Writing Workshop: Summarizing Historical Trends Answers

Read the writing prompt.Explain why the process of industrialization is called a revolution, and summarize the effects of industrialization on the people of the era. Include facts, details, and examples to support your discussion.Which of the following phrases best summarizes this writing prompt’s assigned topic?

Read the paragraph.During the Irish potato famine, about one million people died of starvation or related disease. This event was the most significant in Irish history, because it led to about two million people leaving the country in search of a better life. Which statement is a fact that could be used to support a body paragraph about Irish immigration?

Read the summary about factory work during the Industrial Revolution.Factory work was not easy. First of all, it involved long hours. Typical factory workers put in twelve-hour days, six days a week, and there were few holidays. Moreover, most workers had to do the same simple tasks over and over each day. At the same time, they had to work fast to keep pace with the machines they tended. Finally, factory work could be dangerous. Fingers, hair, and clothing often got caught in the many gears and belts of machines, making accidents common. Also, textile mills were filled with cotton dust, which damaged the lungs of the workers who breathed it in. The underlined sentence states

Read the summary about factory work during the Industrial Revolution.With the development of new technologies and manufacturing processes, the nature of factory work changed. Now, machines could do the heavy labor formerly done by men. This meant that women and children could work in factories. In fact, factories sometimes hired entire families. They earned hourly wages. While this could bring in a steady income, that income was not high. Women earned less than men, and children’s wages were especially low.The underlined sentence

Read the paragraph.Before the Industrial Revolution, most goods were made by hand, in peoples’s homes. Workers would buy raw materials and complete each step in the process to make a finished product. Manufacturing by hand took a long time, and therefore, the prices for finished goods was high. Industrialization changed all that. Machines took over the manufacturing process. These machines were much more efficient than workers creating items by hand. This meant that many more items could be produced, drastically reducing their price, and making them more affordable for consumers.Based on the information you were just given, which statement would make the best topic sentence for an essay about industrialization?

Read the paragraph.Before the Industrial Revolution, most goods were made by hand, in peoples’s homes. Workers would buy raw materials and complete each step in the process to make a finished product. Manufacturing by hand took a long time, and therefore, the prices for finished goods was high. Industrialization changed all that. Machines took over the manufacturing process. These machines were much more efficient than workers creating items by hand. This meant that many more items could be produced, drastically reducing their price, and making them more affordable for consumers.Which would be the best example to use to support the information in this body paragraph?

Which statement supports a discussion about the Irish potato famine in an objective manner?

Read this introduction paragraph from a sample essay about industrialization.[1] There are many examples of revolutions in human history that have resulted in tremendous change. [2] The transformation of manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution is one such example. [3] Although the revolution began in England, it soon spread to other countries in Europe, and the United States. [4] In each of the countries, the industrial revolution resulted in increased urbanization, changes in employment, and new technologies that changed the way people worked and lived.Which sentence in the paragraph includes the essay’s thesis statement?

Read the passage from History of the United States, by Charles and Mary Beard.As necessary to mechanical industry as steel and steam power was the great market, spread over a wide and diversified area and knit together by efficient means of transportation. This service was supplied to industry by the steamship, which began its career on the Hudson in 1807; by the canals, of which the Erie, opened in 1825, was the most noteworthy; and by the railways, which came into practical operation about 1830.The railways followed the same paths [as the canals]. By 1860, New York had rail connections with Chicago and St. Louis—one of the routes running through the Hudson and Mohawk valleys and along the Great Lakes, the other through Philadelphia and Pennsylvania and across the rich wheat fields of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Baltimore, not to be outdone by her two rivals, reached out over the mountains for the Western trade and in 1857 had trains running into St. Louis.In a summary of this passage, which of the following is a central trend?

Read this paragraph about America’s first president.[1] George Washington, the first president of the United States, took office on April 30, 1789. [2] Washington took his oath of office in New York City on the steps of Federal Hall. [3] He was the first president, and he was also the best president. [4] He served for two terms. Which sentence should be revised to make this paragraph more objective?