But She Was Very Patient and Remained Focused on Her Goal

1. Read this sentence from the article.

But she was very patient and remained focused on her goal.

What is an antonym for the word focused?

A. Bothered

B. Tired

C. Disinterested

D. Concerned

C is correct. Disinterested. An antonym is an opposite. If she was focused on her goal, the opposite of being focused would be disinterested. The only 3 answers don’t work.

2. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

A. to entertain the reader with stories about chimpanzees

B. to inform the reader of the importance of wildlife conservation

C. to warn the reader about the challenges of working in Africa

D. to describe the work and life of Jane Goodall

D is correct. A is tempting because you might find this article entertaining, but that wasn’t the author’s purpose. B and C can’t be right because the article is about Jane Goodall and chimps, not wildlife conservation or the challenges of working in Africa, although these topics may be mentioned in the article. D is the best answer. This piece describes her work and life.

3. Which of the following is not one of the reasons Dr. Leakey chose Jane to work with him?

A. She knew a lot about Africa

B. She knew a lot about African wildlife

C. She earned the money to travel to Africa on her own

D. She was interested in studying animals in the wild

C is the correct answer. The question asks which is NOT one of the reasons, which means three of the choices (A, B, D) are reasons he chose Jane to work with him. Paragraph 3 of the text shows us this. Only C is not listed as a reason.

4. Which of the following is not true of chimpanzees?

A. Chimpanzees are often comfortable with strangers right away

B. Chimpanzees eat meat as well as plants and fruit

C. Chimpanzees use tools to help them get food

D. Different chimpanzees have different personalities

A is the correct answer. Again, this question asks which is NOT true of chimpanzees, so three choices are true. The first two paragraphs of page 2 tell us that B, C, and D are all true facts. A is not true, and in fact, paragraph 1 of page 2 tell us that it took Jane a long time to be able to sit among the chimps, which indicates they are NOT comfortable with strangers right away.

5. Read this sentence from the article.

Jane Goodall is now the world’s most renowned authority on chimpanzees, having studied their behavior for nearly forty years.

What does authority mean?

A. an intelligent person

B. one who studies animals

C. a scientist

D. an expert

D is the correct answer, but this is tricky. It seems that Jane could be described as

A. intelligent B. one who studies animals and C. a scientist

However, only choice D (an expert) can replace the word authority. This is an example of finding a synonym or a word that means the same thing.

6. What is the main idea of this article?

A. Chimpanzees are amazing creatures with unique personalities

B. Jane Goodall has taught us a great deal about animal behavior and

wildlife

C. Africa is full of wildlife that must be both preserved and studied

D. Humans are very similar to chimpanzees and we can learn a great deal

by studying them

B is the correct answer. While A, C, and D all may be true, they are not what this article is about. This article is about what Jane Goodall has taught us about animal behavior and wildlife.

7. Which of the following statements can we infer after reading this article?

A. Jane Goodall should be credited for saving chimpanzees from extinction.

B. Jane Goodall’s life did not follow the typical path of a woman born in the 1930s.

C. Goodall’s work made it difficult for her to stay married.

D. Chimpanzees respond better to females than to males.

B is the correct answer. The key word in the question is infer. Infer means that although we are not told this directly, it makes logical sense. A can’t be right because there is no evidence that chimps were in danger of becoming extinct. C is tempting because she was married twice, but we have no idea if her first husband died or if they divorced, so C would be too much of a leap to take. Just because Jane is a female, there is no evidence that D is correct and that chimps respond better to females. B can be inferred. Jane was born in 1934 and we know that most women were housewives at that time. In addition, we are told that British authorities would not let a woman life in the wilds of Africa alone, so her mother had to go with her. Clearly, she has not followed the typical path of a woman born in the 1030s.

8. There is a quote that, “Patience is a virtue.” How does this quote relate to the article about Jane Goodall? Use examples and references from the article to support your answer.

SAMPLE ANSWER:

Good things come to those who wait. This well-known saying reminds us of the quote, “Patience is a virtue,” and both these quotes relate to the article about Jane Goodall, who displayed endless patience and persistence while studying chimpanzees and was rewarded by learning more about these animals that those before her.

See the evidence underlined in black and the quote from the text in blue.

At the beginning of Goodall’s studies of the chimpanzees, she stayed far away from them and watched them with binoculars. As time passed, she got closer and closer to them, and over time, she was able to sit with the chimps and interact with them. We are told that, “…it took months for them {chimpanzees} to get used to her {Jane Goodall’s} presence in their territory.” Goodall’s determination to allow the chimpanzees she studied to trust her and interact with her is an excellent example of the well-known quote that patience is a virtue.

See the conclusion in red and how the highlighted portion paraphrases my position and brings it a higher level.

Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking research on chimpanzees has spanned over 40 years. Had she not been patient and given the chimpanzees time to trust her and allow her into their world, we would not know as much about these close relatives of man as we do today. The next time we are impatient to truly understand a concept or a behavior, we should use Goodall as a role model.

Breaking down the sample answer:

See the attention getter in green and the thesis in purple.

A ST

See the evidence underlined in black and the quote from the text in blue.

See the conclusion in red and how the highlighted portion paraphrases my position and brings it a higher level.

Now, go back to your response. Put an A next to your attention getter. Put ST next to where you State your Thesis. Put E next to Examples, Evidence, Support, and Details. If you do use a quote, put a Q there. Put a P when where you powerfully paraphrase your position. If you are missing any of these components, add them in, but don’t copy my response!