Luck Favors the Prepared

Which statement is true about Alexander Fleming’s initial understanding of penicillin?

• A He hoped that penicillin would cure certain diseases.

• B He was unaware that penicillin would have any effect.

• C He was sure penicillin would be a helpful medicine.

• D He knew penicillin was deadly to some bacteria.

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What is the central idea of paragraphs 5 and 6?

• A X-rays were another accidental discovery.

• B Röntgen was performing experiments by passing an electric current through gas.

• C Every time the gas sparked, a plate treated with a special chemical lit up.

• D Röngten’s image of his wife’s hand showed that X-rays do not pass through bone.

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Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that the discovery of X-rays helped to improve people’s health?

• A “After making this discovery, Röntgen decided to investigate the

  rays further.”

• B “He tested whether the X-rays would pass through the objects or be blocked by them.”

• C “Röntgen’s most famous image is the X-ray shadow of his wife

  Bertha’s hand.”

• D “Doctors quickly realized that they could use X-ray images to look at broken bones.”

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Which sentence supports the idea that Charles Goodyear was a dedicated scientist who kept improving on his work?

• A “Another scientist who made an accidental discovery was Charles Goodyear.”

• B “He tried to change the rubber in countless ways, but each attempt disappointed him.”

• C “One day, Goodyear spilled a mixture containing natural rubber onto a hot stove.”

• D “Goodyear patented a process for making vulcanized rubber in 1844 and then sold his product to manufacturers.”

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Which choice matches a central idea from the text with a detail that supports it?

• A Central idea: Many important discoveries are made during experiments./Supporting detail: Doctors began using X-rays to examine injured patients.

• B Central idea: Some important discoveries are not well understood at first./Supporting detail: Artificial sweetener was based on a kind of coal tar.

• C Central idea: Some scientists make accidental discoveries that help people./Supporting detail: Penicillin is still used in modern times to save lives.

• D Central idea: Dedicated scientists may accidentally become great inventors./Supporting detail: Fleming used plates called petri dishes to grow

  bacteria.

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Which statement summarizes paragraphs 7 and 8?

• A Charles Goodyear was interested in changing the structure of rubber to make it less soft and sticky.

• B Once when Charles Goodyear was experimenting, he had an accident and spilled rubber onto a hot stove.

• C After many failed attempts, Charles Goodyear succeeded in creating a strong form of rubber by accident.

• D Charles Goodyear patented the process for making vulcanized rubber that is still used today.

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What is the meaning of the word durable as it is used in the sentence below?

“Goodyear was determined to find a way to change the rubber so that it would be more durable but also remain elastic, or stretchy.”

• A strong

• B delicate

• C flexible

• D unbreakable

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How does the author illustrate the idea that vulcanized rubber continues to be an important part of modern products?

• A She lists examples of different uses for vulcanized rubber.

• B She tells the story of the invention of vulcanized rubber.

• C She compares vulcanized rubber with natural rubber.

• D She notes the year in which vulcanized rubber was patented.

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What does paragraph 9 say about “lucky accidents” and “great discoveries”?

• A Both lucky accidents and great discoveries can be made by any type of person at any time.

• B Great discoveries can sometimes result from lucky accidents, but they also require hard work.

• C Great discoveries and lucky accidents always happen when people aren’t looking for them.

• D When anyone has a lucky accident, it usually leads to a great discovery that changes the world.

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How does the author use anecdotes, or stories, to illustrate key ideas in the selection?

• A by listing stories of how several people became scientists

• B by explaining the educational histories of various scientists

• C by giving short histories of important accidental discoveries

• D by telling stories about how medicines cured several diseases

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