A CANADIAN DOCTOR, ABRAHAM GESNER, PATENTED A PROCESS FOR DISTIL...

1854, a Canadian doctor, Abraham Gesner, patented a process for distilling a pitch like

mineral found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that produced illuminating gas and an oil

that he called “kerosene” (from “keros”, the Greek word for wax, and “ene” because it

resembled

camphene). Kerosene, though cheaper than camphene, had an unpleasant odor,

and Gesner never made his fortune from it. But Gesner had aroused a new hope for making

illuminating oil from a product coming out of North American mines.

Question 46:

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason why better lighting had

become necessary by the mid–nineteenth century?

A. increases in the number of new factories

B. growth of cities

C. development of railroads

D. demand for better medical facilities

Question 47:

The word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to _______.

A. oil

B. charcoal

C. lard

D. wick

Question 48:

What can be inferred about the illuminating gas described in the passage?

A. It had an unpleasant smell.

B. It was not allowed to be used in public buildings.

C. It was not widely available until mid–nineteenth century.

D. It was first developed in the United States.

Question 49:

The word “resembled” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______.

A. cost the same as

B. was made from C. sounded like

D. was similar to

Question 50: Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

A. a description of events in chronological order

B. a comparison of two years

C. an analysis of scientific findings

D. the statement of a theory and possible explanations