Lesson 5.2: How our voices can travel by the speed of sound (Ju

What was the main concept behind the development of the telegraph?

• Sending letters more efficiently
• Sending electric signals across wires
• Improving the postal system
• Sending messages via radio waves
• Creating a system for automatic message transmission

Which factor was crucial for Samuel Morse to advance his telegraph system?

• The invention of Morse Code
• Political backing and a business model
• Support from international communities
• The invention of the telephone
• A partnership with Western Union

How did the telegraph impact the spread of information compared to pre-telegraph times?

• It had no significant impact
• It was less reliable
• It made the spread of information much faster
• It made information less accurate
• It only impacted local information spread

What societal changes were predicted due to the advent of the telegraph?

• It would make the world larger
• It would increase national rivalries
• It would contribute to world peace
• It would make newspapers more popular
• It would create more isolation

How did business and politics change after the telegraph was introduced?

• They became more constrained by geography
• They remained unchanged
• They became less constrained by geography
• They became slower and less efficient
• They relied more on physical travel

Which prediction about the telegraph mirrors predictions about the Internet in the 1990s?

• It would increase the use of the postal service
• It would render newspapers obsolete
• It would cause an economic downturn
• It would lead to a decrease in global communication
• It would reinforce old prejudices and hostilities

According to predictions, what effect would the telegraph have on the flow of information?

• It would restrict the flow of information
• Information would flow like water
• It would prevent the flow of certain types of information
• It would only flow between certain nations
• It would be like a steady drip, slow and constant

How did the first transcontinental telegraph line impact Western Union's value?

• It caused a severe decrease in value
• It increased the company's value significantly
• It had no impact on the company's value
• It increased the value by 100 percent
• It doubled the company's stock price

What belief did the postmaster general hold that led to the rejection of Morse's telegraph offer?

• That it could be used for secret communication
• That the revenues could not equal expenditures
• That it was technologically flawed
• That the rates of postage were too high
• That it was not an efficient mode of communication

How was the initial public and political reaction to the telegraph?

• Universally positive
• Skeptical and sometimes negative
• Interested but cautious
• Enthusiastic and supportive
• Fully confident in its success