Lesson test: Canals and railways

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Canals and railways

1.[3p]
Match each mode to roughly what one horse could move.

Packhorse
Wagon on a turnpike
Wagon on iron rails
Barge on still water

an eighth of a ton
thirty tons
eight tons
two tons

Show the answer

Packhorse: an eighth of a ton Wagon on a turnpike: two tons Wagon on iron rails: eight tons Barge on still water: thirty tons

2.[3p]
A horse hauls 30 tons at 2.5 mph on a canal, or 2 tons at 3 mph on a road, for ten hours. By what factor do its daily ton-miles rise on the canal?

CorrectNot quite: 12.5

3.[2p]
Coal costs 4 shillings a ton at the pithead. At a land carriage rate of 12 pence per ton-mile, how many miles can it travel before carriage has doubled its price?

CorrectNot quite: 4

4.[2p]
What did the Bridgewater Canal demonstrate when it opened in 1761?

The price of coal in Manchester fell by about half

Correct

That canals could be built without an act of Parliament

The answer is: The price of coal in Manchester fell by about half

That barges could be hauled by steam rather than horses

The answer is: The price of coal in Manchester fell by about half

That canal tolls could be set below the cost of construction

The answer is: The price of coal in Manchester fell by about half

5.[3p]
Which of these were real limits on canals?

Select all that apply

They froze in winter and ran short of water in dry summers

Correct

Companies built to different dimensions, so cargo had to be transhipped

Correct

A route with a single canal gave its owner a monopoly

Correct

They could not carry coal or other heavy minerals

The answer is: They froze in winter and ran short of water in dry summers, Companies built to different dimensions, so cargo had to be transhipped, A route with a single canal gave its owner a monopoly

6.[3p]
What two features of Rocket appear in every steam locomotive built afterwards?

A multi-tube boiler and an exhaust blast directed up the chimney

Correct

A separate condenser and a centrifugal governor

The answer is: A multi-tube boiler and an exhaust blast directed up the chimney

A sun-and-planet gear and parallel motion

The answer is: A multi-tube boiler and an exhaust blast directed up the chimney

A hot blast and a puddling furnace

The answer is: A multi-tube boiler and an exhaust blast directed up the chimney

7.[3p]
Railways carry 5 billion ton-miles at 1 penny a ton-mile; the alternative would cost 1.6 pence. National income is £270 million and there are 240 pence to the pound. What is the social saving as a percentage of national income?

CorrectNot quite: 4.6

8.[3p]
Why does the social saving calculation understate the railway's contribution?

It values the cost of moving goods but not the value of moving them faster or the traffic that only existed because of railways

Correct

It uses the railways' own accounts, which were deliberately understated for tax

The answer is: It values the cost of moving goods but not the value of moving them faster or the traffic that only existed because of railways

It ignores the cost of building the lines

The answer is: It values the cost of moving goods but not the value of moving them faster or the traffic that only existed because of railways

It counts passengers twice

The answer is: It values the cost of moving goods but not the value of moving them faster or the traffic that only existed because of railways

9.[1p]
British public clocks were set to London time by the mid 1850s, a generation before Parliament made it law.

True

Correct

False

The answer is: True

1.[3p] Match each mode to roughly what one horse could move.

2.[3p] A horse hauls 30 tons at 2.5 mph on a canal, or 2 tons at 3 mph on a road, for ten hours. By what factor do its daily ton-miles rise on the canal?

3.[2p] Coal costs 4 shillings a ton at the pithead. At a land carriage rate of 12 pence per ton-mile, how many miles can it travel before carriage has doubled its price?

4.[2p] What did the Bridgewater Canal demonstrate when it opened in 1761?

5.[3p] Which of these were real limits on canals?

6.[3p] What two features of Rocket appear in every steam locomotive built afterwards?

7.[3p] Railways carry 5 billion ton-miles at 1 penny a ton-mile; the alternative would cost 1.6 pence. National income is £270 million and there are 240 pence to the pound. What is the social saving as a percentage of national income?

8.[3p] Why does the social saving calculation understate the railway's contribution?

9.[1p] British public clocks were set to London time by the mid 1850s, a generation before Parliament made it law.

1.[3p]
Match each mode to roughly what one horse could move.

2.[3p]
A horse hauls 30 tons at 2.5 mph on a canal, or 2 tons at 3 mph on a road, for ten hours. By what factor do its daily ton-miles rise on the canal?

3.[2p]
Coal costs 4 shillings a ton at the pithead. At a land carriage rate of 12 pence per ton-mile, how many miles can it travel before carriage has doubled its price?

4.[2p]
What did the Bridgewater Canal demonstrate when it opened in 1761?

5.[3p]
Which of these were real limits on canals?

6.[3p]
What two features of Rocket appear in every steam locomotive built afterwards?

7.[3p]
Railways carry 5 billion ton-miles at 1 penny a ton-mile; the alternative would cost 1.6 pence. National income is £270 million and there are 240 pence to the pound. What is the social saving as a percentage of national income?

8.[3p]
Why does the social saving calculation understate the railway's contribution?

9.[1p]
British public clocks were set to London time by the mid 1850s, a generation before Parliament made it law.