Yellow, Lead and Little Tails: teacher key

How Pencils Are Made, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. The murky origins of the yellow pencil, a word that once meant a brush, and a core that is a recipe rather than a material.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What does the Latin word pencillus mean?
   • Black stone
   • To write
   • Little tail (answer)
2. According to one account, why were pencils first painted?
   • To make them yellow for the flag
   • To mask low-quality wood (answer)
   • To protect the lead
3. How does an eraser lift graphite from paper?
   • Friction with rubber or vinyl that grips graphite better than paper (answer)
   • It dissolves it
   • It melts it
4. Why does a maker's grade count as a recipe rather than a fixed trait?
   • Graphite is always the same
   • Wood decides the grade
   • The clay-to-graphite ratio can be adjusted (answer)
5. What does a lead-propelling mechanism do?
   • Sharpens the pencil
   • Pushes the core toward the tip (answer)
   • Holds the eraser

Words

• plumbago: old name
• friction: rubbing force
• papyrus: reed paper
• mechanical: machine-like