The Pony Express

Which of these best states the main idea of the text?

• Mail delivery is slower today than it has ever been.

• Carrying mail on the Pony Express was a very dangerous job.

• The telegraph changed the way people were able to send messages.

• The Pony Express was a way to send mail across the country in the 1800s.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

What is the main idea of paragraph 3

• The Pony Express company bought 400 horses.

• There were 190 stopping points on the Pony Express route.

• Three men began the Pony Express as a route from Missouri to California.

• Riding for the Pony Express was a dangerous job.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

Which of these is a detail that you would expect to find in paragraph 7?

• Horses reached an average speed of 10 miles per hour.

• By the October 1861, over 186 riders were used and 650,000 miles were covered.

• Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider out of St. Joseph.

• Billy Hamilton was the first eastbound rider out of Sacramento.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

Which of these is a detail that supports the idea that riding for the Pony Express was a dangerous job?

• The riders covered 100 miles or so in about 10 hours.

• The riders needed to be young and small so the horses could go faster.

• There could be bad weather, wild animals, snakes, robbers, and Native Americans.

• The riders could switch horses and be back on the trail in less than two minutes.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

Which of these details would not belong in the text?

• Horses reached an average speed of 10 miles per hour.

• Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider out of St. Joseph.

• Over 300,000 people moved west to mine for gold.

• The Pony Express ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

In which paragraph of the article would you expect to find this detail?

“The youngest Pony Express rider on record was 11 years old.”

• 4

• 3

• 2

• 1

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

According to the advertisement on page 1, where would young men apply to be a rider for the Pony Express?

• Sacramento, California

• St. Joseph, Missouri

• Leavenworth, Kansas

• Plymouth, Massachusetts

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.7

CCSS.RI.3.7

CCSS.RI.4.7

CCSS.RL.2.7

CCSS.RL.3.7

Which of the following questions could be answered by paragraph 7?

• How did the transcontinental telegraph deliver messages?

• How long did the Pony Express run?

• How many miles was the route of the Pony Express?

• How long did one rider run before stopping?

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.4.2