The railway children by Edith Nesbit

The railway children by Edith Nesbit: Summary, Questions and Answers.

The Railway Children is actually a children’s book written by E Nesbit, and is nicely demonstrates the importance of a family and having a safety net.

In the story, the father is falsely arrested for being a spy, and the loss of income of the primary breadwinner pushes the family into poverty.

The story teaches us about bravery, kindness and compassion, hope and optimism, and the importance of having a supportive family. It also teaches us to save whatever little we can while the going is good for the rainy days which are will inevitably come.

Correct the incorrect words and rewrite the sentences

Question: The family had a pretty life in the new house.
Ans. The family had a pretty life in the Red Villa.

Question: The two-stern looking gentlemen came in with good news for the family.
Ans. The two-stern looking gentlemen did not come with good news for the family.

Question: The Mother looked happy and cheerful after the gentlemen’s visit.
Ans. The Mother looked pale after the gentlemen’s visit.

Question: The children walked carefully on the smooth road.
Ans. The children stumbled a little on the rough road.

Question: The change came quite suddenly on Peter’s fifth birthday.
Ans. The change came quite suddenly on Peter’s tenth birthday.

Answer the following questions.

Question: How was this packing different from the other packing that the children had done?
Ans. This packing was different because this time they were packing the entire contents of the house and not just some clothes and the other things that they would normally pack when they went on a holiday.

Question: Why does Mother say that having mice in the house is fun and the shift was quite an adventure? Justify your answer.
Ans. Mother says that having mice in the house was fun to make it sound interesting and fun for the children and not to remind them of the status they were in at the moment. She was trying to make them forget the old house that they had left behind.

Question: Do you think that the children in the story were fussy or good-natured? Give reasons to support your answer.
Ans. The children in the story were good-natured as they did not complain about moving to a new house that was dark and had mice. After moving to a new house, the very next day they decided to keep the kettle ready and the crockery arranged for breakfast. They were rather happy to explore the new place.

Question: Through this story, what values did the Mother want to inculcate in her children?
Ans. Through this story, Mother wanted her children to grow and accept what comes in their way and learn to adjust the hard and fast of real life. She wanted them to understand that things may not always be good and happy and rich and that one should learn to grow past difficulties with a smile on the face and to see changes as adventures in life.

Write textual words for given words

Write textual words for the given words and make sentences.

1. unfriendly- stern
The teacher gave a stern look at all the students when she entered the noisy class.

2. hit your foot while walking or running- stumble
While I was playing football with my friends, I stumbled upon a rock in the nearby garden.

3. late evening- dusk
On picnic day, our school bus reached at dusk after a long and tiring journey.

4. weak- pale
In the market, I felt pity for the child who was looking pale and begging for some money.

5. bend- stooped
My friend stooped to pick up a lost wallet fallen in our society building.

Reference to Context.

“Then boxes were filled and the next afternoon a cab came to take them to the station.”

a. What was filled in the boxes
Ans. Everything that was there in the house were filled in the boxes including the clothes, carpets, candlesticks, chairs, crockery, tables and blankets.

b. Where did the train take the children?
Ans. The train took the children to a village in the countryside.

c. How did the children travel on the last leg(stretch) of their journey?
Ans. At first, the children enjoyed looking out of the window, but by dusk, they were fast asleep and had to be roused by mother.

Who said to whom?

Who said the following words to whom.

1. ‘We’re in the new house. Let’s get up and begin to be useful’.
Ans. These lines were said by Roberta to Phyllis.

2. ‘Father’s been called away.’
Ans. These lines were said by Mother to her three children.

3. ‘It’s only the mice.’
Ans. These lines were said by the cart man to Mother and her three children.

Complete the story map

1. How does the story begin?
Ans. The story begins with a family of parents and their three children living in a red-brick-fronted villa. They are having a pretty and happy life.

2. What happens next in the story?
Ans. After the two stern gentlemen’s visit, their Father is being called away. Mother is aware of the trouble. She looks pale and tells her children about leaving the house and going to live in the countryside.

3. How does the story end?
Ans. Towards, the end of the story, the mother and the children are in the new house which is not so comfortable and nice as their villa. However, the children are happily trying to do their chores and being useful in the new house without complaining.