Steve Jobs Speech

In paragraph 12 Steve Jobs says, “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”

1. Why does he make that claim? What evidence does he present in paragraphs 12-14 to support this claim?

• A. that getting fired from Apple gave him the opportunity to be creative: He started two companies, both of which became very successful, and he met his wife.

• B. I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20.

• C. . So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

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2. • “What does he mean by ‘the heaviness of being successful’ and ‘the lightness of being a beginner again’? Did he weigh more when he was successful?”

• A. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him

• B. that heaviness means he was weighed down with responsibility that he didn’t have once he was fired.

• C. I really didn’t know what to do for a few months

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3. At the beginning of Paragraph 13, Steve Jobs says, “During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife.”

2. Why does Steve Jobs talk about his wife, Laurene, in this extract? How does this storyline add to the overall meaning of this section about love and loss?

• A. Steve Jobs talks about his wife because, although he doesn’t explain how, she was one of the things that happened as a result of him getting fired from Apple. It fits in the section about love and loss because he loves her and they have a “wonderful family.”

• B. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

• C. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did

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4. • “What does he mean by ‘It was awful-tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it’?”

• A. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees

• B. . We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started

• C. although being fired from Apple was awful, he needed it to do bigger and better things.

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5. In Paragraph 14, Steve Jobs says, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick.”

3. What does he mean here? Does he mean life literally hits you in the head with a brick?

• A. During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife

• B. “hit in the head with a brick” means that sometimes you can unexpectedly hit hard times in life.

• C. None of the above.

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6. “In Paragraph 14, Steve Jobs goes on to tell his audience two things not to do, beginning his sentences with the word ‘don’t.’ What does Paragraph 14 suggest he is trying to tell the graduates?”

• A. I don't know.

• B. Don't settle and don't lose faith.

• C. Don't fall in love.

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What is a claim?

• A. A statement that is the central idea of a piece of text.

• B. A statement that cannot be supported by details from the text.

• C. None of the above.

8. Steve Jobs said don't settle and don't lose faith. Which piece of evidence supports this?

• A. . So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating

• B. I really didn’t know what to do for a few months

• C. During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife

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9. What is a another piece of evidence tha support s that don't lose faith and don't settle?

• A. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

• B. Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20.

• C. None of the above.

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