Adapted from great inventions and discoveries
by willis duff piercy

james watt was born in greenock, scotland, on january 19, 1736. at the age of 21, he secured a position as maker of scientific instruments for the university in glasgow. he began focusing on improving the steam engine, which at that time was used only for pumping water, chiefly in the drainage of mines. he studied the properties of steam and tried to devise means for making the steam engine more useful. one sunday afternoon early in 1765, while walking in glasgow, the idea he had studied so long to evolve suddenly flashed into his mind. without delay, watt put his plan to the test and found that it worked.
before the time of watt, the steam engine was exclusively a steam pump—slow, wasteful of fuel, and very little used. watt made it a quick, powerful, and efficient engine, requiring only a fourth as much fuel as before. under his first patent, the engine was still used only as a steam pump; but his later improvements adapted it for driving stationary machinery of all kinds. prior to watt's inventions, the mines of great britain were on the point of being abandoned, due to the difficulty of removing the large quantities of water that collected in them. his improvements made it possible to remove this water at a moderate cost, and this gave many of the mines a new lease of life. the commercial success of his engine was soon fully established.
9
what is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
a.
to describe james watt's vision to use the steam engine for various purposes
b.
to inform readers about james watt's contribution to improving the steam engine
c.
to persuade readers that james watt could improve the steam engine due to strong study habits
d.
to explain how ineffective steam engines were before james watt worked hard to improve them