ISEE Reading Practice Test 85 All

Line (1) Immediately following the dramatic end of World War II
Line (2) came a realization that the United States now had to turn its
Line (3) attention inward. Years of fighting battles around the globe had
Line (4) drained the country of important resources. Many industries
Line (5) (such as housing) suffered, as both materials and workers
Line (6) were used elsewhere in the war effort. Once the soldiers began
Line (7) returning, it became clear that new jobs and new homes were
Line (8) among their biggest needs. The homes needed to be affordable,
Line (9) since few people had the time or ability to save much during the
Line (10) war.
Line (11) It was in this situation that many house developers saw a
Line (12) business opportunity. Amid such a pressing demand for new
Line (13) homes, developer William Levitt realized the need for a new
Line (14) method of building. He sought a way to build homes cheaper
Line (15) and faster than ever before.
Line (16) He wasn't the only developer to realize this, but he was one
Line (17) of the best in making it happen. He applied the same ideas to
Line (18) homes that Henry Ford had used 50 years earlier in making
Line (19) cars. Levitt did not build a factory with an assembly line of
Line (20) fully formed homes rolling out of some giant machine. Instead,
Line (21) he adapted the assembly line formula into a system in which
Line (22) the workers, rather than the product, moved for a streamlined,
Line (23) efficient building process.
Line (24) Previously, a developer who completed four homes a year
Line (25) had been moving at a good pace. Levitt planned to do that
Line (26) many each week, and succeeded. He created specialized teams
Line (27) that focused on only one job each and moved up and down the
Line (28) streets of new homes. Teams of foundation-builders, carpenters,
Line (29) roofers, and painters worked faster by sticking to just one task
Line (30) as they moved, factory-style, from house to house. The time
Line (31) and money saved allowed Levitt to build cheap homes of good
Line (32) value.
Line (33) With this new approach, Levitt oversaw the building of some
Line (34) of the first towns that would eventually be called suburbs—
Line (35) planned communities outside the city. Some critics blame
Line (36) developers like Levitt for turning farmland into monotonous,
Line (37) characterless towns. However, most agree that his contribution
Line (38) to the country following a bitter war was mostly positive.
Line (39) He did vary the style of home from street to street, and his
Line (40) work on simpler home features was influenced by the work of
Line (41) architecture great Frank Lloyd Wright.
Line (42) In the end, Levitt's success speaks for itself. After his first
Line (43) success—building thousands of homes in Long Island, New
Line (44) York—he went on to found several more "Levittowns" in
Line (45) Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Levitt gave home
Line (46) buyers what they wanted: nice pieces of land with nice homes
Line (47) on top. In a way, by creating houses that so many families could
Line (48) afford, William Levitt made the American dream a more
Line (49) affordable reality.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

• A. discuss the final days of World War II
• B. suggest that suburban housing is unaffordable
• C. describe one person's contribution to an industry
• D. prove that the economy changed after World War II

2. Which of the following statements about William Levitt is best supported by the passage?

• A. He invented the word "suburb."
• B. He was unconcerned with the appearance of the homes he built.
• C. His homes were built in Ford-style factories.
• D. His efficient methods helped make homes more affordable.

3. Which of the following best describes Levitt?

• A. Courageous patriot
• B. Strict businessman
• C. Ground-breaking entrepreneur
• D. Financial mastermind

4. It can be inferred from the passage that

• A. Levitt was the only developer working in New York following World War II
• B. Levitt and Henry Ford created homes the same way
• C. other developers did not know how to use the concept of assembly line construction
• D. Levitt built homes much faster than was customary before World War II

5. The passage mentions all of the following as reasons for the postwar housing demand EXCEPT the

• A. destruction of American homes during the war
• B. difficulty of saving money during the war
• C. search for new jobs and new homes by returning soldiers
• D. use of home-building materials elsewhere during the war

6. The passage suggests that a potential drawback to "assembly-line style" houses is that they can be

• A. hard to sell
• B. not very sturdy
• C. similar-looking
• D. horrible for the environment