Instructions Read the following case study and answer the questions based on it.
Marie Curie was one of the most accomplished scientists in history. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered
radium, an element widely used for treating cancer, and studied radium and other radioactive substances. Pierre and Marie's
amicable collaboration later helped to unlock the secrets of the atom.
Marie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, where her father was a professor of Physics. At an early age, she displayed a
brilliant mind and a blithe personality. Her great exuberance for learning prompted her to continue with her studies after
high school. She became disgruntled, however, when she learned that the university in Warsaw was closed to women.
Determined to receive a higher education, she defiantly left Poland and in 1891 entered the Sorbonne, a French university,
where she earned her master's degree and doctorate in Physics.
Marie was fortunate to have studied at the Sorbonne with some of the greatest scientists of her day, one of whom was Pierre
Currie. Marie and Pierre were married in 1895 and spent many productive years working together in the physics laboratory. A
short time after they discovered radium, Pierre was killed in a horse-drawn wagon in 1906. Marie was stupned by this horrible
misfortune and endured heart-breaking anguish. Despondently she recalled their close relationship and the joy that they
shared in scientific research. The fact that she had two young daughters to raise by herself greatly increased her distress.
Currie's feeling of desolation finally began to fade when she was asked to succeed her husband as a physics professor at the
Sorbonne. She was the first woman to be given a professorship at the world-famous university. In 1911 she received the
Nobel Prize in chemistry for isolating radium. Although Marie Currie eventually suffered a fatal illnes from her long exposure
to radium, she never became disillusioned about her work. Regardless of the consequences, she had dedicated herself to
science and to revealing the mysteries of the physical world.
Timed Test
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