Compare a story with a true account of the same time

Grade 7 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Day the Brooklyn Bridge Opened (pair: an account and a story)

   The account: The Day the Brooklyn Bridge Opened
   [1] When the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, which means a bridge hung from thick cables. [2] Its main span stretched about 1,595 feet across the East River, and the work had taken about fourteen years to finish. [3] The chief engineer, Washington Roebling, became too ill to visit the site, so he watched the work through a telescope from his home. [4] His wife, Emily Roebling, carried his instructions to the builders and handled much of the daily work. [5] On opening day, Emily Roebling was officially the first person to cross the bridge. [6] President Chester Arthur and thousands of other people joined the celebration, which included music, ships on the river and fireworks over the water. [7] During that first day, more than 100,000 people crossed the bridge, walking or riding across the new span.

   The story: Walking Across
   [8] On the evening of May 24, 1883, eleven-year-old Pia Delaney held Grandma's hand at the edge of the new bridge in Brooklyn. [9] Behind them, a brass band played while ships on the river sounded their horns. [10] Mr. Delaney sold newspapers at the ferry landing, and for weeks he had grumbled that the bridge would take away his customers. [11] Tonight he walked ahead of them, silent and amazed, looking up at the great stone towers. [12] “They say a woman watched over the whole job,” Grandma whispered, “and she crossed first today.” [13] Pia pictured Emily Roebling riding across the span in a carriage with the whole city watching. [14] The planks hummed under thousands of footsteps, and fireworks bloomed above the water. [15] At the middle of the bridge, Pia stopped, looked back at Brooklyn and forward to New York, and decided to remember this walk forever.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the account and the story. Why might the author make the story's main character a child in the crowd rather than Emily Roebling?

   • To show that Emily Roebling was not really the first to cross.
   • To let readers feel the day's wonder through an ordinary person, while Emily's real deeds stay in the account.
   • To retell the account's facts about the bridge's length.
   • To correct the account, which the author thinks gives Emily Roebling too little credit for her work on the bridge.
3. 2.

   Esme reads the account and the story. Which claim about opening day is supported by both texts?

   • More than 100,000 people crossed on foot that day.
   • Ferry workers lost their jobs because of the bridge.
   • Emily Roebling rode across in a carriage with the whole city watching.
   • The opening was a big public celebration with music, ships and fireworks.
4. 3.

   Kira reads the account and the story. Which story detail is invented but stays true to the account?

   • A story line saying the bridge opened in 1893: invented but harmless to the account.
   • Pia's name: real, because the account names Pia.
   • Grandma whispering that a woman crossed first: invented words that match the account.
   • A story line saying Washington Roebling crossed first: invented words that match the account.
5. 4.

   Luz reads the account and the story. Which claim could a reader make only by using both texts together?

   • That Pia's feeling of wonder was shared by the thousands of other people walking across the bridge beside Pia that evening.
   • That Emily Roebling was the first person to cross the bridge.
   • That a very large crowd crossed, as the account says, and that the day could feel wonderful, as the story shows.
   • That Pia's father stopped selling newspapers after the opening.

6. The Last Spike (pair: an account and a story)

   The account: The Last Spike
   [1] On May 10, 1869, two railroads met at Promontory Summit in Utah, finishing the first railroad across the United States. [2] The Central Pacific Railroad had built east from California, and the Union Pacific Railroad had built west. [3] Two locomotives, the Union Pacific's No. 119 and the Central Pacific's Jupiter, stopped nose to nose on the track. [4] Four special spikes made of gold and silver were set into a wooden tie, but none was fully driven. [5] Workers replaced them with an ordinary iron spike, which was wired to the telegraph line. [6] Leland Stanford and Thomas Durant, two railroad leaders, each swung a hammer and missed the spike. [7] Even so, the telegraph operator sent a one-word message to the country: “Done.” [8] The railroad shortened a trip across the country from months by wagon or on foot to as little as eight days.

   The story: A Crowd at Promontory
   [9] Twelve-year-old Jun Hart squeezed to the front of the crowd at Promontory Summit, clutching Uncle Joe's sleeve to stay close. [10] Two locomotives sat nose to nose on the track, puffing steam into the bright sky above the wooden tie. [11] Jun had heard that the last spike would be made of gold, and Jun stood on tiptoe to see it. [12] A man in a dark coat raised a hammer, swung hard, and missed the spike by an inch. [13] The crowd gasped, and then a second man tried and missed, too. [14] Jun giggled behind a hand, and Uncle Joe shook with silent laughter. [15] Beside the track, the telegraph operator tapped his key, and a few moments later someone shouted that the news had reached the whole country. [16] “One word, Jun,” Uncle Joe said softly, “and East and West are neighbors.”

7. 5.

   Milo reads the account and the story. The account says four special spikes were used, but Jun hears about only a gold spike in sentence [11]. What did the author do, and why?

   • Simplified: one gold spike is easier for a child to picture than four spikes of two metals.
   • Corrected the account, because one gold spike was used.
   • Added spikes, so the story has more than the account.
   • Hid the truth, because the gold spike was not used.
8. 6.

   Noah reads the account and the story. Which story detail is invented but stays true to the account?

   • Jun giggling behind a hand: an invented feeling that changes no recorded fact.
   • Jun Hart standing at the front: real, because the account lists the crowd.
   • A story line placing the meeting in Nebraska: invented but harmless to the account.
   • A story line saying the first spike was driven in one swing: invented but matching the account.
9. 7.

   Pia reads the account and the story. Which claim is supported by both texts?

   • The crowd at Promontory was about two thousand people.
   • Two locomotives met nose to nose at Promontory Summit.
   • Leland Stanford was one of the men who missed the spike.
   • The crowd laughed when the hammer missed.
10. 8.

    Ren reads the account and the story. Why might the author end the story with the uncle's words in sentence [16]?

    • To repeat the eight-day trip.
    • To show that the uncle disliked the railroad and wished the two coasts had stayed far apart.
    • To correct the account, which says the railroad divided the country.
    • To state the railroad's meaning in a child-friendly line, since the account gives the facts.
11. 9.

    Tala reads the account and the story. A reader wants one sentence about what happened and one about how it felt. Which pairing is best?

    • Account [7] and account [8], because the account gives both facts and feelings.
    • Account [7] for what happened, and story [14] for how it felt.
    • Story [14] for what happened, and account [7] for how it felt.
    • Story [15] and story [16], because the story gives the real words said that day.
12. 10.

    Zee reads the account and the story. Which statement about story sentence [15] is accurate?

    • The whole sentence is invented, because the account does not mention a telegraph operator.
    • The shout is from the account, which quotes a spectator.
    • The shout matches the account; the operator is invented.
    • The operator tapping a key matches the account; the person who shouts is the author's addition.