Frozen Dreams

Author's Purpose: Why did the author write this article and what does she want you to know about Matthew Henson?

• The author wrote the article to inform readers of an Arctic expedition to the North Pole that accomplished its goal

• The author wrote the article to inform readers of Commodore Perry's trip to the Arctic to become the first person to reach the North Pole.

• The author wrote the article to inform readers of Henson’s achievements and to make them aware of an explorer who has been overlooked because of his race.

How many years had Hensen dedicated trying to get to the North Pole?

• nearly 10 years

• nearly 20 years

• nearly 15 years

Matthew Henson was born in what year?

• 1866

• 1845

• 1870

Why did the native people of Greenland, Inuit, did not venture close to the North Pole?

• They believed the area was cursed by a flying vampire out looking for human blood.

• They believed the area was cursed by a demon called

  Kokoyah, a knife-toothed beast that lurked under the ice.

• They believed the area was cursed by the Loch Ness Monster who ate humans.

When did the European explorers begin sailing into the “kingdom of ice.”

• beginning in the 1400s

• ending in the 1500s

• beginning in the 1500s

What were the European explorers looking for?

• They searched for ocean routes from Europe to Asia--the Northwest and Northeast Passages.

• They searched for ocean routes from Europe to Alaska--the Bering Strait passage.

• They searched for ocean routes from Europe to Greenland to the North Pole--the North Atlantic Drift.

Why did many men--sailors--die while searching for a way to reach the North Pole?

• Their ships were crushed by monster whales which sunk their ships.

• Their ships were crushed by sea monster named Gunakadeit--a giant squid.

• Their ships were crushed by the 10-foot-thick slabs of ice that drift across the Arctic.

What did Matthew Henson have endure while growing up?

• As an African American, he faced vicious racism that was

  common throughout America at the time.

• As an African American, he faced the Klu Klux Klan--a group of men wearing white sheets to cover their faces.

• As an African American, he faced riots begun by Europeans who denied African American's freedom.

Who was Peary looking for as he was preparing for a Navy

expedition to map a jungle in Central America.

• cook

• cabin boy

• greenhand

Peary began planning for a yearlong trip to northern

Greenland, the land closest to the North Pole. He wanted

Henson to come along as his what?

• skipper

• first mate

• manservant