TEAS Reading Questions Related

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Mother Jones, who was a labor activist, wrote the following about children working in cotton mills in Alabama: "Little girls and boys, barefooted, walked up and down between the endless rows of spindles, reaching thin little hands into the machinery to repair snapped threads. They crawled under machinery to oil it. They replaced spindles all day long; all night through...six-year-olds with faces of sixty did an eight-hour shift for ten cents a day; the machines, built int he North, were built low for the hands of little children."

What do you predict occurred after Mother Jones's publication about child labor in cotton mills?

  • A. More children signed up to work in the factories
  • B. Cotton factories in the South closed
  • C. Laws were passed to prevent child labor
  • D. The pay scale for these children was increased
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: After Mother Jones's publication detailing the harsh conditions of child labor in cotton mills, it is likely that public awareness increased, leading to public outcry. This heightened awareness and outrage often result in legislative actions being taken. Therefore, it is reasonable to predict that laws were passed to prevent child labor, as the excerpt vividly describes the unsafe and exploitative working conditions faced by children. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the publication would not have encouraged more children to work in such harsh conditions, led to the closure of cotton factories, or increased the pay scale for child laborers; instead, it would have prompted societal action to protect children from such exploitation.