OLS 5th ELA 3.5 Queen of the Falls Wrap-up

Refer to Queen of the Falls for a complete version of this text.

Why does Annie decide to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel?

• It is a chance to prove she is stronger than she appears.

• It gives her a reason to visit a favorite vacation spot.

• Annie believes it will help her make money. 

• Annie wants to be the first person to try the stunt.

Read the passage.

excerpt from Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg

Three days later, Annie called on the barrel maker again and convinced him that she was not crazy. If he built the barrel according to her design, the widow assured him, she could survive the fall without injury. The foreman agreed and put his three best men on the job.

Annie worked alongside them, picking out each piece of the thick white oak they used. When their work was done, they had a barrel that was four and a half feet high, with iron bands wrapped around it, and weighed more than one hundred and sixty pounds.

Based on the details in the passage, what can readers infer about Annie?

• Annie is a determined person who refuses to give up easily.

• She knows how to trick others into doing what she wants.

• Annie has years of experience designing and building barrels.

• She mistrusts others to do good work so she watches over them.

Refer to Queen of the Falls for a complete version of this text.

Which statement is a main idea of Queen of the Falls?

• Because so many daredevils perform at the falls, it is a popular tourist attraction.

• When Annie successfully completes her stunt, she gains great fame and fortune.

• Annie is the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and live to tell about it.

• Visitors feel terrified and thrilled when they see Niagara Falls for the first time.

Refer to Queen of the Falls for a complete version of this text.

In Queen of the Falls, Annie’s manager takes an important step to ensure her safety.

Which detail from the text best supports this idea?

• He sets up a popular tour for Annie to tell the story of her barrel ride over Niagara Falls.

• He hires a man who knows the river well to place Annie’s barrel in exactly the right spot.

• He questions her true age when Annie informs him that she is a forty-two-year old adventuress.

• He arranges for the Niagara Falls newspapers to publish stories about Annie to build excitement.

Refer to Queen of the Falls for a complete version of this text.

Which answer best summarizes Annie's life after she goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel in Queen of the Falls?

• Annie tries many approaches to make money from her experience, but fails. She opens a souvenir stand in a park at Niagara Falls, where she sells postcards and tells her story to tourists.

• She and her manager take the train from town to town to tell Annie’s story. When the speaking tour ends, Annie decides to attempt a second trip over Niagara Falls.

• Annie tries to sell tickets at events to people who want to hear her story. She never profits  because people have a difficult time believing that Annie survived a trip over Niagara Falls. 

• Annie’s first manager steals the barrel that she took over Niagara Falls, but later returns it. When her second manager takes her barrel, Annie decides to build a second one.

Read the excerpt from Queen of the Falls.

Many of them wondered if the promised trip over the falls was just some kind of hoax: The barrel might go over, but would it really carry Annie Taylor inside? She looked old enough to be someone's grandmother and appeared to have spent considerably more time baking pies than climbing mountains.

What is most likely the meaning of the word hoax?

• trick

• stunt

• feat

• bravery