Katherine Johnson: a Life in Science

Questions

1. Sequence Which of these happened first?

   Johnson helped equip ambulances with X-ray machines to treat soldiers in World War I Johnson helped calculate the path of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon Johnson calculated the flight path for the first American in space Johnson began working as a mathematician at the agency that later became NASA
2. Sequence Which of these happened last?

   Johnson began working as a mathematician at the agency that later became NASA Johnson helped calculate the path of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom Johnson calculated the flight path for the first American in space
3. Details In what year did this happen? "Johnson helped calculate the path of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon."

   1962 1953 1979 1969
4. Timeline math How many years passed between these two events? First: "Johnson calculated the flight path for the first American in space." Later: "She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

   97 54 53 55
5. Vocabulary In the passage, what does "orbit" mean?

   a set of step-by-step instructions for solving a problem a substance the body needs to use sugar for energy the curved path an object takes around a planet or star a solid whose tiny particles are arranged in a repeating pattern
6. Character traits Which word best describes Katherine Johnson?

   brilliant forgetful unkind lazy
7. Evidence Which detail from the passage shows that Johnson was brilliant?

   She searched the crumbling cliffs after every storm, spotting bones others walked past. She believed a calculating machine could one day work with music and pictures, not just numbers. As a child she dreamed of flying and went on to study aerospace engineering. She finished high school at 14 and college at 18.
8. Main idea What is this passage mostly about?

   the life and work of Jane Goodall the life and work of Katherine Johnson the life and work of Ada Lovelace how to become a teacher
9. Text structure How does the author organize the middle of the passage?

   by comparing two people in time order, from earlier events to later ones from most important to least important event as a problem and its solution

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