What was the Industrial Revolution?

According to the Historian Arnold Toynbee, writing in 1884, which of these two statements describe the period known as the 'Industrial Revolution'?

• Shift from an urban to a rural population.

• Shift from a rural to an urban population.

• The mechanisation of industry.

• Everyone in the UK became wealthy.

In 1750 the population of the United Kingdom was roughly 11 million. What was it by 1900?

• 20 million

• 30 million

• 40 million

• 50 million

In 1750 most goods were made by hand by families working from home. This 'domestic system' was also known by what other name?

• cottage industry

• house production

• village manufacture

• family labour

What machine for spinning thread was invented by Richard Arkwright in 1769 that changed the way cloth was produced?

• Spinning Jenny

• Power Loom

• Water frame

• Steam engine

In what year did Richard Arkwright establish the first water-powered cotton-cloth factory, called Cromford Mill, in the UK?

• 1765

• 1771

• 1789

• 1803

Which three of these statements show the benefits of factories for their owners?

• Water and steam powered machines could generally 24 hours a day which increased the amount of production.

• The whole process of producing cloth could be done in one place which cut down the cost and lost time of travel.

• It was expensive to buy the spinning and weaving machines.

• It was easy to train workers because using the machines required a low level of skill.

Which one of these statements show a benefit for workers of working in a factory?

• The cotton fibres made the air dusty.

• They were paid regular fixed wages rather than relying on what they could produce.

• They could no longer choose the hours and length of time they wanted to work.

• They had to follow the rules set down by the factory owner.

Which two of these reasons were environmental consequences of the development of factories?

• Railways were developed to transport goods and people more easily from place to place.

• The smoke from burning coal to create power polluted the air.

• Rivers became polluted due to factory waste and the increased number of people living near them.

• Wages became lower as more and more people migrated to the towns and cities for work.

Which two statements show the advantages of using steam power over water power to run factory machines?

• Factories could be built in any location.

• Factories caused less air pollution.

• Factories did not have to stop if the weather was too cold or if there was a lack of rainfall.

• It was cheaper to use coal-fuelled steam engines.

Choose two ways that the Darby family contributed to the development of the iron industry in the UK.

• They discovered a way of reheating coal to make 'coke' which removed the sulphur in the coal and produced stronger iron.

• They invented blast furnaces that could melt iron ore and turn it into metal.

• They invented ways of making iron easier to cast and to make a wider variety of objects.

• They invented the steam engine.