How a Zipper Holds
Written by Studio AM.
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A zipper brings two edges of cloth together. Its main parts are two strips of fabric, rows of teeth attached to those strips, and a slider that moves along them.
On a zipper with separate metal or plastic teeth, each tooth is shaped to fit between teeth in the opposite row. They do not simply press against a flat surface. Their shapes interlock, helping the two rows resist being pulled apart.
The slider guides this movement. Its inside has a branching path. Pull it in the closing direction, and the two rows enter separately and leave joined together. Move it in the opening direction, and the path guides the joined rows apart.
The slider joins or separates the teeth, while the fabric strips connect them to your coat or bag. Different zippers use different shapes and materials, but the same basic idea remains: a small moving guide brings two rows together or separates them again.
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Questions
Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.
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Question 1 of 4
What is the passage mainly about?
The answer is C: How a zipper's teeth lock together.
The parts and the slider's two directions explain how the teeth join and separate.
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Question 2 of 4
What connects the rows of teeth to a coat or bag?
The answer is A: The fabric strips.
The final paragraph states that the fabric strips connect the teeth to the coat or bag.
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Question 3 of 4
In this passage, "interlock" means
The answer is D: fit together so that the parts hold one another
The teeth fit between those in the other row and resist being pulled apart.
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Question 4 of 4
What would happen if the teeth did not fit the opposite row?
The answer is A: The zipper would have difficulty holding the edges together.
The passage explains that fitting shapes allow the teeth to hold together.
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