Chapter 11 – Biographies

Multiple Choice

1. What has been the major influence on the authors of biographies for children over the years?

a. Social attitudes toward children b. Religious convictions c. Political persuasions d. Knowledge of stages of children’s cognitive development a. Developmental character b. Political values c. Religious values d. Social values

2. Biographies written for children in the 17th and 18th centuries usually emphasized which of the following?

3. In the late 1800s the goal for children’s biographies changed from a. A political to a religious one b. A religious to a developmental one c. A social to a religious one d. A religious to a political one a. The contributions of women and non-whites were not highly regarded. b. Traditional social patterns kept women and non-whites out of positions of power. c. Americans did not consider women and non-whites to be appropriate subjects for biographies. d. All of the above. a. They wanted to show the roots of the character’s greatness. b. They wanted to increase the ability of the children to empathize with political heroes. c. They wanted to show how the American Dream can come true. d. They wanted to simplify the characters so that children could understand them. a. It discourages children from trying to be great because they cannot possible be as great as the biographical subjects. b. It gives children a distorted, rather than a realistic model of the contributions people have made and can make. c. It gives children a false view of history. d. It diminishes the value and importance of the contributions of people children know who have flaws.

4. What is the main reason that few biographies of the early 1900s dealt with women, African Americans, Native Americans or members of other ethnic and racial minorities?

5. What is the most likely reason that biographers writing for young readers have often focused on the boyhood years of their characters?

6. What is the most serious result of glorifying biographical subjects, avoiding any of their weaknesses, mistakes, and flaws?

7. The greatest change in the attitudes toward the biographical content of children’s books occurred in the a. 1920s b. 1930s c. 1950s d. 1970s

8. Books such as Wangari’s Trees of Peace, Planting the Trees of Kenya , What to do About Alic e are examples of a. Stereotyping in biographies. b. Picture book biographies. c. Hero worship in biographies. d. Biographies that include animals. a. Plot b. Characterization c. Setting d. Style a. They visit original sites. b. They study original materials such as autobiographies, diaries, journals, and letters. c. They interview their subjects or people who knew their subjects. d. They read other books about the time in which the subject lived. a. Has the person made a significant impact on the world for good or ill that children should be aware of? b. Will children have a better understanding of the complexities of human nature after they read this biography? c. Will children discover that history is made up of real people when they read this biography? d. Will children appreciate the contributions of their ancestors or their heritage through the life of the person in this biography?

9. What is the most important literary element in biography?

10. Which is probably the most appropriate and practical way that authors of biographies for children begin their research on their subjects?

11. Which of the following is the most important question an author should ask before deciding to write about a particular person?

12. A well-known author of historical biographies for young children is a. Leonard Wibberley b. Jean Craighead George c. Jean Fritz d. Milton Meltzer a. The style and visual references should be appropriate for the intended audience. b. The pictorial motifs should suit the text. c. The author and illustrator should provide sources. d. All of the above. a. Explorers of earth and outer space b. Political leaders and social activists c. Artists, scientists, and sport figures d. People who have persevered

13. According to Joanna Rudge Long, how should illustrated biographies be evaluated?

14. Of the following subjects for biography, which has traditionally been the most common in children’s biography?

15. The subject of Russell Freedman’s biography about a religious leader who lived more than 2,500 years ago and whose teachings have influenced millions of followers featured a. Crimthann b. Saladin c. Confucius d. Muha mmad a. Cheryl Harness b. Carl Sandburg c. Suzy Schmidt d. Amy Cohn a. They encourage readers to examine historical, political, and social perspectives of the movement. b. They provide opportunities to compare the authors’ techniques and the content they include. c. They support students’ questions about existing boundaries. d. They teach children how to evaluate illustrations.

16. Of the many biographies written about Abraham Lincoln, which author wrote the text that is likely the best known?

17. What is the main value of biographies about civil rights leaders?

18. Persevering may require the survival of body and soul is a theme in a. Artist biographies. b. Sports biographies. c. Political biographies. d. Holocaust biographies. a. Persepolis b. Anne Frank c. Ange Zhang d. Louise Bourgeois

19. Who is the subject of a biography featuring a controversial painter and sculptor who broke down barriers in the male-dominated art world including how she ran away from a past controlled by her father?

20. A reader response activity that works well with biographies is to a. Have students develop hypothetical question and answer interviews b. Create a lesson plan for writing biographies c. Dramatize a biography of their choosing d. Make a timeline

21. Children interact with a character on a human level when they a. Read in order to role-play a charac ter’s actions. b. Read in order to express a character’s feelings. c. State dialogue that a character might express. d. All of the above

22. If children are reading biographies such as Russell Freedman’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery and making time lines of the characters, to understand the sequence of events in a person’s life, they are developing a. Journal responses of the biographical characters. b. Imaginary conversations between people of two time periods c. Comprehension. d. None of the above

23. Reading biographies to prepare for debate develops students’ a. Analytical skills. b. Ability to write biographies. c. Awareness of conflict in history. d. Cognitive skills and oral language abilities.

24. Biographies, such as Jane Yolen’s The Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Andersen can motivate students to a. Learn about a lot of authors. b. Want to read and discuss the books written by the biographical subjects. c. Find more books written by Jane Yolen. d. None of the above a. Illustrators should never contradict the text. b. The biography should have a balanced view of the personage as well as distinguish between supposition and fact. c. Biographies for young adults should include complete footnotes or source notes. d. The writing style is not important; a listing of events is fine.

25. All but which of the following are criteria for evaluating and selecting biographies?

Essay Questions

1. Trace the changing role of biographies from the 1700s to the present. Refer to specific authors or biographies in your answer.

2. Compare and contrast the development of effective characterization in realistic contemporary fiction and in biographical writing. Use specific books or authors in your response.

3. If you were going to write a biography for children, who would you select as your subject? Why? Recall the ideas presented in this chapter and provide support for your response.

4. Identify at least three common subjects in biographical writing. Explain why each of these appeal to children and give an example of at least one book in each category.

5. Prepare a letter or newsletter for the parents of your elementary grade students (you can specify a grade if you’d like) that explains why students will be reading biographies in your classroom.