Read the information text below and answer the following:
1 John Deere was born in Rutland, Virginia, on February 7, 1804. At age 17, he
became an apprentice blacksmith to Captain Benjamin Lawrence, and he opened his
own shop four years later. Trouble with creditors plagued him, however, and he sold his
shop and moved to Illinois after only a few years to avoid declaring bankruptcy.
2 Deere’s time in Illinois was to prove life changing. He noticed that the wrought-iron
plows used by local farmers were ineffective in the tough Illinois soil. In 1837, he
developed and manufactured the first effective cast-steel plow. He sold the first of his
plows to a neighbor, and by 1841, he was manufacturing 75-100 plows each year.
3 By 1868, Deere turned his success with “the plow that broke the plains” into the
financially successful Deere & Company. He also focused on civic activities. He served
as mayor of Moline, Illinois, and he improved much of the city’s infrastructure by
installing street lights and fire hydrants and creating a city park. John Deere passed
away at his home in 1886, and his company remains one of the foremost manufacturers
of agricultural machinery in the world.
In Section 3 of this text, readers learn the following about Deere:
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1 point
His only focus in life was developing agricultual tools.
His company was a failure and the plow was his only success.
He also went into local politics and served successfully as mayor of Molene.
He went into state politics and eventually served as governor of Illinois.