Exploring Biographies
A worksheet for 7th graders to understand the characteristics and elements of biographies through reading and writing exercises.
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Exploring Biographies
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. For multiple-choice questions, circle the letter next to the correct answer. For fill-in-the-blank questions, complete the sentence. For short answer questions, provide a concise and complete response.
Read the following passage about Marie Curie and then answer the questions that follow.
Marie Skłodowska Curie was a Polish and naturalized French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-recipient of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris. Her achievements include the development of the theory of radioactivity, techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two elements, polonium and radium. Under her direction, the world's first studies of treating neoplasms with radioactive isotopes were conducted. She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw, which remain major centres of medical research today. During World War I, she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals.
1. What was Marie Curie the first woman to achieve?
Discover an element
Become a professor at the University of Paris
Win a Nobel Prize
Develop mobile radiography units
2. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in how many different scientific fields?
One
Two
Three
Four
1. A biography is a detailed account of a person's , written by someone else.
2. Biographies typically include information about the subject's childhood, education, career, and accomplishments.
3. One of the elements discovered by Marie Curie was .
1. What is the main purpose of a biography?
2. Name two important contributions Marie Curie made to science.
1. An autobiography is a biography written by the subject themselves.
True
False
2. Biographies are always about famous historical figures.
True
False
Choose a person you admire (a historical figure, a family member, or someone from your community). In a short paragraph, explain why you would want to read or write a biography about them. What aspects of their life would you focus on?