Steam Engine — Questions and answers
Read the full story
What big problem did mines in Europe have in the late 1600s?
Choices
- A) Not enough workers to dig for coal.
- B) Too much water flooding the mines. ✓
- C) Animals were too slow to pull carts.
- D) The mines were not deep enough.
Answer: B) Too much water flooding the mines.
From page 1
What "invisible ocean" did scientists learn about that helped make the first steam engines?
Choices
- A) The ocean of water
- B) The ocean of space
- C) The pressure of the air ✓
- D) The force of boiling water
Answer: C) The pressure of the air
From page 3
What kind of person was Thomas Newcomen, and where was he from?
Choices
- A) A sailor from London
- B) A teacher from Oxford
- C) An ironmonger from Dartmouth ✓
- D) A farmer from Cornwall
Answer: C) An ironmonger from Dartmouth
From page 4
How did Newcomen's engine create a vacuum to make the piston move?
Choices
- A) By letting steam slowly escape from the cylinder.
- B) By heating the cylinder until it exploded.
- C) By using a jet of cold water to cool the steam. ✓
- D) By having people push the piston down manually.
Answer: C) By using a jet of cold water to cool the steam.
From page 5
What was the main problem with Newcomen's engine that James Watt noticed?
Choices
- A) It was too small to pump water.
- B) It used too much coal to run. ✓
- C) It was too loud for the workers.
- D) It often broke down and needed repairs.
Answer: B) It used too much coal to run.
From page 6
What was James Watt's big invention that made the steam engine much better?
Choices
- A) A stronger piston
- B) A bigger boiler
- C) The separate condenser ✓
- D) A new type of coal
Answer: C) The separate condenser
From page 7
What did the partnership between James Watt and Matthew Boulton help steam engines do?
Choices
- A) Make them only for pumping water in mines.
- B) Power new ships for sea travel.
- C) Be used in many different factories like textile mills. ✓
- D) Become much smaller and quieter.
Answer: C) Be used in many different factories like textile mills.
From page 8
What did Richard Trevithick's high-pressure engines help create?
Choices
- A) Better mine pumps
- B) Stationary factory engines
- C) Steam locomotives and paddle steamers ✓
- D) New types of water wheels
Answer: C) Steam locomotives and paddle steamers
From page 9