The Second Industrial Revolution: Steel

Which statement best explains how the Bessemer process changed steel production in the mid-1850s?

• It replaced iron with aluminum to make stronger metals.

• It used hot air to quickly remove impurities from melted iron, cutting production time to 10–20 minutes.

• It relied on steam power to hammer iron into steel over a full day.

• It mixed steel with kerosene to reduce manufacturing costs.

Which development was a direct effect of cheaper steel during the Second Industrial Revolution?

• Decline of railroad construction due to high costs

• Completion of the Brooklyn Bridge using steel cables and expansion of railroads with steel rails

• End of factory growth because steel became scarce

• Replacement of electricity with kerosene as a power source

Which statement best explains why demand for oil increased in the mid-1800s?

• Kerosene made from crude oil provided an affordable source of light for homes and businesses.

• Gasoline-powered automobiles immediately dominated transportation in the 1850s.

• Oil was primarily used to power electric streetcars during this period.

• Oil companies could only collect oil from seeps, making it rare and valuable.

Which pair correctly matches the inventor with the innovation described in the late 1800s?

• Edwin L. Drake — invented the durable electric lightbulb

• Thomas Edison — patented the telephone, or “talking telegraph”

• Alexander Graham Bell — patented the telephone that carried sound

• George Westinghouse — drilled the first commercial oil well

Which innovation allowed Henry Ford to produce more cars at a lower cost by breaking construction into 84 steps and training workers to do just one job?

• Interchangeable parts

• Moving assembly line

• Steam-powered conveyor

• Automation by robots

What was Henry Ford’s goal when he introduced the Model T in 1908?

• Create luxury cars for the wealthy

• Make a “motor car for the great multitude”

• Build the fastest race car

• Replace trains for long-distance travel

According to the passage, what change made cars affordable to many people by the end of Ford’s first year using the assembly line?

• Cars were sold for under $500

• Gasoline prices dropped

• Taxes on automobiles were removed

• Workers were unpaid apprentices

Which pair of brothers built a lightweight airplane with a small gas-powered engine and achieved the first true flight on December 17, 1903?

• Charles and J. Frank Duryea

• Wilbur and Orville Wright

• Henry and Edsel Ford

• Graham and Bell Wright

Where did the Wright brothers conduct their first successful powered flight, traveling 120 feet in 12 seconds?

• Detroit, Michigan

• Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

• Dayton, Ohio

• St. Louis, Missouri

Which statement best describes how Ford’s manufacturing changes affected productivity and efficiency?

• They reduced productivity due to complex designs

• They increased productivity by using interchangeable parts and an assembly line

• They had no effect on efficiency

• They only benefited luxury car makers