Museletter Junior 2 — Part 1
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Part 1: Three Ships

Read the passage carefully before answering the questions. Click any word to collect it. Click an underlined word to reveal its definition below.

Deep in the silence of space, about 100 light years from earth, three ships hurtled through infinity.* They flew in a triangle formation, with one ship slightly larger than the others. All glistened bronze as the pinpricks of light sparkled off their shiny coating. Each rocket was dotted with a series of portholes, round like those on a cruise ship from the original earth.

Inside one of these portholes was a glistening bronze hallway. Giant cogs and wheels turned through slits in the floor and ceiling, quietly whirring in well oiled harmony. Everywhere one looked (if anyone were there to look) you could see these gears peeping out, each with their own particular function and design.

Aside from the cogs, the walls of the ship were smooth and undecorated. The hallways were almost perfectly arch shaped, like the entrances to giant metal igloos. Along one such hallway, there was a giant door set in the wall, blocking the archway. It had a giant wheel on it, that was clearly designed to open the door. The door had a tight rubber seal around it.

In the belly of the ship was an even stranger sight. Descending some steps cut into the floor of one of the corridors, one clomped down the hollow metal steps into another bronze hallway, still arched but much larger. Inside the hallway, hanging from the ceilings by a series of hooks, were giant bags, that looked like 21st Century freezer bags. There, in the bags, vacuum sealed, was the ship's crew. Sealed in, their eyes closed, each had a slight grimace on their face.

That was except two of them. These two were not in the bags at all, but were sat at a small fold out table in two camping chairs. They were playing cards.

* There is some debate as to whether the universe is infinite — click here to find out more!
Word Collector
Click any word in the passage to collect it

Vocabulary

Click an underlined word in the passage above to reveal its definition here.

Section 1: What Happened?

Answer using evidence from the passage. Use full sentences where possible.

  1. 1a
    How are the three ships arranged in space?
    (1 mark)
  2. 1b
    What do they look like from the outside?
    (1 mark)
  3. 2a
    What fills the walls and floors of the ship's hallways?
    (1 mark)
  4. 2b
    What do they do?
    (1 mark)
  5. 3a
    Where in the ship is the crew stored?
    (1 mark)
  6. 3b
    How are they kept there?
    (1 mark)
  7. 4
    What expression do the sealed crew members have on their faces?
    (1 mark)
  8. 5
    How are two of the crew different from the rest? Describe what they are doing and where.
    (3 marks)
Section Total: _____ / 10

Section 2: Perspectives & Feelings

Think carefully about the writer's choices and what they make you think and feel. Use the text to support your ideas.

  1. 6
    The writer compares the hallways to "entrances to giant metal igloos." What does this comparison make you picture? Why do you think the writer chose it?
    (2 marks)
  2. 7
    What mood or atmosphere does the writer create in the first three paragraphs? How do they create it?
    (3 marks)
  3. 8
    The crew have "a slight grimace" on their faces. What might this suggest about what vacuum-sealing feels like?
    (2 marks)
  4. 9
    Why do you think two crew members are awake while the others are sealed away? What questions does this raise for you as a reader?
    (4 marks)
Section Total: _____ / 11

Section 3: Writer's Corner

Think about the choices the writer has made and what effect they have on the reader.

  1. 10
    "Three ships hurtled through infinity." What does the word "hurtled" suggest about the ships?
    (2 marks)
  2. 11
    The writer includes a footnote about whether the universe is infinite. What effect does this have on the reader?
    (2 marks)
  3. 12
    This passage is almost entirely description — there is no dialogue and very little action. How does the writer still manage to build suspense and keep the reader hooked?
    (4 marks)
Section Total: _____ / 8

Section 4: Writing Task

Creative Writing Task — 20 minutes

Describe the interior of your own unusual vehicle or spacecraft. You don't need any characters — just the setting itself.

You might think about:

  • What does it look like, sound like, smell like inside?
  • What strange or unexpected details would a visitor notice first?
  • What does the design of the vehicle tell us about the people who built it?

The best descriptive writing makes the reader feel as if they are actually there — use your senses and choose your details carefully.