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3. J. K. ROWLING

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Everybody knows that J.K. Rowling is the author of the ever popular
Harry Potter series. Everybody knows she’s incredibly successful, famous
and rich. But Rowling’s past wasn’t so magical. She certainly didn’t have
anything handed to her on a silver platter.

Her success is a true rags to riches story. After graduating, she did a few
jobs in London. She also worked at Amnesty International. In 1991, Rowling
left England to work as an English teacher in Portugal. Unfortunately, it
was a turbulent era for Rowling. She lost everything after her divorce. She became unemployed

and homeless thereafter. She soon moved back to England. She lived in a tiny apartment with her
daughter.

She survived on odd jobs here and there. But she never gave up on her writing. She continued to write
stories. Rowling first dreamed up Harry Potter when she was delayed on a train. She was imagining
creating a place where a child could have power. This is what sparked the idea of Hogwarts, the
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Over the next five years, she developed her ideas and outlined
the series of seven books. She scribbled her notes by hand on scraps of paper. When she furnished
by hand the first manuscript - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, it was rejected. That seemed

unbelievable! In fact, it was rejected a dozen times. Finally Bloomsbury, a publishing company
accepted it. The first book was published in 1997. The book became a best-seller overnight! And
there was no looking back for Rowling. She landed even more fame and money once Harry Potter
movies were made. But she doesn’t forget where she came from. Rowling regularly donates money
to charities. She loves to help the poor and needy.

1. Who is J.K. Rowling?

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2. What did she do after graduating?
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3. Where did she dream up Harry Potter?

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4. Which company published her books?

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5. What can we learn from Rowling’s life?

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