Central Ideas in The Building of Manhattan

Question 1

Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.In 1930, these workmen either went bare­headed, wore a cloth cap—often worn backward—or wore a battered felt hat. The rigid plastics needed for molded head protection, called "hard hats," would not appear until after World War Il.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

The types of stiff plastic needed in the manufacturing of “hard hats,” or hats that protect the heads of construction workers, were not available until after World War ll. For this reason, construction workers in 1930 either did not wear hats or wore cloth caps, often backward, or shabby felt hats.

Question 2

Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.It was a monumental task: to design the world's tallest building, create as much usable rental space as possible, plan so it could be built within 18 months, and still have a handsome building. In the end, architect William Lamb worked on fifteen designs before his plan "K" was finally chosen.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

“fifteen designs”

Question 3

Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.Today, the steel beams and girders of the city's skyscrapers are bolted together with special steel bolts and welded together. Compared with riveting, these connections are stronger, more quickly made, and require fewer men to accomplish.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

Steel beams and girders in today’s skyscrapers are constructed with specially made steel bolts. Then, they are welded together. These modern-day connections are put together more quickly and by fewer workers than the ones made in the past by riveting. They are also stronger.

Question 4

Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.The BOOM is usually 70 to 90 feet long and is hinged to the mast at its base, so that both move together when the derrick swings to a new direction.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

It would help the reader visualize the complex parts described in the text.

Question 5

Which of these is an element of both paraphrasing and summarizing?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

putting ideas from a text in one’s own words

Question 6

Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.When the driver was ready for a new rivet, the heater took a hot cherry-red one out of his forge with his long-handled tongs. And with an underhand toss he hurled the smoking rivet straight at the catcher, who caught it in mid-air in his catching can. The catcher then grabbed it with his tongs, tapped it against a beam to remove any cinders, and jammed it into the waiting hole.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

an illustration of the heater tossing a rivet to the catcher

Question 7

Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.It was a monumental task: to design the world's tallest building, create as much usable rental space as possible, plan so it could be built within 18 months, and still have a handsome building. In the end, architect William Lamb worked on fifteen designs before his plan "K" was finally chosen.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

“handsome building”

Question 8

What is one step to take when summarizing a text?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

state the central idea in your own words

Question 9

Read the teacher’s instruction to students.Restate all of the ideas and details in the text in your own words.

Revolt · Accepted Answer

paraphrase the text

Question 10

What is one step to take when paraphrasing a text?

Revolt · Accepted Answer

look for words that can be changed

Central Ideas in The Building of Manhattan Answers

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