RIverboat Days

How does the first paragraph contribute to the overall structure of the article?

• It introduces Clemens as a famous author.

• It describes the steamboat in detail.

• It establishes Clemens’s initial goal, which contrasts with what happens later.

• It explains the dangers of piloting a riverboat.

What is the purpose of paragraph 3 in developing the article’s theme?

• It emphasizes Clemens's childhood ambition, which connects to his later career.

• It provides a historical fact about riverboats.

• It introduces Horace Bixby, a key mentor for Clemens.

• It explains why Clemens struggled as a riverboat pilot.

Which text structure best describes the way paragraphs 5–7 are organized?

• Cause and effect

• Compare and contrast

• Sequence of events

• Problem and solution

How do paragraphs 6 and 7 support the overall meaning of the article?

• They compare different methods of piloting a steamboat.

• They highlight the dangers and difficulties of navigating the Mississippi River.

• They describe the role of the Civil War in Clemens’s career.

• They emphasize the luxurious features of riverboats.

How does the mention of “floating palaces” in paragraph 4 help develop the article?

• It shows why Clemens wanted to go to South America.

• It emphasizes why piloting was a difficult job.

• It highlights the appeal of riverboats to passengers and the public.  

• It introduces the dangers of river travel.  

How does the author use sequencing to explain Clemens’s journey to becoming a pilot?

• The article jumps between past and future events to create suspense.

• The events are arranged in chronological order, showing Clemens’s gradual shift in ambition.

• The article starts with Clemens’s success as an author and then explains his riverboat career.

• The events are organized by topic instead of time order.

What was the purpose of including information about the “mark twain” measurement in paragraph 8?

• To explain why Clemens chose “Mark Twain” as his pen name

• To describe the process of navigating a steamboat

• To contrast modern and historical navigation methods

• To explain why riverboats often crashed

How does the article compare Clemens’s piloting career and his writing career?

• It argues that Clemens was more successful as a pilot than as a writer.

• It shows that Clemens’s experiences on the river influenced his writing.

• It describes how Clemens wrote adventure stories about South America.

• It explains how Clemens became wealthy from his riverboat career.

What argument do the authors make about Clemens’s time as a riverboat pilot?

• It was a brief but important period that shaped his future writing.

• It was a dangerous and difficult job with little reward.

• It was a lifelong passion that he pursued until old age.

How does the article support the claim that Clemens’s experiences as a pilot made him a great writer?

• It explains that he used real people he met on the river as characters in his books.

• It states that piloting required no memory skills, unlike writing.

• It describes how he avoided writing about the Mississippi River in his books.

• It argues that piloting was unrelated to his writing style.