Coal, steam, and the factory

History · The Modern World · ages 14-16

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which worker did the power loom replace?
- Coal miners
- Ship captains
- Hand weavers
What changed when work moved into factories?
- Workers chose their own hours daily
- Clock discipline, shifts, and machines set the pace
- Seasons still ruled every task
The spinning mule replaced hand spinners.
Circle one: True False
Why did railways change prices, not only journey times?
- Trains carried only passengers
- Cheap bulk transport cut costs per mile
- Tickets were printed nicely
What cost did ordinary people pay?
- Child labour, twelve-hour shifts, crowded slums
- Shorter days and higher pay
- Free schooling for all
Why did Britain industrialise first?
- No rivers or ports
- Bans on all machines
- Coal, trade wealth, tinkerers, and lenders
A student names two machines but not the workers replaced. What is missing?
- Longer machine names
- More dates
- The human work each machine replaced
Two claims: factories changed little, or they changed life more in a century than the thousand years before. Which fits?
- Change ran faster in that century
- Nothing changed at all
- Only ticket prices changed

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Hand weavers · The power loom took the hand weavers' work.
Clock discipline, shifts, and machines set the pace · Clocks and machines replaced sun and season.
True · Mule and loom each replaced home hand workers.
Cheap bulk transport cut costs per mile · Cheap haulage per mile cut what goods cost.
Child labour, twelve-hour shifts, crowded slums · Output rose while workers paid in hours and health.
Coal, trade wealth, tinkerers, and lenders · Fuel, money, makers, and backers clustered there first.
The human work each machine replaced · Every machine answer needs its replaced worker beside it.
Change ran faster in that century · Work, towns, and goods all shifted at speed.