IXL | Read about history | 5th grade language arts

Read the text.

Peking to Paris

Back in 1907, a French newspaper advertised an unusual race. The paper asked whether anyone would dare to drive an automobile from Peking (now called Beijing) to Paris. The distance between the two cities was about ten thousand miles. At that time in history, gasoline-powered cars were still a new invention that few people owned. The newspaper was curious: were these new vehicles strong enough to complete a long journey across Asia and Europe? With few paved roads and no established route, the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge was an extreme adventure.

The newspaper's ad received worldwide attention. Most people believed the challenge was impossible, but five brave teams agreed to participate. They traveled through China, Mongolia, Russia, Poland, Germany, and Belgium before reaching France. Since they could not count on gas stations for fuel, the drivers had to plan ahead. Camels carrying fuel were sent ahead to key locations that drivers could stop at along their route. After sixty days of driving, a team led by Prince Scipione Borghese of Italy finally crossed the finish line.

Ninety years after the first Peking to Paris Challenge, a racing organization decided to hold the competition again. The event was so popular that the group now puts on the race every three years. However, the modern competition is a bit different from the original. Competitors now have route books and GPS guidance systems to help them navigate. The race takes place over thirty-six days, and drivers stop at required checkpoints each night. Although the modern competition sounds less challenging, it is still a difficult race. The teams travel an average of 250 miles per day, following dirt roads across rivers and over mountains. Each team is responsible for repairing its own vehicle if it breaks.

In 2019, one man decided to make the already challenging race even harder. Anton Gonnissen wanted to honor a man named Auguste Pons, who took part in the 1907 race. Pons wasn't able to finish that race; he got lost in the Gobi Desert and ran out of gas. So, Gonnissen decided to honor Pons by finishing the race using the same kind of car that Pons drove. Gonnissen couldn't find the exact model, so he built a replica of Pons's vehicle instead. After an exhausting journey, Gonnissen finished the race 112 years after Pons started it.

As Gonnissen understood, the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge has always been about more than just racing cars. The organizers never intended for winners to receive a lot of money or fame. Instead, the event gives racers a chance to test their limits by trying something difficult and new.

What is the text about?

It is about how the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge was impossible to complete in 1907 but became easier over time.

It is about how the 1907 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge honored competitors from earlier races.

It is about how the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge led to changes in the way that cars are designed.

The text is about how the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge tested drivers' courage in 1907 and continues to in modern times.

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Read the text.

The Golden Spike

Take a trip into the desert just north of Salt Lake City, Utah. There, in a place called Promontory, you'll find a small park dedicated to the memory of a big event. On May 10, 1869, this was the place where officials celebrated the completion of a railroad across America. People blew whistles, rang bells, and gave speeches. A special golden spike was hammered into the last railroad tie, fastening the rails in place. That golden spike became a symbol for one of the period's most remarkable and life-changing achievements.

Before this event, smaller railways had already existed in the eastern and western parts of the country. However, there was no railroad running across America to connect the east and west coasts. So those who wished to travel or transport goods across the country had to select from one of several long and dangerous routes. Some chose to sail around the southern tip of South America and all the way back north to California. This trip was eighteen thousand miles long and took four to eight months to complete. Cutting across the Isthmus of Panama could shorten this journey a little, but it came with an increased risk of disease. It was also possible to travel directly across the U.S. by horse or wagon. But this too was a slow and dangerous journey. It took about three to six months to travel from St. Louis, Missouri, to California or Oregon.

The U.S. Congress felt that the nation needed a transcontinental railroad. In 1862, they passed the Pacific Railroad Act, which allowed two companies to start construction. The Union Pacific company began laying track from the east, while the Central Pacific company started building from the west. They raced to meet in the middle. However, many challenges slowed progress. To complete the railroad, the companies had to build bridges across waterways, cut paths through forests, and blast tunnels through mountains. This feat took six long years and required thousands of workers.

In fact, without those workers, there might never have been anything to celebrate that day in Promontory, Utah. The people who built the transcontinental railroad came from different backgrounds. They were often immigrants, many from China and some from Ireland and Germany. Other workers were ex-soldiers and formerly enslaved men who had recently gained their freedom. The workers spent long days laying one railroad tie at a time across more than two thousand miles. They suffered through extreme weather, dangerous dynamite blasts, scarce food supplies, and rockslides. However, in the spring of 1869, they finally linked the coasts.

The transcontinental railway united America physically. It also changed how people thought about the country. In contrast to the months-long journeys of the past, a trip across America now took as little as five days. This easier and quicker movement meant that more people began to view the country as a single connected place.

What is the text about?

It is about officials from Promontory, Utah, who built a railroad to increase tourism to their city.

It is about railroads on the East Coast and how they are different from railroads in the West.

It is about golden railroad spikes and how they made it easier and faster to build railroads.

It is about the construction of the transcontinental railroad and how the project changed America.

solution

The text discusses the following ideas:

The U.S. Congress believed that America needed a cross-country railroad.
It took six years and thousands of workers to complete the railroad project.
The railroad made travel faster and changed the way some people thought about America.

So, the text is about the construction of the transcontinental railroad and how the project changed America.

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