Journey on the Oregon Trail Golden sunlight shone brightly as Aaron trudged along the dusty trail beside the wagon. Aaron watched as the bulky wooden wheels turned slowly in the ruts along the trail. This land, with its grass as tall as their wagon’s wheels, was novel and exciting to Aaron. He loved watching the buffalo herds grazing in the distance and imagining what lies past the horizon where the golden prairie grass converged with the sky in a fuzzy, straight line. The sky seemed endless out here on the prairie and at night there seemed to be millions of tiny twinkling stars in this enormous black canvas. It had been nearly two months since Aaron and his family had departed from their home in Illinois to embark on their journey to Oregon Country. Pa was excited about the possibilities of getting his own farmland and starting a new life in a new place. He had adventure in his blood, and Aaron felt a twinge of that same adventuresome spirit. Their family was full of adventurers. In fact, legend had it Aaron’s great-grandfather had actually explored the Louisiana Territory as a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. 1. The overall tone of this story is

Journey on the Oregon Trail Golden sunlight shone brightly as Aaron trudged along the dusty trail beside the wagon. Aaron watched as the bulky wooden wheels turned slowly in the ruts along the trail. This land, with its grass as tall as their wagon’s wheels, was novel and exciting to Aaron. He loved watching the buffalo herds grazing in the distance and imagining what lies past the horizon where the golden prairie grass converged with the sky in a fuzzy, straight line. The sky seemed endless out here on the prairie and at night there seemed to be millions of tiny twinkling stars in this enormous black canvas. It had been nearly two months since Aaron and his family had departed from their home in Illinois to embark on their journey to Oregon Country. Pa was excited about the possibilities of getting his own farmland and starting a new life in a new place. He had adventure in his blood, and Aaron felt a twinge of that same adventuresome spirit. Their family was full of adventurers. In fact, legend had it Aaron’s great-grandfather had actually explored the Louisiana Territory as a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. 2. Based on information in the passage, which choice would Aaron most likely use to describe himself?

Journey on the Oregon Trail Golden sunlight shone brightly as Aaron trudged along the dusty trail beside the wagon. Aaron watched as the bulky wooden wheels turned slowly in the ruts along the trail. This land, with its grass as tall as their wagon’s wheels, was novel and exciting to Aaron. He loved watching the buffalo herds grazing in the distance and imagining what lies past the horizon where the golden prairie grass converged with the sky in a fuzzy, straight line. The sky seemed endless out here on the prairie and at night there seemed to be millions of tiny twinkling stars in this enormous black canvas. It had been nearly two months since Aaron and his family had departed from their home in Illinois to embark on their journey to Oregon Country. Pa was excited about the possibilities of getting his own farmland and starting a new life in a new place. He had adventure in his blood, and Aaron felt a twinge of that same adventuresome spirit. Their family was full of adventurers. In fact, legend had it Aaron’s great-grandfather had actually explored the Louisiana Territory as a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. 3. What is the main purpose of the passage?