.

• It stopped people from losing phone calls.

• It helped people send messages quickly.

• It let people talk by using a code.

Here is a sentence from the news story: "Riders took letters and other messages across the country on horseback." Which must mean almost the same as message?

• Pony

• Note

• Wire

• Code

Eric wants to learn more about Samuel Morse. He would find the most information by ________.

• Reading the first telegraph that was sent

• Studying a map of the U.S. from 1861

• Looking at pictures of telegraphs

• Reading a book about American inventors

The news story does not say ________.

• The first telegraph was sent in 1844.

• Samuel Morse created the Pony Express.

• The telegraph changed how people communicated.

• Mail carriers worked for the Pony Express.

Which word means almost the same as invent?

• Satisfy

• Notice

• Understand

• Create

The news story says: Electrical pulses were sent over telegraph wires. These pulses carried codes. These codes could be turned into words on the other end. The author uses these sentences mostly to help the reader ________.

• Understand why the telegraph was important

• Understand how the telegraph worked

• Know when the first telegraph was sent

• Know how to write a telegraph in code