Question

1 phineas is the foreman of a track construction gang that is in the process of blasting a railroad right - of - way through granite bedrock near the small town of cavendish, vermont. phineas is twenty - six years old, unmarried, and five feet, six inches tall, short for our time but about average for his. he is good with his hands and good with his men, “possessing an iron will as well as an iron frame,” according to his doctor. in a moment, phineas will have a horrible accident. 2 it will kill him, but it will take another eleven years, six months, and nineteen days to do so. in the short run, phineas will make a full recovery, or so it will seem to those who didn’t know him before. old friends and family will know the truth. phineas will never be his old self again. his “character” will change. the ways in which he deals with others, conducts himself, and makes plans will all change. long after the accident, his doctor will sum up his case for a medical journal: “gage,” his doctor will write, “was no longer gage.” phineas gage’s accident will make him world famous, but fame will do him little good. yet for many others—psychologists, medical researchers, doctors, and especially those who suffer brain injuries—phineas gage will become someone worth knowing. 3 that’s why we know so much about phineas. it’s been 150 years since his accident, yet we are still learning more about him. there’s also a lot about phineas we don’t know and probably never will. the biggest question is the simplest one and the hardest to answer: was phineas lucky or unlucky? once you hear his story, you can decide for yourself. but right now, phineas is working on the railroad and his time has nearly come. 4 building a railroad in 1848 is muscle work. there are no bulldozers or power shovels to open a way through vermont’s green mountains for the rutland & burlington railroad. phineas’s men work with picks, shovels, and rock drills. phineas’s special skill is blasting. with well - placed charges of black gunpowder, he shatters rock. to set those charges, he carries the special tool of the blasting trade, his “tamping iron.” some people confuse a tamping iron with a crowbar, but they are different tools for different jobs. a crowbar is for lifting up or prying apart something heavy. a tamping iron is for the delicate job of setting explosives. phineas had his
reading quiz
question 5
instructions
arrange the events from the excerpt in the order they occur.
available options (4 of 4)
dr. williams does not believe that an iron went through phineas’s head.
phineas gage “was no longer gage.”
phineas and his assistant work on blasting rock.
a blast throws phineas’s own tamping iron into his head.
first
second
third
fourth

Explanation:

To arrange the events in chronological order, we need to follow the sequence of actions described in the text. First, Phineas and his assistant work on blasting rock (as he is a foreman in a track - construction gang and uses tools like a tamping iron). Then, a blast throws Phineas's own tamping iron into his head (this is the accident event). After the accident, Phineas Gage "was no longer Gage" (his character changed). Finally, Dr. Williams, who would sum up his case, does not believe that an iron went through Phineas's head (this is a later medical assessment).

Answer:

FIRST: Phineas and his assistant work on blasting rock.
SECOND: A blast throws Phineas's own tamping iron into his head.
THIRD: Phineas Gage "was no longer Gage."
FOURTH: Dr. Williams does not believe that an iron went through Phineas's head.