Name: ___________________
“The Far and the Near”
Directions Fill in the outline below. Filling in the blanks will help you as you read and study “The Far and
the Near.”
I. Beginning of the Selection
A. The Cottage
1. It is trimmed with green ______________________, located on the outskirts of town.
2. A train passes it every day a few minutes after ______________________ o’clock.
II. Middle of the Selection
A. The Engineer
1. When he blows the whistle, a woman and her child come to the back ________________
and wave to him.
2. He has known the ______________________, joy, peril, and labor that comes
with being an engineer.
3. He sees the little house and the women waving to him as something____________ and
enduring.
4. He feels that he knows every ______________________ and moment of their day.
III. End of the Selection
A. Meeting the Women
1. When the engineer walks through the town to see the women, his sense of bewilderment
and ______________________ grow.
2. As the engineer’s hand touches the ______________________, he feels a sense of
confusion, doubt, and ______________________.
3. The moment the engineer sees and hears the woman, the brave freedom, the warmth, and
the ____________________ that he had read into her ____________________ are gone.
4. The woman finally invites him in, almost ______________________, and calls
to her daughter in a harsh ______________________ voice.
5. The engineer feels that the magic of what he’d envisioned the women to be
is ________________________ forever and could _____________________ be got back
again.
Name: ___________________
“The Far and the Near”
Part A Directions Circle the letter of the answer that correctly completes each sentence.
1. Where does this story take place?
A. Miami
B. New York
C. Springfield
2. Around what time does the train pass the little house each day?
A. two o’clock
B. noon
C. ten o’clock
D. an unnamed town
D. six o’clock
3. How many tragedies had the engineer seen in his years of service for the railroad?
A. two
B. four
C. six
D. eight
4. What emotion does the engineer feel each time he sees the house and the woman from his train?
A. sadness
B. fear
C. happiness
D. anger
5. How does the engineer feel as he walks through the town on his way to meet the woman to whom he had
waved?
A. confused
B. angry
C. happy
D. excited and thrilled
6. How does the engineer feel as soon as the woman opens her door?
A. sorry
B. thrilled
C. afraid
D. ill
7. How does the woman look to the engineer?
A. beautiful
B. friendly
D. harsh
C. confused
8. What does the woman do after she opens the door?
A. invites him in
B. kisses him
C. screams
D. calls the police
9. How does the entire visit make the engineer feel about life?
A. satisfied
B. furious
C. disappointed
D. joyful
10. Which of the following would not be a good title for this story?
A. “A Great Place”
C. “The Railroad Man”
B. “An Engineer’s Life”
D. “Shattered Dreams”
Part B Directions Recall the descriptions of the house in the story. Use the description
to answer these questions.
11. What color is the house? __________________________________________
12. Are there trees near the house? __________________________________________
13. Is there a garden near the house? __________________________________________
14. Are the house and yard messy? __________________________________________
15. Does the house have a porch? __________________________________________