Abe Lincoln

Excerpt from "The Story of a Young Abraham Lincoln"

EARNING HIS FIRST DOLLAR

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln often worked as a hired hand. At the end of a long day, however, his father kept the money he earned (as he had a legal right to do). Abe did not see the results of his hard labor, even though his pay was only twenty-five or thirty cents a day. Still, young Abe accepted this as right and proper. He never complained.

After he became President, Lincoln told his Secretary of State the following story of the first dollar he ever had for his own:

"Seward," he said, "did you ever hear how I earned my first dollar?"

"No," replied Seward.

"Well," said Abe, "I was about eighteen years of age and had constructed a flatboat that I was testing in the water. A steamer was going down the river. Those western streams had no docks, so the custom was for the steamer to stop and take any passengers on board who were sitting at the landing. I was focusing on my new boat when two men with trunks came down to the shore and--looking at the different boats--singled out mine, and asked:

"'Who owns this?'

"I answered modestly, 'I do.'

"'Will you,' said one of them, 'take us and our trunks out to the steamer?'

"'Certainly,' said I. I was very glad to have a chance of earning something, and supposed that they would give me a couple of 'bits.' The trunks were put in my boat, and I took the men out to the steamer. They got on board, and I lifted the trunks and put them on deck. The steamer was moving away when I called out:

"'You have forgotten to pay me!'

"Each of them took from his pocket a silver half-dollar and threw it on the bottom of my boat. I could scarcely believe my eyes as I picked up the money. You may think it was a very little thing, but it was a most important incident in my life. I could scarcely credit that I, a poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day—that by honest work I had earned a dollar. I was a more hopeful and thoughtful boy from that time."

Reading Comprehension Questions

1) Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

a. Abe Lincoln had many adventures on the western rivers.

b. Abe Lincoln was the 16^th President of the United States.

c. Abe Lincoln had to give all of his earnings to his dad.

d. Abe Lincoln treasured the “first dollar" he ever earned.

2) Which of the following phrases best describe the author’s attitude toward the young Abe Lincoln?

a. he was lazy

b. he worked hard

c. he complained

d. he was inexperienced

3) Based on the above passage, Abe Lincoln was paid how much per day as a young boy?

a. $0.05 a day

b. $0.25 a day

c. $10.00 a day

d. $30.00 a day

4) The last paragraph of the above passage has the sentence: "I could scarcely believe my eyes as I picked up the money." Based on the context, what is the meaning of the word “scarcely”?

a. easily

b. knowingly

c. hardly

d. excitedly

5) Most of the above passage is an example of which of the following?

a. flashback

b. foreshadowing

c. alliteration

d. falling action

6) What makes the above passage a biography?

a. The passage is about the life of a real person.

b. The passage is about someone who was never alive.

c. The passage includes someone telling a story about his life.

d. The passage is about the life of the author.

Answer Key