Mixed Practice: Citing Evidence
Reading Comprehension: Citing Evidence
A Lick of Trouble
A color illustration from 1883 shows a penny lick vendor standing behind an ice cream cart with a group of children in front of him. He is serving ice cream in a penny lick to one of the children. In the upper righthand corner is a small photo of a penny lick on a table.
This 1883 illustration shows a penny lick vendor serving ice cream to children. In the upper right corner is a photo of a penny lick.
Mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, or rocky road? Cake cone, sugar cone, or waffle cone? Today's ice cream creations are seemingly endless, and for many, a scoop of this cool, creamy indulgence, served in all manner of cones, makes for a refreshing and portable treat. However, single-serve ice cream as we know it wasn't always quite so…enticing. Here's the scoop on how some people enjoyed ice cream before the cone came to be.
Ice cream first became popular in England in the mid-1800s. According to Atlas Obscura, ice cream street vendors, known as Jacks, sold tiny servings of ice cream in a glass container called a penny lick. As its name implies, the cup held just a "lick's worth" of ice cream. The small vessel made of thick glass had a cone-shaped indentation that held much less ice cream than it appeared. No spoons were needed—customers would lick the glass clean and give it back to the Jack for reuse. But the penny lick's deceptive serving size was the least of its problems.
Sweet-toothed customers got more than a lick of ice cream for their penny—they also got a lick at contracting a contagious disease. The Guardian reports that penny licks "were rarely wiped, let alone washed, between customers." Plus, the penny lick's shape made it hard to clean, and germs were easily passed from one customer to the next.
Today, this practice might send people screaming away from ice cream. But in the first half of the 19th century, people in England knew little about germs. However, once word spread about the transmissible nature of tuberculosis and other diseases, penny licks started to fall out of favor.
In 1879, a medical journal blamed an outbreak of a disease called cholera on penny licks. A law was passed in 1899 banning the use of those dirty dishes in London, and they were fully outlawed in England in 1926.
While the penny lick was permanently shelved, its story does have a sweet ending. The demise of the penny lick helped usher in the age of the ice cream cone. Now, edible cones of all shapes, sizes, and flavors remain crowd-pleasing containers for a scoop or two on the go. They even help hinder the spread of germs, assuming you keep your licks to yourself.
QUESTION 1
1 / 4
Think about the events below. Which of these happened third?
Penny licks were fully outlawed all over England.
A medical journal blamed an outbreak of cholera on penny licks.
Vendors started selling ice cream in small glass cups called penny licks.
Penny licks were banned in the city of London.
- A medical journal blamed an outbreak of cholera on penny licks.
- Vendors started selling ice cream in small glass cups called penny licks.
- Penny licks were banned in the city of London.
- Penny licks were fully outlawed all over England.
The correct sequence is:
1. Vendors started selling ice cream in small glass cups called penny licks.
2. A medical journal blamed an outbreak of cholera on penny licks.
3. Penny licks were banned in the city of London.
4. Penny licks were fully outlawed all over England.
QUESTION 2
2 / 4
Which passage from the article best supports the idea that penny licks were to blame for spreading germs?
…ice cream street vendors, known as Jacks, sold tiny servings of ice cream in a glass container called a penny lick.
Sweet-toothed customers got more than a lick of ice cream for their penny—they also got a lick at contracting a contagious disease.
…edible cones of all shapes, sizes, and flavors remain crowd-pleasing containers for a scoop or two on the go.
The small vessel made of thick glass had a cone-shaped indentation that held much less ice cream than it appeared.
The passage that best supports the idea that penny licks were to blame for spreading germs is:
"Sweet-toothed customers got more than a lick of ice cream for their penny—they also got a lick at contracting a contagious disease."