Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden was the founder of Al Qaeda and therefore the mastermind of the infamous 9/11 attacks against the United States in 2001. He was born on March 10, 1957 in Saudi Arabia. His father, originally from Yemen, was wealthy from a construction company; his mother was Syrian originally. He grew up in Saudi Arabia but as he became more political he was banished, and moved to first Sudan, then Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He declared war against the United States well before 9/11, but people didn't take him seriously right away. After 9/11, there was a $25 million bounty on him, and he was shot and killed on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan. The influence of 9/11 was enormous, in that it caused the United States to take much more extensive security precautions on all international flights, raising the price of everything involving international flights and transit. It could be said that his biggest legacy was making an empire spend so much money that it couldn't continue to sustain itself.


___ 1. What does the passage suggest when it says he "became more political?"
a. he declared war against Saudi Arabia
b. he actively worked toward war against the United States
c. he ran for office in his home country
d. he ran for office in the countries where he moved

___ 2. What is not true of 9/11?
a. It caused the United States to spend an enormous amount of money
b. bin Laden himself was on one of the airplanes
c. It made bin Laden famous
d. It made people take him more seriously

___ 3. Where was he living when he was shot and killed?
a. Pakistan
b. New York
c. Saudi Arabia
d. Syria