Name the fibre, say where it comes from, and then say how the cloth is built. Cotton and nylon are not the same class.
The idea
Cotton is a seed hair of the cotton plant. Linen comes from the stem of the flax plant. Both are cellulose. Cotton absorbs water well and is strong when wet, and it creases. Wool is the fleece of the sheep. Silk is the filament from the silkworm cocoon. Both are protein. Wool is warm and elastic, and heat with rubbing makes it felt. Silk is smooth and strong, and strong alkali and long sunlight weaken it. Viscose is regenerated cellulose: the cellulose is dissolved and spun again. Nylon and polyester are synthetic. They are made from chemicals, they dry quickly, they are not very absorbent, and a hot iron can melt them.
A yarn is spun from short staple fibres, such as cotton or wool, or it is a long filament, such as silk or nylon. A plain weave goes over one and under one. It is firm and even. A twill weave shows a diagonal line. Denim is a twill. A satin weave has long floats, so the cloth is smooth and it snags. A knitted fabric is loops, so it stretches. A woven fabric frays at a cut edge. The selvedge is the finished edge of a woven cloth, and it runs along the warp. Classify the fibre before you name a use.
Plant, animal, regenerated and synthetic are different classes. Viscose is not nylon. Wool is not cotton. A weave answer needs the structure: plain, twill or satin, not only "it is cloth". The property has to belong to that fibre. Do not give nylon the absorbency of cotton.
Practice questions
These are practice questions in the style of the paper, with a model answer and a mark scheme. They are not a promise of what your paper will ask.
1Question 1
4 marks
(a) Classify cotton and nylon. (2 marks)
(b) State one property of each that follows from that class. (2 marks)
Model answer
(a) Cotton is a natural plant fibre. Nylon is a synthetic fibre.
(b) Cotton absorbs moisture well. Nylon dries quickly and can melt under a hot iron.
Mark scheme
Cotton is a natural plant fibre, or cellulose1 mark
Nylon is synthetic, or manufactured from chemicals1 mark
A property that belongs to cotton, such as absorbency or strength when wet1 mark
A property that belongs to nylon, such as quick drying, low absorbency, or melting in high heat1 mark
2Question 2
4 marks
Distinguish between a plain weave and a twill weave. (4 marks)
Model answer
A plain weave goes over one thread and under the next, so the cloth looks even. A twill weave moves the interlacing along each row, so a diagonal line shows. Denim is a twill. The plain weave is firm. The twill is usually stronger and drapes more.
Mark scheme
Plain weave: over one and under one, or an even surface1 mark
A property of plain weave, such as firmness1 mark
Twill: a diagonal line1 mark
A property or an example of twill, such as strength or denim1 mark
3Question 3
2 marks
State one reason wool can felt, and one result of that felting. (2 marks)
Model answer
Heat, moisture and rubbing make the wool scales lock together. The cloth shrinks and becomes thicker.
Mark scheme
Heat, moisture or agitation makes the fibres lock1 mark
The cloth shrinks or thickens1 mark
Practise Clothing and Textiles with Anna
More questions on this topic are inside glearn, marked as you answer, with the reason written out. The first ones need no account.
No. Viscose is regenerated cellulose, so it behaves more like cotton and it is weaker when wet. Nylon is synthetic. It dries quickly and a hot iron can melt it.
What should a weave answer include?+
The structure and one result. Plain weave is over one and under one, and the cloth is firm. Twill shows a diagonal. Satin has long floats and snags. The name of a cloth with no structure is thin. All WASSCE Clothing and Textiles past questions