Skip to main content

Comprehension: Cattle & Cowboys





It was the trail drive season again. Billy had been looking forward to it for months. The trail drive was one of the biggest events in a cowboy's life; Billy loved being on the road even though he was aware of the dangers he would face in the following months.

Before the drive began, Billy went around various cattle ranches to collect the cattle. He was joined by a cook and ten other cowboys who had been hired to handle the large herd during the long drive. As the leader of the group, Billy was in charge of the entire operation and had to ensure the cattle's safe arrival at the railway station. There, the herd would await shipment to the eastern markets. It was indeed a heavy responsibility to bear, but Billy knew that he would be well paid if the trail drive proceeded smoothly.

The day of the drive arrived. The cattle were rounded up and all the cowboys got into a large covered wagon. The wagon was very sturdy and Billy made sure that it carried enough food and water to last everyone for the next three months.

During the drive, they had to keep the cattle together and head in the right direction. There had to be two or three cowboys behind, in front and on each side of the herd to keep them manageable. Sometimes, the cattle panicked as they crossed a river and they would swim in all directions. Also, they were frightened by loud noises like thunder. There were many occasions when a stampede occurred, and Billy and his men had to ride in front of the herd and fire their guns to stop the lead cattle.

The long nights on the roads were spent singing. The men also took turns guarding the herd through the nights. At the end of the drive, they arrived at the station and loaded the herd onto a train. Their work was finally done. After a good meal, Billy and his friends headed for the nearest saloon. It was time for a celebration.

  
Answer the following questions using complete sentences
 1.Why was Billy looking forward to the trail drive?
 2.What did Billy do before the drive began?
 3.Who else was involved in the trail drive?
 4.What were Billy's duties?
 5.Where was the cattle's final destination?
 6.Which two-word phrase in paragraph 3 tells us that the cattle were gathered together?
 7.Why must the wagon be loaded with food and water?
 8.How was the cattle kept manageable during the drive?
 9.What did Billy and his men do during a cattle stampede?
 10.What did Billy and his men do after dispatching the cattle?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ethan Small- May 12. 2021

  Tell a descriptive sentence about each picture below.  Question Words Recap Who Who is at home? Where Where do we live? What What did you eat today? When When do you wake up? How How are you feeling? Why Why are you happy today? Reading & Comprehension Trains Trains are vehicles. They travel on railroad tracks and have large engines.  People enjoy travelling on trains because they move fast! One day, Ethan and his dad went on a train. "Wow!" Ethan said. The train was very big! He sat by a window and looked outside.  The train was getting ready to move. Ethan could hear the sound of the engine. It was loud!  Ethan looked out the train window. He saw many trees.  He was a little scared because the train was moving so fast! "It's okay," dad said.  1. Who took Ethan on the train? 2. Was the train big or small? 3. Why did Ethan sit by the window? 4. What could Ethan see? 5. Why was Ethan scared?

Class 1 Reading & Language Arts

  Do you remember last week's story? *Some 'gh' words have an 'f' sound.  Call these words: Laugh We laugh  at the teacher's joke.  Rough The soursop has  rough  skin.  Tough I am quite tough  and do not cry easily.  Cough I cough  when I am sick Put the words in the correct order. 1) dog catches stick the The. 2) cat to park the walked The. 3) a student chair sat The on. 4) The reads story teacher students the to a. 5) toys Please, away your put. 6) lamp on turned the Mom ******** Read the following passage: On a cold winter night, a mother dog was feeling helpless as she could not find a shelter for her newly born puppies. If she was not able to find any cozy, warm corner, the puppies would die.  So, she went to her friend who lived in a big, wooden kennel. “My puppies are so cold. Please lend me your kennel for a couple of days,” she requested. Her friend replied, “I do not wish that your puppies should die in the cold. I will le...

Online Homeschool

  Tests & Assignments this week:  1. Vocabulary test 2. Group presentation Write the meanings below. Brevity- using few words Amiable- to be lovable, sweet-tempered, or kind Amiss- improper, wrong, or faulty Chastise- to rebuke or reprimand severely; punish Detriment- state of being harmed or damaged Eccentric- unconventional or strange behavior Flagrant- obviously offensive Duress- force to do something by threatening Gingerly- with extreme care or caution. Hallowed- regarded as holy ******** Paraphrasing & Summarizing ******* This is an important area across all subjects. It avoids plagiarism.  Let’s look at using synonyms correctly to help paraphrase & summarise:  The United States, Germany, Japan and other industrial powers are being transformed from industrial economies to knowledge and information based service economies, whilst manufacturing has been moving to low wage countries . In a knowledge and information based economy, knowledge and inf...