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4. Matching Features – 10 Questions from One Text

Reading Passage

Famous Explorers Throughout History

A
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. He spent 17 years in the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China. His detailed accounts of Asian wealth, culture, and geography inspired countless later explorers. However, some historians debate whether Polo actually reached China or relied on second-hand information, as his writings contain certain inaccuracies about Chinese customs.

B
Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer sailing for Spain, made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean between 1492 and 1504. He was seeking a westward route to Asia but instead encountered the Americas. His expeditions initiated centuries of European exploration and colonization. Despite his historical significance, Columbus never accepted that he had found a new continent, insisting until his death that he had reached the East Indies.

C
Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer working for Spain, led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe from 1519 to 1522. Although Magellan himself was killed in the Philippines in 1521, his crew continued westward and completed the voyage. This expedition proved definitively that the Earth was round and that the Americas were separate from Asia. It also demonstrated the vast scale of the Pacific Ocean, which Magellan named.

D
James Cook was a British explorer, navigator, and cartographer who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean between 1768 and 1779. He created detailed maps of previously uncharted territories, including the east coast of Australia, New Zealand, and the Hawaiian Islands. Cook was remarkable for his concern for crew health, insisting on fresh food and cleanliness to prevent scurvy, a disease that had devastated many earlier voyages.

E
Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, became the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911. He achieved this by careful planning, using dog sleds and expert skiers, beating the ill-fated British expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott. Amundsen had also been the first to navigate the Northwest Passage between 1903 and 1906. Unlike many explorers, he learned survival techniques from indigenous peoples, which contributed greatly to his success.

F
Sacagawea was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804-1806. She served as an interpreter and guide, helping the expedition navigate through the American West. Her presence signaled to other Native American tribes that the expedition was peaceful, as war parties never traveled with women and children. Despite facing immense hardships, including giving birth during the journey, she proved invaluable to the expedition's success.

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List of Explorers

 
A Marco Polo
B Christopher Columbus
C Ferdinand Magellan
D James Cook
E Roald Amundsen
F Sacagawea

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Questions 1-10

Look at the following statements (Questions 1-10) and the list of explorers below.

Match each statement with the correct explorer, A-F.

Write the correct letter, A-F, next to Questions 1-10.

You may use any letter more than once.

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Question 1

died during an expedition and did not complete the journey

🔑 Keywords: died, during expedition, did not complete

🔍 Scan the text for: information about explorers who died before finishing

📖 The text says in Paragraph C: "Although Magellan himself was killed in the Philippines in 1521, his crew continued westward and completed the voyage."

📝 Analysis: Magellan was killed during the expedition and did not complete the circumnavigation himself, though his crew finished it.

📍 Answer: C

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Question 2

was the first person to reach the southernmost point on Earth

🔑 Keywords: first, southernmost point, South Pole

🔍 Scan the text for: who reached the South Pole first

📖 The text says in Paragraph E: "Roald Amundsen... became the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911."

📝 Analysis: Direct match. The South Pole is the southernmost point on Earth.

📍 Answer: E

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Question 3

never admitted that his discoveries were not what he originally sought

🔑 Keywords: never admitted, discoveries, not what he sought

🔍 Scan the text for: explorer who insisted on a mistaken belief about his discovery

📖 The text says in Paragraph B: "Columbus never accepted that he had found a new continent, insisting until his death that he had reached the East Indies."

📝 Analysis: Columbus was seeking Asia, found the Americas, but never admitted this mistake.

📍 Answer: B

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Question 4

faced skepticism about whether his travels actually occurred as described

🔑 Keywords: skepticism, travels, occurred as described

🔍 Scan the text for: explorer whose accounts were doubted

📖 The text says in Paragraph A: "some historians debate whether Polo actually reached China or relied on second-hand information, as his writings contain certain inaccuracies."

📝 Analysis: Historians question whether Marco Polo's travels really happened the way he described.

📍 Answer: A

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Question 5

was the only female among the explorers mentioned

🔑 Keywords: female, woman, only

🔍 Scan the text for: gender of explorers

📖 The text says in Paragraph F: "Sacagawea was a Lemhi Shoshone woman..."

📝 Analysis: Looking at all explorers, Sacagawea is explicitly identified as a woman. The others (Marco Polo, Columbus, Magellan, Cook, Amundsen) are referred to with male pronouns or titles.

