Improve reading comprehension while learning about Jane Goodall.
Read the passage, then try the questions. Every answer is in the text above them — if you are not sure, go back and look rather than guessing. The last question asks for the order the passage tells things in.
Jane Goodall is the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees and one of the most famous scientists in history. Born in London, England on April 3, 1934, she grew up with a deep love for animals. As a child, she spent hours quietly observing animals in her backyard — the same patience that would define her career.
In 1960, at just 26 years old, Goodall traveled to Gombe Stream in Tanzania, Africa, to study wild chimpanzees. She had no formal scientific degree at the time — just a deep passion for animals and the support of renowned paleontologist Louis Leakey, who believed passion mattered more than diplomas.
Goodall made discoveries that stunned the scientific world. She observed chimpanzees making and using tools — stripping leaves from twigs to extract termites from mounds. Before this discovery, scientists believed only humans used tools. She also documented that chimpanzees have complex emotions, social bonds, and even wage war on other groups.
She eventually earned a PhD from Cambridge University — one of the few people to receive a doctorate without first completing a bachelor’s degree. Her research completely changed our understanding of primates and our relationship to the animal kingdom.
Today, Goodall is a passionate conservationist and United Nations Messenger of Peace. She travels the world speaking about protecting wildlife, forests, and the environment. Her message: every individual has the power to make a difference.
What did Goodall see chimpanzees doing that changed science?
Why was it unusual that Goodall began this research in 1960?
What was unusual about Goodall’s PhD from Cambridge?
What is Goodall’s message today?
Select every thing the passage says Goodall documented about chimpanzees, then press Check.
Click these in the order the passage tells them.