Middle School
Worksheets
Winston Churchill (Part 1)
Winston Churchill Day
Reading Comprehension for April 9
The story is told of a young man who had just been elected to the British House of Commons. During one long meeting, the man lit his thick cigar and listened quietly. Slowly, the cigar burned. Soon house members around him noticed the cigar and the growing length of ash hanging on the end. People around him began to notice the ash and watched to see how long it would get before falling. The young man appeared to be oblivious to the attention. Eventually, almost as many people were watching the cigar as were listening to the speech. So began the political career of Winston Churchill.
Winston was born in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England, on November 30, 1874. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, came from a long line of military heroes. His mother, Jennie, was the daughter of an American financier. Even though he was from a wealthy family, his childhood was not happy. He was neglected by everyone but his nurse, and this showed up in his performance at school. He had poor grades at Harrow and had to take the entrance exams for the Royal Military College at Sandhurst three times before finally passing. While there, his interest in the military was piqued, and he began to prove he had a fine mind. He eventually graduated eighth in his class of 150 students.
In 1895, his father died, and Churchill joined the army. Like many young men of the time, he sought adventure and the opportunity to show what he was made of in battle. The only real war at the time was the Cuban War of Independence. He and a fellow officer traveled to Cuba to observe and collect information for British military intelligence. He also reported on the war for a British newspaper.
