Question

PART A: Which of the following best describes the central idea of the text?

A) Marie Curie was responsible for several scientific findings but was not given credit for them due to her gender.

B) Marie Curie was not given adequate credit for influential work until after her death, when people were able to accept female scientists.

C) Marie Curie made several groundbreaking discoveries in her field, despite financial obstacles and discrimination based on her gender.

D) Marie Curie struggled to have others accept her work until she was endorsed by male scientists, including her husband.

Answer 1

Option C) Marie Curie made several groundbreaking discoveries in her field, despite financial obstacles and discrimination based on her gender, best describes the central idea of the text, as Curie succeeded in her scientific endeavors while overcoming financial and gender-based challenges.

Step-by-step explanation:

The central idea of the text best aligns with option C) Marie Curie made several groundbreaking discoveries in her field, despite financial obstacles and discrimination based on her gender.

This answer is supported by the provided references, which highlight Curie's sacrifices of monetary assets to finance her research, her exposure to harmful radiation during her experiments, and her success in winning Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry. Furthermore, these descriptions also indicate that Curie's achievements were made despite the gender-based discrimination she faced, rather than being ignored during her lifetime or needing endorsement by male scientists to gain acceptance.