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C. today pencils are made by scraping out sticks of wood
D. graphite is not a major component of pencils
The correct answer is (B).
The paragraph mentions that the first pencil, which was created in the 16th century,
was a hollow stick of wood with a stick of graphite inserted into it. Shortly after, a
better technique was invented: two wooden halves were glued together after a
graphite stick was inserted. This technique is used to this day.
Answer (A) is incorrect because lead is not used in pencils; there used to be a time
that the paint on the outside of the pencil was leadbased; however, the passage
does not mention when that was or if it was in the last century.
Answer (C) is incorrect because today pencils are made in the same way that they
were made in the past, two wooden halves are glued together after a graphite stick
is inserted in the middle.
Answer (D) is incorrect because graphite is the main component of the pencil,
without which the pencil could not be used for writing and drawing; it is the
component that allows the pencil to draw a mark.
9. The pencil is a modern-day version of a centuries-old writing implement. Around
1560, an Italian couple designed the modern, wood-encased pencil. Their creation
was flatter and more compact than the pencils we use today. Their plan involved
hollowing out a stick of wood and inserting a stick of graphite into it. Shortly after, a
better technique was discovered: two wooden halves were carved, a graphite stick
was inserted, and then the halves were glued together, which is also how pencils are
currently made.
Although many people refer to the graphite inside pencils as “lead”, they have
always been made with graphite; however, the paint on the wood that surrounded
the graphite was, at one time, lead-based.
According to the passage,
A. pencils have never been made of wood
B. lead-based paint is dangerous
C. the original pencil design was the best one
D. pencils are writing devices
The correct answer is (D).
The first sentence mentions that the pencil is a writing tool.