Reading 1: William Henry Perkin

Which word is a synonym for PROMPTED in this sentence: "As a boy, Perkin’s curiosity PROMPTED early interests in the arts, sciences, photography, and engineering."

• motivate

• create

• witness

• identify

Which word is a synonym for RUN-DOWN in this sentence: "But it was a chance stumbling upon a RUN-DOWN, yet functional, laboratory in his late grandfather’s home that solidified the young man’s enthusiasm for chemistry."

• practical

• affluent

• underprivileged

• well-equipped

Which word is a synonym for ENTHUSIASM in this sentence: "Those speeches fired the young chemist’s ENTHUSIASM further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15."

• apathy

• eagerness

• curiosity

• challenge

Which word is synonym for IMMERSED in this sentence: "As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became IMMERSED in the study of chemistry."

• neglected

• motivated

• distracted

• engrossed

Which word is a synonym for PERCEIVED in this sentence: "His talent and devotion to the subject were PERCEIVED by his teacher, Thomas Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution."

• ignore

• identify

• oppose

• welcome

Which word is a synonym for GIFTS in this sentence: "Perkin’s scientific GIFTS soon caught Hofmann’s attention and, within two years, he became Hofmann’s youngest assistant."

• reward

• work

• discovery

• talent

Which word is a synonym for FORTUNE in this sentence: "Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and FORTUNE."

• wealth

• luck

• popularity

• success

Which word is a synonym for DERIVED in this sentence: "The drug is DERIVED from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856 demand for the drug was surpassing the available supply."

• bring

• originate

• nurture

• export

Which word is a synonym for SURPASSING in this sentence: "The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856 demand for the drug was SURPASSING the available supply."

• follow

• prepare

• prompt

• exceed

Which word is a synonym for SYNTHETIC in this sentence: "Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to colour fabric, thus making it the world’s first SYNTHETIC dye."

• authentic

• artificial

• natural

• durable