"On the Sledge"

Passage from "Around the World in 80 Days"

 

What a journey! The travelers, huddled close together, could not speak for the cold, intensified by the rapidity at which they were going. The sledge sped on as lightly as a boat over the waves. When the breeze came skimming the earth the sledge seemed to be lifted off the ground by its sails. Mudge, who was at the rudder, kept in a straight line, and by a turn of his hand checked the lurches which the vehicle had a tendency to make… Although the speed could not be exactly estimated, the sledge could not be going at less than forty miles an hour.

"If nothing breaks," said Mudge, "we shall get there!"

Mr. Fogg had made it for Mudge's interest to reach Omaha within the time agreed on, by the offer of a handsome reward.

The prairie, across which the sledge was moving in a straight line, was as flat as a sea. It seemed like a vast frozen lake. The railroad which ran through this section ascended from the south-west to the north-west... It followed throughout the right bank of the Platte River. The sledge, shortening this route, took a chord of the arc described by the railway. Mudge was not afraid of being stopped by the Platte River, because it was frozen. The road, then, was quite clear of obstacles, and Phileas Fogg had but two things to fear—an accident to the sledge, and a change or calm in the wind.

But the breeze, far from lessening its force, blew as if to bend the mast, which, however, the metallic lashings held firmly. These lashings, like the chords of a stringed instrument, resounded as if vibrated by a violin bow. The sledge slid along in the midst of a plaintively intense melody.

 

Reading Comprehension Questions

1)     In the above passage, the characters are doing which of the following?

a.      travelling from one place to another

b.      building a old-fashioned sledge

c.      participating in a race

d.      constructing a road across the prairie

 

2)     Based on the context, it seems that the above passage took place during what time?

a.      during the winter

b.      during the summer

c.      in the middle of the night

d.      first thing in the morning

 

3)     In the above passage, why is Mudge making such an effort to travel quickly?

a.      he is under a strict schedule

b.      he is being paid for his services

c.      he is worried his life is in danger

d.      he is not sure where he is going

 

4)     In the above passage, which of the following is NOT an example of a simile?

a.      The prairie, across which the sledge was moving in a straight line, was as flat as a sea.

b.      It seemed like a vast frozen lake.

c.      These lashings, like the chords of a stringed instrument, resounded as if vibrated by a violin bow.

d.      The sledge slid along in the midst of a plaintively intense melody.

 

5)     Which of the following best describes the “sledge” that the characters are riding on in the above passage?

a.      a boat that can cut through frozen water

b.      a sled that travels over land using wind power

c.      a car that can drive over rugged terrain

d.      a flying machine that sails over the ground

 

6)     The above passage says that Phileas Fogg had two things to fear--"an accident to the sledge or a change or calm in the wind".  Why would he fear a calming in the wind?

a.      it would cause the sledge to break

b.      it would make the sledge easy to hear

c.      it would slow down the sledge

d.      it would make the sledge hard to steer

 

Answer Key

1)     In the above passage, the characters are doing which of the following?

a.      going from one place to another

b.      building a travelling vessel

c.      participating in a race

d.      constructing a road across the prairie

 

2)     Based on the context, it seems that the above passage took place during what time?

a.      during the winter

b.      during the summer

c.      in the middle of the night

d.      first thing in the morning

 

3)     In the above passage, why is Mudge making such an effort to travel quickly?

a.      he is under a strict schedule

b.     he is being paid for his services

c.      he is worried his life is in danger

d.      he is not sure where he is going

 

4)     In the above passage, which of the following is NOT an example of a simile?

a.      The prairie, across which the sledge was moving in a straight line, was as flat as a sea.

b.      It seemed like a vast frozen lake.

c.      These lashings, like the chords of a stringed instrument, resounded as if vibrated by a violin bow.

d.     The sledge slid along in the midst of a plaintively intense melody.

 

5)     Which of the following best describes the “sledge” that the characters are riding on in the above passage?

a.      a boat that can cut through frozen water

b.     a sled that travels over land using wind power

c.      a car that can drive over rugged terrain

d.      a flying machine that sails over the ground

 

6)     The above passage says that Phileas Fogg had two things to fear--"an accident to the sledge or a change or calm in the wind".  Why would he fear a calming in the wind?

a.      it would cause the sledge to break

b.      it would make the sledge easy to hear

c.      it would slow down the sledge

d.      it would make the sledge hard to steer