Steve  Jobs                  
Name  ________________________________________  
 
Steve  Jobs  was  the  founder  and  chief  executive  of  the  Apple  Computer  company.    He  was  born  in  
1955  and  given  up  for  adoption  by  his  parents,  both  graduate  students  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin.    
Jobs  was  then  adopted  by  Clara  and  Paul  Jobs;;  he  grew  up  in  Mountain  View,  California,  an  area  that  
would  later  become  Silicon  Valley.      
 
At  a  young  age,  Jobs  was  fascinated  by  electronics.    His  father,  Paul,  showed  him  how  to  take  apart  
and  put  together  different  electronic  appliances,  fostering  Jobs’  interest  in  the  subject.    While  Jobs  
showed  intellectual  potential  as  a  child,  his  personality  did  not  fit  well  with  a  rigid  and  formal  schooling  
model;;  he  constantly  played  pranks  in  school  and  his  fourth  grade  teacher  had  to  bribe  him  to  study.    
After  high  school,  Jobs  began  studying  at  Reed  College  in  Oregon,  but  dropped  out  after  six  months.    
He  nevertheless  stayed  at  Reed  and  went  to  some  classes  that  interested  him,  slept  on  the  floors  of  
friends’  rooms,  and  got  meals  at  a  Hare  Krishna  temple.  He  later  became  a  Buddhist.  Calligraphy  was  
one  class  that  he  enjoyed,  and  he  said  that  it  influenced  his  interest  in  design  and  the  use  of  elegant  
fonts  on  Apple  computers.  
 
In  1976,  Jobs  got  together  with  Steve  Wozniak,  a  friend  from  high  school,  and  started  the  Apple  
Computer  company  in  Jobs’  family  garage.    Jobs  wanted  to  make  computers  more  compact,  
affordable,  and  efficient  for  everyday  consumers.    Wozniak  focused  on  the  technical  aspect  of  
building  computers  while  Jobs  was  in  charge  of  marketing  and  design.    The  first  Apple  computer  was  
priced  at  666.66  dollars.  Apple’s  second  model,  however,  the  Apple  II  proved  very  popular  with  the  
public  and  sales  increased  by  700  percent.    It  was  the  first  computer  capable  of  displaying  color  
graphics.  As  sales  continued  to  increase,  the  company  grew  in  size  and  in  staff.    Apple’s  first  logo  
had  a  picture  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  sitting  under  an  apple  tree.  Next  came  the  rainbow-­striped  apple  
with  a  bite  taken  out  on  the  side.  The  colored  stripes  represented  the  fact  that  the  Apple  II  could  
create  graphics  in  color.  In  1997,  it  was  simplified  to  a  single  color  that  has  changed  over  time.  
 
Apple  released  the  Macintosh  computer  in  1984,  but  Jobs  left  the  company  in  1985  after  the  
company’s  board  of  directors  decided  it  needed  new  leadership.    Even  though  he  was  co-­founder  of  
the  company,  he  had  no  official  title,  making  his  position  at  the  company  vulnerable.    Jobs  instead  
bought  what  would  eventually  become  Pixar  Animation  Studios  from  George  Lucas  and  founded  a  
new  company  called  NeXt  Inc.  Coincidentally,  Apple  bought  NeXt  Inc.  in  1996,  and  by  1997,  Jobs  
was  chief  executive  officer  (CEO)  of  Apple  once  again.    Jobs’  return  is  said  to  have  reinvigorated  the  
company  and  brought  it  back  to  its  original  level  of  innovation  and  appeal.  
 
After  Jobs’  return  to  Apple,  he  continued  pushing  the  company’s  vision  forward  with  his  ideas  for  
sleek  design,  branding,  and  intuitive  tech.    The  release  of  the  Macbook  Air,  iPod,  iPhone,  and  iPad  
left  other  companies  scrambling  to  replicate  Apple’s  formula  for  success.    According  to  Jobs,  “In  
1984,  Apple  introduced  the  first  Macintosh.  It  didn’t  just  change  Apple.  It  changed  the  whole  computer  
industry.  In  2001,  we  introduced  the  first  iPod.  It  didn’t  just  change  the  way  we  all  listen  to  music.  It  
changed  the  entire  music  industry.”  
 
Jobs  turned  his  CEO  position  over  to  Tim  Cook  in  August  2011  and  passed  away  a  few  months  later  
due  to  pancreatic  cancer,  but  his  visionary  mind  lives  on  in  the  company  he  created.    
 
    
1.   Jobs’  personality  was  incompatible  with…        
A.  traditional  school  models.    
B.  electronics.    
C.  his  adoptive  parents.      
D.  Steve  Wozniak.      
 
2.   Although  he  only  studied  at  Reed  College  for  six  months,  his  experience  
there…                          
A.  helped  him  in  understanding  the  technical  approach  to  working  with  
computers.    
B.  led  him  to  meet  his  future  partner  Steve  Wozniak.      
C.  had  some  influence  in  how  he  would  approach  design  at  Apple.      
D.  had  relatively  no  influence  on  his  future  work  at  Apple.        
 
3.   Which  best  describes  the  roles  of  Steve  Jobs  and  Steve  Wozniak  in  the  
early  stages  of  Apple?                      
A.  Jobs  was  the  marketer  and  Wozniak  was  the  designer      
B.  Jobs  was  the  technician  and  Wozniak  was  the  designer  
C.  Jobs  was  the  designer  and  Wozniak  was  the  marketer  
D.  Jobs  was  the  designer  and  Wozniak  was  the  technician        
 
4.   Which  was  NOT  true  about  the  Apple  II?          
A.  It  was  very  popular  with  the  public      
B.  It  was  Apple’s  first  personal  computer          
C.  It  propelled  sales  to  the  highest  level  in  company  history  to  that  point        
D.  It  was  the  first  personal  computer  with  colorful  graphics    
 
5.   What  did  Steve  Jobs  prove  after  he  left  Apple?    
A.    The  company  could  not  survive  without  him  
B.    He  could  be  successful  running  other  companies  apart  from  Apple  
C.    Computers  were  the  wave  of  the  future  
D.    He  would  change  the  entire  computer  industry  with  the  release  of  the  
Macintosh  
 
6.   What  question  is  NOT  answered  in  the  passage?      
A.  What  products  did  NeXt  Inc.  make?    
B.  When  did  Steve  Jobs  become  chief  executive  officer  (CEO)  at  Apple  for  the  
second  time?    
C.  Who  would  become  CEO  at  Apple  after  Steve  Jobs?    
D.  From  whom  did  Jobs  purchase  Pixar  Animation  Studio?    
 
 
 
7.   What  was  the  effect  of  Steve  Jobs’  return  as  CEO  at  Apple?          
A.  He  made  sure  that  Apple  purchased  NeXt  Inc.  in  1996  
B.  He  made  sure  Macintosh  computer  changed  the  entire  computer  industry  
C.  He  helped  Apple  become  one  of  the  world’s  most  innovative  companies  
D.  He  ensured  that  Apple  would  become  not  only  a  computer  and  technology  
company,  but  a  music  company  as  well