Spring Benchmark Prep: School on the Right Track / The Spider an

How does the introduction in paragraph 1 contribute to the structure of the text as a whole?

• by describing the experience of attending school on a train

• by chronologically detailing the evolution of schools on trains

• by providing an answer to the problem associated with attending school on a train

• by thoroughly explaining how students traveled to and from schools on trains

Read the sentence from paragraph 7. But if you didn’t live near the tracks, it wasn’t that easy. Which quotation supports the idea?

• “The railroad companies, working with the government, created seven ‘schools on wheels’ out of old passenger coaches.” (paragraph 5)

• “Wherever four or more children could gather, the car was pushed onto a spur, a short track that ran off the main line. The teacher held school on the spur for about a week each month.” (paragraph 6)

• “In winter, when the three Dingee children attended the school car seven miles away from their home, they used an eight-foot sled pulled by five dogs.” (paragraph 8)

• “They had an hour for lunch and played games at recess. One teacher liked to play ice hockey during recess.” (paragraph 10)

Which phrase from paragraphs 1-5 provides context for the meaning of the word remote as it is used in paragraph 3?

• “…standing by the railroad tracks…” (paragraph 1)

• “…one of the school-car children.” (paragraph 2)

• “…one part of northern Ontario to another.” (paragraph 3)

• “…lived too far away…” (paragraph 5)

Based on the information in paragraphs 11-13, what inference can be drawn about school-car teachers?

• Teachers only taught elementary-aged children due to limited desk availability.

• Special certifications were required for teachers to be able to teach on and operate trains.

• Teachers made significant sacrifices in order to teach children unable to attend traditional schools.

• The families of the teachers would plan parties for the students when they arrived and departed from town.

Which quotation represents a claim made by the author?

• “If you had lived in Canada’s province of Ontario not long ago, this might have been you—one of the school-car children.” (paragraph 2)

• “The government of Ontario decided that if all these children lived too far away to go to school, then school should come to them.” (paragraph 5)

• “But if you didn’t live near the tracks, it wasn’t that easy.” (paragraph 7)

• “From 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. the children studied many of the same subjects that students do today.” (paragraph 10)

Which statement summarizes the text?

• Recess in the early 1900s was similar to the recess children experience today.

• Traveling to school was often a difficult task for students in Ontario’s wilderness.

• Children in Ontario’s bush country attended school on trains for about one week each month.

• It was a common practice for teachers to exchange gifts with their students during holidays.

How does the author illustrate the idea that school-car children were dedicated to their studies?

• by providing the cause and effect relationship between homework and performance

• by describing the varieties of challenges students overcame to attend school

• by identifying the different subjects students reviewed throughout the day

• by explaining the steps involved in playing ice hockey on a frozen lake

Which quotation describes how the author views school cars?

• “The government of Ontario decided that if all these children lived too far away to go to school, then school should come to them.” (paragraph 5)

• “Books lined shelves from floor to ceiling and school supplies were stuffed everywhere.” (paragraph 11)

• “Most students attended the school car for only about a week each month, but their teachers tried to teach them as much as students in non-moving schools.” (paragraph 13)

• “But no matter which line the school car was on, the learning that went on inside it was certainly on the right track!” (paragraph 15)

According to the text, which statement is true?

• Children in Canada were able to attend school regardless of its distance from their homes.

• Old school coaches were converted into homes for railroad workers and their families.

• School cars were used to enhance learning completed in non-moving school houses.

• The children of immigrants were not permitted to attend school with native Canadians.

What does the word immigrants mean as it is used in paragraph 3?

• people who need assistance from the government

• people who live in country settings

• people who service train stations

• people who come to live permanently in a foreign country