Question

Note: The characters in the two passages live in different historical eras.

Answer 1

The main difference between the two boys in this passage is the fact that they live in different time periods.

In the first passage, we can identify the setting as the 19th century, and we can also observe that the boy and his family are in the Prairies, traveling to Oregon. The location appears to be the same in the second passage (Chicago). However, the child is not travelling. Moreover, the time period is the 21st century. This means that Chicago is now a developed place, and that the child and his family are able to enjoy modern technology such as a furnace or the telephone.

Nevertheless, we also see that both children face a similar problem. In both examples, the mother of each child is sick and cold, and the children have to find a way to warm her up.

Answer 2

There are two different scenes in the passage.

The first one is set on the outside of a wagon train before or during the year 1861, while the second scene is set on a house after the year 2005.

The first boy is trying to get some wood to warm his mother who is ill and he has to walk to get it. The second boy has her mother ill too, but he has to face with the problem of electricity, so he just makes a phone call to the power company to fix it.

The main difference between the historical era in which they live, when trying to solve the conflict, is that one has to solve the problem himself while the other boy makes a phone call and another person solves the problem for him.