Read the text that follows and answer the questions that follow it.

To me, a hero is a person who speaks when the world needs to listen, changes when the world
needs to change, and acts when things need to get done. My hero is Malcolm X. He had courage and
strength, and no matter how society kicked him or his family around, he stood strong.
Malcolms parents had a huge impact on his life. His father, a preacher, was killed by the Ku Klux Klan
for disrupting the good negroes. His mother was cheated out of the insurance money and went
crazy trying to keep food on the table and the state from taking her children. As a child, Malcolm had
great oratory skills, screaming until he got his way. He was a hustler, a thief, and a cheater. As a result,
he was sent from home to home as a foster child. Caught up in the world of drugs and stealing, he was
imprisoned. But in prison he reformed, which is the point. He converted to Islam, leaving the white
mans ways behind bars.
Released from prison, he became active in the Nation of Islam, a black separatist group, and became
a follower of Elijah Muhammad, its leader. Most of all he was an adherent to Allah. While on the Hajj, a
pilgrimage to Mecca, he saw Muslims of all races celebrating Allah. This experience changed his views.
He was an orator who could make people hear, taste, see, and feel his words radiating into a room.
In a revolution, he knew it would be hard to gain followers without bloodshed.
Most of Malcolm Xs views collided with those of Martin Luther King Jr. While Kings philosophy was
turn the other cheek, Malcolms was by any means necessary. He believed that if something is
important to you, you should take it, no matter what. Malcolm Xs ideas are often misunderstood. On
February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by feuding members of the Nation of Islam in Harlem,
New York.
Just last week I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which changed my outlook on life not to a
bad view, just a different one. Malcolm X is an unconventional hero for a teenager; as a matter of fact,
not many teens even know who he is. The X in his name represents the unknown, his lost heritage; for
me it symbolizes the integrity he showed, the courage he passed on, and the leadership that followed.
A hero can be found in the oddest places. Sometimes a hero has a cape. Sometimes a hero has a
guitar and sings songs. Sometimes a hero is in movies. My hero had family and community.
http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/heroes/article/78703/Malcolm-X-Civil-Rights-Activist/

A) Say who or what the underlined words in the text refer to.
1. who _____________________________
8. This _____________________________
2. My ______________________________
9. his ______________________________
3.his _______________________________ 10. those _____________________________
4.her ______________________________
11.you _____________________________
5.which ____________________________
12.which ___________________________
6. its ______________________________
13. my _____________________________
7. he ______________________________
14. it _________________________________

B) Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.
1. The authors hero is Martin Luther King.
___________________________________________________________________
2. Malcolm Xs father was assassinated.
___________________________________________________________________
3. Malcolm X was raised by his parents until the age of 18.
___________________________________________________________________
4. Malcolm altered his behavior when he was in prison.
___________________________________________________________________
5. He was a great orator.
___________________________________________________________________

C) Now answer the questions about the text.

1. Make a list of the qualities the author mentions about Malcolm X.
____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. There are two people who had a big impact on Malcolms life. Name them.
___________________________________________________________________
3. Why was Malcolm sent from home to home?
____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Which reasons led to Malcolm imprisonment?
____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Did Malcolm have the same ideas as Martin Luther King? Quote from the text to
support your answer.
____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. How did Malcolm X die? And when?
____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

D) Topics for discussion / personal questions.

1. What is a hero for you?
2. What is discrimination for you? Why do people discriminate?
3. Make a research on Malcolm X and Martin Luther Kings biographies and also on Ku Klux
Klan movement.