The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911 was one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history. The fire killed 146 people, many of them young immigrant women. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory produced women's blouses, or "shirtwaists," and took up the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of a building in New York's Greenwich Village. The fire started near closing time on March 25, 1911, on the eighth floor of the building. Most of the workers could not escape because the supervisors had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits from the outside to prevent the workers from leaving early or removing materials. Many women died from being trapped inside the building or jumped to their deaths from the top floors because ladders could not reach them. This devastating tragedy brought to light for many Americans the inhumane working conditions of sweatshops and it had a huge impact on U.S. workers. It galvanized many to push for improved factory safety standards and led to the rapid growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, which fought for better and safer working conditions in the garment industry. New York State created a commission to investigate factory conditions and in 1915 the state legislature enacted new measures to protect factory workers from just such tragedies as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

According to the passage, what was it about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire that evidently caused so great an impact on public opinion?

A. The fire killed so many people, many of whom were young women.
B. The workers could not escape during the fire because supervisors had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits.
C. The fire resulted in a strengthened labor movement and new labor laws.



Select the sentence in the passage that does NOT add to the support for the main idea of the passage.

A. This devastating tragedy brought to light for many Americans the inhumane working conditions of sweatshops and it had a huge impact on U.S. workers.
B. The fire started near closing time on March 25, 1911, on the eighth floor of the building.
C. Many women died from being trapped inside the building or jumped to their deaths from the top floors because ladders could not reach them.



In the passage, "galvanized" most nearly means

A. impeded.
B. increased.
C. hurtled.
D. angered.
E. incited.