The Railway Children; answering technique

Hello everyone. It seems that the mid-year examination is approaching and it is revision time. I am going to guide you in the answering technique for the novel section, The Railway Children.  I will show you how you can use the same character evidence and for different questions

You can find the sample answers in different labels in this blog: Characters, Lesson, Plot. I will update more sample answers in the near future.  Happy learning!

CHARACTER	Roberta
CHARACTERISTIC	She is a kind and thoughtful person
THEME	Kindness and thoughtfulness
MORAL VALUE	Kindness and thoughtfulness
LESSON / MESSAGE	We should be kind and thoughtful to everyone, including strangers.
EVENT / INCIDENT / MOMENT	… is when Roberta is kind and thoughtful to her family members and strangers.
LIKE OR DISLIKE THE STORY	I admire the quality of kindness and thoughtfulness really shown throughout the story.
EVIDENCE
A. Roberta asked the driver and the fireman to mend the broken toy engine. Ø When Peter gave Roberta half his toy engine, she took the broken half. Ø She wanted to get it mended for her brother. Ø So she met the driver and the fireman to ask their help. They agreed to mend the broken toy. Ø Some weeks later, she took Peter and Phyllis to meet the driver and the fireman. Peter was excited to see his engine mended. B. Roberta hid the story about her imprisoned father from her brother and sister. Ø Roberta went to the station to collect some old magazines. Perks wrapped the magazines with an old newspaper. Ø On the way home, she stopped to rest. She read the newspaper. It is about her father. Ø Roberta learnt that her father was in prison for spying. Ø Nevertheless, Roberta did not tell Peter and Phyllis about it. She did not want them to be upset like her.
C. Roberta made Jim comfortable in the tunnel. Ø Jim had a broken leg and cannot walk. Ø So she made Jim comfortable by put her petticoat under his broken leg. Ø She talked to him and got the necessary information to help him. Ø She found out that he is Jim from Northumberland.

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN, (PLOT) sample answer

Q: Based on the novel you have studied, write about an event that fills you with joy.

Based on the novel, The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit, an event that fills me with joy is when Roberta is kind and thoughtful to her family members and strangers.

In this novel, Roberta asked the driver and the fireman to mend the broken toy engine. When Peter gave Roberta half his toy engine, she took the broken half. She wanted to get it mended for her brother. So she met the driver and the fireman to ask their help. They agreed to mend the broken toy. Some weeks later, she took Peter and Phyllis to meet the driver and the fireman. Peter was excited to see his engine mended.

Furthermore, Roberta hid the story about her imprisoned father from her brother and sister. Roberta went to the station to collect some old magazines. Perks wrapped the magazines with an old newspaper. On the way home, she stopped to rest. She read the newspaper. It is about her father. Roberta learnt that her father was in prison for spying. Nevertheless, Roberta did not tell Peter and Phyllis about it. She did not want them to be upset like her.

Finally, Roberta made Jim comfortable in the tunnel. Jim had a broken leg and cannot walk. So, she made Jim comfortable by put her petticoat under his broken leg. She talked to him and got the necessary information to help him. She found out that he is Jim from Northumberland.

In conclusion, it is clear that Roberta is kind and thoughtful to her family members and strangers. That is why I find this event fills me with joy.

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN; (CHARACTER), sample answer

Q: Based on the novel you have studied, write about a character whom you like.

Based on the novel, The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit, a character whom I like is Roberta. I like Roberta because she expresses the quality of kindness and thoughtfulness throughout the story / she is a kind and thoughtful person.

In this novel, Roberta asked the driver and the fireman to mend the broken toy engine. When Peter gave Roberta half his toy engine, she took the broken half. She wanted to get it mended for her brother. So she met the driver and the fireman to ask their help. They agreed to mend the broken toy. Some weeks later, she took Peter and Phyllis to meet the driver and the fireman. Peter was excited to see his engine mended.

Furthermore, Roberta hid the story about her imprisoned father from her brother and sister. Roberta went to the station to collect some old magazines. Perks wrapped the magazines with an old newspaper. On the way home, she stopped to rest. She read the newspaper. It is about her father. Roberta learnt that her father was in prison for spying. Nevertheless, Roberta did not tell Peter and Phyllis about it. She did not want them to be upset like her.

