Question 8 - Language Arts: Writing Practice Test for the HiSET Test

[1] “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be quiet”. This quote was once said by Ms. Madeleine Albright. She was the first woman to represent the United States as Secretary of State. She has been very involved in politics and has worked as a government official and she was a diplomat.

[2] Madeleine Albright was born May 15, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. When Madeleine was a young child, the clouds of war began to gather over the city of Prague. The Nazis were coming and when they arrived they swore to kill and would torture all who believed in Judaism. This frightened Madeleine’s parents, John and Anna Korbel. Although they had converted to Catholicism in 1941, the Korbels feared the Nazi advance. As the German soldiers started their way around town, getting closer and closer to Madeleine’s home. They hung signs on store doors that read “Jews not wanted” and destroyed their businesses, valuable possessions, and even their homes. One night, the Nazis tore down the Korbel’s front door. They invaded her house and burned it to the ground. In the fire, all of Madeleine’s toys and belongings were destroyed, and she was left with nothing but her mother, father, their passports, and their will to survive. The family fled to England, leaving behind three grandparents who would die in Holocaust concentration camps.

[3] Despite her difficult childhood, she turned her life into an inspiration for others. She went to school at Wellesley College on a full scholarship and majored in Political Science. Madeleine became involved in politics and earned a nomination to be the first female Secretary of State for the United States under President Bill Clinton, who was the 42nd President of the United States. She served her term as Secretary of State and retired from the post to write several books including “Madam Secretary”, which is her memoir. She continues to exert political influence as chair of the advisory council for The Hague Institute of Global Justice and as Honorary Chair for the World Justice Project.

[4] Ms. Albright has made this world a better place to live for all. She pushed through the limitations placed on woman and worked her way into a position formerly only held by men. Being nominated as the first woman ever to serve as Secretary of State broke a lot of stereotypes about the role of women in politics.

[5] I believe Madeleine Albright is a magnificent role model because she inspires us to be people who others think we cannot be. She accomplished something others did not think she could do. She proved those people wrong. She overcame the difficulties of her childhood, escaping the Nazis and moving from country to country, to settle in and serve the United States. Madeleine Albright truly is an inspiration for all.