Stand Up

Which sentence best states a central idea of the passage?

• In the United States, children have had many different jobs.

• In the late 1800s, some children worked on farms.

• In the early 1900s, children made less than their parents.

• In 1938, a new law was created to protect child workers.

Which two sentences from the passage summarize how the Fair Labor Standards Act protects children?

• “It limits the number of hours children can work.”

• “It also lists tasks that are too dangerous.”

• “FLSA was passed in 1938.”

• “Its requirements seem like common sense.”

• “They finally won in 1938, when Congress passed FLSA.”

Read this sentence from paragraph 2.

But serious problems predated the law.

What does the word predated mean in this sentence?

• A happened before

• B happening now

• C happened again

• D happening slowly

During the Industrial Revolution, many working children came from families that were poor. Which detail from the passage best supports this statement?

• A “Its requirements seem like common sense.”

• B “During that time, many factories were built.”

• C “Adult workers earned so little that many let their children work.”

• D “In the early 1900s, some people criticized the idea of letting children work.”

Which is the best summary of paragraphs 3 and 4?

• A Factory owners hired children and paid them less than adults. Work conditions were dangerous for children. Long hours kept them from going to school.

• B Factory owners hired adults and children. Workers made large quantities of goods. Greedy adults made more money than children and had better working conditions.

• C Factory owners liked to hire children. Kids did not complain and could work in small spaces. Some children worked in mines or factories for 10 to 14 hours a day.

• D Factory owners were greedy and did not care about their workers. In some factories, children got injured.

Read this sentence from paragraph 5.

In the early 1900s, some people criticized the idea of letting children work.

What does criticized mean?

• A looked or acted like

• B pointed out problems or faults

• C spent or made use of

• D got confused or mixed up

The passage says in paragraph 5 that a group of people took pictures of child workers. Based on paragraph 4, choose two answers that tell what the pictures could have shown.

• A how the children got to work

• B how the children spent their pay

• C what the children’s jobs were

• D what the children did for fun

• E how young the children were

Hard times in the 1930s caused Congress to pass FLSA. Which detail from the passage best supports this idea?

• A “In the early 1900s, some people criticized the idea of letting children work.”

• B “They formed a group to collect information.”

• C “Still, changes came slowly.”

• D “With so many adults out of work, people did not want children taking jobs away.”

What is a central idea of the passage "A Struggle for Better Working Conditions?

• A In the past, women made cloth at home until textile mills opened.

• B In the 1800s, most cloth was made by women in the Lowell textile mills.

• C In the 1800s, women at Lowell’s textile mills tried to improve their working conditions.

• D In the Lowell mills, working conditions improved when factory owners decided to help their workers.

The adjustment was hard, even for girls who grew up on farms.

What does adjustment mean in this sentence?

• A a distance between two places

• B the reason for a choice or decision

• C a group of people living together

• D the act of getting used to something new