ENGL-5 Pinchbeck_Davis_Homophones_The Mail's_Quiz Exam not valid for Paper Pencil Test Sessions [Exam ID:MV4G0J 1 Look at the table. All of these sentences use the word correctly EXCEPT A The foreign country ended the reign of its leader. B Last spring, the reign flooded our basement. C The king pulled on the reins in order to stop. D The rain helped put the fire out before it was able to spread.
Read the following passage and answer questions 2 through 20. The Mail s Got to Go Thru! 1 A new kind of mailman was being recruited. The new nation was quickly expanding. Almost half a million settlers lived in the western states. They hungered for news of the relatives and friends they had left behind in the East. Steamship mail took up to six weeks to arrive. Ships sailed down the Atlantic coast from New York to the Isthmus of Panama. Mail sacks had to be moved across the Isthmus by railroad. Then they were flung onto another ship. It sailed up the Pacific coast to San Francisco, California. Stagecoach mail also provided regular communication between the East and West. Stages took a safer route to the south. Mail took an average of three weeks by stagecoach. 2 With the motto The mail s got to go thru!, the Pony Express Company proposed to cover the distance between St. Louis, Missouri and Sacramento, California, in ten days! How could they achieve this incredible feat? The company believed that a central route was better than the longer, southern one. Many people were skeptical that the company could back up its claim. Ten days! they cried with disbelief. Impossible! It simply can t be done! The Pony Express did launch its service on April 3, 1860. It proved them wrong! 3 The route began in St. Joseph, Missouri, where the country s railroads ended. It extended for 1,966 miles. First it followed the Oregon Trail into Wyoming. Then riders swung south of the Great Salt Lake. They headed due west across the Salt Desert to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Finally, they rode into Sacramento. 4 The Pony Express route was a relay race against time. There were 190 relay stations along the route. Here a rider would trade in his exhausted horse for a fresh mount. He rode to the next relay station and quickly traded again. A rider might change horses as many as five times before he reached his home station. Once there he would pitch the mail bags to a new rider. This man would spur his horse toward the next station. Like the baton in a relay race, the mail was transported across the desert and mountains. 5 On October 24, 1861, the Pony Express went out of business. It was no longer needed. Telegraph lines had been raised all over the country. Messages could be sent from coast to coast instantly over the telegraph wires. 6 The Pony Express operated for 18 months. Pony Express riders covered 650,000 miles, but the mail was lost only one time. It helped settlers feel less isolated from their family and friends in the East. Over 150 years have passed since these brave men and boys rode the trails, but they continue being reminders of the true pioneer spirit.
2 Directions: Click on the correct answers. Which words are synonyms of hungered in paragraph 1? desired heard craved demanded sent 3 Which sentence from the passage supports the idea that the Pony Express brought regions of the nation closer together? Stagecoach mail also provided regular communication A between the East and West. B The Pony Express route was a relay race against time. It helped settlers feel less isolated from their family and C friends in the East. D The new nation was quickly expanding. 4 The Pony Express was started because A mail could not be transported past St. Louis B more people lived in the West than the East C people wanted faster mail delivery D the telegraph was out-of-date 5 Directions: Click on the correct answers. Which sentences from the passage are opinions? Over 150 years have passed since these brave men and boys rode the trails, but they continue being reminders of the true pioneer spirit. A rider might change horses as many as five times before he reached his home station. It simply can t be done! Mail took an average of three weeks by stagecoach. Pony Express riders covered 650,000 miles, but the mail was lost only one time.
6 In paragraph 2, the word feat means A an amazing journey B a surprising purpose C an unfavorable position D a remarkable accomplishment 7 Direction: Click on the correct answer. Which word from the glossary entry best describes a Pony Express Rider? coarse feeble fragile wiry yielding 8 Directions: Click on the correct answers. From the newspaper advertisement at the beginning of the passage, the reader can infer that riders were not expected to get paid riders were required to be good horsemen the Pony Express was a dangerous job only orphans were hired most Pony Express riders were adults
9 What structural pattern does the author use in paragraph 4? A Problem/solution B Comparison/contrast C Cause and effect D Chronological order 10 Which sentence from the passage supports the idea that the Pony Express was reliable? Pony Express riders covered 650,000 miles, but the mail A was lost only one time. The company believed that a central route was better B than the longer, southern one. C Finally, they rode into Sacramento. D The Pony Express operated for 18 months. 11 Directions: Click and drag the answers to the correct circles. Complete this Venn diagram. Lasted for only 18 months Took a safer, southern route Took up to six weeks to arrive
12 Directions: Click on the correct answers. Look at this Venn diagram. Which of the following statements could be placed in section "C" of the diagram? Allowed messages to be sent instantly Reached coast to coast Extended from Missouri to California Had 190 relay stations Used wires to transmit messages Existed only 18 months 13 Unlike stagecoach mail, Pony Express mail took a A northern route B central route C northeastern route D southern route E southwestern route 14 The story is mostly about A an old way to deliver mail B an easy way money was made in the 1860s C the expansion of the United States D the construction of telegraph lines across the country E the type of person who makes an expert rider
15 Directions: Click on the two correct answers. Which words from the passage would appear on the same dictionary page with these guide words? settlers states skeptical swung stagecoach schedule steamship spirit 16 Directions: Click on the correct answers. Which two notes do NOT belong? Took up to three weeks Riders rode through the desert Similar to a relay race Outdated by the telegraph Used older, experienced riders
17 Directions: Click on the correct answers. Read this sentence from paragraph 2. "Ten days!" they cried with disbelief. In which word does the dis- mean the same as it does in disbelief? discipline dishes disease disapprove distrust 18 The best resource the author should use to find other words that could replace the word exhausted is A an atlas B a thesaurus C a dictionary D an almanac 19 Which sentence from the passage contains an underlined word with a root meaning "to carry"? A Telegraph lines had been raised all over the country. Like the baton in a relay race, the mail was transported B across the desert and mountains. C There were 190 relay stations along the route. With the motto The mail s got to go thru!, the Pony D Express Company proposed to cover the distance between St. Louis and Sacramento, California, in ten days! 20 Which sentence from the passage shows that some settlers were unconvinced the Pony Express company could deliver mail in ten days? The company believed that a central route was better A than the longer, southern one. Many people were skeptical that the company could back B up its claim. Messages could be sent from coast to coast instantly over C the telegraph wires. On October 24, 1861, the Pony Express went out of D business.
21 Directions: You do not need to read a passage to answer the question. Read and answer the question. Click and drag the correct answers to the boxes. Complete this sentence. hear here 22 Directions: You do not need to read a passage to answer the question. Read and answer the question. Click and drag the answers to the correct boxes. Complete this sentence. who's whose