Syllable Type Review
Word Analysis: Syllable Types
The Story of Snickers
a large pile of Snickers candy bars
Photo credit: Allmy/Shutterstocks
Delicious Snickers candy bars have an interesting history.
Caramel. Peanuts. Chocolate. And a horse.
That's how the story of Frank C. Mars's world-famous Snickers bar begins.
Snickers wasn't the candy mogul's first sweet sensation when it was introduced in 1930, though. He'd been in the candy-making business for about 20 years already, trying and failing a few times before finally finding success selling buttercream candies to trolley riders in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Then, in 1923, Mars and his teenage son, Forrest, concocted an idea for something new: the Milky Way bar. A few years later, Milky Way bars were gracing store shelves, and the Mars family was amassing dollars in the bank.
The newfound fortune gave the Mars family the means to buy a racehorse farm in Tennessee, which they named Milky Way Farm. The money was also used to create new candies.
It took more than three years to develop the chocolate bar that would become Snickers. Before machines took over the process, the first Snickers bars were made by pouring peanut butter nougat—a soft, sticky candy made from sugar and egg whites—on a huge tray and topping it with caramel and peanuts to make the inside of the bar. Then, after the nougat-caramel-peanut creation was cut into slices, each piece was hand-dipped in melted chocolate.
Once the recipe was perfected, the new chocolate bar needed a name.
Sadly, one of the family's favorite horses, Snickers, died shortly before the candy was ready to hit the market in 1930. To honor their beloved horse, the Mars family named the chocolate bar after him. Except in one part of the world: the United Kingdom (UK).
The UK version of the candy was called a Marathon bar until 1990, because the Mars company worried the name Snickers was too close to "knickers," a British word for underwear.
Now, nearly 100 years later, Snickers is the top-selling chocolate bar in the world, bringing in billions of dollars annually. And the Mars family still breeds and cares for internationally competitive racing horses like the much-loved Snickers, whose namesake became a snack food phenomenon.
QUESTION 1
1 / 4
What is this article primarily about?
Fun and unusual British names for chocolate candies
The history of hand-dipped candies around the world
The history of the top-selling chocolate bar in the world
Famous and successful candy makers in the U.S.
The history of the top-selling chocolate bar in the world
QUESTION 2
2 / 4
Based on the article, which of these is true about Snickers?
The Snickers candy bar was originally named for a racehorse called Marathon.
The first Snickers were made by machines in a candy factory.
The Snickers candy bar was originally sold to trolley riders in Minnesota.
The famous candy bar called Snickers took over three years to develop.
The famous candy bar called Snickers took over three years to develop.
QUESTION 3
3 / 4
Which is the closest synonym for the word concoct?
reject
devise
prohibit
supervise
devise
QUESTION 4
4 / 4
Read this passage from the article:
Before machines took over the process, the first Snickers bars were made by pouring peanut butter nougat…on a huge tray and topping it with caramel and peanuts to make the inside of the bar. Then, after the nougat-caramel-peanut creation was cut into slices, each piece was hand-dipped in melted chocolate.
Why did the author include this information?
To argue that nougat is the real reason that Snickers are world famous
To argue that hand-dipped candy bars are tastier than those made by machine
To explain the process used to make the first Snickers bars by hand
To show the time that can be saved by making candy with machines