From "John Glenn: A Memoir" Nonfiction Pretest 6th Grade

If this excerpt were taken from a biography instead of an autobiography, it would be written by someone else. Unlike an autobiography, where the author writes about their own life, a biography is written by someone else who researches and narrates the life of the person being written about. Therefore, if this excerpt were from a biography, it would be written by a different author, providing an outsider's perspective on John Glenn's life.

The excerpt is likely from a memoir because it is written from a first-person point of view. This suggests that the author is recounting their own personal experiences and memories, which is a common characteristic of memoirs. Biographies, on the other hand, are typically written in the third person and provide a more objective account of a person's life. The inclusion of quotations from people who knew John Glenn and the explanation of how events shaped his life could also be found in both memoirs and biographies, so these factors alone do not definitively indicate the genre.

The description of the pilot in paragraph 3 reminds the reader that this memory is told from a child's point of view. This implies that the details and perceptions of the pilot may not be entirely accurate or objective, as they are filtered through the lens of a child's perspective.

In paragraph 5, Herschel Glenn's reply indicates that he was willing to take risks and explore the unknown. This suggests that he had a spirit of adventure, as he was open to new experiences and challenges.

The sentence "I realized later that it wasn't simply fun for him." suggests that the selection is an autobiography because it indicates that the speaker had a personal experience and gained insight about someone else's feelings and motivations. This implies that the speaker is the author of the autobiography, reflecting on their past experiences.

The phrases "the summer I turned eight," "two years before," and "when I got out of the airforce" indicate a sequence of events. These phrases suggest that the events mentioned occurred in a specific order, with the summer when the person turned eight happening first, followed by an event that occurred two years before, and finally, an event that happened when the person got out of the airforce.

John Glenn's father first wondered what flying was like when he saw biplanes dogfighting during WWI. This event would have been a significant and awe-inspiring sight, as it showcased the power and maneuverability of airplanes in combat. Witnessing these biplanes engage in aerial battles would have sparked curiosity and fascination in John Glenn's father, leading him to wonder about the experience of flying.

The sentence "I probably was scared at the idea of growing up, but there wasn't any doubt about it - I wanted to do it" reveals John Glenn's personal feelings because it expresses his fear and uncertainty about growing up, but also his determination and desire to do so.

The quotation "His eagerness to experiment was one of the most important lessons of my youth" expresses the central idea of Glenn's curiosity in this excerpt. This statement highlights the impact of Glenn's father's enthusiasm for experimentation on his own curiosity and desire to explore. It suggests that Glenn's father's eagerness to try new things and push boundaries influenced Glenn's own inquisitiveness and thirst for knowledge.

The detail about John Glenn's feelings after his first plane crash might not have been included in a biography because it focuses more on factual information such as childhood nickname, business name, and information about Charles Lindbergh. Biographies typically highlight significant events and achievements in a person's life, rather than their emotional experiences.

The event of Charles Lindbergh flying across the Atlantic Ocean would come first in a timeline of John Glenn's life because it occurred before any of the other events mentioned. This event is significant in the history of aviation and took place in 1927, while John Glenn's first plane ride and other events in his life occurred later.