Young Thomas Edison Comprehension Quiz

Why did Edison’s mother take him out of school?

• He hated school.
• She wanted him to get a job.
• He was sick with scarlet fever.
• She wanted to teach him at home.

What is this story mostly about?

• The light bulb
• A former teacher
• A young inventor
• The first telegraph

What happened right after Edison lost his job at the railroad station?

• He invented the light bulb.
• He set up a lab in New Jersey.
• He made money selling newspapers.
• He traveled around working as a telegraph operator.

Why did people start to call Edison “The Wizard”?

• He hired lots of people.
• He made many inventions.
• He always asked questions.
• He blew up a large number of things.

How was Edison’s behavior at home different from his behavior at school?

• At home, he was shy and quiet.
• At home, he asked many questions.
• At home, he spent his time daydreaming
• At home, he had many ideas for experiments

How can the reader tell that Edison loved to read?

• He was often daydreaming.
• He spent all day at the library.
• He studied the great inventors.
• He got a job selling newspapers.

What did Edison do when Congress would not buy his Electrical Vote Recorder?

• He stopped working.
• He got advice from his mother.
• He moved on to other inventions.
• He tried to sell it to someone else.

Where was Edison’s first laboratory?

• In his house
• At his school
• In New Jersey
• At a railroad office

Why did Edison lose his job at the railroad office?

• He was sleeping at work.
• He set up a lab in the station.
• He started a fire in the building.
• He spent his work hours reading.

Which sentence from the selection shows that Edison’s mother kept helping him even after he left home?

• “Al’s mother, a former teacher, took him out of school after only three months.”

• “Mrs. Edison made sure he received an excellent education.”

• “He went home and set up his laboratory again with the encouragement of his mother.”

• “He would miss her letters—her advice and encouragement.”