output had been a third that of France; by 1840, it was three times more. All this meant that Britain was pushing ahead in the production of goods of mass consumption for which there was a large and steady demand, whereas France specialized more in luxury commodities of limited and fluctuating demand. Perhaps Voltaire had his in mind when he wrote in 1735, " In truth we are the whipped cream of Europe."

From L. S. Stavrianos, The World Since 1500: A Global History.

1. The word forge, as it is used in the third paragraph, means:

A. make use of the blast furnace.
B. alter in order to deceive.
C. move forward steadily.
D. produce wrought iron.

2. In comparing the economic development of England and France, the passage
shows that :

A. England and France were essentially equals until the middle of the
nineteenth century.
B. France modeled itself on the examples of Italy and Spain, while England
modeled itself on the example of Holland.
C. England gained most of its capital reserves from the spoils of war, while
France gained its capital reserves from trade.
D. England began on an equal base with France in the middle of the

eighteenth century, but pulled far ahead by the middle of the nineteenth
century.

3. What reason does the author give for discussing several countries besides England
and France?

A. Enriching the information provided in the passage
B. Balancing the passage in the interest of fairness.
C. Simplifying the problem confronted in the passage.
D. Eliminating countries whose Golden Age was yet to come

4. The passage suggests that generating the first Industrial Revolution required which of the following?

I. Raw materials
II. Technical Skills
III. A large population

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only

5. The author asserts that England's primary role in world affairs in the nineteenth century can be explained in large part by:

A. the Industrial Revolution getting under way in England first.
B. England's overwhelming naval power.