Gold Rush
“Howdy,” said the man behind the counter. “Is that your horse outside?”
“Yep,” said the old man in the store. “He’s old, but he’s a good horse. His name is Desert Sky, and he’s going to
take me up to the mountains to strike it rich.”
“I
see,” said the merchant. “You’re another
one of those fellows who is hoping to find that yellow metal.”
“That’s
why they call it the ‘Gold Rush.’” said the old man.
The
merchant started adding up the items the old man was buying.
“You
know, you can make a good living here in town,” he told the old man. “We need someone to help at the post
office. And Mr. Nichols is looking for a
ranch hand just a few miles away.”
The
old man shook his head. “That sounds too
much like work to me. I’d rather find
make a fortune in a hurry.”
“I
bet,” replied the merchant. He finished
adding everything together. A
bucket. A tent. A few pieces of beef jerky. “That’ll be
$8.75.”
The
old man handed him the money.
“Good
luck!” shouted the merchant as the old man went out the door and hopped into
the saddle of Desert Sky.
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) Which phrase would work well to replace “strike it rich” in
the above passage?
a.
“go on vacation”
b.
“make money fast”
c.
“earn an honest living”
d.
“help others”
2) What is the author referring to when he uses the phrase
“yellow metal”?
a.
clothing
b.
his horse
c.
gold
d.
the store
3) The above passage fits best into which genre?
a.
western
b.
mystery
c.
horror
d.
fairy tail
4) If the above passage was the start of the story, what most
likely happens next?
a.
the old man begins his journey to find gold
b.
the old man starts his job as a ranch hand
c.
the old man builds a cabin in the town
d.
the old man checks on the job at the post office
5) Which of the following best describes the above passage?
a.
dialogue
b.
debate
c.
monologue
d.
speech
6) Based on the context, when does the above passage take
place?
a.
during the middle ages
b.
thousands of years ago
c.
a little over a century ago
d.
sometime in the near future
Answer Key
1)
Which phrase
would work well to replace “strike it rich” in the above passage?
a.
“go on vacation”
b.
“make money fast”
c.
“earn an honest living”
d.
“help others”
2)
What is the
author referring to when he uses the phrase “yellow metal”?
a.
clothing
b.
his horse
c.
gold
d.
the store
3)
The above
passage fits best into which genre?
a.
western
b.
mystery
c.
horror
d.
fairy tail
4)
If the above
passage was the start of the story, what most likely happens next?
a.
the old man
begins his journey to find gold
b.
the old man starts his job as a ranch hand
c.
the old man builds a cabin in the town
d.
the old man checks on the job at the post
office
5)
Which of the
following best describes the above passage?
a.
dialogue
b.
debate
c.
monologue
d.
speech
6)
Based on the
context, when does the above passage take place?
a.
during the middle ages
b.
thousands of years ago
c.
a little over a
century ago
d.
sometime in the near future