Finally, Roberta made Jim comfortable in the tunnel. Jim had a broken leg and cannot walk. So, she made Jim comfortable by put her petticoat under his broken leg. She talked to him and got the necessary information to help him. She found out that he is Jim from Northumberland.

In conclusion, it is clear that Roberta expresses the quality of kindness and thoughtfulness throughout the story / Roberta is a kind and thoughtful person. It makes this novel interesting.

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN; (LESSON) sample answer

LESSON

Q: Based on the novel you have studied, write about a valuable lesson you have learnt.

Based on the novel, The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit, a valuable lesson I have learnt is we should be kind and thoughtful to everyone, including strangers. This is seen in Roberta.

In this novel, Roberta asked the driver and the fireman to mend the broken toy engine. When Peter gave Roberta half his toy engine, she took the broken half. She wanted to get it mended for her brother. So she met the driver and the fireman to ask their help. They agreed to mend the broken toy. Some weeks later, she took Peter and Phyllis to meet the driver and the fireman. Peter was excited to see his engine mended.

Furthermore, Roberta hid the story about her imprisoned father from her brother and sister. Roberta went to the station to collect some old magazines. Perks wrapped the magazines with an old newspaper. On the way home, she stopped to rest. She read the newspaper. It is about her father. Roberta learnt that her father was in prison for spying. Nevertheless, Roberta did not tell Peter and Phyllis about it. She did not want them to be upset like her.

Finally, Roberta made Jim comfortable in the tunnel. Jim had a broken leg and cannot walk. So, she made Jim comfortable by put her petticoat under his broken leg. She talked to him and got the necessary information to help him. She found out that he is Jim from Northumberland.

In conclusion, it is clear that Roberta is kind and thoughtful to everyone, including strangers. It makes this novel interesting.

Flipping Fantastic- Theme/Moral Values/Point of View

Theme, in literature, is the central idea or ideas explored by a literary work. John Gardner puts it this way: "By theme here we mean not a message - a word no good writer likes applied to his work - but the general subject, as the theme of an evening of debates may be World Wide Inflation."
 A work of literary may have more than one theme. 


Themes of the "Flipping Fantastic"

There are a few themes in this story. They are:

   1.    The relationship between brothers

           Being twins, the two brothers are extremely close to each 
           other. 

           They depend on each other a lot and they fear 
           being separated.

   2.    The pain of separation 
           The twins experience the pain of separation when they have 
           to go to different schools.

   3.    Fear of change

           The twins fear change as they are very comfortable as they 
           are presently.
           They are worried as they know their lives will be very 
           different when they go to another school, especially if
           they go to different schools.

   4.    Mother's love
           The mother's love for her children is unlimited. 

           She is proud and supportive of both her sons. 

           She understands their characters well and 

           worries about them constantly. 

           She refuses to accept that Tristan has disabilities and 

           her attitudes helps Tristan carry on with life in a positive 

           manner.

   5.    Adapting to new environments
           The twins learn that they cannot fight change and they have 
           to adapt to their new environments.
           In the end, they find that they need not have worried as they 
           adapt to their new school quickly and are extremely happy 
           there.

Moral Value, in literature, is the beliefs and personal opinions about what is right (honest, ethical, true) conduct and what is wrong (dishonest, false, harmful) conduct held by individuals and held collectively by socially cohesive groups of individuals.


Moral Values of the "Flipping Fantastic"
1. It is important to get co-operation and support from family
     members to make good decisions.
2. Parents who are patient and understanding can build a child's
     confidence and self-esteem.

Point of view: the perspective from which the story is told.

• The most obvious point of view is probably first person or "I."
• The omniscient narrator knows everything, may reveal the motivations, thoughts and feelings of the characters, and gives the reader information.
• With a limited omniscient narrator, the material is presented from the point of view of a character, in third person.
• The objective point of view presents the action and the characters' speech, without comment or emotion. The reader has to interpret them and uncover their meaning.

A narrator may be trustworthy or untrustworthy, involved or uninvolved. 


Point of View of the "Flipping Fantastic"
This story is told in the first person point of view. It is in the form 
of a diary or journal. The three main characters give their 
personal points of view on the events and incidents that occur in the story.