Question 2

 

Candidates were required to

1. Differentiate between linen and wool fibres under the following:
   1. Microscopic appearance;
   2. Cost;
   3. Strength when wet.
2. State physical properties of wool.
3. 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.