Otis Elevator — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What did Elisha Graves Otis ask his assistant, Levi, to do during his big demonstration?

Choices

  1. To sing a song
  2. To cut the hoist rope ✓
  3. To bring him a drink
  4. To tell a funny joke

Answer: To cut the hoist rope

From page 1

What kind of things did Elisha Graves Otis work on when he was younger?

Choices

  1. Painting pictures and writing stories
  2. Building water-powered sawmills and designing railway car brakes ✓
  3. Learning to fly a hot air balloon
  4. Playing musical instruments and dancing

Answer: Building water-powered sawmills and designing railway car brakes

From page 2

What was the big problem Elisha Otis wanted to solve at the Bedstead Manufacturing Company?

Choices

  1. The factory needed more workers.
  2. They couldn't make enough beds.
  3. Lifting heavy equipment with single ropes caused dangerous accidents. ✓
  4. The factory was too noisy for the workers.

Answer: Lifting heavy equipment with single ropes caused dangerous accidents.

From page 3

What did Elisha Otis invent to make lifting safer if the main rope broke?

Choices

  1. A stronger kind of rope
  2. A spring-loaded ratcheting mechanism ✓
  3. A bigger, stronger engine
  4. A special kind of paint

Answer: A spring-loaded ratcheting mechanism

From page 4

What did Elisha Otis found in 1853 to help people travel safely in buildings?

Choices

  1. A new school for engineers
  2. E.G. Otis & Co. ✓
  3. A construction company
  4. A rope-making factory

Answer: E.G. Otis & Co.

From page 5

What was the biggest challenge Elisha Otis faced in getting people to use his invention?

Choices

  1. Nobody had enough money to buy it.
  2. People didn't understand how it worked.
  3. There was a widespread public fear of falling and mechanical failure. ✓
  4. The invention was too small to be useful.

Answer: There was a widespread public fear of falling and mechanical failure.

From page 6

What did Elisha Otis do to make sure his invention worked perfectly before the big demonstration?

Choices

  1. He took a long nap to rest.
  2. He asked his assistant to do everything.
  3. He meticulously inspected every part and personally tested the platform. ✓
  4. He watched a movie about elevators.

Answer: He meticulously inspected every part and personally tested the platform.

From page 7

What kind of amazing new building became possible because of Otis's safety elevator?

Choices

  1. Houses that float on water
  2. Modern skyscrapers ✓
  3. Underground tunnels for cars
  4. Tiny cabins in the forest

Answer: Modern skyscrapers

From page 8

Who continued Elisha Otis's work and grew his company after he passed away?

Choices

  1. His friends, Peter Cooper and Mr. Babcock
  2. His chief technician, Mr. Miller
  3. His sons, Charles and Norton ✓
  4. A famous architect, Mr. James Bogardus

Answer: His sons, Charles and Norton

From page 9

How did Elisha Otis's invention change our cities and the world?

Choices

  1. It made everyone want to live in small towns.
  2. It made cars fly through the air.
  3. It made skyscrapers possible and helped build our modern vertical world. ✓
  4. It taught people how to climb very tall stairs easily.

Answer: It made skyscrapers possible and helped build our modern vertical world.

From page 10