Mother Teresa

PART A: Which of the following describes Mother Teresa’s early life?

• She didn’t realize she wanted to be a nun until much later.

• She began charity work before joining the church.

• She was interested in missionary work at a young age.

• She grew up poor and wanted to help those in similar situations.

PART B: Which of the following pieces of evidence supports your answer to question 1?

• "Teresa was born in 1910 in a town called Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire, today the capital city of Macedonia." (paragraph 2)

• "She left her home country of Macedonia to serve as a missionary and nurse in Calcutta, India." (paragraph 1)

• "She always loved to hear stories about missionaries working to help people in different countries around the world." (paragraph 2)

• "Mother Teresa’s given name was Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu; she picked the name Teresa for herself after she moved to India in 1929." (paragraph 2)

PART A: The primary purpose of the Missionaries of Charity was…

• to spread the word of God.

• to help those in desperate need.

• to teach people basic medical skills.

• to collect donations for the church.

PART B: Which of the following pieces of evidence best supports your answer to the previous question?

• "The answer came on September 10, 1946, as she rode the train to her old convent in Darjeeling." (Paragraph 5)

• "She then underwent several months of medical training at a local hospital." (Paragraph 6)

• "In 1949, she and a group of other young women established themselves on the streets of Calcutta as a group committed to serving 'the poorest of the poor. ' " (Paragraph 6)

• "Mother Teresa was able to help the poor and sick in Calcutta in many different ways." (Paragraph 8)

PART A: Which of the following identifies a central idea of the overall text?

• Mother Teresa and those in the Missionaries of Charity always lived among the poor and suffering to better understand their troubles.

• While Mother Teresa did help countless people, it has become clear that she devoted her life to missionary work to impose her opinions on others.

• Mother Teresa believed it was her duty to help people and devoted her life to the less fortunate all over the world.

• Once Mother Teresa developed a large enough following, she retired comfortably and allowed others to continue her missionary work.

PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• “She felt what she later called ‘the call within the call’ — the call to live among Calcutta’s poor and dedicate her life to serving them.” ( Paragraph 5)

• “Although her ministry proved to be extremely difficult in the first few years, the Catholic church granted her some financial support, and her charity became more famous.” ( Paragraph 7)

• “After many years of complications, she retired from the Missionaries of Charity in March of 1997; she died only six months later.” ( Paragraph 11)

• “Still others did not appreciate her religious beliefs, which she talked about frequently, or her conservative social views.” ( Paragraph 13)

PART A: Which statement best describes how the author addresses conflicting opinions on Mother Teresa?

• She presents Mother Teresa’s positive and negative traits in a balanced fashion that does not sway either way.

• She dismisses people’s discontent with Mother Teresa in favor of all the good she has done.

• She describes Mother Teresa’s positive influence as being overblown, and her criticism as being largely ignored.

• She acknowledges the disputes surrounding Mother Teresa’s missionary work, while focusing on her positive influence.

PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• “Beyond India, she received awards from countries around the world, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the United States.” (Paragraph 12)

• “Still others did not appreciate her religious beliefs, which she talked about frequently, or her conservative social views.” (Paragraph 13)

• “Others questioned her hospitals’ practices, stating that the nuns were not always attentive and often used unhygienic equipment.” (Paragraph 13)

• “Despite her somewhat controversial legacy, Mother Teresa is generally praised as a symbol of charity for the rest of the world to look up to.” (Paragraph 14)

What is a central idea of the section titled “Early Life”?

• Listening to stories about missionaries inspired her.

• At the age of 18, Mother Teresa moved to Ireland and had to learn English.

• Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in a town called Skopje.

• Mother Teresa was persuaded by her parents to become a missionary.

What does the section “Early Life” reveal about Mother Teresa’s character?

• She was like any other normal teenager.

• At first, she was selfish when it came to helping others but later her perspective changed.

• She like to be different than other teenagers.

• At an early age, she was dedicated to helping others.