Cause and Effect in Wheels of Change, Part 4 — Quiz
Question 6 • Literature and Composition I
Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change . In the 1890s, riding a bicycle in traditional clothing could be hazardous to a woman's health. Witness this all-too-typical account of a female cyclist whose adventure came to an abrupt end: "The wind was behind me, the road good, with just the least bit of down-slope, and I was skimming along like a bird, when there was an awful tug at my dress and a cracking sound," recalled the unnamed woman, who was quoted in the journal Sporting Life in October 1891. "Before I knew what was the matter I found myself lying in the road with the safety on the top of me.” Which best characterizes the effect of the woman wearing “traditional clothing”?
Answer
A
Long-term effect: Females were no longer permitted to cycle.
B
Long-term effect: The rider was injured while riding her bicycle.
C
Short-term effect: The rider fell off the bicycle after her skirt got caught.
D
Short-term effect: Females no longer wore dresses while cycling.
Explanation
The woman’s dress caught while she was riding, and the resulting tug and cracking sound caused her to fall, leaving the bicycle on top of her. This was an immediate, short-term consequence of riding in traditional clothing. Choice C correctly describes the fall after her skirt got caught; the passage does not say she was injured long-term or that women stopped cycling or wearing dresses altogether.
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