Show:
"A Mystery Man" Pt.1
"Follow Me"Pt.2
"In the Engine Room" Pt.3
"Out of Control" Pt. 4
"An Unexpected Hero" Pt.5
100

What is James’ sister Veronica singing about at the beginning of the story?

  1. her grandfather and how he loves his farm animals 
  2. a stranger who wakes children up in the middle of the night 
  3. a strong man named John Henry who built the railroad tracks 
  4. a way to make large hammers for building railroad tracks

3. a strong man named John Henry who built the railroad tracks

100


What happens to James at the start of this text? 


  1. He goes to his grandfather’s house. 
  2. He colors pictures with Veronica. 
  3. He wakes up from a nightmare. 
  4. He follows the muscular man on the train.


He wakes up from a nightmare.

100


What song does the man with the hammer sing to James? 



  1. James’ favorite song about the Engine Room 
  2. James’ Grandfather’s song about Veronica 
  3. James’ favorite song about how fast trains travel 
  4. James’ Grandfather’s song about the railroad 


4. James’ Grandfather’s song about the railroad

100


What does James realize right after he yells for help for the injured engineer? 


  1. The injured engineer is the mystery man in blue overalls. 
  2. There is a control panel labeled “Emergency Brake.” 
  3. No one can hear him over the sound of the train. 
  4. There is shattered glass everywhere in the train.


3. No one can hear him over the sound of the train.

100


How does the conductor feel about what James did to stop the train? 


  1. angry and annoyed 
  2. sad and confused 
  3. calm and shy 
  4. grateful and thankful


4. grateful and thankful 

200


How does James feel about visiting his grandparents? 


  1. excited and happy 
  2. annoyed and frustrated 
  3. calm and peaceful 
  4. nervous and scared 


2. annoyed and frustrated

200


Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

__________ Veronica sometimes annoys James, he doesn’t mind when she falls asleep on his shoulder. 


  1. After 
  2. Even though 
  3. However 
  4. For example 


2. Even though 

200


What does James do right after he checks on Veronica to make sure she is safe and still sleeping? 


  1. He finds the locomotive engineer face up on the ground. 
  2. He decides to get up and follow the man from his dream. 
  3. He hears the mystery man singing his Grandfather’s song. 
  4. He considers the pros and cons of following the mystery man.


2. He decides to get up and follow the man from his dream.

200


Which of the following shows the correct sequence of events? 


  1. James smashes the glass box containing the Emergency Brake, then yells at the mystery man to help him, then grabs the large hammer, and last, checks to see if the engineer is breathing. 
  2. James checks to see if the engineer is breathing, then yells at the mystery man to help him, then grabs the large hammer, and last, James smashes the glass box containing the Emergency Brake. 
  3. James checks to see if the engineer is breathing, then grabs the large hammer, then yells at the mystery man to help him, and last, smashes the glass box containing the Emergency Brake. 
  4. James grabs the large hammer, then yells at the mystery man to help him, then smashes the glass box containing the Emergency Brake, and last, James checks to see if the engineer is breathing.


3. James checks to see if the engineer is breathing, then grabs the large hammer, then yells at the mystery man to help him, and last, smashes the glass box containing the Emergency Brake. 

200


What would have happened if the emergency brake had not worked? 


  1. The conductor would have been able to stop the train. 
  2. Veronica would have saved the day instead of James. 
  3. The train would have slammed into the rockslide and derailed. 
  4. The train would have continued on the tracks like normal.


3. The train would have slammed into the rockslide and derailed. 

300


The strange man who appears next to James’ bed wears blue denim overalls and work boots, and carries a hammer. Based on this description, what can you infer about him? 


  1. He probably works in an office with other people. 
  2. He probably works outside or makes things with his hands. 
  3. He probably is a scientist who works inside a lab. 
  4. He probably likes singing songs and playing music.


2. He probably works outside or makes things with his hands.

300


James continues to think about the nightmare he had even after he wakes up. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? 



A. “Then he blinked and saw his room in the soft light of morning. Veronica was standing next to his bed, looking at him with concern.” 

B. “Sure enough, in a couple of minutes they began to move out of the station. Slowly picking up speed, the train soon whizzed by houses and then fields.” 

C. “Every time the bag’s wheels hit a crack in the sidewalk, it made a loud noise, reminding James of the ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ he had heard in the darkness.” 

D. “Opening his eyes, he saw that muscular man in overalls from his dream standing above him, still holding that shining hammer.” 


C. “Every time the bag’s wheels hit a crack in the sidewalk, it made a loud noise, reminding James of the ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ he had heard in the darkness.” 

300


What feeling does the banging sound most likely create for the reader and James? 


  1. a growing feeling of calm and quiet 
  2. a growing feeling of happiness and joy 
  3. a growing feeling of anger and sadness 
  4. a growing feeling of danger and suspense


4. a growing feeling of danger and suspense

300


Why does James not flinch when he hits the control panel even though the glass shatters and flies around the room? 


