The Questions That Changed Everything
Lexile: 810 | Grade: 4
Passage
Long ago, people looked at the world and asked big questions: Why do apples fall? Why do planets move? Why doesn’t the moon crash into the Earth? These questions didn’t have easy answers—but they mattered. They were the beginning of science.
One of the people who asked these questions was a young thinker named Isaac Newton. In the 1600s, he watched an apple fall from a tree and wondered—not just that it fell, but *why*. What invisible force made it fall? And could that same force reach the moon?
Newton didn’t have computers or space tools. He only had his mind, his notebooks, and his curiosity. He studied the sky, ran experiments, and used math to explain what he saw. His big idea? Gravity. A force that pulls objects toward each other. It helped explain why apples fall, why the Earth orbits the sun, and why we don’t float away.
But Newton’s real power wasn’t just discovering gravity—it was choosing to keep asking, even when answers were slow. He showed that science begins with wonder, grows with questions, and becomes powerful through persistence.
Even today, scientists build on Newton’s ideas to send rockets to space, explore other planets, and understand how the universe works. It all began with a question—and the courage to follow where it led.
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Questions
Q1: What did Isaac Newton wonder when he saw an apple fall?
- A. If the apple could bounce
- B. What made the apple fall and whether the same force reached the moon
- C. Who would eat the apple next
- D. How tall the tree was
Q2: What is gravity, according to the passage?
- A. A tool used to measure weight
- B. A force that keeps the moon in the sky
- C. A pulling force that attracts objects toward each other
- D. A kind of air that holds planets up
Q3: How did Newton make discoveries without modern tools?
- A. He guessed a lot and hoped to be right
- B. He used his curiosity, experiments, and careful thinking
- C. He asked people for the answers
- D. He used a telescope every night
Q4: What does the passage suggest is the most powerful part of science?
- A. Having the best equipment
- B. Knowing all the answers already
- C. Asking questions and not giving up
- D. Building giant machines
Q5: What is the main idea of the passage?
- A. Newton liked apples more than other fruits
- B. Gravity was the last thing scientists discovered
- C. Asking big questions can lead to discoveries that change the world
- D. Space travel is no longer exciting
Printable Comprehension Practice
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Answers & Reasoning
Q1: What did Isaac Newton wonder when he saw an apple fall?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The passage explains that Newton was curious about the invisible force behind falling objects and planetary motion.
Q2: What is gravity, according to the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: Gravity is described as the invisible force that pulls objects toward one another, explaining falling apples and orbits.
Q3: How did Newton make discoveries without modern tools?
✅ Correct Answer: B
💡 Reasoning: The passage highlights Newton’s use of observation, thought, and persistence to make discoveries.
Q4: What does the passage suggest is the most powerful part of science?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The story emphasizes that science grows from curiosity and persistence more than from tools or technology.
Q5: What is the main idea of the passage?
✅ Correct Answer: C
💡 Reasoning: The passage uses Newton’s story to show how powerful curiosity and questioning can be for science and history.
Printable Comprehension Practice
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