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Read the excerpt below and then select one prompt. You will choose to write either a narrative essay or an informational response paragraph.

The Railway Children
By Edith Nesbit

Chapter I, The Beginning of Things

They were not railway children to begin with. I don't suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and Cook's, the Pantomime, Zoological Gardens, and Madame Tussaud's. They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa, with coloured glass in the front door, a tiled passage that was called a hall, a bath-room with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows, and a good deal of white paint, and 'every modern convenience', as the house-agents say.

There were three of them. Roberta was the eldest. Of course, Mothers never have favourites, but if their Mother HAD had a favourite, it might have been Roberta. Next came Peter, who wished to be an Engineer when he grew up; and the youngest was Phyllis, who meant extremely well.

Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull calls to dull ladies, and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay calls to her. She was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions, such as the christening of the new kittens, or the refurnishing of the doll's house, or the time when they were getting over the mumps.

These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely nursery with heaps of toys, and a Mother Goose wall-paper. They had a kind and merry nursemaid, and a dog who was called James, and who was their very own. They also had a Father who was just perfect—never cross, never unjust, and always ready for a game—at least, if at any time he was NOT ready, he always had an excellent reason for it, and explained the reason to the children so interestingly and funnily that they felt sure he couldn't help himself.

You will think that they ought to have been very happy. And so they were, but they did not know HOW happy till the pretty life in the Red Villa was over and done with, and they had to live a very different life indeed.

The dreadful change came quite suddenly.
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Select only one prompt. You will choose to write either a narrative essay or an informational response paragraph.

Prompt Choice 1 (Narrative Essay)

Read the prompt below and write a well-developed narrative essay.

Have you ever had to adapt to a sudden change? How did you do it? What helped you prepare? Write a narrative of your experience.

**Be sure that your narrative has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use your mature voice, specific details, sensory descriptions, and dialogue. Proofread your work before submitting.

Prompt Choice 2 (Informational Response)

Review the excerpt above. Answer the following question in a well-developed paragraph.

What details in this text help the reader understand that the setting of this story is in the past and is not in the present or in the future? NOTE: This question is referring to the events taking place in a different time period (in the past) as opposed to being written in past tense.

**Be sure to re-state the question in your topic sentence and use specific examples and details from the story to support your answers. Proofread your work before submitting.

User Talatccan
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1 Answer

5 votes

Answer:

The details in "The Railway Children" help the reader understand that the setting of this story is in the past and is not in the present or future. The story takes place in an "ordinary red-brick-fronted villa" with "French windows" and a "tiled passage that was called a hall." The text also mentions the presence of "electric bells," which suggests the story is set in a time when modern technology was just beginning to emerge. The children in the story played with toys that were typical of the past, including a doll's house, and they had a Father who was "never cross, never unjust, and always ready for a game." The language used in the text is also a clue that it is set in the past, such as "Mothers never have favorites, but if their Mother HAD had a favorite, it might have been Roberta." The fact that the children's Mother spends her time writing stories for them while they are at school and reading them aloud after tea also suggests that this story takes place in the past when entertainment was less digital and more personal.

Step-by-step explanation:

Overall, the details in "The Railway Children" suggest a story that is set in the past, with a simpler way of life and more traditional values.

User Rsmoorthy
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8.1k points