9 In Sham We Trust

Question 1

What was the primary factor limiting early cotton production?
A. Limited global demand
B. Manual seed removal
C. Lack of transportation
D. Expensive labor costs

Answer 1

B. Manual seed removal

Question 2

Which region provided 95% of British cotton imports by the 1700s?
A. Egypt
B. India
C. America
D. China

Answer 2

B. India

Question 3

The Industrial Revolution began in:
A. France
B. England
C. The United States
D. Germany

Question 4

Eli Whitney’s cotton gin addressed which key issue?
A. Thread spinning
B. Cotton dyeing
C. Cotton seed removal
D. Fabric weaving

Question 5

In 1833, England passed the Factory Act, which:
A. Prohibited child labor entirely
B. Set a minimum working age of nine
C. Restricted adult working hours
D. Mandated workplace safety inspections

Question 6

The Lowell System employed workers primarily from which group?
A. Immigrant men
B. Women from farming families
C. Enslaved labor
D. Local factory owners

Question 7

What percentage of U.S. exports did cotton account for by the 1850s?
A. 30%
B. 50%
C. 61%
D. 75%

Question 8

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred in:
A. 1911
B. 1920
C. 1905
D. 1933

Question 9

The British justified child labor in the textile industry by claiming it:
A. Improved factory productivity
B. Benefited poor families
C. Increased education opportunities
D. Reduced street crime

Question 10

Which invention introduced in 1846 revolutionized garment production?
A. Spinning Jenny
B. Cotton gin
C. Sewing machine
D. Power loom

Question 11

The Silk Road began to develop around:
A. 500 BCE
B. 100 BCE
C. 300 CE
D. 200 CE

Question 12

Why was silk expensive in the Roman Empire?
A. Its manufacturing process was secret
B. High taxes on luxury goods
C. It required long-distance trade
D. All of the above

Question 13

By 1830, how many cotton mills were in Manchester?
A. 10
B. 66
C. 45
D. 33

Question 14

What was a key consequence of the Civil War for the cotton industry?
A. Strengthened the global market
B. Global cotton shortage
C. Increase in slave labor
D. Emergence of synthetic textiles

Question 15

The East India Company’s trade practices:
A. Reduced British dependence on Indian cotton
B. Undermined Indian textile industries
C. Introduced modern technology to India
D. Were primarily focused on tea trade

Question 16

The Factory Act of 1833 limited children aged 9-13 to working:
A. 40 hours per week
B. 48 hours per week
C. 36 hours per week
D. 60 hours per week

Question 17

The Industrial Revolution was fueled by which primary resource from colonies?
A. Gold
B. Tobacco
C. Cotton
D. Sugar

Question 18

Who is credited with introducing cotton mills to America?
A. Francis Cabot Lowell
B. Eli Whitney
C. Richard Arkwright
D. James Hargreaves

Question 19

The Black Plague spread via the Silk Road primarily in the:
A. 14th century
B. 12th century
C. 15th century
D. 13th century

Question 20

The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire led to:
A. Global outsourcing
B. Enhanced labor regulations
C. Decline of garment factories
D. Introduction of fast fashion

Question 21

What event highlighted poor construction in Bangladeshi factories?
A. Rana Plaza collapse
B. Triangle Shirtwaist fire
C. Tazreen factory fire
D. Inditex warehouse collapse

Question 22

The sewing machine was patented in:
A. 1833
B. 1846
C. 1855
D. 1860

Question 23

England’s reliance on cotton for economic dominance was undermined by:
A. American Civil War
B. Indian independence movement
C. Decline in textile demand
D. Introduction of silk

Question 24

The phrase “King Cotton” refers to:
A. The dominance of cotton in the U.S. economy
B. A British trading company
C. The rise of synthetic materials
D. The invention of the cotton gin

Question 25

Which country was heavily dependent on the textile industry for 75% of its earnings?
A. Bangladesh
B. India
C. Cambodia
D. Vietnam

Question 26

The rise of fast fashion is closely associated with which innovation?
A. Synthetic fibers
B. Rapid production cycles
C. Export tariffs
D. Government subsidies

Question 27

The Lowell System was unique because:
A. It focused on low-cost labor from women
B. It imported textiles from Europe
C. It relied on enslaved labor
D. It implemented automated weaving