The document summarizes the history of time zones. It explains that originally, towns each had their own local time based on when the sun was highest. With the rise of telegraphs and railways enabling long-distance communication and travel, a standard time system became necessary to reduce confusion. In the 1880s, Sir Sanford Fleming proposed a system of international time zones based on lines of longitude. By the early 20th century, most countries had adopted this system and established time zones separated by 15 degrees of longitude, with Greenwich, England as the starting point.

1. Name: ________________________ Class: ___________________ Date: __________ ID: A
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UNIT 2
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
The History of Time Zones
Today we travel quickly over long distances. We move from one time zone to another and change
the time on our watches without thinking much about it. However, time zones are a fairly recent
development. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, cities and towns each had their own local time.
They determined the time by setting their clocks to twelve noon when the sun was highest in the sky. In
the United States, for example, there were more than 300 different local times. However, because people
usually didn’t travel very far, they barely noticed the difference in time between towns. These differences
were just a few minutes.
All of this changed with the arrival of the telegraph and the railways. With these innovations,
people could communicate across long distances and travel to places where the time was quite different.
Suddenly, a standard time system became necessary. It was difficult to create train schedules when each
town along a train’s route used a different time. This was confusing for passengers, too. In 1840, the
British railway system instituted a standard time on one its routes. Over the next few years, all British
trains began to run on the same standard time. In 1883, the railways in the United States established four
standard times zones for their train schedules.
A few years earlier, an engineer named Sir Sanford Fleming had made a proposal for a system of
international time zones based on lines of longitude – imaginary lines that run north and south between
the poles. He suggested 24 time zones, one for each hour of the day. There was one zone for each 15
degrees of longitude, for a total of 360 degrees. In 1884, this proposal was discussed by participants at an
international conference. They decided that this system should use Greenwich, England as the starting
point. The city of Greenwich had the most accurate clock at the time. Fifteen degrees of longitude to the
west would be an hour earlier. Fifteen degrees to the east would be an hour later. The plan was for every
country in the world to institute these changes within fifteen years. In fact, it took a little longer. The
United States government made time zones mandatory in 1918. Most countries followed suit over the
next 20 years. The last country to join the time zone system was Liberia, in 1972.
Not every country and community follows the longitude lines exactly. For example, a city may
choose one time zone for the whole city if it sits on a longitude line. No one wants to live in a city in two
different time zones. Some countries, such as China and India, have chosen to have a single time zone for
the whole country even though their borders extend beyond 15 degrees of longitude. The strangest
situation occurs at the North and South Pole, where all of the time zones come together. People who live
and work near the poles can move back and forth in time with just a few steps!
Instructions: Refer to the reading “The History of Time Zones.” Choose the correct answer for each
question.
____ 1. What is the main purpose of the reading?
a. To demonstrate the need for time zones
b. To explain the importance of long-distance communication and travel
c. To explain the origin of our current system of time zones
d. To question the purpose of the time zone system

2. Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 2. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
a. Having many different times was very confusing.
b. The British were leaders in establishing the current time zone system.
c. Railroad passengers want to know what the correct time is wherever they travel.
d. Railroads were a major factor in establishing the time zone system.
____ 3. How did cities and towns in the eighteenth century determine the correct time?
a. They relied on the time in Greenwich, England.
b. A precise time was not important so they did not pay close attention to the time.
c. They used the sun to decide when it was noon.
d. They depended on the railroads to maintain an accurate time.
____ 4. After the international conference, how long did it take for the entire world to join the time zone system?
a. Less than 50 years
b. Almost 100 years
c. Until 1918
d. About 20 years
____ 5. How many degrees of longitude must you travel to move 10 hours later in time?
a. 15 to the west
b. 90 to the east
c. 150 to the east
d. 300 to the west
____ 6. Why are time zones at the poles different from time zones in other parts of the world?
a. They are all in the same time zone.
b. They don’t follow the same system.
c. They are not 15 degrees apart.
d. They are very close together.
____ 7. According to the reading, what has been the effect of standard time zones?
a. They have increased railway travel around the world.
b. They have reduced confusion in travel and communication.
c. They have been a source of concern for many travelers.
d. They have led to an increase in global exploration.
Matching
Instructions: Refer to the reading “The History of Time Zones.” Match the dates to the events.
a. Before the nineteenth century
b. In the early part of the nineteenth century
c. In the late 1870s
d. In 1884
e. By 1938
____ 1. Greenwich becomes the starting point for time zones.
____ 2. Sir Sanford Fleming proposed the international time zone system.
____ 3. Towns across a country all had slightly different times.
____ 4. Most countries in the world adopt the international time zone system.
____ 5. When people began to take trains, it became important to have a standard time.

3. ID: A
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UNIT 2
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: Big Picture
2. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: Big Picture
3. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: Close-Up
4. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: Close-Up
5. ANS: C PTS: 1 OBJ: Close-Up
6. ANS: D PTS: 1 OBJ: Close-Up
7. ANS: B PTS: 1 OBJ: Big Picture
MATCHING
1. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 42 OBJ: Reading Skill: Creating Time
Lines
2. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: p. 42 OBJ: Reading Skill: Creating Time
Lines
3. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: p. 42 OBJ: Reading Skill: Creating Time
Lines
4. ANS: E PTS: 1 REF: p. 42 OBJ: Reading Skill: Creating Time
Lines
5. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: p. 42 OBJ: Reading Skill: Creating Time
Lines