Isaac Singer — Questions and answers
Read the full story
What was amazing about Isaac Singer's new sewing machine unveiled in 1851?
Choices
- A) It could sew 900 stitches in a day.
- B) It had a horizontal needle.
- C) It could make 900 stitches per minute. ✓
- D) It was very slow and cumbersome.
Answer: C) It could make 900 stitches per minute.
From page 1
What kinds of machines did Isaac Singer work on before his famous sewing machine?
Choices
- A) Only sewing machines for many years.
- B) A rock-drilling machine and a wood-carving device. ✓
- C) Flying machines and submarines.
- D) Cooking appliances and washing machines.
Answer: B) A rock-drilling machine and a wood-carving device.
From page 2
What problems did Isaac Singer notice about the Lerow & Blodgett sewing machine?
Choices
- A) It was too fast and too quiet.
- B) It was too small to be useful.
- C) It was cumbersome, tangled, and needed constant re-threading. ✓
- D) It was too perfect and couldn't be improved.
Answer: C) It was cumbersome, tangled, and needed constant re-threading.
From page 3
How many days did Isaac Singer work almost without stopping to build his first improved sewing machine prototype?
Choices
- A) One day.
- B) Eleven days. ✓
- C) Eleven months.
- D) One year.
Answer: B) Eleven days.
From page 4
Who were the two important people who helped Isaac Singer with money and legal advice for his new company?
Choices
- A) Elias Howe and Orson Phelps.
- B) George B. Zieber and Edward Clark. ✓
- C) Wheeler & Wilson and Grover & Baker.
- D) His family and friends.
Answer: B) George B. Zieber and Edward Clark.
From page 5
Why did Isaac Singer and other companies form the 'Sewing Machine Combination' in 1856?
Choices
- A) To compete more fiercely with each other.
- B) To stop making sewing machines altogether.
- C) To combine their patents and resolve legal disputes. ✓
- D) To sell only one type of sewing machine.
Answer: C) To combine their patents and resolve legal disputes.
From page 6
Where did I. M. Singer & Co. build a huge, advanced factory to make thousands of sewing machines?
Choices
- A) In Boston, Massachusetts.
- B) In Albany, New York.
- C) On Mott Street in New York City. ✓
- D) In Pittstown, New York.
Answer: C) On Mott Street in New York City.
From page 7
What clever new idea did Isaac Singer use to make his sewing machines affordable for many families?
Choices
- A) He gave them away for free.
- B) He only sold them to rich people.
- C) He offered installment payment plans. ✓
- D) He made them very complicated to use.
Answer: C) He offered installment payment plans.
From page 8
What was Isaac Singer's most important contribution, even though he didn't invent the first sewing machine?
Choices
- A) He only made machines for rich people.
- B) He stopped people from sewing at home.
- C) He perfected its functionality, accessibility, and mass production. ✓
- D) He made machines that were very hard to use.
Answer: C) He perfected its functionality, accessibility, and mass production.
From page 10