Reading Comprehension · Grade 4

Name Date

The Pony Express

History · 4 questions · 240 words

Picture: A simple map of the western United States with no state lines. A dotted line labeled "Pony Express trail" runs west from "St. Joseph, Missouri" over the "Rocky Mountains" and the "Sierra Nevada" to "Sacramento, California". Small dots mark stations, and a tiny horse and rider gallop along it.

1 In 1860, a letter from Missouri to California could take more than three weeks. Three businessmen had a bold plan to speed up the mail. Riders on fast horses would carry it, racing day and night. On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express began. Its trail ran nearly 2,000 miles across the West.

2 The secret to its speed was the relay. Along the trail stood more than 150 small stations. Every 10 to 15 miles, a rider jumped off his tired horse and onto a fresh one. In a minute or two, he was gone again. The mail rode in a mochila, a leather cover with four pockets that fit over the saddle. After about 75 miles, the rider handed the mochila to the next rider, who raced on. This way, a letter could cross the West in about ten days.

3 The riders were young and light, so their horses could run fast. They rode through hot deserts, deep snow and steep mountain passes. But the mail was costly to send. At first, a letter cost five dollars for each half ounce it weighed. Meanwhile, workers were stringing telegraph wire across the country. On October 24, 1861, the telegraph line was finished. Now messages could fly from coast to coast in minutes. Two days later, the Pony Express announced that it would close. It had lasted only about 18 months, but people still tell stories about its daring riders.

Written for PlayOwl

Questions

Read the passage. Fill in the circle next to the best answer. Then write where you found the answer.

  1. 1How often did a Pony Express rider change horses?

    • About every 75 miles
    • Once a day, at sunset
    • Every 10 to 15 miles
    • Only when a horse got hurt

    I found it in paragraph

  1. 2Paragraph 2 says, "The secret to its speed was the relay." What does "relay" mean here?

    • A system of fresh horses and riders taking turns
    • A race between riders to see who can win a prize
    • A leather bag that holds the mail
    • A wire that carries messages

    I found it in paragraph

  2. 3Why did the Pony Express most likely close in 1861?

    • Its riders could not get over the snowy mountains.
    • The stations along the trail ran out of horses.
    • People stopped sending mail to California.
    • A faster way to send messages took its place.

    I found it in paragraph

  3. 4Which sentence best sums up the whole passage?

    • Riding for the Pony Express was the hardest job in the whole West.
    • Relay riders carried mail fast until the telegraph replaced them.
    • Letters cost five dollars, so very few people sent them.
    • Workers took many years to build the telegraph line.

    I found it in paragraph