Across the Wide Dark Sea Vocabulary and Comprehension Test

Vocabulary 1. Caught in the snowstorm, we ________ together to stay warm. lurked vast huddled furl

Vocabulary 2. The pioneers looked out over the ________ prairie and know it would take them days to cross it. beams huddled lurked vast

Vocabulary 3. The lone wolf ________ in the shadows near the sheep pen. rigging lurked furl adjusted

Vocabulary 4. The sailors climbed the ________ as the tall ship pulled into port. rigging vast settlement background

Vocabulary 5. In olden days, everyone helped raise the ________ for a new barn at barn-raising parties. rigging furl beams huddled

Vocabulary 6. The sailors had to ________ the sails to keep them from ripping in the storm. lurked furl vast beams

Vocabulary 7. The pioneers cleared the land so they could start a ________ near the river. settlement rigging beams reputation

Comprehension 8. This selection is most like historical fiction because ________. people’s names weren’t mentioned in the story storms come up at sea all the time people could not live that long on the Mayflower the Mayflower really sailed to America

Comprehension 9. Why do the faces of the people on shore grow smaller and smaller? The people are all very short. The ship is sailing away from them. The people on the ship don’t have good eyesight. The people on the shore are running away.

Comprehension 10. The living quarters on the ship are ________. bright and cheery large enough full of space very crowded

Comprehension 11. Why is the storyteller’s family luckier than most? They have a dry corner. They are damp and cold. They sleep in a work boat. They are packed in tightly.

Comprehension 12. What does the family eat at sea? beans, hamburgers, and bread salt pork, beans, and bread peanut butter, jelly, and beans roast pork and string beans

Comprehension 13. Which phrase best helps you picture the fierce storm? a stiff wind catching hold of a rope raging, foamy water not too stormy

Comprehension 14. The ship began to leak due to ________. the many storms it has gone through its weight an iron jack falling on it the number of people on board

Comprehension 15. Rigging, mast, and main beam can be grouped as ________. parts of a ship passengers’ supplies kinds of birds sailors’ equipment

Comprehension 16. Why do people begin to question their reasons for going on this journey? Their clothes are always wet. The voyage is so difficult. They are running out of food. The sailors are very rude.

Comprehension 17. All the following are evidence of land being nearby except ________. seaweed tree branches clouds feathers

Comprehension 18. When does the storyteller’s mother cry and smile at the same time? when she eats fresh food when she sees land ahead when her son gets better when the ship leaves port