Making Inferences

Level NineMrs. Hunsaker

The Andrews Raid

If the plot had succeeded, it would have meant a quick end to the Civil War. In April, 1862, a group of Northern soldiers dressed as civilians slipped behind Confederate lines and made their way south. Their objective; to cut the supply line to the Confederate armies fighting in Virginia and Tennessee. Their leader, James Andrews, was a Southerner who sided with the Union and was one of Abraham Lincoln’s most valuable spies. In Big Shanty, Georgia, Andrews and his men captured a train, intending to burn bridges and tear up track behind them as they sped north. But they were delayed by bad weather and worse luck. Meanwhile the conductor of the stolen train, William Fuller, took over another locomotive. He chased after the spies and stopped them before they could do much damage. All the Northerners were captured. Some were able to escape later, but Andrews and seven others were hanged as spies. Years later the survivors had a chance to meet William Fuller. Now that the war was over, there was admiration on both sides.

The Andrews Raid took place

during the Civil War.

after the Civil War.

in Virginia.

Andrews was a valuable spy because

he knew all about trains.

he talked like a Southerner.

he sided with the South.

If the raid had succeeded

the South would have lost too many men.

the South wouldn’t have been able to get food to its soldiers.

all the South’s railroads would have been destroyed.

When they met after the war, the survivors

had a fight.

admired each other’s medals.

admired each other’s bravery.

Superstitions

Few people these days will admit that they believe in superstitions. People’s awareness of science makes such beliefs seem foolish. But you’re probably familiar with a lot of old superstitions, even though you may not believe in them. Have you ever looked for a four-leaf clover? According to an old folk tale, they’re supposed to be lucky because Eve took one with her when she and Adam left the Garden of Eden. You’ve probably also seen people “knock wood” when they express a wish for something. That’s because in ancient times people believed that trees were inhabited by powerful spirits. A black cat crossing one’s path, of course, is supposed to mean bad luck. In days when people believed in witchcraft, black cats were supposed to harbor spirits that served and protected witches. Some superstitions are so old that it’s hard to tell where they came from. The belief that a horseshoe brings good luck is one of these. The horseshoe superstition takes many forms, but it’s still found among rural people all over the world.

The four-leaf clover is connected with a story about

spirits.

horses.

Adam and Eve.

The belief that a black cat brings bad luck is connected with

belief in witches.

an old folk tale about wood.

spirits in trees.

Most people today who “knock wood” for luck

believe in tree spirits.

believe in witches.

don’t know how the practice got started.

The horseshoe superstition could not have started before people began

taming horses.

living on farms.

racing horses.

Mr. Darrow’s Real-Estate Fortune

During the Great Depression, Charles Darrow, like millions of other people, was out of a job and had no money. Darrow, however, did not remain idle. To keep his family entertained, he invented a board game. It was a real-estate trading game in which players bought and sold imaginary pieces of property. Recalling the days when the family used to spend vacations at Atlantic City, he named the properties after streets n that city. The Darrows played the game at their kitchen table on a board drawn on a piece of oilcloth. Friends and neighbors liked the game, and asked Darrow to make them sets too. By selling them, Darrow was able to feed his family during the worst of the Depression. The game became so popular that in 1935 the Parker Brothers game company paid Darrow for the right to produce it. It’s still so successful that more play-money paid Darrow for the right to produce it. It’s still so successful that more play-money is printed for Darrow’s game each year than all the real paper money printed by all the nations of the world. The name of Darrow’s game is, of course, “Monopoly.”

Charles Darrow invented his game

during the Great Depression.

in Atlantic City.

to sell to his friends.

The names of the properties in a Monopoly set

were made up by Charles Darrow.

were made up by the game company.

are the names of real streets.

For Darrow, making the game

was a way to keep busy when he had no job.

was a waste of time.

was a way of making a fortune in real estate.

One reason the game was so immediately successful might have been that

Darrow’s friends wanted to help him out.

it gave people the feeling they were “rich” at time when many were poor.

people needed a way to make money during the Depression.

He Got Off Lightly

One of history’s most sensational robberies took place in Paris, France, in 1911. What was stolen was not money, but a painting: Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, worked in the art museum where the painting was displayed. He smuggled the painting out of the building and kept it hidden for two years. During that time, fake copies of the Mona Lisa appeared all over the world and were bought secretly by unsuspecting art collectors. Finally, Peruggia took the painting to his native Italy. He offered to sell it to the government for &95,000. Peruggia was immediately arrested, and the painting, undamaged, was sent back to France. At his trial in Italy, Peruggia told the court that he had only wanted to return the paining to Leonardo da Vinci’s own native land. Peruggia was sent to prison – but only for little more than a year.

Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from

Leonardo da Vinci.

a government building.

an art museum.

The government of Italy

believed that the painting was a fake.

wanted nothing to do with the theft.

thought Peruggia was a national hero.

Peruggia might not have gotten off so lightly if

the trial had been held in France.

the painting had been more valuable.

he had not kept the painting so long.

The people who bought the fake copies of the Mona Lisa

got their money back.

sued the people who sold them the copies.

were out of luck.

Mysteries of Stonehenge

Who built Stonehenge – the great ruined circle of rocks on the plain near Salisbury, England? An old legend gives credit to Merlin, the wizard who was King Arthur’s teacher. For many years scholars believed that it was built by the Druids, a people who lived in Britain before the days of the Roman Empire. But we now know that Stonehenge was old even at the time of the Druids. It was begun about 2200 B.C. and completed 600 years later. Whoever the builders were, they were able to move stones weighing up to 35 tons, from quarries up to 135 miles away – without knowing about the wheel. Perhaps the greatest question about Stonehenge is why it was built. Was it a temple to some ancient god? Or could it have been a giant, primitive observatory? Amazing as it seems, because of the positions of the stones and of the sun and moon 4,000 years ago, Stonehenge could have been used to create an accurate calendar – or even to predict eclipses.

Stonehenge was once

a castle..

a circle of rocks.

a church.

Stonehenge was built in about

600 years.

2,200 years.

4,000 years.

One of the mysteries of Stonehenge that has been solved is

when it was built.

who built it.

why it was built.

We can tell where the stones came from because

there are written records.

we know where the nearest similar rocks are found.

the road over which they were dragged is still there.

You are ready to move to the next level!