The Legend of John Henry

What is John Henry best know for?

• singing songs while building a railroad after the Civil War
• beating a steam-powered machined with his own strength
• growing up as a slave
• growing really fast when he was a boy

Why did John Henry agree to race against the digging machine?

• He wanted to save the workers' jobs
• He wants to win the machine as his prize
• He like to show off
• He wanted to be paid more

If a boss is going to fire a person, he or she is going to ____________

• light a match
• pay them more money
• give them a job
• end their job

Which sentence shows that this story is a fantasy?

• John Henry was born a slave
• He grew so fast that sometimes the pants he put on in the morning were to short by nightfall
• John Henry lived before there were cars or airplanes
• Then one day, a little man in a fancy suit arrived at the work camp

When did John Henry go to work for the railroad?

• after the little man came to the work camp
• before he became the biggest and strongest man around
• after the tracks ran into Big Bend Mountain
• after the Civil War ended

When writing a tall tale, the author's purpose is ________

• to inform
• to entertain
• to persuade
• to explain a process

A steel driver's job is to __________

• hammer drill bits into rock to break the rock up
• drive a machine made of steel
• find still inside of rocks
• none of the above

Why did the other railroad workers like John Henry?

• He worked harder and faster than any three workers
• He had a booming voice and enjoyed singing
• He helped saved their jobs
• all of the above

Which of the following is an opinion?

• John Henry should not have raced against the machine.
• Joh Henry was born a slave.
• John Henry became a steel driver
• John Henry went to work for the railroad.

Why could the little man's machine have been a solution to the boss's problem?

• The boss wants to fire all the railroad workers
• The boss wanted to have a contest
• The boss wanted the tunnel finished even faster
• all of the above