Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: A Pilot Who Wrote
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born on June 29, 1900, in Lyon, France. As a young boy, he was fascinated by the early machines of the industrial age, especially locomotives and airplanes. Aviation was still a brand-new field, full of daring experiments and open wooden biplanes. In 1912, at just twelve years old, he experienced his first flight as a passenger in a small aircraft. That brief journey left a lasting impression, shaping the course of his adult life.
After completing his schooling and serving in the French military, Saint-Exupéry decided to make aviation his profession. In the 1920s, commercial airlines were not yet carrying millions of vacationers. Instead, early aviation companies focused on delivering letters. Saint-Exupéry became a pioneer airmail pilot for an airline called Aéropostale. He flew across rugged mountain ranges, open seas, and vast stretches of the Sahara Desert to transport mail between Europe, Africa, and later South America.
- aviation:
- The activity, practice, or science of flying aircraft.
- pioneer:
- One of the first people to explore, open up, or settle a new area or field of work.
- primitive:
- Very simple or basic, belonging to an early stage of development.
- resilience:
- The ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
- camaraderie:
- A spirit of trust, friendship, and mutual support among people who spend time together.
- reconnaissance:
- A military mission undertaken to gather information and observe enemy positions.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What early experience inspired Antoine de Saint-Exupéry to pursue a life connected to flying?
- 2Why was delivering mail by airplane in the 1920s much more dangerous than flying in modern commercial airplanes?
You Might Also Like
About this biography passage for 5th Grade
“Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: A Pilot Who Wrote” is a biography reading passage about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (518 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.