The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Hydrogen is the simplest element with one proton and one electron.

• Where are heavier elements built in nature? (topic sentence)
• Explain how heavier elements are built in nature, then explain where those elements might be found.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain why it is important to recognize the origin of heavy elements in scientific research.

2. Some scientific discoveries have been invented to benefit mankind but are later misused in warfare. Likewise, some inventions have been used in warfare but later found another purpose in benefiting mankind.

• How have scientific discoveries been used for moral and immoral means? (topic sentence)
• Describe some of the scientific discoveries created for warfare that were later repurposed with good intentions. Then describe inventions that were intended for a good purpose but were later misused.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain whether you believe scientists should continue to make discoveries that may be used as powerful weapons against humanity.

3. In the book, Sam Kean describes some metals as having health benefits for individuals.

• Which metals aid health? (topic sentence)
• Explain which metals Kean identifies as having health benefits, what the benefits of those metals are, and how those metals are used in public places.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe specific examples of these metals being used to improve health or cure illness in your personal experience.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Marie Curie and her daughter Irene experimented with radioactive materials, won a Nobel Prize, and succumbed to cancer because of the radiation. Describe their contributions to scientific discovery. If you were Marie or Irene, would you continue your research or abandon it? Do you think scientific exploration is worth the risk? Explain your decision.

2. Philosopher Bertrand Russell declared that the mental effects of iodine deficiency prove that the mind is a construct of elements in the brain. Why did he draw this conclusion? What evidence exists to support his claim? Do you agree with his assertion? If so, what could be done based on Russell’s research to further the well-being of humankind?

3. Lise Meitner’s research was essential to a major scientific discovery, yet her lab partner, Otto Hahn, received credit and won the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry without her. What did Meitner discover through her research? Why was Meitner’s name left off the document that contained the research? How was Meitner later given an honor greater than the Nobel Prize? How is Meitner’s story indicative of the complications that can arise in politics and science?