Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Where does Samuel feel most comfortable around his home?

2. What does Isaac bring to Samuel’s home?

3. What is described as the only thing that comes easy for people of the frontier?

4. After finding the round meadow of lush grass, what does Samuel see in the woods?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is it difficult for news and supplies to reach distant locations in the 18th century?

2. Which two armies are fighting in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts?

3. Why is Samuel concerned about the smoke he sees while wandering the forest?

4. What does Samuel discover when he returns to his settlement? What does he do as a result?

Paired Resource

News Travel in the 18th Century

• This article describes how slowly news traveled after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
• Why did news of the Declaration of Independence travel slowly? Why did information following the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy travel quickly?

Life on the Pennsylvania Frontier

• This article describes the hardships of winter on the Pennsylvania frontier and the cultural changes made by the people who settled on the frontier.