Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow.

The fork, which did not become a standardized item in Europe until the eighteenth century, was almost unheard of in America.  With the absence of forks, it can be assumed that colonists used a spoon instead.  The knife was probably held in the right hand, generally a preferred hand for manipulating utensils or tools.  The spoon would have been held in the left hand with the concave part of the bowl facing downward.  In this position, the diner would be more adept at securing a piece of meat against a plate while the cutting took place.  Once the meat was cut, the down-turned spoon would not have been suitable for picking up the morsel.  Probably the diner would have put the knife down and shifted the spoon to the right hand.  This action would bring the spoon into the correct position for scooping up the bite of food.  This practice of shifting utensils back and forth between hands continued when the fork made its way to America and replaced the spoon as the tool to secure the food being cut.  The fork kept the food against the plate more adequately and its curving tines served the same function as the bowl of the spoon.  The custom of shifting the fork from the left hand to the right was no longer necessary, but people continued to use the style that they were used to. 

This American style of handling eating utensils persists to this day.

1. The word “utensils” is closest in meaning to