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Pre Classes Assignment

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7 views

Pre Classes Assignment

Uploaded by

mianhassaanwaheed2
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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COMPREHENSION:

Today, bicycles are elegantly simple machines that are common around the world. Many people
ride bicycles for recreation, whereas others use them as a means of transportation. The first bicycle, called
a draisienne, was invented in Germany in 1818 by Baron Karl de Drais de Sauerbrun. Because it was
made of wood, the draisienne wasn’t very durable nor did it have pedals. Riders moved it by pushing their
feet against the ground. In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith, invented a much better
bicycle.

Macmillan’s machine had tires with iron rims to keep them from getting worn down. He also
used foot-operated cranks, similar to pedals, so his bicycle could be ridden at a quick pace. It didn’t look
much like the modern bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front
wheel. Although Macmillan’s bicycles could be ridden easily, they were never produced in large
numbers.

In 1861, Frenchman Pierre Michaux and his brother Ernest invented a bicycle with an improved
crank mechanism. They called their bicycle a vélocipède, but most people called it a “bone shaker”
because of the jarring effect of the wood and iron frame. Despite the unflattering nickname, the
velocipede was a hit. After a few years, the Michaux family was making hundreds of the machines
annually, mostly for fun-seeking young people. Ten years later, James Starley, an English inventor, made
several innovations that revolutionized bicycle design. He made the front wheel many times larger than
the back wheel, put a gear on the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient, and lightened the wheels by
using wire spokes.

Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top
heavy, and ridden mostly for entertainment. It wasn’t until 1874 that the first truly modern bicycle
appeared on the scene. Invented by another Englishman, H.J. Lawson, the safety bicycle would look
familiar to today’s cyclists. The safety bicycle had equal-sized wheels, which made it much less prone to
toppling over. Lawson also attached a chain to the pedals to drive the rear wheel. By 1893, the safety
bicycle had been further improved with air-filled rubber tires, a diamond shaped frame, and easy braking.
With the improvements provided by Lawson, bicycles became extremely popular and useful for
transportation. Today, they are built, used, and enjoyed all over the world.

Questions:

1. There is enough information in this passage to show that

(a) several people contributed to the development of the modern bicycle.

(b) only a few velocipedes built by the Michaux family are still in existence.

(c) for most of the nineteenth century, few people rode bicycles just for fun.

(d) bicycles with wheels of different sizes cannot be ridden easily.

2. People ride bicycle today…..

(a) as a means of transportation

(b) for recreation

(c) for fun-seeking

(d) Both a & b


3. The first person to use a gear system on bicycles was

(a) H.J. Lawson.

(b) Kirkpatrick Macmillan.

(c) Pierre Michaux.

(d) James Starley.

4. How was safety bicycle improved?

(a) with air-filled rubber tires

(b) with a diamond shaped frame

(c) with easy braking

(d) All of these

5. Macmillan added iron rims to the tires of his bicycle to

(a) add weight to the bicycle.

(b) make the tires last longer.

(c) make the ride less bumpy.

(d) make the ride less tiring.

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