Directions: Read the excerpt from Kate Heintz Watson’s “Textiles and Clothing.” Then answer the questions.
Spinning and weaving are among the earliest arts. In the twisting of fibers, hairs, grasses, and sinews by rolling them between the thumb and fingers, palms of the hands, or palms and naked thigh, we have the original spinning wheel and the steam-driven cotton spindle. In the roughest plaiting we have the first hint of the finest woven cloth. The need of securing things or otherwise strengthening them then led to binding, fastening, and sewing. The wattle-work hut with its roof of interlaced boughs, the skins sewn by fine needles with entrails or sinews, the matted twigs, grasses, and rushes are all the crude beginnings of an art which tells of the settled life of today.
Nothing is definitely known of the origin of these arts. All is conjecture. They doubtless had their beginning long before mention is made of them in history, but these crafts—spinning and weaving—modified and complicated by inventions and in modern times transferred largely from man to machine were distinctively woman's employment.
The very primitive type of spinning where no spindle was used was to fasten the strands of goats' hair or wool to a stone which was twirled round until the yarn was sufficiently twisted when it was wound upon the stone and the process repeated over and over.
The next method of twisting yarn was with the spindle, a straight stick eight to twelve inches long on which the thread was wound after twisting. At first it had a cleft or split in the top in which the thread was fixed. Later a hook of bone was added to the upper end. The spindle is yet used by the North American Indians, the Italians, and in the Orient. The bunch of wool or flax fibers is held in the left hand. With the right hand, the fibers are drawn out several inches and the end fastened securely in the slit or hook on the top of the spindle. A whirling motion is given to the spindle on the thigh or any convenient part of the body. The spindle is then dropped, twisting the yarn, which is wound on the upper part of the spindle. Another bunch of fibers is drawn out, the spindle is given another twirl, the yarn is wound on the spindle, and so on.
A spindle containing a quantity of yarn was found to rotate more easily, steadily and continue longer than an empty one. Hence the next improvement was the addition of a whorl at the bottom of the spindle. These whorls are discs of wood, stone, clay, or metal which keep the spindle steady and promote its rotation. The process in effect is precisely the same as the spinning done by our
grandmothers, only the spinning wheel did the twisting and reduced the time required for the operation.
Note
Only spelling mistakes, if any, in the above passage have been corrected. No other corrections, including grammatical, have been made so that the originality of the passage is maintained.
Directions: Read the situation below and then answer the questions.
Situation: After completing most of the research project about the differences between igneous and sedimentary rocks, part of the requirements of the assignment is to publish the project online for the entire class to see. It is up to each student to find a safe place publish the project. Below are the requirements of the project.
Project Requirements: Research and create a project that includes a report of at least three typed pages with citation and a visual aid (graph, chart, table, etc.). The topic must cover something that we studied in class this year. You must publish your project for all of the students in our class to see and comment on it.
Note
Only spelling mistakes, if any, in the above passage have been corrected. No other corrections, including grammatical, have been made so that the originality of the passage is maintained.
