Hungarian family proves geniuses can be made

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Hungarian family proves geniuses can be made

Warm-up

Do you have any special talents?

Vocabulary Match

prodigies •• smart people
achieve •• talented children
geniuses •• top player
grandmaster •• test
experiment •• reach
globally •• worldwide

Vocabulary Answers

prodigiestalented children
achievereach
geniusessmart people
grandmastertop player
experimenttest
globallyworldwide

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Laszlo Polgar, a researcher from Hungary, believed that ________ are made, not born. He wanted to prove this by raising his children to be chess ________. He married Klara, a teacher, who agreed with his plan. They had three daughters: Susan, Sofia, and Judit.

Laszlo filled their home with chess books and pictures, and the girls practiced chess every day. Susan, the oldest, became a ________ by age 15. Sofia also earned the title, and Judit went on to become the world's top-ranked female player, a position she held for over 25 years. Judit also became the only woman to break into the top 10 players ________.

Laszlo said, "A genius is not born, but is educated and trained." His ________ showed that with hard work and practice, anyone can ________ greatness.

Laszlo Polgar, a researcher from Hungary, believed that geniuses are made, not born. He wanted to prove this by raising his children to be chess prodigies. He married Klara, a teacher, who agreed with his plan. They had three daughters: Susan, Sofia, and Judit.

Laszlo filled their home with chess books and pictures, and the girls practiced chess every day. Susan, the oldest, became a grandmaster by age 15. Sofia also earned the title, and Judit went on to become the world's top-ranked female player, a position she held for over 25 years. Judit also became the only woman to break into the top 10 players globally.

Laszlo said, "A genius is not born, but is educated and trained." His experiment showed that with hard work and practice, anyone can achieve greatness.

Quiz

  1. What did Laszlo Polgar believe about geniuses?
  2. Who agreed with Laszlo's plan?
  3. How long was Judit the best female chess player?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. He believed that geniuses are made, not born.
  2. His wife, Klara.
  3. Over 25 years.

True or False

  1. Laszlo Polgar was a hungry researcher. T F
  2. Susan became a grandmother at age 15. T F
  3. Laszlo believed that anyone can be trained to be a genius. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Have you heard about the Polgar sisters and chess?
B:Yeah, their dad trained them to become grandmasters!
A:Maybe we should train our kids to be geniuses too.
B:It won't be easy. We'd need to be as dedicated as Laszlo and Klara.
A:You're right. What if we focus on coding or music instead?
B:Yeah, okay. Maybe little Timmy can be the next Bill Gates!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever played chess? What did you think of it?
  2. Do you think anyone can become a genius with practice?
  3. Would you like your children to be champions? Tell me more.

Further Reading

https://dipeshjoshidj32.medium.com/polgar-sisters-story-how-to-make-a-genius-8fd32428d598

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