# PTE Reading MCM #18: Early American Labor...

Reading: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers #18 - Level 3 - Feeds Reading

> Read the text and answer the question by choosing all the options that are correct. More than one answer is correct, and a wrong choice costs a point.

In this newly emerging economic order, workers are sometimes organized to protect their rights and traditional ways of life. Craft workers such as carpenters, printers, and tailors formed unions, and in 1834 individual unions came together in the National Trades Union. The labor movement gathered some momentum in the decade before the Panic of 1837, but in the depression that followed, labor's strength collapsed. During hard times, few workers were willing to strike or engage in collective action. And skilled craft workers, who spearheaded the union movement, did not feel a particularly strong bond with semi-skilled factory workers and unskilled laborers. More than a decade of agitation did finally bring a workday shortened to 10 hours to most industries by the 1850s, and the courts also recognized workers' right to strike, but these gains had a little immediate impact.

Which of the following statements about the labor movement of the 1800's is supported by the paragraph?

- It went down during times of economic crisis.
- Its primary purpose was to benefit unskilled laborers.
- It was slow to improve conditions for workers.
- It helped workers of all skill levels form a strong bond with each other.

## Answer

- It went down during times of economic crisis.
- It was slow to improve conditions for workers.

## Explanation

The text confirms that labor strength diminished during economic downturns and that significant improvements in working hours were delayed, having little immediate effect.

What to watch: In the depression after 1837, "labor's strength collapsed," so it went down in a crisis. Gains came after "more than a decade of agitation" and had "little immediate impact," so progress was slow. The bond option reverses the text, since skilled workers "did not feel a particularly strong bond."

## Hints

- Look for keywords related to economic crises and the duration of labor gains.
- Examine the text's description of the relationship between skilled and unskilled workers.

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