Question

1. Read the passage carefully:

1. Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her husband,

Pierre, she discovered radium, an element widely used for treating cancer and studied uranium and

other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie’s amicable collaboration later helped to unlock the

secrets of the atom.

2. Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of physics. Curie was

the youngest of five children, following siblings Zosia, Jozef, Bronya and Hela. When she was

only 10, Curie lost her mother, Bronislawa, to tuberculosis. As a child, Curie took after her father.

She had a bright and curious mind and excelled at school. But despite being a top student in her

secondary school, Curie could into attend the men’s-only University of Warsaw. At an early age,

she displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Her great exuberance for learning prompted

her to continue with her studies after high school. She became disgruntled, however, when she

learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women. She instead continued her education in

Warswa’s “floating university”, a set of underground, informal classes held in secret. Determined to

receive a higher education, she defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French

university, where she earned her master’s degree and doctorate in physics.

3. Both Curie and her sister Bronya dreamed of going abroad to earn an official degree, but they lacked

the financial resources to pay for more schooling. Undeterred, Curie worked out a deal with her

sister. She would work to support Bronya while she was in school, and Bronya would return the

favour after she completed her studies. For roughly five years, Curie worked as a tutor and a

governess. She used her spare time to study, reading about physics, chemistry and math. In 1891,

Curie finally made her way to Paris and enrolled at the Sorbonne. She threw herself into her studies,

but this dedication had a personal cost: with little money, Curie survived on buttered bread and tea

and her health sometimes suffered because of her poor diet. Curie completed her master’s degree in

physics in 1893 and earned another degree in mathematics the following year.

4. Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day,

one of whom was Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive

years working together in the physics laboratory. A short time after they discovered radium, Pierre

was killed by a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stunned by the horrible misfortune and

endured heart breaking anguish. Despondently she recalled their close relationship and the joy that

they had shared in scientific research. The fact that she had two young daughters to raise by herself

greatly increased her distress.2

5. Curie’s feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was asked to succeed her husband as a

physics professor at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to be given a professorship at the world

famous university. In 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for isolating radium.

Although Marie Curie eventually suffered a fatal illness from her long exposure to radium, she never

became disillusioned about her work. Regardless of the consequences, she had dedicated herself to

science and to revealing the mysteries of the physical world.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY TEN of the following

questions by choosing the most appropriate option:

i) The Curies’ ………… collaboration helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.

a) friendly

b) competitive

c) courteous

d) industrious

ii) Marie had a bright mind and a …………… personality.

a) strong

b) light hearted

c) strange

d) humorous

iii) Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the correct sequence of

the events in Marie’s life.

1. She used her spare time to study, reading about physics, chemistry and maths.

2. Curie completed her master’s degree in physics in 1893 and earned another degree in

mathematics the following year.

3. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive years working together in the

physics laboratory.

4. At an early age, Marie displayed a brilliant mind and a blithe personality.

a) 2, 1, 4, 3

b) 3, 2, 4, 1

c) 4, 1, 2, 3

d) 2, 3, 4, 1

iv) Marie ………… by leaving Poland and travelling to France to enter the Sorbonne.

a) challenged authority

b) short intelligence

c) was distressed

d) was happy
vi) Who was Marie Curie’s husband?

a) Peter Curie

b) Pierre Curie

c) Perrie Curie

d) Pirre Curie

vii) How many siblings did Curie have?

a) five

b) two

c) three

d) four

wrong answer will be reported​

Answer 1

Answer:

1 , friendly

2, b) light hearted

3, (4,1,2,3)

4,a)challenged authoritiy

6, b)Pierre curie

7, d) four

Answer 2

i) The Curies’ a) friendly collaboration helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.

ii) Marie had a bright mind and a b) light hearted personality.

iii) c) 4, 1, 2, 3 is the option that lists the correct sequence of  the events in Marie’s life.

iv) Marie a) challenged authority by leaving Poland and travelling to France to enter the Sorbonne.

vi) Marie Curie's husband was b) Pierre Curie.

vii) Curie had a) five siblings.