A Nation Divided

What is the central idea of the text?

HINT: Look back at the headings. Remember to focus on the entire passage and not just one part.

• how the postal service adapted to the Civil War

• how the Union control of the mail affected the Confederacy

• the importance of mail for Confederate soldiers

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Which is a summary of the section entitled “Crossing the Border”?

• It details how many ships were used as blockade runners during the Civil War.

• It explains why ship mail was so expensive during the Civil War.

• It describes how mail was transported from the North to the South during most of the Civil War.

• It defines the role of the ship's master as the new postmaster of the Confederate Post Office Department.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

How does the section entitled “The Confederate Postal System” contribute to the understanding of the title?

Hint: Go back to your Annotations. What was this section mostly about?

• A. The section explains why the United States Postal Service could not produce stamps during the Civil War.

• B. The section describes the characteristics of the first postmaster general, John H. Reagan.

• C. The section describes why ships were needed by the United States Postal Service.

• D. The section explains that the Confederate states started their own postal system during the Civil War.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.K.5

Why was the printing of postal stamps delayed for the Confederate postal system?

Hint: Since this question asks about the Confederate postal system, look back at the section entitled "The Confederate Postal System." Look for words related to mail taking a long time, being late, or being delayed, since that is what the question is asking about.

• A. The stamp designs had to be imported from England.

• B. The typical stamp printers were all located in the North.

• C. All of the reliable stamp printers were housed in the South.

• D. No one could decide on a design for the stamp.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What does the phrase “first-person depictions of battles” mean in paragraph 12?

Hint: Read the portion closely and use context clues to determine the meaning.

"For many soldiers, the Civil War was their first extended absence from home. Their letters often included references both to the loneliness of life and the horrors of the conflict. Letters from home were always welcome relief in a soldier’s day. Families were not the only ones eager for word from their loved ones at war. For the first time, newspaper publishers could rely on soldiers’ letters for first-person depictions of battles."

• A. direct participation in the battles themselves

• B. permission to send letters about battles

• C. battles seen through the eyes of those who were fighting

• D. recorded sounds of the battles

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

How does the author support the claim that the U.S. Mail tried to assist the communications between the soldiers and their loved ones?

Hint: Assist = help. Think: Where in the text would it talk about soldiers and loved ones? In the section titled Soldier's Mail. Read below:

"Because they were often on the move, soldiers’ mail service was irregular at best. While letters might find them easily when they were camped for extended periods, when on the march, units could travel for weeks without receiving their mail.

The postal service acknowledged that many soldiers did not carry stamps with them and permitted them to send letters without stamps. A soldier’s envelope had to bear his name, rank, and unit. Such mail was marked “postage due,” and the amount indicated was collected from the addressee."

• A. The soldiers had to send their letters through certain cities.

• B. The soldiers needed to have special stamps for their letters.

• C. The soldiers did not have to pay for stamps to send their letters.

• D. The soldiers sent their letters on specially designed ships.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.1

How did the Civil War influence the mail service?

HINT: Read through each answer choice. Then, use these helpful definitions to help you understand the answer choices.

persevered = continued

faltered = failed or had difficulty

inept = without skill

duration = for the entire time

• A. Mail service was difficult and slow, but it persevered.

• B. Mail service was carefully controlled and never faltered.

• C. Mail service was inept, expensive, and rarely successful.

• D. Mail service was interrupted for the duration of the war.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Which statement is supported by information in the text?

Hint: Use the process of elimination to read EACH question and decide if it is completely supported by the text or not.

• A. The Union postal system played an important role in ending the Civil War.

• B. The Confederacy ran a successful mail program with Union support.

• C. The Union postal system lacked resources to support the Confederacy.

• D. The Union limited the Confederacy’s ability to send mail.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.6.1