Comparing and contrasting helps you identify similarities and differences between two or more items. You can compare and contrast written documents, as well as information from maps, charts, and graphs. Use the passage below to answer the questions that follow.
The Industrial Revolution Brings Changes
Before the Industrial Revolution, goods were produced locally. Craftspeople, such as furniture makers and silversmiths, made some items, but many families made most of what they needed, such as clothing and household tools. People burned wood and used water power for energy sources, and most people lived in rural areas or small towns.
The Industrial Revolution, however, brought about many changes. Goods no longer had to be produced at the local level since canals, steam engines, and railroads allowed these items to be transported more easily. Factories and machines allowed more goods to be produced at a faster rate. Coal became an important energy source so that steam engines and other machines could operate. Cities grew as people moved from rural areas and small towns to fill new factory jobs there.
Describe where most people lived before and after the Industrial Revolution.
How were goods made before the Industrial Revolution? Contrast this with how goods were made after the Industrial Revolution.
Compare and contrast the demand for the work of the craftspeople before and after the Industrial Revolution.
Contrast the main sources of energy before and after the start of the Industrial Revolution.
How do you think the change in the source of energy affected the air quality in the cities?
| Your Responses | Sample Answers |
|---|---|
| Most people lived in rural areas and small towns before the Industrial Revolution. After the Industrial Revolution, an increasing number of people lived in cities. | |
| Before the Industrial Revolution, people made most of what they needed at home; however, some items came from craftspeople. After the Industrial Revolution, an increasing number of goods were made by machines in distant factories. | |
| Craftspeople made goods both before and after the Industrial Revolution, but demand for their work probably decreased because factories could produce goods faster and cheaper. | |
| Before the Industrial Revolution, woodburning and water power were important energy sources. After the Industrial Revolution, coal helped run steam engines and other machines. | |
| Burning coal produced air pollution that made the air dirtier in cities. | |
