Luck Favors the Prepared

Which sentence from the article best supports

the idea that the discovery of X-rays helped to

improve people’s health?

• “After making this discovery, Röntgen

  decided to investigate the rays further.”

• “He tested whether the X-rays would

  pass through the objects or would be

  blocked by them.”

• “Röntgen’s most famous image is the X-ray shadow of his wife Bertha’s hand.”

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

  bones.”

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

• He hoped that penicillin would cure certain diseases.

• He was unaware that penicillin would have any effect.

• He was sure penicillin would be a helpful medicine.

• He knew penicillin was deadly to some bacteria.

Select two pieces of evidence from “Luck Favors the Prepared” that support the idea that Fleming was unaware the Penicillin would have any effect?

• “one of the most famous stories of accidental discovery”

• “a medicine used to kill bacteria”

• “trying to find ways to cure diseases and infections”

• “To Fleming’s amazement”

• “the mold could be used as an antibiotic”

The author believes that Charles Goodyear was a dedicated scientist who kept

improving on his work. Which sentence from the article best supports this statement?

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

• “He tried to change the rubber in countless ways, but each attempt

  disappointed him.”

• “One day, Goodyear spilled a mixture containing natural rubber onto a hot

  stove.”

• “Goodyear patented a process for making vulcanized rubber in 1844 and then

  sold his product to manufacturers.”

Which of the following best matches a central idea from the text with a detail that

supports it?

• Central idea: Many important discoveries are made during experiments.

  Supporting detail: Doctors began using X-rays to examine injured patients.

• Central idea: Many important discoveries are made during experiments.

  Supporting detail: Doctors began using X-rays to examine injured patients.

• Central idea: Some scientists make accidental discoveries that help people.

  Supporting detail: Penicillin is still used in modern times to save lives.

• Central idea: Dedicated scientists may accidentally become great inventors.

  Supporting detail: Fleming used plates called petri dishes to grow bacteria.

Vulcanized rubber continues to be an important part of modern products. How does

the author illustrate this idea in the passage?

• She lists examples of different uses for vulcanized rubber.

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

• She compares vulcanized rubber with natural rubber.

• She compares vulcanized rubber with natural rubber.

Which of the following best summarizes the article?

• Sticky notes, microwaves, and artificial sweeteners all have something in common.

  Each of these useful things was discovered by accident. The same is true of a

  number of other discoveries, including penicillin, X-rays, and vulcanized rubber.

• Many important scientific discoveries have been made by accident. These include

  the discoveries of penicillin, X-rays, and vulcanized rubber. In each case, the

  scientist making the discovery had the experience to see the usefulness in what

  others might have considered a mere “accident.”

• Alexander Fleming may be the person who made the most important accidental

  discovery of all time. He was working in his lab when he noticed a type of bread

  mold that killed bacteria. This led to the invention of penicillin, an antibiotic that

  has saved countless lives.

• When a good scientist discovers something by accident, the discovery involves

  more than just luck. Microwaves, penicillin, and X-rays are all examples of useful

  things discovered by scientists who knew how to turn a mistake into something

  good. Their “lucky accidents” had more to do with hard work than good luck.