Editorial Development: Bonnie Brook Communications

SKILL PRACTICE
Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
 1. Which of these is evidence that filtering coffee 
made it even more popular?
A 
Coffee was first filtered in Vienna.
B 
Coffeehouses in Britain first charged a penny 
or two per cup.
C 
Coffee became popular in New England.
D 
Many more coffeehouses opened in Vienna.
 2. Which of these is evidence that coffeehouses were 
places for artists to share their work?
A 
access to Wi-Fi
B 
singers and poets performing
C 
political action organization
D 
discussion of theories
 3. Evidence from the passage suggests that coffee 
made before 1645 was 
.
A 
served cold
B 
usually bitter
C 
extremely clear
D 
very expensive
 4. Which information suggests that British 
coffeehouses were social levelers?
A 
Coffee was cheap enough for all to afford.
B 
The first British coffeehouses appeared in the 
late 1600s.
C 
Coffeehouses became popular throughout 
Europe.
D 
Coffeehouses have existed for over 500 years.
STRATEGY PRACTICE
What is a question you had as you read the passage? What is the answer?
 
 
Evaluate Evidence
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10/31/12 7:35 AM

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© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3458 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
165
Name: 
WEEK 26
DAY 5
READ THE PASSAGE
As you read, think about why the author wrote the passage.
Mow Town
It is Saturday morning and time to mow the lawn. How did this tradition get its start? Where did the 
idea come from to create a green carpet of uniformly clipped grass?
In 1830, Edwin Budding invented a gadget for mowing lawns in England. While working in a textile 
mill, Budding realized that the machine that sheared the fuzzy raised bumps off of fabric could be modified 
to become a horse-drawn machine for cutting grass. Prior to this invention, only aristocrats could afford to 
maintain grass lawns. After several improvements, when affordable lawn mowers eventually came along, 
regular homeowners could have beautifully trimmed lawns of their own, thus elevating their social status.
In 1870, Elwood McGuire from Indiana designed a new lawn mower that became a commercial 
success. It was lighter, easier to push, and had fewer moving parts than the older versions. This is the 
machine that brought push mowing to the masses. By 1885, the United States was producing 50,000 
lawn mowers per year and shipping them all around the world.
Soon, people started figuring out ways to add mechanical power to the mower. A steam-powered 
engine turned out to be inefficient; it took longer to fire up the boiler than it did to actually mow the yard. 
The first gasoline-powered mowers in the United States were manufactured in 1919, but the power mower 
did not become popular until after World War II. By the early 1960s, gasoline-powered mowers had 
become the norm. Today, mowing one’s lawn is an expected part of home ownership. In fact, many 
residential areas have laws prohibiting residents from letting their lawns grow too long.