Scribd
Upload
71 views2 pages

Higher Ability Answers

The document provides answers to questions about various inventions and inventors. It discusses the invention of the fidget spinner in the 1990s by Catherine Hettinger, how matches were accidentally invented by John Walker, and that ballpoint pens are called "biros" after their inventor Laszlo Biro. It also notes that karaoke means "empty orchestra" and was invented in Japan, and that the smiley face design was created in 1963 but its inventor received little money. Finally, it states that Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in the early 1990s and that the word "patent" comes from the Latin for "to lay open".

Uploaded by

nellytusiime
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
71 views2 pages

Higher Ability Answers

The document provides answers to questions about various inventions and inventors. It discusses the invention of the fidget spinner in the 1990s by Catherine Hettinger, how matches were accidentally invented by John Walker, and that ballpoint pens are called "biros" after their inventor Laszlo Biro. It also notes that karaoke means "empty orchestra" and was invented in Japan, and that the smiley face design was created in 1963 but its inventor received little money. Finally, it states that Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in the early 1990s and that the word "patent" comes from the Latin for "to lay open".

Uploaded by

nellytusiime
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

‘Spinners, Matches and Karaoke’ Answers

1. What gadgets are listed in first paragraph? List three.

Students might list Pokémon cards, Beanie Babies and Loom Bands. They might also count fidget or
finger spinners here.

2. Who invented the ‘fidget spinner’? When?

Catherine Hettinger invented the device in the early 1990s and patented it in 1997.

3. What toy company was originally interested in producing the ‘spinner’?

Hasbro

4. List two things Hettinger has stated about her invention.

Students might list the fact that she isn’t angry about the patent, that she is glad that someone is
using her device, that inventions often don’t make money or that she couldn’t afford to update the
patent for the device in 2005. Students might also remember that she said only 3% of inventions
make money for the inventor.

5. How did the invention of the match happen?

It was an accident. John Walker was experimenting with lighting (fire starting) materials and a splint
of wood, covered in the mixture, struck the fireplace and ignited.

6. Why do we call ballpoint pens ‘biros’?

Laszlo Biro was the original inventor and first person to hold the patent for the ballpoint pen.

7. State two things you learn about karaoke from the article.

Students may choose from the name of the man who invented it: Daisuke Inoue or the fact that his
band originally played live to audiences who then sang the lyrics. They may talk about the fact that it
is a multi-billion-dollar industry, that Inoue sees no profit from his invention or the fact that karaoke
means ‘empty orchestra’.

8. State two facts you know about the ‘smiley face’ design.

It was designed in 1963 by Harvey Ball for an advertising company. He received $45 for his design
but 50 million pins had been created within a decade of his design appearing.

9. Who is Tim Berners-Lee and what is he famous for?

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the internet – he and a team created the first web server, first
website and webpages in 1991 from an idea he had in 1987.

10. Where does the word patent come from?

From the Latin verb patere, meaning ‘to lay open’. This refers to patents requiring that the inventor
shows the true working of the invention when applying for exclusive rights.

Page 1 of 2
‘Spinners, Matches and Karaoke’ Answers

Extension
Research one of the most successful inventors of all time. You might look at Thomas Edison, Leonardo da
Vinci, the Wright brothers or James Dyson, inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner. What is the story of
the invention? What kinds of challenges did the inventor face in bringing their invention to completion?

A variety of books and websites are dedicated to great inventors – any of these may be useful.
Students might complete a fact file on their chosen inventor. They might want to concentrate on the
difficulties surrounding the invention process – consider how many variants of the lightbulb were
invented by Edison for example.

Imagine that you have invented something of your own. It might be something that would help the
third world, provide entertainment or make student life easier. Write a three to four-page story in which
you describe the inventing and marketing of your device. What happens when you try to sell it?

Students might use the illustrations and designs from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook here to help as a
writing prompt or they may do this after researching the real life stories of some of the greatest inventors.

Find out more about the criticism around patent law. What are the pros and cons of having patents?
Why do some people believe (as Tim Berners-Lee did about the internet) that some ideas should simply
be for everyone? Write an opinion piece in which you decide on your side in the issue.

This can alternatively be prepared as a debate with each side researching the issues around patent.
They might also look at jurisdiction and whether an international patent would be more sensible
rather than a sovereign state-by-state one. They might investigate the particular problems of drugs
and drug testing and the patenting of designer medicines by pharmaceutical companies.

Page 2 of 2

You might also like