Jane Addams (1860-1935)
Students will read a biography of Jane Addams and learn why she was an important historical figure. Students will answer questions about main idea, details, author’s purpose, and summarize.
Reading Comprehension Passage
Jane Addams (1860-1935)
Reading Comprehension Questions
Vocabulary List
Vocabulary List
Each of the vocabulary words below are used in the reading passage. As you read the passage, pay attention to context clues that suggest the word’s meaning.
- profitable
- valedictorian
- ruptured
- chronic
- activists
- impoverished
- prominent
- routinely
- progressive
- deteriorated
Context Clues
Context Clues
Using context clues from the sentences in the passage, underline the correct meaning of the word in boldface.
1) "He also ran a profitable grain mill and provided well for his children."
a. modern or new b. successful c. large; vast d. mechanized; having machines
2) "as valedictorian of her class of seventeen"
a. president b. treasurer c. student teacher d. student with the highest grades
3) "That same year, her father died of a ruptured appendix"
a. broke open; burst b. cancerous c. infected d. transplanted
4) "troubled by her own health problems (depression and chronic back pain)"
a. lower; at the end b. continuous or constant c. spinal; of the bone d. sharp or intense
5) "where activists worked to improve life in that impoverished area"
a. residents b.hired workers c. those who work for a cause; advocates d. volunteers
6) "where activists worked to improve life in that impoverished area"
a. rural or remote b. newly built c. poor; needy d. stricken with disease
7) "The two women worked hard to raise money and were joined by prominent social reformers"
a. friendly; welcoming b. foreign c. hard-working d. famous or respected
8) Hull House routinely served two thousand people a week
a. often; frequently b. occasionally c. carefully d. happily
9) campaigned for progressive causes both nationally and internationally
a. forward-looking; reformist b. various or many c. competitive d. objective
10) Sadly, her health had greatly deteriorated by then, and she was hospitalized in Baltimore
a. improved; recovered b. calculated c. became important d. declined; worsened