Natural Inspiration

The photographs in the article help the reader understand the —

• reason nylon is superior to cotton for making Velcro

• similarity between man-made Velcro and naturally occurring burrs

• difficulty Mestral had creating his design for Velcro

• reason Mestral thought Velcro would be a useful invention

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One challenge that Mestral encountered while inventing Velcro was finding —

• different uses for Velcro

• a country willing to approve a patent for Velcro

• a way to make a profit by selling Velcro

• a manufacturer that would produce Velcro

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The reader can conclude from the details in paragraph 4 that Mestral —

• was determined to make his idea for Velcro a reality

• did not receive the product rights for Velcro

• was denied help because companies had difficulty manufacturing Velcro

• wanted Velcro to be known as the world’s best fastener

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What is the best summary of the article?

• George de Mestral was an engineer from Switzerland who had a curious mind. After studying burrs stuck to his dog’s fur, Mestral decided to create a new kind of fastener. Velcro, the product that Mestral created, is a hook-and-loop fastener that works the same way burrs work in nature.

• George de Mestral was the engineer who invented Velcro, a type of hook-and-loop fastener modeled after burrs Mestral found stuck to his dog’s fur. Mestral overcame many obstacles as he worked to produce Velcro. Today, Velcro is commonly used to fasten a variety of materials.

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