Elias Howe — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What amazing thing could Elias Howe Jr.'s Lockstitch Sewing Machine do when he demonstrated it in 1845?

Choices

  1. It could hum a quiet song that put people to sleep.
  2. It performed twenty stitches a minute, faster than five hand-sewers combined. ✓
  3. It made clothes completely by itself without any help.
  4. It taught people how to sew faster by hand.

Answer: It performed twenty stitches a minute, faster than five hand-sewers combined.

From page 1

What made Elias Howe want to invent a better, faster, and less painful way to produce clothing?

Choices

  1. He loved the sound of grinding metal in factories.
  2. He wanted to make people work even harder and faster.
  3. He saw seamstresses suffering from painful, endless hand-sewing. ✓
  4. He thought clothing was too cheap and wanted to make it more expensive.

Answer: He saw seamstresses suffering from painful, endless hand-sewing.

From page 2

What conversation did Elias Howe overhear that helped him decide to invent a sewing machine?

Choices

  1. People talking about how delicious dinner was at a restaurant.
  2. Inventors discussing a huge reward for anyone who could create a practical sewing machine. ✓
  3. Friends planning a fun trip to the mountains for the summer.
  4. Workers complaining about how noisy the factories were becoming.

Answer: Inventors discussing a huge reward for anyone who could create a practical sewing machine.

From page 3

What important discovery did Elias Howe make about the needle for his sewing machine?

Choices

  1. The needle should be very long and made of gold.
  2. The needle should be able to bend without breaking.
  3. The needle's eye must be at its point, not the blunt end. ✓
  4. The needle didn't need an eye at all to work.

Answer: The needle's eye must be at its point, not the blunt end.

From page 4

What important place did Elias Howe visit on September 10, 1846, to protect his invention?

Choices

  1. A fancy clothing store to buy new clothes.
  2. The United States Patent Office in Washington D.C. ✓
  3. A big factory where new machines were being built.
  4. His cramped attic workshop to continue inventing.

Answer: The United States Patent Office in Washington D.C.

From page 5

What did other inventors like Isaac Singer and Allen Wilson do while Elias Howe was in England?

Choices

  1. They waited patiently for Howe to return to America.
  2. They developed and sold their own sewing machines using Howe's ideas. ✓
  3. They helped Howe market his machine in America while he was away.
  4. They stopped all sewing machine production until Howe came back.

Answer: They developed and sold their own sewing machines using Howe's ideas.

From page 6

Why did Elias Howe start legal proceedings in 1850?

Choices

  1. He wanted to make new friends with other inventors.
  2. He wanted to stop others from using his invention without permission or payment. ✓
  3. He wanted to sell his invention to I.M. Singer & Co. for a lot of money right away.
  4. He wanted to learn how to sew better from the big companies.

Answer: He wanted to stop others from using his invention without permission or payment.

From page 7

What was the important outcome of Elias Howe's legal battles in 1854?

Choices

  1. He lost all his money and his patents.
  2. The courts decided he had to share his invention for free with everyone.
  3. The courts upheld his original patent, giving him the right to collect royalties. ✓
  4. He was told to invent something completely different and new.

Answer: The courts upheld his original patent, giving him the right to collect royalties.

From page 8

How did Elias Howe's patent victory change life for many women?

Choices

  1. It made them work even more hours hand-sewing.
  2. It meant they had to make all their own clothes by hand.
  3. It freed them from the endless, tiring work of hand-sewing. ✓
  4. It made clothing much more expensive for everyone to buy.

Answer: It freed them from the endless, tiring work of hand-sewing.

From page 9

What part of Elias Howe's invention is still used in almost every sewing machine today?

Choices

  1. The loud humming sound that it made.
  2. The big, heavy wooden cabinet it came in.
  3. The eye-pointed needle combined with the shuttle mechanism. ✓
  4. The manual crank handle that you had to turn by hand.

Answer: The eye-pointed needle combined with the shuttle mechanism.

From page 10