Question

Read the passage.

The Incredible Machine
Everyone has a favorite attraction at an amusement park, and I am no different.
However, unlike most people who seem to prefer rollercoasters, my favorite ride is
a little gentler. Every time I go to Coney Island, Navy Pier, or the Santa Monica
Pier, I absolutely have to ride the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel is simple and yet
also quite complex. That is, riding it is easy, but how it works is complicated. A
series of carts are attached to a wheel, which is attached to a rim. That rim rotates
vertically around an axis, and gravity keeps the carts upright. As simple as the ride
seems, only advanced engineers can make safe and fun Ferris wheels. What It
Lacks in Thrills… While the Ferris wheel is not as thrilling as a rollercoaster, it is
still very exciting. The fact of being high in the air makes it so much more
entertaining than a lot of rides. I mean, how often do you hang from that high up in
daily life? Nevertheless, I have to admit, I don’t seek Ferris wheels out because of
their excitement. Rather, I find them very relaxing. At the top of the Ferris wheel,
you get beautiful sights of the park. You also get a sense of calm that you don’t get
in the hustle and bustle of the park below. Additionally, Ferris wheels are also
gorgeous to look at when they are lit up at night. In fact, the original Ferris wheel
was designed as much to be seen as to be ridden. It happened at the World’s Fair
The first Ferris wheel was made by and named after George Washington Gale
Ferris, Jr. He designed it for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. It was the tallest
attraction there, standing 264 feet high. However, visitors to the fair were
impressed by the size of the ride as well as the mechanics of it. In 1893, anything
that was not turned by hand was considered a sight to see. And the wheel, which
was a machine, was truly incredible to see. Further, as one visitor put it, the wheel
was amazing because it seemed to be missing support. That is, it did not look like it
could stand on its own. And yet it did and even rotated! They Keep Reaching
Higher and Higher Ferris wheel technology has only improved since then. Most of
today’s Ferris wheels are much larger than that first one. The largest in the world is
the "Singapore Flyer," which stands slightly taller than twice what Ferris’s did!
Today, the Ferris wheel is the most common amusement park ride. But that does
not mean you should take them for granted. Instead, be thankful for Ferris’
invention. The next time you’re at an amusement park, don’t just look up at the
Date: 29.03.2020
impressive wheel in the sky on your way to a newer attraction. Take it for a spin!
Answer the following questions by ticking the correct options:
1) As used in paragraph 1, the word attraction most nearly means
A. sense B. park C. rideD. vision
2)It can be understood that Coney Island, Navy Pier, and the Santa Monica Pier are
all examples of
A. amusement parks B. Ferris wheels C. vacation spots D. boat docks
3) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best antonym for complex?
A. impressive B. beautiful C. exciting D. simple
4)What does the author like best about Ferris wheels?
A. the impressive engineering and beauty of them
B. the excitement and thrills they guarantee
C. the beautiful sights and relaxation they allow
D. the fact that most amusement parks have one
5) According to the passage, the Ferris wheel was originally designed for
A. Coney Island B. the world’s fair C. Disneyworld D. Singapore
6) This passage was most likely written to
Describe the author’s favourite amusement park rides
Explain the original design of Ferris wheels and how they work today
Describe the history of Ferris wheels and why they are so popular
Explain the history of Ferris wheels and why the author likes them
7) Using information in the passage, the reader can understand that the tallest Ferris
wheel in the world is
A. under 250 feet tall B. between 250 and 500 feet tall
C. between 500 and 750 feet tall D. over 750 feet tall

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules, or pods) attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity. Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on the outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These cars are often referred to as capsules or pods.



Ain Dubai. The largest Ferris Wheel in the world

The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago; however, wheels of this form predate Ferris's wheel by centuries. The generic term "Ferris wheel," now used in English for all such structures, has become the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in the United States.[1]

The tallest Ferris wheel, the 260-metre (853 ft) Ain Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, opened in October 2021. The previous record holder since 2014 had been the 167.6-metre (550 ft) High Roller in Las Vegas, Nevada, which opened to the public in March 2014.

Terminology and designEdit

The term Ferris wheel comes from the maker of one of the first examples constructed for Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. in 1893.

Modern versions have been called observation wheels.In 1892, when the incorporation papers for the Ferris Wheel Company (constructors of the original 1893 Chicago Ferris Wheel) were filed, the purpose of the company was stated as: [construction and operation of] "wheels of the Ferris or other types for the purpose of observation or amusement".[4]

Design variation includes single (cantilevered) or twin sided support for the wheel and whether the cars or capsules are oriented upright by gravity or by electric motors. The most prevalent design is the use of twin sided support and gravity-oriented capsules.

Early history

Early pleasure wheels depicted in 17th-century engravings, to the left by Adam Olearius, to the right a Turkish design, apparently for adults

Dancing the hora on Dealul Spirii (Spirii Hill), Bucharest, Romania (1857 lithograph)

Magic-City, Paris, France, 1913

"Pleasure wheels", whose passengers rode in chairs suspended from large wooden rings turned by strong men, may have originated in 17th-century Bulgaria.[1][5]

The Travels of Peter Mundy in Europe and Asia, 1608–1667[6] describes and illustrates "severall Sorts of Swinginge used in their Publique rejoyceings att their Feast of Biram" on 17 May 1620 at Philippopolis (now Plovdiv) in the Ottoman Balkans.[5] Among means "lesse dangerous and troublesome" was one:

like a Craine wheele att Customhowse Key and turned in that Manner, whereon Children sitt on little seats hunge round about in severall parts thereof, And though it turne right upp and downe, and that the Children are sometymes on the upper part of the wheele, and sometymes on the lower, yett they alwaies sitt upright.

Five years earlier, in 1615, Pietro Della Valle, a Roman traveller who sent letters from Constantinople, Persia, and India, attended a Ramadan festival in Constantinople. He describes the fireworks, floats, and great swings, then comments on riding the Great Wheel:[7]

I was delighted to find myself swept upwards and downwards at such speed. But the wheel turned round so rapidly that a Greek who was sitting near me couldn't bear it any longer, and shouted out "soni! soni!" (enough! enough!)

Similar wheels also appeared in England in the 17th century, and subsequently elsewhere around the world, including India, Romania, and Siberia.[5]

A Frenchman, Antonio Manguino, introduced the idea to America in 1848, when he constructed a wooden pleasure wheel to attract visitors to his start-up fair in Walton Spring, Georgia.