Ada Lovelace Reading Answers

Oct 23, 2024

Ada Lovelace Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Ada Lovelace Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions set there are questions where you have to tell whether the statements are true or false. In the next section you have to fill in the blanks with correct answers.

The IELTS Reading section is a crucial component of the IELTS exam, designed to assess a candidate's ability to comprehend and analyze different types of texts. In this passage, you will engage with a series of IELTS reading practice questions that simulate real test scenarios. These questions are aimed at improving your skills in identifying key ideas, extracting specific information, and making inferences. Whether you are preparing for the Academic or General Training module, practicing these IELTS reading questions will help you become familiar with the format and boost your confidence for the actual test.

Section 1

ADA LOVELACE

The first computer programmer?

Augusta Ada King (now commonly known as Ada Lovelace) was born on December 10, 1815, to the well-regarded poet Lord Byron and his wife Anne Byron. Lord Byron, a restless man who had conceived other children out of wedlock, left his wife in a bitter divorce just weeks after Ada's birth. Following the separation he headed immediately to Europe, where he died in Greece several years later, never having seen his daughter again. Anne Byron, forever averse to what she perceived as 'dangerous' poetic tendencies after her troubling experiences with her wayward former husband, began from an early age trying to prevent the young Ada from following too closely in her father's footsteps. Some of Anne's strategies were relatively draconian -Ada was not permitted, for example, to look at any portraits of her father until she reached adulthood at twenty years of age. But others proved fortuitous. Attempting to nudge Ada away from poetry, literature and other pursuits that she feared would encourage caprice and self-indulgence in her daughter's young mind, Anne instead focused Ada's attention on areas of study that required more discipline and sober calculation instead: music and mathematics. It was through the latter that Ada found her calling, and eventually her place in the history books.

Although it was unusual for young women of her era to pursue mathematics as a discipline, and Ada did not enjoy the privilege of formal education, her position in society allowed her access to some of the greatest minds of her day. Among these tutors was Mary Somerville, a noted mathematician and astronomer, whose legacy is continued in the naming of women's colleges around the world. Another tutor, logician Augustus De Morgan, informed Anne that her daughter had the potential to become 'an original mathematical investigator, perhaps of first-rate eminence'. It was through Somerville, however, that Ada was introduced to the researcher who would play the greatest role in shaping her legacy: Charles Babbage. Babbage, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge, was widely known for having invented and developed the Difference Engine, a calculating machine more advanced than any of its time. In 1834, Babbage wanted to develop another, even more sophisticated apparatus, an Analytical Engine. Although he enjoyed great prestige, being a founder of the Astronomical Society, and a member of international organisations including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, his sponsors were reluctant to support his Analytical Engine project, and for some time it appeared as if Babbage's intentions would never be fulfilled. Assistance eventually came from the Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea, who produced a memoir documenting the Analytical Engine.

The memoir was published in French, however, and Babbage recruited Ada to help make it accessible to an English-speaking audience. Over a nine-month period during 1842-1843, Ada devoted herself to completing the work, eventually producing not only an English version of Menabrea's work, but a set of appendices longer than the original document itself. In these appendices, Ada wrote a detailed account, in Section G, of how a sequence of Bernoulli numbers could be calculated using the Analytical Engine. Although the Engine was never built, retrospective studies have concluded that Ada's calculations would have been correct had the Engine existed at the time. In addition to her mathematical accuracy, Ada's other notes some more speculative, show an awareness of computing potential that went beyond mere number crunching Ada anticipated advances, such as computer generated music, which would not be fully realised until a century and a half later. For these contributions, Ada has been dubbed the 'first computer programmer'. Not everyone is convinced that Ada deserves this title, however. Some historians have suggested that Ada functioned more as an editor or compiler rather than as a mathematician in her own right. These critics note that, although published under her name, the algorithms had been completed by Babbage several years earlier, and that her correspondence with Babbage indicates that Ada relied a great deal on his guidance and authority in composing her appendices, while making only minor corrections herself. Other historians defend her role. According to Benjamin Woolley, Ada's biographer, Ada's great contribution lies in her discussion of the implications of Babbage's work and her conceptual vision of what computing might become_ In accomplishing this, Woolley suggests, Ada 'rose above the technical minutiae of Babbage's extraordinary invention and revealed its 'true grandeur". For his part, Babbage always insisted that Ada's work, while the product of an extensive dialo!! them, was entirely her own.

Disputes aside, Ada's legacy in both computing and the wider popular imagination is now firmly established. The British Computer Society now awards a medal bearing her name, and the United States Department of Defence has named a computer language, Ada, in her honour. In addition, a number of organisations, inspired by the example she set, also exist to foster the development of women in the fields of computing, science and technology

Questions 14 - 19

Do the following statements agree with the Information given in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE - If the statement agrees with the information

FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN - If there is no information on this

14. Ada Lovelace was born after her father's death.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “........Augusta Ada King (now commonly known as Ada Lovelace) was born on December 10, 1815, to the well-regarded poet Lord Byron and his wife Anne Byron... Following the separation.......”

