Texas Weekly 26

Railroads Steam into the Future
From information presented in the text and supplied by the author, can you determine what source of energy powered the train Deborah and her mother were travelling in?

• diesel fuel
• gasoline
• burning coal
• propane

Railroads Steam into the Future
What mode of communication was utilized to attain information from family and friends in Kansas?

• letters
• stage coach
• email
• wagon

Railroads Steam into the Future
What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

• how scary the train looked
• why Deborah felt excited
• how long it had been since Deborah saw her grandparents
• why Deborah liked to be excited

Railroads Bring ‘Boom’ to Texas
Why were railroads needed in Texas in the 1800s?

• The roads were not big enough for all the wagons in the state.
• There were problems with most other transportation methods.
• It was too hot to travel any other way.
• There were no other methods of transportation at this time.

The Boom Begins
In paragraph 1 of this section what does the word boom mean?

• time when railroad tracks are being laid
• new people in an area
• period of sudden growth
• change in culture

Communities Boom
Why are many Texas towns about 30 miles apart today?

• Early businesses were only allowed to operate 30 miles apart.
• The law required junctions to be 30 miles apart
• Early towns were established so locomotive passengers could stop for food.
• Early communities sprang up where locomotives stopped for water.

Railroads Bring ‘Boom’ to Texas
The reader can tell that—

• there are no longer any railroad towns left in Texas
• there are many railroad towns still growing today
• railroad towns were only used for water stops
• new towns today are never placed 30 miles apart