The Pony

Which of these best states the main idea of the text?

• Mail delivery is slower today than it has ever been.

• Carrying mail on the Pony Express was a very dangerous job.

• The telegraph changed the way people were able to send messages.

• The Pony Express was a way to send mail across the country in the 1800s.

What is the main idea of paragraph 3

• The Pony Express company bought 400 horses.

• There were 190 stopping points on the Pony Express route.

• Three men began the Pony Express as a route from Missouri to California.

• Riding for the Pony Express was a dangerous job.

Which of these is a detail that you would expect to find in paragraph 7?

• Horses reached an average speed of 10 miles per hour.

• By the October 1861, over 186 riders were used and 650,000 miles were covered.

• Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider out of St. Joseph.

• Billy Hamilton was the first eastbound rider out of Sacramento.

Which of these is a detail that supports the idea that riding for the Pony Express was a dangerous job?

• The riders covered 100 miles or so in about 10 hours.

• The riders needed to be young and small so the horses could go faster.

• There could be bad weather, wild animals, snakes, robbers, and Native Americans.

• The riders could switch horses and be back on the trail in less than two minutes.

Which of these details would not belong in the text?

• Horses reached an average speed of 10 miles per hour.

• Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider out of St. Joseph.

• Over 300,000 people moved west to mine for gold.

• The Pony Express ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

In which paragraph of the article would you expect to find this detail?

“The youngest Pony Express rider on record was 11 years old.”

• 4

• 3

• 2

• 1

According to the advertisement on page 1, where would young men apply to be a rider for the Pony Express?

• Sacramento, California

• St. Joseph, Missouri

• Leavenworth, Kansas

• Plymouth, Massachusetts

Which of the following questions could be answered by paragraph 7?

• How did the transcontinental telegraph deliver messages?

• How long did the Pony Express run?

• How many miles was the route of the Pony Express?

• How long did one rider run before stopping?