Keywords: born, died

Keyword Location: para 1, lines 1-4

Explanation: The passage clearly states that Ada was born in 1815, while her father, Lord Byron, left for Europe after her birth and died several years later. This confirms that Byron was alive at the time of her birth

15. Ada was never allowed to see any images of Lord Byron as a child.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “........Ada was not permitted, for example, to look at any portraits of her father until she reached adulthood at twenty years of age.......”

Keywords: permitted, portraits

Keyword Location: para 1, lines 7-8

Explanation: Ada's mother, Anne Byron, restricted her from seeing any pictures or portraits of her father during her childhood. Anne wanted to prevent Ada from being influenced by Lord Byron’s artistic tendencies. Only when Ada turned 20 was she allowed to see his images.

16. Ada wanted to read books and poems as a child.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text mentions that Ada’s mother discouraged her from pursuing poetry or literature, but it does not indicate Ada’s personal interest or desire to read books or poems.

17. Ada did not go to school.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “........Although it was unusual for young women of her era to pursue mathematics as a discipline, and Ada did not enjoy the privilege of formal education, her position in society allowed her access to some of the greatest minds of her day.......”

Keywords: education, privilege

Keyword Location: para 2, lines 1-3

Explanation: Ada did not attend a formal school as children do today. However, she received private lessons from renowned tutors, given her family's social standing. The statement is correct because the passage explicitly mentions that Ada lacked formal education

18. Mary Somerville was a greater mathematician than Augustus de Moran

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: Although both tutors are mentioned, the passage does not compare their abilities or status as mathematicians

19. Ada met Charles Babbage at university.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: While the passage discusses their collaboration and mutual acquaintances, there is no mention of a university meeting.

Questions 20-24

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.

20. Babbage did not receive any help for his Analytical engine from ...

Answer: HIS SPONSORS

Supporting statement: “.......His sponsors were reluctant to support his Analytical Engine project, and for some time it appeared as if Babbage's intentions would never be fulfilled........”

Keywords: sponsors, reluctant

Keyword Location: para 2, lines 10-12

Explanation: The passage reveals that Babbage struggled to find financial backing for his Analytical Engine. His sponsors were unwilling to assist him, which made it difficult for him to pursue the project.

21. Ada translated Menabrea's work and created a … for him.

Answer: SET OF APPENDICES

Supporting statement: “.......eventually producing not only an English version of Menabrea's work but a set of appendices longer than the original document itself........”

Keywords: appendices, longer

Keyword Location: para 3, lines 3-5

Explanation: Ada translated the Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea’s work into English. In addition, she included detailed appendices that were even longer than the original text.

22. Long before its time, Ada predicted the development of

Answer: COMPUTER GENERATED MUSIC

Supporting statement: “........Ada anticipated advances, such as computer-generated music, which would not be fully realised until a century and a half later........”

Keywords: anticipated, music

Keyword Location: para 3, lines 7-8

Explanation: Ada speculated that computers could go beyond basic calculations to generate music. This prediction was extraordinary for her time and would only come true 150 years later.

23. Ada's .... suggests that the work she did for Menabrea was not completely

original.

Answer: CORRESPONDENCE (WITH BABBAGE)

Supporting statement: “.......Her correspondence with Babbage indicates that Ada relied a great deal on his guidance and authority in composing her appendices, while making only minor corrections herself........”

Keywords: correspondence, guidance

Keyword Location: para 3, lines 11-13

Explanation: Some critics argue that Ada's reliance on Babbage's feedback shows that she did not produce a completely original work.

24. Ada's biographer felt that she had a .... of the future of computer science.

Answer: CONCEPTUAL VISION

Supporting statement: “........According to Benjamin Woolley, Ada's biographer, Ada's great contribution lies in her discussion of the implications of Babbage's work and her conceptual vision of what computing might become.......”

Keywords: conceptual, vision

Keyword Location: para 4, lines 2-4

Explanation: Woolly praised Ada for her ability to foresee what computers could achieve beyond calculations. He believed that her insight went beyond technical details, reflecting a deeper understanding of computing’s potential.

Questions 25-26

Choose the correct letter.

25. What is the best summary of Ada Lovelace?

A. She was an original mathematician.

B. She was a pioneer in women's education.

C. She was a visionary thinker.

D. She was a famous woman in her time

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “........In accomplishing this, Woolley suggests, Ada 'rose above the technical minutiae of Babbage's extraordinary invention and revealed its 'true grandeur.......”

Keywords: visionary, grandeur

Keyword Location: para 4, lines 5-7

Explanation: Ada's contributions extended beyond technical calculations to visionary ideas about computing's potential. This makes the most accurate summary C. She was a visionary thinker.

26. What is the writer's purpose in Reading Passage 2?

A. to examine scholars' conflicting views surrounding Ada's work

B. to introduce Ada and her significant achievements

C. to provide a general overview of Ada's life

D. to explain how Ada invented the first computer.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “.......Disputes aside, Ada's legacy in both computing and the wider popular imagination is now firmly established. The British Computer Society now awards a medal bearing her name, and the United States Department of Defence has named a computer........”

Keywords: achievements, legacy

Keyword Location: para 4, line 2

Explanation: The primary focus of the text is to highlight Ada's contributions and achievements, making the best answer B. to introduce Ada and her significant achievements.

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