The following paragraph served as the basis for the combining exercise on page one: "Clipper Ships." Keep in mind that many effective combinations are possible.

Clipper Ships

The clipper was the fastest, the most beautiful, and the most short-lived of the great sailing ships. Designed in the United States in the 1820s, the clipper reached the height of its fame in the 1850s and 1860s, and it was obsolete by the end of the 19th century.

Because it was built primarily for speed, the clipper was slim and light, with limited cargo space, and it carried an enormous area of canvas. The clipper fulfilled a variety of needs. These included the California Gold Rush, the China tea trade, and the Australian wool trade. There was competition between shipping companies in the race to make fast passages and high profits, and this produced crews of the highest quality. Several factors--among them steamships, transcontinental railroads, and the opening of the Suez Canal--made the clipper ships obsolete. The clippers were replaced, first, by windjammers and, later, steamships. Although the days of the great sailing ships are gone, the clipper remains as a symbol of craftsmanship, efficiency, and beauty.