UST Elementary Reading Challenge
Week 7 — People Who Made a Difference
Grades 3–5 • Focus: Inference
This Week’s Reading
Week 7 • Inference
Reading 1: The Girl Who Loved Numbers
Reading 2: A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up
Each reading includes 5 comprehension questions.
Read → Find Evidence → Think → Explain
Reading 1 — The Girl Who Loved Numbers
Part 1 of 2
As a child, Katherine enjoyed counting almost everything she saw—steps, dishes, and even the number of stars she could spot. School lessons came easily to her, especially mathematics.��Because schools for Black children in her area did not continue past a certain grade, her family moved so that she and her siblings could keep studying. Katherine worked hard and entered college when she was very young.
Reading 1 — The Girl Who Loved Numbers
Part 2 of 2
Years later, she became a mathematician for the United States space program. Her calculations helped scientists understand the paths spacecraft would take. Astronauts depended on accurate mathematics to travel safely.��Katherine’s success came from talent, but also from persistence. When opportunities were limited, she and her family found ways to keep her education moving forward. Her love of numbers eventually helped humans explore space.
Questions — The Girl Who Loved Numbers
Inference
1. What is the main idea of “The Girl Who Loved Numbers”?
2. Which detail from the passage best supports the main idea?
3. Choose one important word or phrase from the passage. What does it mean as used here?
4. What can you infer from the passage that the author does not state directly?
5. Write a 1–2 sentence summary using evidence from the passage.
Answer Guide — The Girl Who Loved Numbers
How to Solve • Part 1
1. Suggested answer: Answers will vary; identify the central idea.
How to solve: Ask: What idea connects most paragraphs? Do not choose a detail that appears only once.
2. Suggested answer: Answers will vary; cite a specific fact.
How to solve: Return to the passage and choose a sentence that directly supports the central idea.
3. Suggested answer: Answers will vary.
How to solve: Use the words around the unfamiliar term, plus the topic of the paragraph, to infer its meaning.
Answer Guide — The Girl Who Loved Numbers
How to Solve • Part 2
4. Suggested answer: Answers will vary but must be supported by evidence.
How to solve: Combine a clue from the text with what you already know. The inference should not contradict the passage.
5. Suggested answer: Answers will vary.
How to solve: Include only the most important idea and key supporting information; leave out minor details.
Reading 2 — A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up
Part 1 of 2
Years ago, a young doctor worked in a hospital where many patients developed dangerous infections. He noticed that doctors often moved from one patient to another without carefully cleaning their hands.��The doctor suspected that something invisible might be carried from one patient to another. He asked hospital workers to wash their hands with a special cleaning solution before treating patients. After this change, far fewer patients became sick.
Reading 2 — A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up
Part 2 of 2
At first, many other doctors rejected his idea. They did not yet understand germs in the way scientists do today. The young doctor continued collecting evidence and explaining what he had observed.��His experience reminds us that a new idea may not be accepted immediately. Careful observation, evidence, and persistence can be important when trying to improve the way people do things.
Questions — A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up
Inference
1. What is the main idea of “A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up”?
2. Which detail from the passage best supports the main idea?
3. Choose one important word or phrase from the passage. What does it mean as used here?
4. What can you infer from the passage that the author does not state directly?
5. Write a 1–2 sentence summary using evidence from the passage.
Answer Guide — A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up
How to Solve • Part 1
1. Suggested answer: Answers will vary; identify the central idea.
How to solve: Ask: What idea connects most paragraphs? Do not choose a detail that appears only once.
2. Suggested answer: Answers will vary; cite a specific fact.
How to solve: Return to the passage and choose a sentence that directly supports the central idea.
3. Suggested answer: Answers will vary.
How to solve: Use the words around the unfamiliar term, plus the topic of the paragraph, to infer its meaning.
Answer Guide — A Doctor Who Would Not Give Up
How to Solve • Part 2
4. Suggested answer: Answers will vary but must be supported by evidence.
How to solve: Combine a clue from the text with what you already know. The inference should not contradict the passage.
5. Suggested answer: Answers will vary.
How to solve: Include only the most important idea and key supporting information; leave out minor details.