Madam C.J. Walker Reading ELA Test Prep

Place check marks before TWO statements that show WHY Sarah Breedlove moved to Missouri.

• to be with her brothers
• because her husband died
• to start a line of hair care products
• to find a better school for her daughter
• because she ran out of money

Part A - Which is the BEST adjective to describe Sarah Breedlove?

• friendly
• hardworking
• resentful
• indifferent

Part B – Place a check mark BEFORE the sentence that BEST shows the adjective in Part A.

• During the 1890s, Sarah began suffering from a scalp condition that caused her to lose a lot of hair.
• She experimented with numerous homemade, as well as store bought, hair products.
• One product was “Hair Conditioning Cream” which softened hair.
• Her husband helped her advertise the products, and encouraged her to call herself “Madam C.J. Walker”.

Part A - Which is the correct meaning of the word, “entrepreneurship” as used in this passage?

• The capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business.
• The creativity needed to research a product and learn about its characteristics.
• The intelligence necessary to improve one’s own situation as well as the situations of others.
• The ability to fight back when its seems like the whole world is conspiring against you.

Part B – Place a check mark BEFORE the statement that helps the reader understand what the word “entrepreneurship” means.

• By 1908, she opened her own factory and beauty school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• She remained very interested in advancing the status of African-Americans.
• In her later years, she became involved with many educational scholarship programs.
• She is also renown for donating the largest amount of money, from an African-American, for the creation of the YMCA in Indianapolis, Indiana.

What motivated Sarah Breedlove to become interested in a hair-care line of business?

• She knew the haircare line was very profitable.
• She knew she would be the first one to create a haircare product.
• She wanted to advance the prospects of all African-Americans.
• She developed a scalp condition and wanted to do something about it.

Place a check mark before the TWO statements that BEST reveal Sarah Breedlove’s contributions to African-Americans, as well as society as a whole.

• Sarah spent a lot of time in Mississippi picking cotton.
• Sarah created many educational scholarship opportunities.
• Sarah saved enough money to send her daughter to public schools.
• Sarah’s portrait was chosen for a postage stamp.
• Sarah made a large donation for the creation of a YMCA.

Which text structure, if added to the text, would improve the organization of this article?

• sub-title
• illustrations
• headings
• maps

What TWO central ideas are found in this text? Select one answer only. The two ideas are found within one single answer.

• A young woman begins her own haircare line and eventually succeeds.
• The importance of following through with goals in life and helping others.
• Sarah Breedlove became Madam C.J. Walker and led a happy life.
• The importance of earning a good income and becoming a success.

Which option numbers the events in the correct order?

• 1, 2, 3, 5, 4
• 5, 4, 3, 1, 2
• 5, 4, 1, 2, 3
• 4, 5, 2, 1, 3