White Death in the Cascades

Author Lauren Tarshis writes, “Like veins rushing blood to your head and fingers and toes, railroads sped people and products to virtually every part of the country.” This simile helps readers understand _______.

• how trains changed the world

• the purpose and importance of trains

• why train travel was risky

• how expensive train travel was

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

What information cannot be gained from the map included with the article?

• the intended route of the Seattle Express

• which states border Washington

• how many miles are between Spokane and Seattle

• where Washington is located in relation to Canada, the Pacific Ocean, and the rest of the United States

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

Tarshis writes that the mountainside “loomed above the stranded train.” The word loomed helps you understand that the mountainside was _______.

• snowy

• small

• large and threatening

• difficult to see

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

What is the purpose of the section “Iron Horses”?

• to explain the positive and negative consequences of the expansion of railroads

• to raise questions about whether more could’ve been done to prevent the tragedy

• to describe the planned route of the Seattle Express

• to tell how the Great Northern Railway kept trains moving in the winter

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Which lines help explain why people on the Seattle Express didn’t realize they were in danger at first? Choose TWO.

• “There was no reason to doubt them—this was 1910, remember, a time when train travel was routine.”

• Passengers grumbled about the delay, but the crew assured them that the train would be moving soon.”

• "Wellington was even smaller than Cascade Tunnel Station.”

• And then, at 1:42 a.m., there was a new sound."

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

In the section “End of the World,” a sequence of events structure is used to describe _______.

• what happened when the avalanche hit Wellington

• the avalanche that occurred at Cascade Tunnel Station

• the building of the transcontinental railroad

• how railroad safety improved after the Wellington avalanche

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

In 1910, many people lost their lives when an avalanche swept their train into a canyon in Wellington, Washington. What caused this tragedy?

• A ferocious blizzard caused snow to gush from the sky and block the tracks. Then temperatures rose and the snow turned to rain, causing a massive hunk of snowpack to break loose from the mountain.

• Passengers on the Seattle Express believed they were safe in the train car. They were reassured that they would be moving shortly. The townspeople of Wellington believed they were safer on the trains than in the rickety town buildings.

• Leaders of the Great Northern Railway understood the potential for avalanches, yet they still chose to send two trains into the Cascade Mountains during a blizzard to protect their profit and reputation.

• All of the above

• None of the above

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

The meaning of careen

• to intrude on something

• possible of becoming real

• shaky and in poor condition

• leaning or tipping dangerously

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

The definition of rickety is

• to intrude on something

• to lean or move side to side

• shaky or in poor condition

• possible of becoming real

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

What happened first in the story?

• Food begins to run low and the train is moved a few miles to the town of Wellington. The only place to park is on the edge of a steep canyon.

• Raymond and his mother board the Seattle Express at 7:30 p.m. in Spokane, Washington.

• Raymond awakes to find the train stranded in Cascade Tunnel Station by a blizzard. Passengers eat breakfast at a railroad cookhouse and reboard the train.

• Passengers eat at Hotel Bailets and receive troubling news: Snowplows are broken, workers are quitting, and an avalanche just plowed through Cascade Tunnel Station. Townspeople take shelter on the Seattle Express.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3