WEATHER
What was the weather like when the mother went into labour?
There was a snowstorm.
Why was the father using a plastic sled?
He was using it to bring his pregnant wife closer to their car.
How far apart were the mother's contractions when she woke up?
They were ten minutes apart.
Who came outside when they heard the commotion?
The neighbours came outside.
What does the word “couple” refer to in the text?
It refers to the mother and father.
How cold was the weather?
It was -15°C.
Where was their car?
It was at the bottom of an unploughed hill.
What did the mother firstly believe about the situation?
She thought she had plenty of time to get to the hospital.
What did the neighbours bring?
They brought blankets.
What does “unploughed hill” mean?
It means a hill where the snow had not been cleared.
Why did the snowstorm make it difficult for the couple to reach the hospital?
The heavy snow made transportation difficult, and the hill had not been ploughed.
Why couldn't the father simply drive the mother to the hospital?
Their car was at the bottom of a hill that had not been ploughed.
What happened to the labour after she woke up?
The labour progressed very quickly.
How did the neighbours help the father?
They helped coach him during the emergency.
What does “the labour progressed quickly” mean?
It means the process of childbirth developed rapidly.
How did the weather conditions contribute to the emergency?
The extreme cold and heavy snow made it difficult to reach the car and get the mother to the hospital quickly.
What was the purpose of bringing the mother to the car?
They wanted to use the car to take her to the hospital.
Why did the couple realize that there was no time to waste?
The mother's labour was progressing rapidly, so they realized that the baby might arrive before they reached the hospital.
What emergency service did the neighbours contact?
They called 911.
Why is the ambulance mentioned at the end of the text?
The neighbours called an ambulance, but the baby was born before it arrived.
What combination of circumstances made the birth especially unexpected?
The snowstorm, -15°C temperature, unploughed hill, and rapidly progressing labour all happened at the same time.
How did the couple's original plan change during the journey?
They planned to reach the car and then go to the hospital, but the labour progressed so quickly that the baby was born before they could reach medical help.
What can we infer about the mother's initial expectation compared with what actually happened?
She expected to have enough time to reach the hospital, but the birth happened much sooner than she anticipated.
Why was the neighbours' help particularly important in this situation?
They provided blankets, helped the father during the birth, and called emergency services while the couple was still unable to reach the hospital.
What is the main unexpected event in the story?
The mother gave birth on a plastic sled in the middle of a snowstorm before she could reach the hospital.