  1. He is focused on stopping the train and saving the passengers, despite the danger. 
  2. He knows he can use the shattered glass pieces to help stop the train. 
  3. He is used to handling hammers and has practiced breaking glass before. 
  4. He is too afraid to react and is unable to move his body.


1. He is focused on stopping the train and saving the passengers, despite the danger

300


Why does James thank John Henry at the end of the story? 


  1. James believes John Henry is the unconscious engineer of the train. 
  2. James believes John Henry built the engine room of the train. 
  3. James believes the ghost of John Henry helped him stop the train. 
  4. James believes John Henry is the one who caused the rockslide.


3. James believes the ghost of John Henry helped him stop the train. 

400


What is the main idea of the text? 


  1. James thinks cows and chickens on his grandfather’s farm are mean and annoying, while Veronica loves to be on the farm getting to spend time with all of the animals. 
  2. Digging tunnels to build a railroad takes a lot of strength, is very hard work, and requires many tools, like large silver hammers, work boots, and blue denim overalls. 
  3. James is not looking forward to visiting his grandparents with Veronica, but things take an unexpected turn when he wakes up to find a stranger swinging a hammer at him. 
  4. James Jenkins is very excited to play video games, relax on the couch, and eat lots of snacks with his sister Veronica during his first full week of summer vacation.


3. James is not looking forward to visiting his grandparents with Veronica, but things take an unexpected turn when he wakes up to find a stranger swinging a hammer at him.

400


What is the main idea of this text? 


  1. Veronica loves trains and is excited to do many activities on her trip, like coloring with crayons and taking a long nap. 
  2. James keeps hearing the sounds from his bad dream, and his fear grows during a train ride with his sister when he sees the man from his nightmare. 
  3. James’ mom is worried that Veronica and James will not be safe on the train and tells the conductor to look after them. 
  4. James gets nightmares every time he eats chili, so Veronica tells him not to eat too much of it. 


2. James keeps hearing the sounds from his bad dream, and his fear grows during a train ride with his sister when he sees the man from his nightmare.

400

What is the main idea of this text? 

  1. The mystery man sings James’ Grandfather’s song, which makes James believe this man is his Grandfather’s friend from his years working on the railroad. 
  2. Veronica sleeps through the banging noises that James hears, even though it is very loud and keeps getting louder. 
  3. James is excited to see the train’s control center where there is important machinery that makes sure the train works correctly. 
  4. After James decides to follow the mystery man, he discovers that the train he's on is speeding forward without a driver, putting him in a dangerous situation.

4. After James decides to follow the mystery man, he discovers that the train he's on is speeding forward without a driver, putting him in a dangerous situation. 

400


What is the main idea of this text?

  1. James is confused when the mystery man appears in the same spot where he had just been standing a moment before. 
  2. James must overcome fear and think quickly to stop a speeding train after he finds the engineer unconscious and a landslide blocking the rails ahead. 
  3. James knows to check the injured engineer’s breath by using a piece of paper because he has seen people do this on television before. 
  4. The mystery man does not speak when James yells for help, but he does point out the emergency brake lever in a control panel to help him.

2. James must overcome fear and think quickly to stop a speeding train after he finds the engineer unconscious and a landslide blocking the rails ahead.

400


What is the main idea of the text? 


  1. James runs to make sure Veronica is okay, and finds that she has slept through the whole entire train adventure. 
  2. James tries to protect the unconscious engineer from more injury, but he is thrown to the other side of the train when the train comes to a stop. 
  3. James decides not to tell the conductor about the mysterious man who helped him stop the train. 
  4. James bravely stops a train disaster with the help of the ghost of John Henry, and is celebrated as a hero for his courage.


4. James bravely stops a train disaster with the help of the ghost of John Henry, and is celebrated as a hero for his courage.

500

According to James, what does James’ grandfather talk a lot about?

He talks about how he used to work on the railroad tracks.

500
Why can’t James fall asleep on the train?

He keeps hearing the banging sounds from his nightmare.

500

How does the mystery man get James to trust him at the beginning of the passage?

the mystery man sings James' grandfather's song, which helps James feel like the man might know his grandfather. This connection builds trust. Also, when the man smiles and nods like he understands James' thoughts, it makes James feel less scared and more willing to trust him. The song and the man's actions help James feel more comfortable.

500

Describe two major problems James is facing in this passage. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

the engineer who drives the train is unconscious and no one can hear James yell for help because the train sounds are too loud. 

Or, the train is speeding towards a large landslide that is blocking the tracks, which is very dangerous for all of the passengers.

Or, James is under a lot of pressure to think quickly to prevent disaster and does not know much about conducting trains.

500
How does the title, "An Unexpected Hero" connect to the actions of both James and John Henry? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.


James does not set out to be a hero, but is brave and thinks quickly despite the danger. His actions save lives, which makes him a hero. 

John Henry is a legendary figure who helps James. This is unexpected because John Henry’s story was long in the past and he is now a ghost or spirit.

 The title shows that heroism can come from surprising places.