Eli Whitney — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What was the name of the machine Eli Whitney revealed at Mulberry Grove Plantation?

Choices

  1. The Seed Separator
  2. The Cotton Gin ✓
  3. The Fiber Machine
  4. The Greene's Gadget

Answer: The Cotton Gin

From page 1

What did young Eli Whitney do that showed he was good with machines?

Choices

  1. He wrote many books.
  2. He repaired a violin and built machines. ✓
  3. He helped his father farm.
  4. He learned to play many instruments.

Answer: He repaired a violin and built machines.

From page 2

How did Eli Whitney pay for his education at Yale College?

Choices

  1. His rich father paid for him.
  2. He won a scholarship for inventing.
  3. He worked as a schoolteacher and a mechanic. ✓
  4. He borrowed money from Catherine Greene.

Answer: He worked as a schoolteacher and a mechanic.

From page 3

Who asked Eli Whitney to invent a machine to clean short-staple cotton?

Choices

  1. The U.S. government.
  2. Phineas Miller and Catherine Greene. ✓
  3. His father, the farmer.
  4. Other plantation owners.

Answer: Phineas Miller and Catherine Greene.

From page 5

How did Eli Whitney work on his invention in the workshop?

Choices

  1. He quickly built a perfect machine on his first try.
  2. He had many people helping him with ideas.
  3. He experimented for months, even when things failed. ✓
  4. He only worked when he felt inspired.

Answer: He experimented for months, even when things failed.

From page 6

What was the important new idea in Eli Whitney's cotton gin design?

Choices

  1. A cylinder with wire teeth and a rotating brush. ✓
  2. A simple hand crank and a big basket.
  3. A machine that worked with water power.
  4. A way to sort seeds by color.

Answer: A cylinder with wire teeth and a rotating brush.

From page 7

What new manufacturing idea did Eli Whitney invent when making muskets?

Choices

  1. Using wooden parts for all weapons.
  2. Building muskets by hand, one by one.
  3. Creating 'interchangeable parts' for easy assembly. ✓
  4. Designing muskets that never broke.

Answer: Creating 'interchangeable parts' for easy assembly.

From page 9

What are the two main things Eli Whitney is remembered for changing?

Choices

  1. Inventing the first car and flying machine.
  2. Improving farming tools and building houses.
  3. The cotton gin and interchangeable parts for manufacturing. ✓
  4. Discovering new plants and exploring new lands.

Answer: The cotton gin and interchangeable parts for manufacturing.

From page 10