Which statement is true about early sheet-metal production?

• A. Metal sheets for the USS Constitution, Fulton's first steamboat, and the roof of the Old State House in Boston were all produced in Revere's copper-rolling mill.
• B. In 1884, William Dunn and Alfred Bowers stamped the first metal airplane wing.
• C. The Pittsburgh machine formed the Pittsburgh seam pocket lock through a series of handbrake bends.
• D. World War I decreased the need for skilled workers in the sheet-metal trade.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how early sheet-metal production relied on rolling to create usable metal sheets for practical applications, like ships and building roofs. Revere’s copper-rolling mill played a pivotal role in producing large, uniform copper sheets that were then used for hull protection and architectural roofing. The USS Constitution, famous as Old Ironsides, was sheathed with copper sheets, and copper roofing was used on notable buildings such as the Old State House in Boston. The fact that these widely varied projects all drew on the same rolling-copper process shows how essential this technology was in the early days of sheet metal work.

Other statements miss the mark historically. The idea that an airplane wing could be stamped in 1884 doesn’t line up with how aircraft technology developed, since metal-wing construction and large-scale aircraft manufacturing didn’t become common until later. The claim about a Pittsburgh machine forming a seam pocket lock through handbrake bends isn’t part of the recognized early sheet-metal practice. And World War I actually increased demand for skilled sheet-metal workers due to the surge in ships, aircraft, and munitions production, not decreased it.