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Courage in Refugee Stories

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Courage in Refugee Stories

Read the original story, then answer the questions. Use details from the story to explain your ideas. Courage can mean acting while afraid, protecting someone, or making a difficult and principled choice.

A Light in the Station

1.Read this story. In spring 1939, before the Second World War began, twelve-year-old Sami and his younger sister Leila arrived at a crowded railway station in Britain. They had travelled from their home in Czechoslovakia on a children’s transport organised to help young people escape danger. Their parents had stayed behind, and Sami had promised to look after Leila. The station was noisy and unfamiliar. Leila began to cry when she could not understand the announcements. Sami was frightened too, but he held her hand and asked a railway worker to help them find the family who would care for them. Later, when another child dropped a small bag, Sami noticed a name stitched inside and helped return it. He had little of his own, yet he shared his bread with the child while they waited. Sami could not end the war or know what would happen next. Still, his calm choices helped Leila and the other child feel less alone. His courage was not the absence of fear; it was choosing to care for others despite it. In one sentence, summarize what is happening to Sami and Leila and how Sami helps.

Read the story closely

2.Which detail best shows that Sami is afraid, even though he acts to help?

The station is noisy and unfamiliar.
The story says Sami is frightened too.
He notices a name stitched inside a bag.
He shares his bread.

3.Choose two actions Sami takes that show courage or care. Explain why each could have felt difficult.

4.What does the sentence “He had little of his own, yet he shared his bread” suggest about Sami?

He wants the other child to repay him.
He is generous even when he has limited food.
He is no longer frightened.
He has brought plenty of food for the journey.

5.True or false: Sami’s actions end the war and remove all danger. Use one detail from the story to support your answer.

TrueFalse

6.Complete the idea in your own words: Sami’s courage is not the absence of fear; it is …

7.The story says Sami’s choices helped the other children feel less alone. Explain how one specific action might have made a difference to Leila or the child with the bag.

8.The account is a fictionalised example set during the historical Kindertransport, which helped Jewish children escape Nazi persecution before the Second World War. Why might a historian compare personal accounts from refugees with official records when studying an event like this?

9.Write a short diary entry from Sami’s point of view at the station. Include one detail from the story, how he feels, and why he chooses to help.