Cooking Up a New Idea In 1973, a Cub Scout den mother in Brookfield, Wisconsin, was searching for a craft project to challenge her troop. Betty Morris decided to test a project she had found in a handicraft book. By the time she was done, she had “cooked up” a career for herself. Betty began by following the directions from the book. She used a permanent marker to draw a colorful flower design on a plastic food container lid. Betty had second thoughts, though, when the next step involved placing the plastic lid on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven. Wouldn’t the plastic melt and burn? However, Betty gave it a try, and she was amazed at the results. When she removed it from the oven, the plastic lid had shrunk and thickened and curled up around the edges. It was about the size of a nickel. Betty was delighted, and she thought the kids in her troop would be delighted, too. In fact, she thought any kid would be thrilled with these. Betty Morris was smart enough to know that a clever new project needed a clever new name—something catchy, for example, “Shrinky Dinks.” 1. In what part of the passage does Betty feel doubtful about the project?

Cooking Up a New Idea In 1973, a Cub Scout den mother in Brookfield, Wisconsin, was searching for a craft project to challenge her troop. Betty Morris decided to test a project she had found in a handicraft book. By the time she was done, she had “cooked up” a career for herself. Betty began by following the directions from the book. She used a permanent marker to draw a colorful flower design on a plastic food container lid. Betty had second thoughts, though, when the next step involved placing the plastic lid on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven. Wouldn’t the plastic melt and burn? However, Betty gave it a try, and she was amazed at the results. When she removed it from the oven, the plastic lid had shrunk and thickened and curled up around the edges. It was about the size of a nickel. Betty was delighted, and she thought the kids in her troop would be delighted, too. In fact, she thought any kid would be thrilled with these. Betty Morris was smart enough to know that a clever new project needed a clever new name—something catchy, for example, “Shrinky Dinks.” 2. What is the main purpose of this passage?

Cooking Up a New Idea In 1973, a Cub Scout den mother in Brookfield, Wisconsin, was searching for a craft project to challenge her troop. Betty Morris decided to test a project she had found in a handicraft book. By the time she was done, she had “cooked up” a career for herself. Betty began by following the directions from the book. She used a permanent marker to draw a colorful flower design on a plastic food container lid. Betty had second thoughts, though, when the next step involved placing the plastic lid on a cookie sheet and baking it in the oven. Wouldn’t the plastic melt and burn? However, Betty gave it a try, and she was amazed at the results. When she removed it from the oven, the plastic lid had shrunk and thickened and curled up around the edges. It was about the size of a nickel. Betty was delighted, and she thought the kids in her troop would be delighted, too. In fact, she thought any kid would be thrilled with these. Betty Morris was smart enough to know that a clever new project needed a clever new name—something catchy, for example, “Shrinky Dinks.” 3. Why do you think the Shrinky Dinks made Betty’s career a success?