The Celestials' Railroad

Paragraph 3:
Because they called China the Celestial Kingdom, the Chinese workers were known as “Celestials.” Few of their fellow railroad workers bothered to learn their names. No one knows their names today. But it was on the backs of the Chinese workers that the first transcontinental railroad was built.

Question 1:
According to this paragraph, why were the Chinese railroad workers called "Celestials"?

• Because they worked so quickly, they seemed like they were from the sky.

• Because they came from China, which was known as the Celestial Kingdom.

• Because they often sang songs about the stars.

• Because they were the bosses of all the other workers.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Paragraph 7:
In February 1865, 50 Chinese men were transported by flatcar to the rail’s end in the Sierra foothills... they calmly set up camp, boiled rice provided by the company, and went to sleep. Up at dawn, with picks and shovels in hand, they worked 12 hours straight without complaint.

Question 2:

What did the Chinese workers do when they first arrived at the end of the railroad tracks in the Sierra foothills?

• They immediately started arguing with the other workers.

• They set up camp, cooked rice, and went to sleep, then started working early the next day.

• They refused to work because they were not paid enough.

• They went to look for gold in the nearby mountains.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Paragraph 8:
They hung from ropes draped over the edges of cliffs and tapped holes into the sides of mountains. After inserting dynamite, they jerked the ropes and were yanked upward.

Question 3:

What dangerous work did the Chinese railroad workers do in the Sierra Nevada mountains?

• They rode horses to deliver supplies.

• They cooked food for all the workers.

• They hung from ropes to set dynamite in the mountains.

• They built houses for the other workers.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

Paragraph 12:
Together with the Union Pacific crews, they watched as railroad tycoons drove in their golden spikes. But when the cameras recorded the event, the Chinese workers were left out of the picture.

Question 4:

What happened when the two parts of the railroad were finally joined together?

• The Chinese workers were given medals for their hard work.

• The Chinese workers watched the celebration but were not included in the photographs.

• The Chinese workers immediately went back to China.

• The Chinese workers started building another railroad.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Here is an example sentence about the railroad:
"The railroad helps people travel fast."

Noe, make a sentence about the Chinese workers.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1