📍 Answer: F

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Question 6

proved that the world was round by sailing around it

🔑 Keywords: proved, world was round, sailing around it

🔍 Scan the text for: circumnavigation and its significance

📖 The text says in Paragraph C: "This expedition proved definitively that the Earth was round and that the Americas were separate from Asia."

📝 Analysis: Magellan's expedition (though he died) was the first to circumnavigate the globe, proving the Earth was round.

📍 Answer: C

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Question 7

adopted knowledge from local populations to survive

🔑 Keywords: adopted knowledge, local populations, survive

🔍 Scan the text for: explorer who learned from indigenous people

📖 The text says in Paragraph E: "Unlike many explorers, he learned survival techniques from indigenous peoples, which contributed greatly to his success."

📝 Analysis: Amundsen learned from indigenous peoples, which helped him survive and succeed.

📍 Answer: E

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Question 8

successfully navigated a route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the north

🔑 Keywords: navigated route, Atlantic and Pacific, north

🔍 Scan the text for: Northwest Passage

📖 The text says in Paragraph E: "Amundsen had also been the first to navigate the Northwest Passage between 1903 and 1906."

📝 Analysis: The Northwest Passage connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic in the north.

📍 Answer: E

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Question 9

took special measures to prevent disease among his crew

🔑 Keywords: special measures, prevent disease, crew

🔍 Scan the text for: health practices on expeditions

📖 The text says in Paragraph D: "Cook was remarkable for his concern for crew health, insisting on fresh food and cleanliness to prevent scurvy."

📝 Analysis: Cook actively worked to prevent scurvy through diet and hygiene.

📍 Answer: D

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Question 10

served as a bridge between cultures during an expedition

🔑 Keywords: bridge between cultures, interpreter, guide

🔍 Scan the text for: someone who facilitated communication between groups

📖 The text says in Paragraph F: "She served as an interpreter and guide... Her presence signaled to other Native American tribes that the expedition was peaceful."

📝 Analysis: Sacagawea interpreted and helped the expedition communicate peacefully with Native American tribes, acting as a cultural bridge.

📍 Answer: F

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4. Matching Features – 10 Questions from One Text (Example 2)

Reading Passage

Great Inventors and Their Inventions

A
Thomas Edison was an American inventor who held over 1,000 patents. He is best known for developing the practical incandescent light bulb in 1879, but his most significant innovation was perhaps the electrical power distribution system that made electric lighting widely available. Edison also invented the phonograph, the first device capable of recording and reproducing sound. His approach was highly systematic; he famously stated that genius is "one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

B
Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor, revolutionized the field of electricity with his work on alternating current (AC) systems. After emigrating to the United States, Tesla briefly worked for Edison before their rivalry began. Tesla believed AC was superior to Edison's direct current (DC) because it could transmit electricity over longer distances. His inventions, including the Tesla coil and induction motor, laid the foundation for modern power grids. Despite his genius, Tesla died in relative obscurity and poverty.

C
Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish-born scientist, is credited with patenting the first practical telephone in 1876. Interestingly, Bell's primary motivation was not to create a communication device but to help deaf people learn to speak. Both his mother and wife were deaf, and much of his research focused on acoustics and speech therapy. Bell also worked on other innovations, including hydrofoils and aerial vehicles, though none achieved the fame of the telephone.

D
Marie Curie, a Polish-French physicist and chemist, was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields: Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911). Her research focused on radioactivity, a term she herself coined. She discovered two new elements, polonium and radium, and developed mobile X-ray units during World War I. Curie's work came at a cost; prolonged exposure to radiation eventually caused her death from aplastic anemia.

E
The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were American aviation pioneers credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane in 1903. Their breakthrough came not from a single discovery but from years of systematic experimentation with gliders, wind tunnels, and propeller design. Unlike other inventors who focused on powerful engines, the Wrights prioritized control systems, allowing the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively. Their patent wars with other aviation pioneers continued for years after their historic flight.

F
Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while working at CERN. Unlike most inventors, he did not profit from his creation; he made the web freely available to everyone, without patents or royalties. Berners-Lee also created the first web browser, web server, and website. His vision was to create an open platform for information sharing. He has since become a vocal advocate for net neutrality and internet privacy.

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List of Inventors

 
A Thomas Edison
B Nikola Tesla
C Alexander Graham Bell
D Marie Curie
E The Wright Brothers
F Tim Berners-Lee

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Questions 1-10

Look at the following statements (Questions 1-10) and the list of inventors below.

Match each statement with the correct inventor, A-F.

