PiCAT Practice Test 4

Before the Refrigerator

Before electric refrigerators became common in American homes in the 1930s and 1940s, many families kept food cold in an icebox, a wooden cabinet lined with tin or zinc. A large block of ice sat in a compartment near the top, and because cold air sinks, it flowed down over the food on the shelves below. As the ice melted, water dripped into a pan that someone had to empty every day. An ice delivery worker brought fresh blocks several times a week, and families placed a card in the front window to show how many pounds they wanted. Electric refrigerators ended these chores, and the delivery routes slowly disappeared.