Main Idea
Question 2: The details in paragraph 4 of the article “The Cowboy’s Home on Wheels” support the key idea that chuck wagons were –
a. made to withstand harsh conditions
b. invented only after trial and error
c. designed with the cook in mind
d. sometimes used in military conflicts
a. made to withstand harsh conditions
Question 8: Which word best represents the tone of poem “The U-S-U Range”?
a. understanding
b. urgent
c. sympathetic
d. musical
d. musical
Question 3: In paragraph 1 of the article “The Cowboy’s Home on Wheels,” what does the word entice mean?
a. to focus
b. to require
c. to treat
d. to attract
d. to attract
Question 10: What is the best summary of the poem “The U-S-U Range”?
a. A cowboy sings about what it is like to work at the U-S-U range. He describes how to get a job at the range and what the ranch looks like. He details the uncomfortable conditions and hard work, but he also says life on the range has to be accepted for what it is.
b. A cowboy complains about life on the U-S-U range and warns any listeners to his song about the working conditions cowboys must endure. He describes the ranch house as nothing but a sod house. He says good-bye and hopes his song has pleased his listeners.
c. A cowboy has worked at the U-S-U range sings a song that describes the ranch in detail. He wants his fellow cowboys to know what they should be prepared to find if they should go work there. There are only blankets instead of a bed, and the food consists mostly of beans and rice.
d. A cowboy who is leaving the U-S-U range sings about his experiences there. He describes where to go to get a job at the range, and he warns that the work takes place every day, even when it’s raining. The food provided to the cowboys never changes.
a. A cowboy sings about what it is like to work at the U-S-U range. He describes how to get a job at the range and what the ranch looks like. He details the uncomfortable conditions and hard work, but he also says life on the range has to be accepted for what it is.
Question 7: In the poem “The U-S-U Range,” what is the connection between the setting and the theme?
a. Determination can help overcome challenging conditions.
b. Proper provisions can improve the likelihood of success.
c. Hard work can make loneliness more tolerable.
b. Unexpected places can come to feel like home.
a. Determination can help overcome challenging conditions.
Question 6: Why does the author describe the chuck wagon the "mother ship" in paragraph 10?
a. To emphasize its importance
b. To explain how its similar to a magnet
c. To illustrate how cowboys are like aliens
d. To compare the chuck wagon to a naval ship
a. To emphasize its importance
Question 1: Which sentence about the article “The Cowboy’s Home on Wheels” best represents the main idea of the article?
a. Chuck wagons stopped being useful once cattle drives no longer occurred.
b. Chuck wagons were places where men gathered for companionship.
c. Chuck wagons improved living conditions on cattle drives.
d. Chuck wagons were important ways for companies to make money
b. Chuck wagons were places where men gathered for companionship.
Question 4: What is the most likely reason the author includes the information in paragraph 2 of the article “The Cowboy’s Home on Wheels”?
a. to suggest that only those with few other options became cowboys
b. to explain the challenges that had to be overcome by Goodnight
c. to suggest that cattle drives were longer than they needed to be
d. to explain why Goodnight could only offer cowboys low wages
b. to explain the challenges that had to be overcome by Goodnight
Question 5: What evidence best supports the idea that the cook was the most important member of the cattle drive?
a. "A good cook tried to offer a varied menu, even though he was limited to items that could be stored for weeks at a time."
b. "Cooks were often grouchy and seemed to enjoy their reputations for being ill-tempered."
c. One cowboy recalled, “A camp cook could do more toward making life pleasant . . . than any other man in the outfit.”
a. "Usually a retired cowhand, the cook was the hardest-working member of the trail team."
c. One cowboy recalled, “A camp cook could do more toward making life pleasant . . . than any other man in the outfit.”
Question 11: How is the impact of the setting of the article “The Cowboy’s Home on Wheels” DIFFERENT from the impact of the setting of the poem “The U-S-U Range”?
a. The article’s setting of vast open spaces emphasizes the long journey of a cowboy, while the poem’s setting of a sod house conveys their feelings of confinement.
b. The article’s setting of a chuck wagon on the open range presents the small comforts of life on a cattle drive, while the poem’s ranch setting shows the difficult life of a cowboy.
c. The article’s peaceful setting of the Goodnight Ranch shows the helpful innovations, while the poem’s U-S-U Range setting resents the dangerous life of a cowboy.
d. The article’s setting of the cattle drive emphasizes the common work activities of a cowboy, while the poem’s ranch setting conveys their leisure activities.
b. The article’s setting of a chuck wagon on the open range presents the small comforts of life on a cattle drive, while the poem’s ranch setting shows the difficult life of a cowboy.
Question 9: What is the singer’s repetition of “The U-S-U Range” at the end of each stanza meant to convey?
a. the teamwork valued by a cowboy
b. the singer’s resigned acceptance of cowboy life
c. the singer’s process of becoming a cowboy
d. the drive of a cowboy to overcome adversity
b. the singer’s resigned acceptance of cowboy life
Question 12: How do the DIFFERENCES in the points of view in the article “The Cowboy’s Home on Wheels” and in the poem “The U-S-U Range” contribute to the reader’s understanding of life as a cowboy?
a. The third-person point of view in the article conveys the opinions of two ranchers in the past, while the first-person point of view in the poem delivers the opinion of only one person.
b. The third-person point of view in the article presents facts about an aspect of cowboy life, while the first-person point of view in the poem offers insight into a cowboy’s thoughts about life on the range.
c. The third-person point of view in the article provides historical details about cowboy life, while the first-person point of view in the poem describes how cowboys behaved.
d. The third-person point of view in the article sets forth the reactions of several cowboys to ranching conditions, while the first-person point of view in the poem describes an energetic response to working on a ranch.
b. The third-person point of view in the article presents facts about an aspect of cowboy life, while the first-person point of view in the poem offers insight into a cowboy’s thoughts about life on the range.