Write the correct letter, A-F, next to Questions 1-10.

You may use any letter more than once.

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Question 1

died as a direct result of exposure to the materials they worked with

🔑 Keywords: died, direct result, exposure, materials they worked with

🔍 Scan the text for: inventor whose death was caused by their research materials

📖 The text says in Paragraph D: "Curie's work came at a cost; prolonged exposure to radiation eventually caused her death from aplastic anemia."

📝 Analysis: Marie Curie died from aplastic anemia caused by prolonged radiation exposure from the radioactive materials she worked with.

📍 Answer: D

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Question 2

chose not to make money from their invention so everyone could use it freely

🔑 Keywords: chose not to make money, invention, everyone could use freely

🔍 Scan the text for: inventor who gave away their invention for free

📖 The text says in Paragraph F: "Unlike most inventors, he did not profit from his creation; he made the web freely available to everyone, without patents or royalties."

📝 Analysis: Tim Berners-Lee deliberately made the World Wide Web freely available and did not profit from it.

📍 Answer: F

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Question 3

was motivated by a personal connection to the problem they were trying to solve

🔑 Keywords: motivated, personal connection, problem they were trying to solve

🔍 Scan the text for: inventor whose work was inspired by family circumstances

📖 The text says in Paragraph C: "Bell's primary motivation was not to create a communication device but to help deaf people learn to speak. Both his mother and wife were deaf."

📝 Analysis: Alexander Graham Bell was personally motivated by his mother's and wife's deafness to work on speech and acoustics.

📍 Answer: C

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Question 4

focused on control systems rather than engine power for their invention

🔑 Keywords: focused on control systems, rather than engine power

🔍 Scan the text for: inventors who prioritized steering and control

📖 The text says in Paragraph E: "Unlike other inventors who focused on powerful engines, the Wrights prioritized control systems, allowing the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively."

📝 Analysis: The Wright Brothers emphasized control systems over engine power in their airplane design.

📍 Answer: E

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Question 5

held the most patents among the inventors mentioned

🔑 Keywords: most patents, among inventors mentioned

🔍 Scan the text for: number of patents held by each inventor

📖 The text says in Paragraph A: "Thomas Edison was an American inventor who held over 1,000 patents."

📝 Analysis: Comparing across paragraphs, Edison's "over 1,000 patents" is explicitly stated and clearly more than any other inventor mentioned.

📍 Answer: A

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Question 6

developed a system that could transmit electricity across long distances

🔑 Keywords: system, transmit electricity, long distances

🔍 Scan the text for: inventor whose electrical system enabled long-distance transmission

📖 The text says in Paragraph B: "Tesla believed AC was superior to Edison's direct current (DC) because it could transmit electricity over longer distances."

📝 Analysis: Nikola Tesla's alternating current (AC) system made long-distance electricity transmission possible.

📍 Answer: B

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Question 7

was the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields

🔑 Keywords: only person, win Nobel Prizes, two different scientific fields

🔍 Scan the text for: unique Nobel Prize achievement

📖 The text says in Paragraph D: "Marie Curie... remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields: Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911)."

📝 Analysis: This is a unique achievement specifically attributed to Marie Curie.

📍 Answer: D

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Question 8

created a device primarily intended to help a specific group of people communicate

🔑 Keywords: device, primarily intended, help specific group, communicate

🔍 Scan the text for: invention aimed at assisting deaf people

📖 The text says in Paragraph C: "Bell's primary motivation was not to create a communication device but to help deaf people learn to speak."

📝 Analysis: The telephone was developed from Bell's work on helping deaf people communicate through speech.

📍 Answer: C

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Question 9

had a famous rivalry with another inventor on this list

🔑 Keywords: rivalry, with another inventor on this list

🔍 Scan the text for: conflict or competition between two listed inventors

📖 The text says in Paragraph B: "After emigrating to the United States, Tesla briefly worked for Edison before their rivalry began."

📝 Analysis: Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison (both on the list) had a famous rivalry over AC vs. DC electricity systems.

📍 Answer: B

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Question 10

believed that hard work was more important than natural talent

🔑 Keywords: hard work, more important, natural talent

🔍 Scan the text for: inventor who emphasized effort over genius

📖 The text says in Paragraph A: "He famously stated that genius is 'one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.'"

📝 Analysis: Edison's famous quote emphasizes that hard work (perspiration) is far more important than inspiration (talent).

📍 Answer: A