Non-fiction: Famous African Americans: Oprah Winfrey

Famous African Americans

Oprah Winfrey

African American women writers have always inspired Oprah Winfrey.

When she was a teenager, Winfrey read a book that changed her life. Which
book was it? It was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The
book spoke to Winfrey. It gave her hope. She realized she could rise above the
poverty and racism that marked 1 her life.

Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in 1954. When she was 20,
she became the first African American female to host TV news. She was the
anchor 2 at WTVF-TV in Nashville, Tennessee. After moving to Chicago, Winfrey
began hosting a morning TV program. At first it was called “AM Chicago.”
However, the show was so popular that it was renamed, “The Oprah Winfrey
Show.”

Today, Oprah Winfrey’s career is not only in television. She has produced
and acted in several movies. These include The Color Purple and Beloved. Both
movies are based on best-selling novels by African American women writers.

Winfrey has won over a dozen Emmy Awards 3 for her talk show. She has
become one of the most popular, powerful, and influential African Americans of
our time. She is also one of the richest women in America today.

1
marked: affected
2
anchor: a broadcaster who reads the news and introduces the reports of other broadcasters
3
Emmy Awards: production awards given to U. S. television shows
1

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 Questions: Famous African Americans: Oprah Winfrey

Name: ____________________________ Date:______________________

1. What caused Winfrey to realize she could succeed in life?

a. a book by Maya Angelou

b. a terrible childhood experience
c. her first real job
d. her first Emmy Award

2. Which of these adjectives does not describe Winfrey?

a. successful
b. rich
c. unknown
d. popular

3. According to the passage, influential means

a. important
b. unimportant
c. huge
d. small

4. What might this passage go on to talk about?

a. Emmy Awards
b. the movies
c. rich women in the world
d. other details about Winfrey’s life

5. Based on the passage, Winfrey most likely produced The Color Purple and
Beloved because

a. those were her favorite books as a child.

b. those books were written by African American female
writers.
c. she thought they would make a lot of money.
d. she liked the titles of the books.

© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Questions: Famous African Americans: Oprah Winfrey

6. What is the main idea of this passage?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

7. Based on the passage, was Winfrey able to rise above poverty and racism?
Why or why not?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best
completes the sentence.

Winfrey believed that she could succeed in life ___________ reading a book by
Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

a. but
b. after
c. because
d. before

9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.

When she was 20, Winfrey became the first African American female to host TV
news in Nashville, Tennessee.

Who? Winfrey

What? ___________________________________________________________

When? __________________________________________________________

Where? _________________________________________________________

10. Vocabulary Word: influential: important and respected.

Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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 Answers: Famous African Americans: Oprah Winfrey

Teacher Guide and Answers

Passage Reading Level: Lexile 640

Featured Text Structure: Descriptive – the writer explains, defines or illustrates

a concept or topic

Passage Summary: This passage describes the life of Oprah Winfrey, who
began hosting a television show, and has since produced and acted in several
movies.

1. What caused Winfrey to realize she could succeed in life?

a. a book by Maya Angelou
b. a terrible childhood experience
c. her first real job
d. her first Emmy Award

2. Which of these adjectives does not describe Winfrey?

a. successful
b. rich
c. unknown
d. popular

3. According to the passage, influential means

a. important
b. unimportant
c. huge
d. small

4. What might this passage go on to talk about?

a. Emmy Awards
b. the movies
c. rich women in the world
d. other details about Winfrey’s life

5. Based on the passage, Winfrey most likely produced The Color Purple and
Beloved because
a. those were her favorite books as a child.
b. those books were written by African American female
writers.
c. she thought they would make a lot of money.
d. she liked the titles of the books.

© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Answers: Famous African Americans: Oprah Winfrey

6. What is the main idea of this passage?

Suggested answer: The main idea is that Oprah Winfrey is a rich,

famous, popular African American woman.

7. Based on the passage, was Winfrey able to rise above poverty and racism?
Why or why not?

Suggested answer: Yes, because the passage states that she is one of
the richest and most influential African American women today.

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best
completes the sentence.

Winfrey believed that she could succeed in life ___________ reading a book by
Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

a. but
b. after
c. because
d. before

9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.

When she was 20, Winfrey became the first African American female to host TV
news in Nashville, Tennessee.

Who? Winfrey

What? became the first African American female to host TV news

When? when she was 20

Where? in Nashville, Tennessee

10. Vocabulary Word: influential: important and respected.

Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: answers may vary.

© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.