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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What item was given to Banneker as a gift?

2. Banneker was determined to create/build which item?

3. What was Latimer's position in the company?

4. The text claims that the charges were:

5. In what year did Edison invent the electric light?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss McCoy's education and training in the engineering field.

2. What problems did McCoy notice on his job as a railroad fireman? What were McCoy's thoughts on the process? What did McCoy do to remedy the situation?

3. Banneker became interested in politics. Which event did Banneker attend? Which speech moved Banneker the most in regards to the new government?

4. Explain how Woods taught himself to become an engineer.

5. Who was Benjamin Banneker? What was Banneker's contribution to the country?

6. What activity did Banneker undertake when he was 41 years old? Why was the project important?

7. Describe George Latimer's contribution to the abolitionist movement, how it came about, and which famous people helped Latimer along the way.

8. What was the reason Rillieux decided to leave New Orleans? Where did Rillieux go?

9. What job did Lewis Latimer get that helped to propel him into the field of drafting? What did Latimer propose to his employers? How did it affect his career?

10. What were McCoy's natural gifts? What prevented McCoy from working in his chosen field when he returned to the US?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Granville T. Woods had a great deal of experience in the field of electricity before returning to his status as a full time inventor. Create a time line of Woods' inventions. Write at least two paragraphs on each invention. What other inventors may have been involved? What was Woods' most important invention? How many patents did Woods hold?

Essay Topic 2

Several of the inventors in the book came from notable heritage. Explain the heritage of at least three of the inventors, how they were similar, and how the ancestry affected their ability to invent new products, techniques, and machines. Which inventor benefited most from his heritage? Which inventors saw little or no benefits? How did the inventors' education levels affect their ability to invent? What was the most common activity of the inventors after retirement?

Essay Topic 3

Jan Earnst Matzeliger was not willing to be thwarted when he decided to create a machine that would change the face of the shoe industry. Explain in detail Matzeliger's idea. Which part of the industry did Matzeliger focus on and why? How were shoes manufactured before Matzeliger's invention? What did experts have to say about the current manufacturing process? How was Matzeliger able to prove the experts were wrong? How did Matzeliger's invention change the industry? Is Matzeliger's invention still used today?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 884 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample