THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Edith Nesbit

Chapter 1 – THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

PART ONE
1. Write a short description about the mother.
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2. Write a short description about the father.
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3. Where did father work?
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4. Who was the eldest child?
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5. Who was the second child, how old was he and what was his ambition?
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6. Who was the third child?
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7. Why were the children described as lucky children?
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8. What special gift did Peter get for his birthday present?
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9. What happened after three days?
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10. What did Peter do when father came home that day?
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11. There was a knock on the front door that night. What was father doing at that time?
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12. Who came to see father that night?
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13. What happened to father that night?
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14. What did mother tell the children about father leaving?
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 THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Edith Nesbit

15. After father left, what did mother do the next day?
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16. What did the mother ask the children to promise her?
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17. What horrible things happened for some weeks?
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18. Describe the mother after the father went away.
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19. One day during breakfast, what did mother tell the children?
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20. What two things that mother told the children when they were packing?
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21. What did Peter do on the last night in the house?
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22. How did the family go to the new place?
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PART TWO
23. When they arrived, who was there to carry their boxes?
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24. Who was supposed to meet them at the house?
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25. What was the woman supposed to do before the family arrived?
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26. Describe what they saw and heard when they entered the dark house.
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27. What did Phyllis say when the candle went out?
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28. List the two places mentioned in Chapter 1.
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 THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Edith Nesbit

Chapter 2 – PETER AND THE COAL

PART ONE
1. What did the family have for supper?
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2. What did the children PLAN to do early in the morning?
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3. What did they DECIDE to do first in the morning?
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4. Where was the new house located?
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5. What did the children see outside the house?
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6. Where did they sit to look at the railway?
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7. What were the children doing when mother found them?
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8. What did the mother tell them?
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9. What was in the little square room?
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10. Mother found a letter with the supper. What was the explanation given by Mrs.
Viney?
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11. What did the children do all day?
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PART TWO
12. Where did the children go late in the afternoon?
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13. Describe the railway line as seen by the children.
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 THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Edith Nesbit

14. Where did the children go to find out about the train’s destination?
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15. When they arrived at the station platform, who did they see?
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16. What did they see on one side of the big station?
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17. What was the usage of the coal?
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18. What did they see on the wall?
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19. What did Peter ask the Porter about?
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20. What was the purpose of item asked by Peter in question no 27?
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21. What kind of a person was the Porter?
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22. What did the mother do every day?
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23. What did mother sometimes manage to do?
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24. What would they have if mother managed to sell her story?
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25. Why didn’t the children talk much about the father?
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PART THREE
26. What month was the rainy season?
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27. For how many days did the rain come down?
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28. How was the temperature during rainy season?
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29. Why couldn’t the children light fire during that month?
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 THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Edith Nesbit

30. After two nights, what did Peter ask Bobbie and Phyllis to do?
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31. What did Peter tell the girls about the coal?
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32. What did Mrs.Viney notice at the children’s home a week later?
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33. Who was waiting for Peter at the station yard?
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34. What did he watch Peter do?
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35. What did the Station Master do to Peter?
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36. What did the Station Master call Peter?
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37. Where did the Station Master plan to take Peter?
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38. Why was Peter angry when Bobbie said that the girls helped Peter to steal the coal?
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39. Why did Peter think what he did was not stealing?
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40. What did mother tell the children about having fire at home in June?
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41. What did the Station Master do to the children?
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HOTS
1. After reading about Mother in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, give one adjective to describe
Mother’s character. Provide evidence from the novel to support your answer.
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 THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Edith Nesbit

2. In Chapter Two, do you think what Peter was doing is right OR wrong? Explain your
answer.
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3. Living by the railway has its advantages and disadvantages. It can sometimes be
exciting or inconvenient. Imagine you are Bobbie, Peter or Phyllis. What are some of
the things that are exciting OR inconvenient about it?
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