Shree Bose: A Young Innovator

Why did Shree Bose attempt to turn spinach blue?

• She had to do it for a first-grade science project.

• She wanted to make eating spinach more fun for her grandfather, whose favorite color was blue.

• She has always hated the color green.

• She was curious about whether her reaction to eating spinach would change if the color was different.

What does the passage in paragraphs 5-6 mainly show about Shree Bose?

• Shree became interested in cancer rather suddenly.

• Shree has a streak of determination and an eagerness to learn that convinced a professor to teach her, despite her lack of experience and previous knowledge.

• Shree finds it more fun to learn from YouTube videos and blog posts than studying in a laboratory.

• Shree felt discouraged because of the many professors who rejected her.

What is most closely the correct definition of 'posed' as it is used in the first paragraph of the text?

• Verb | To have presented or caused a problem, danger, or difficulty.

• Verb | To have taken on a particular attitude or position to be photographed, painted, or drawn.

• Verb | To have raised a question or matter for discussion.

• Verb | To have pretended to be someone or something.

What does the passage in paragraph 8 mainly show?

• Shree Bose is more concerned about awards than helping people.

• Shree Bose was already intent on her work to help cancer patients when she found out about the Google Science Fair.

• Shree Bose decided that the best way to show her research was in the Google Science Fair.

• Shree Bose found her opportunity to research helping cancer patients with the Google Science Fair.

Which of the following inferences about Shree Bose is best supported by the text?

• She is very compassionate and wants to help others.

• She is often overwhelmed by her role as a female mentor.

• She is only interested in medical science.

• She was only interested in science to win competitions like the Google Science Fair.

Which passage from the text best supports the answer to Question 5?

• ‘I think any societal barriers to that pioneering spirit, whether gender or otherwise, puts the world at a disadvantage, since there are so many more discoveries waiting to be made,’ Shree says.

• Although she was young and inexperienced, Shree won over Dr. Basu with her energy and passion for learning. ‘What I find most exciting is your enthusiasm,’ Shree says Dr. Basu told her. ‘And if you keep that while working in my lab, I’ll take you.’

• In Kolkata, a city in eastern India, Shree sat with her grandfather, and, seeing his discomfort, realized her purpose in life: she wanted to fight vicious diseases like cancer. She wanted to play a role in relieving people’s pain.

• Shree knew engineering could be interesting and fun, but she didn’t have a way to show that to the students she mentored. So, once again, after defining a problem, Shree Bose came up with a solution.

Which of the following best explains why Shree Bose is such an important role model?

• Shree Bose always finds the best ways to mentor and help her fellow students, inspiring them to do better work.

• Shree Bose is currently an activist against the gender imbalance in the STEM field workforce.

• There are a lot of women in STEM fields, but not many bring as much youthful enthusiasm to the industry as Shree Bose.

• Shree Bose is an inspiring and capable woman in STEM, an industry that is traditionally geared toward men and has fewer female mentors for girls.

Which passage from the text best supports the correct answer to Question 7?

• Because there are fewer women in STEM now, there are fewer female mentors for girls and young women interested in STEM. When girls don’t see women in the field, they may assume STEM is not for them, either. ‘I have been fortunate to have some incredible female mentors and role models, and I think that their examples have taught me to think in innovative ways and push the boundaries of scientific inquiry,’ Shree says.

• And, of course, she later became a Google Science Fair champion. Winning that competition changed Shree’s life. She met President Barack Obama. Glamour magazine named her one of its ‘21 Amazing Young Women of the Year’. She received emails from all around the country from cancer patients and their family members.

• After winning the Google Science Fair in 2011, Shree enrolled at Harvard University. At Harvard, she mentored young people. They often asked how she got started in STEM. She would tell them about doing research, finding Dr. Basu, and getting involved in a lab for hands-on experience.

• Shree believes STEM fields would benefit from having more women involved. As she says, ‘I think it’s absolutely essential for women to be in STEM, not just because of the obvious reasons that we can be and equality is good for society, but also because women have unique perspectives and experiences that can inform new ways of approaching scientific problems.’

What was Shree Bose’s first experiment?

• Building a robot that could help clean the house.

• Turning spinach blue as a part of a science project.

• Making a remote-controlled garbage can for students with disabilities.

• Creating a traction pad to help cars get out of the mud.

Who was one of the most important people to help Shree Bose discover her understanding of science?

• Her grandfather, who inspired her to fight cancer.

• Her first-grade teacher, who encouraged her love of experiments.

• Dr. Alakananda Basu, a professor at the University of North Texas.

• A scientist she met at the Google Science Fair.