2 Benjamin Franklin was one of the key figures in the founding of the United States He was a statesman and Journalist but he was also an accomplished scientist who created practical inventions to address needs he saw in his community The lightning rod and bifocals are some of his most famous Inventions but he is also credited with Inventing swimming fins His ingenious swimming fin design used two flat rounded pleces of wood that he called palettes To keep the fins in place Franklin had the simple yet brilliant Idea of cutting a hole in each The holes allowed him to easily hook the fins over his thumbs He then grasped the fins with his fingers and used them to push the water behind him as he swam When writing about the experience Franklin noted I remember I swam faster by means of these palettes but they fatigued my wrists Franklin was only eleven years old when he created this invention but age did not limit his Imaginative spirit He also made swimming fins for his feet but those fins were less successful and were difficult to attach quotation from The Select Works of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin Part A What does the word ingenious mean in the passage 1 clever O2 elaborate 3 popular 4 superior Part B Which detail from the passage best supports the correct answer from Part A 1 address needs he saw in his community Paragraph 1 O2 two flat rounded pleces of wood Paragraph 2 3 simple yet brilliant idea Paragraph 2 difficult to