Question 2
Candidates were required to
- Differentiate between linen and wool fibres under the following:
- Microscopic appearance;
- Cost;
- Strength when wet.
- State physical properties of wool.
- Suggest characteristics of fabrics suitable for babies’ clothing in the tropics
OBSERVATION:
Many of the candidates were unable to answer questions 2(a) correctly and scored very low marks. The expected differences are:
Microscopic Appearance
Linen |
Wool |
It appears like bamboo/sugar cane shoots with nodes at intervals |
Cylindrical regular surface |
Cost
Linen |
Wool |
It is less expensive |
It is more expensive |
Strength when wet
Linen |
Wool |
Stronger when wet |
It loses its strength when wet |
In questions b and c, the candidates’ performance was good and they scored high marks.