The Mail's Got to Go Thru!

The reader can most likely infer that pony riders needed to be small and lean to —

• avoid changing horses multiple times during a trip

• carry and pitch the heavy mailbags

• keep the weight on the horse to a minimum

• be an experienced rider

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

Look at the glossary entry. 

Which word from the glossary entry best describes a Pony Express Rider?

• wiry

• feeble

• coarse

• yielding

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

From the newspaper advertisement at the beginning of the passage, what can the reader infer?

• Most Pony Express riders were adults.

• Riders were required to be good horsemen.

• Only orphans were hired.

• Riders were not expected to get paid.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

Which sentence from the passage supports the idea that the Pony Express brought regions of the nation closer together?

• The new nation was quickly expanding.

• Stagecoach mail also provided regular communication between the East and West.

• The Pony Express route was a relay race against time.

• It helped settlers feel less isolated from their family and friends in the East.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

Why did the Pony Express route begin in St. Joseph, Missouri?

• Many horses were raised near there.

• It was the farthest point to which the railroads brought mail.

• It was where the stagecoaches started their journeys.

• There were many orphans who lived there.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Which sentence from the passage shows that some settlers were unconvinced the Pony Express company could deliver mail in ten days?

• The company believed that a central route was better than the longer, southern one.

• Many people were skeptical that the company could back up its claim.

• On October 24, 1861, the Pony Express went out of business.

• Messages could be sent from coast to coast instantly over the telegraph wires.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Read the online dictionary entry. 

launch (lawnch) v. 1. To set a ship in water.  2. To put something in motion.  3. To send a spacecraft in orbit.  4. To throw with force.

Select the definition of launch as it is used in paragraph 2.

• To send spacecraft into orbit

• To set a ship in water

• To put something in motion

• To throw with force

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

In paragraph 2, the word feat means —

• an amazing journey

• a remarkable accomplishment

• a surprising purpose

• an unfavorable position

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

Unlike stagecoach mail, Pony Express mail took a —

• southern route

• southwestern route

• central route

• northeastern route

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

The best resource the author should use to find words that could replace the word exhausted is —

• a dictionary

• an almanac

• a thesaurus

• an atlas

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5