Washing Machine
You should be thankful that you don't have to
wash your clothes by dipping them into a stream and scratching out the dirt out
with a rock. Even the "scrub
boards" that were used in the 1700s weren't much better. This was just a textured board that you could
rub wet clothes against until the stains came out.
Luckily, William Blackstone gave his wife a
birthday present in 1874 that helped us all.
He made an early washing machine out of wood. It had several wooden pegs that moved clothes
back and forth, swishing them around in hot, soapy water.
The washing machine has come a long way since
then. In the 1930s, a machine was
invented that washed, rinsed, and drained the water in one cycle. This is still the basic sequence used in
modern washing machines.
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) The above passage would most likely be found in a book with
which title?
a.
A History of Modern
Conveniences that Save Us Time
b.
How to Install a Washing
Machine in a New Home
c.
How to the Right Clothes
and Dress for Success
d.
Great Inventions that We’ll
See in the Future
2) Based on the above passage, the first “washing machine”
invented in the late 1800s was made out of which material?
a.
rocks
b.
scrub boards
c.
metal
d.
wood
3) What is the tone of the author in the passage?
a.
annoyed
b.
bored
c.
pessimistic
d.
grateful
4) In the last sentence of the above passage, what is the
meaning of word “sequence” in the context?
a.
purpose
b.
order
c.
appearance
d.
secret
5) The above passage can best be described as which of these?
a.
a biography
b.
an autobiography
c.
an advertisement
d.
an essay
Answer Key
1)
The above
passage would most likely be found in a book with which title?
a.
A History of Modern Conveniences that Save Us Time
b.
How to Install
a Washing Machine in a New Home
c.
How to Choose
the Right Clothes and Dress for Success
d.
Great
Inventions that We’ll See in the Future
2)
Based on the
above passage, the first “washing machine” invented in the late 1800s was made
out of which material?
a.
rocks
b.
scrub boards
c.
metal
d.
wood
3)
What is the
tone of the author in the passage?
a.
annoyed
b.
bored
c.
pessimistic
d.
grateful
4)
In the last
sentence of the above passage, what is the meaning of word “sequence” in the
context?
a.
purpose
b.
order
c.
appearance
d.
secret
5)
The above
passage can best be described as which of these?
a.
a biography
b.
an autobiography
c.
an advertisement
d.
an essay