The Birth of the Blues Multiple-Strategy Passage

(1) Why did Levi Strauss open his own dry goods store?

(2) Why did Strauss switch from canvas to denim?

(3) How did Jacob Davis make the pockets of Levi’s stronger?

(4) What is the main idea of this passage?

(5) Why did Levi Strauss keep improving the pants?

(6) Why were the forty-niners unhappy with their pants?

(7) Based on this passage, what conclusion can you reach about jeans?

(8) Which word best describes the first “waist-high overalls”?

Nothing is more American than a pair of blue jeans. At one time only Americans wore them, but the fashion has long since spread around the world. Still, blue jeans remain a popular symbol of America; however, they didn’t begin as a fashion statement; (5)

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They began as a practical solution to a specific problem. In 1849 gold was discovered in California. That news sparked the famous California Gold Rush. Thousands of forty-niners rushed to the gold fields hoping to find their fortunes. A few miners did strike it rich, but most did not. (6)

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They spent whatever money they made on lodging, food, clothing, picks, and shovels. Clothing was a particular problem. The miners spent long days kneeling in dirt, scrambling over rocks, and squatting in water. Under these conditions, pants wore out quickly. (9)

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Miners complained about how easily their pants ripped or the seams pulled out. As one miner put it, “pants don’t wear worth a hoot up in the diggin’s.” According to legend, one miner mentioned this problem to a merchant named Levi Strauss. (4)

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He had been born in Germany in At the age of 17, he came to America and settled in New York City. There he worked in his brother’s store selling dry goods such as shirts, blankets, pillows, and underwear. In 1853 Levi Strauss sailed to San Francisco to make his fortune. (12)

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He planned to make his money not by panning for gold, but by running a store. He figured he could sell all sorts of dry goods to miners. Strauss even brought some canvas with him. He thought the materials would make good tents or wagon covers. (6)

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After hearing the miners’ clothing complaints, though, Strauss changed his mind. He used the canvas to make up some pants for miners. Calling them “waist-high overalls,” he sold them for 22 cents a pair. The miners loved “those pants of Levi’s” or “Levi’s” for short. (5)

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One miner even sat in a watering trough until his Levi’s shrank to a perfect fit. The brown pants were homely, but they wore like iron. Strauss sold his pants as fast as he could make them. Still, he constantly worked to improve his product. He switched from canvas to French denim, a cotton twill material even stronger and more durable than canvas. (5)

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Later he also changed the dye color to a dark indigo blue. Because of the new color, some people began to call their Levi’s “blue denim’s” or “blue jeans.” (The word jeans comes from the name of a city in Italy also associated with denim pants—Genoa.) (3)

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But there was still one major problem with Levi’s. The pants themselves never ripped, but sometimes the seams did. This was especially true in areas of stress, such as the pockets. Miners often stuffed samples of ore in their pockets. The pressure frequently ripped open the pockets. (6)

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In 1872, a tailor named Jacob Davis came up with a brilliant idea. He was tired of sewing up the same pockets over and over again. Davis put copper rivets on the corners of the pockets and at the base of the fly. It worked. The seams didn’t rip anymore. Davis lacked the money to patent his process, so (7)

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he wrote to Levi Strauss and suggested that they form a partnership. Strauss agreed. A patent for the new process was issued on May 20, 1872, and modern blue jeans were born. Before long, Levi Strauss & Company became the largest clothing manufacturer in the world. (6)

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Strauss had intended to make simple work pants, but his blue jeans became immensely popular for all-around use far beyond the gold fields. Men and women in all walks of life enjoyed them. Vogue magazine featured women in Levi’s as early as (4)

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Lana Turner, a famous movie star, had her blue jeans studded with diamonds. The rivets on the rear pockets, though, did not last. When children began wearing blue jeans to school, the rivets scratched the school chairs and desks. Teachers complained, so in 1937 the rivets on the rear pockets were replaced by extra heavy stitching. (5)

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Later, blue jeans became a hot item in communist nations. In the old Soviet Union, for instance, they sold for as much as $140 a pair on the black market. (In other countries, jeans were selling for approximately $10 a pair.) In some communist nations, jeans were even used as a form of money. (4)

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(1) Why did Levi Strauss open his own dry goods store? [RI.8.1] A.His cousin loaned him the money. B.He wanted to make his fortune. C.Someone gave him a lot of canvas. D.He didn’t enjoy mining gold.

(2) Why did Strauss switch from canvas to denim? [RI.8.1] A. He could sell the denim pants at a cheaper price. B. He ran out of canvas and couldn’t get more. C. Miners complained because the denim pants didn’t fit. D. The material was stronger and more durable.

(3) How did Jacob Davis make the pockets of Levi’s stronger? [RI.8.1] A.He put copper rivets in the corners of the pockets. B.He put extra heavy stitching on the pockets. C.He started making pants out of denim. D.He couldn’t afford to patent his process.

(4) What is the main idea of this passage? [RI.8.2] A.Jeans were created by Levi Strauss to help gold miners. B.Levi’s became popular around the world and sometimes sold for as much as $140 a pair in the old Soviet Union. C.Jeans began as a work uniform, but became a popular fashion statement and a black market commodity. D.Items of clothing can often be improved, as proven in the example of Levi’s.

(5) From this passage, a reader can infer that Levi Strauss [RI.8.1] A.made changes to the pants to make them more stylish B.made changes to the pants to make more money C.made changes to the pants to make them more practical D.made changes to the pants to keep up with the competition

(6) The forty-niners were unhappy with their pants because [RI.8.1] A.The pants didn’t fit well at first. B.The pants weren’t an attractive color. C.The pockets ripped too easily. D.The pants were too expensive.

(7) Based on this passage, what conclusion can you reach about the future of jeans? [RI.8.1} A.Jeans will continue to be popular for years to come. B.Jeans will continue to be a popular work uniform. C.Jeans will eventually fade away and be replaced by a more practical item of clothing. D.Jeans will soon be made out of canvas again.

(8) Which word best describes the first “waist-high overalls”? [RI.8.4] A.cheap B.comfortable C.expensive D.practical