1. What is the central idea of the text? A. Unlike our childhood experiences, becoming an adult is difficult and becomes
more intense as we get older.
B. Growing up doesn’t happen overnight; instead, we grow up gradually and
experience significant moments in our lives.
C. Making the wrong choices and decisions during important growing-up moments
can have a negative impact on our adult lives.
D. In order to learn from our growing-up moments, we need to recognize them as
they are happening rather than after the fact.

2. Which piece of evidence best supports the author’s idea that challenging moments help
people learn as they grow up?
A. “You might remember a big news story as one of the first times you paid
attention to local or world events.” (Paragraph 3)
B. “Realizing that not all friends are for life is a huge growing-up moment.”
(Paragraph 6)
C. “Either outcome is valuable, as we learn how we work under pressure and how
to better care for the people who rely on us.” (Paragraph 8)
D. “Confronting hard situations teaches us more about the world and about
ourselves, and we come out stronger for it.” (Paragraph 10)

3. Which statement best captures the author’s point of view and purpose of this article?
A. The author wrote this article to warn young people about the decisions they will
face.
B. The author wrote this article to warn young people about the dangers they will
face.
C. The author wrote this article to share experiences that most young people will
face.
D. The author wrote this article to share experiences that few people will face.

4. What connection does the author make between a person’s actions and growing-up
moments?
A. We have control over when and where growing-up moments happen.
B. Both the negative and positive decisions we make can result in growing-up
moments.
C. Even though we experience growing-up moments, we need to act upon the
lessons we learn in order to grow up.
D. Making a poor choice or decision in a certain situation can take the value away
from an important growing-up moment.

Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to
share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. In the article, the author supports their central idea by referencing several common
experiences that most people encounter while growing up. Think back to these examples.
Which have you experienced? Of those experiences, which stand out the most to you? Have
some of those experiences impacted you more than others? Explain.

2. The author of “Growing Up: Key Moments” believes that the challenges we face during
some of our key growing-up moments only help to make us smarter and more confident.
Do you agree with the author’s point of view? Why or why not? Can you think of any
challenges you’ve faced that have made you smarter or more confident?