John Franklin The Discovery of The Slowness Reading Answers
John Franklin The Discovery of The Slowness Reading Answers contains 13 questions which need to be answered in 20 minutes. JJohn Franklin The Discovery of The Slowness Reading Answers consists of three types of questions including- identify information, sentence completion and multiple choice questions. Candidates need to skim the passage for keywords, understand the concept and answer based on the given instructions. For multiple choice questions answer, candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question.
Check: Get 10 Free IELTS Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now
Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
John Franklin - The Discovery Of The Slowness IELTS Reading Sample
- John Franklin (1786-1847) was the most famous vanisher of the Victorian era. He joined the Navy as a midshipman at the age of 14 and fought in the battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar. When peace with the French broke out. he turned his attention to, and in particular to solve the conundrum of the Northwest Passage, the mythical clear-water route which would, if it existed, link the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans above the northern coast of the American continent. The first expedition Franklin led to the Arctic was an arduous overland journey from Hudson Bay to the shores of the so-called Polar Ocean east of the Coppermine River. Between 1819 and 1822. Franklin and his twenty-strong team covered 5550 miles on foot. Their expedition was a triumph of surveying – they managed to chart hundreds of miles of previously unknown coastline.
- There followed a career as a travel writer and salon-goer {‘the man who ate his boots’ was Franklin’s tag-line), a second long Arctic expedition, and a controversial spell as Governor of Van Diemen’s Land. Then, in May 1845, Franklin set off with two ships – the Erebus and the Terror – and 129 men on the voyage that would kill him. In July, the convoy was seen by two whalers, entering Lancaster Sound. Nothing more would be heard of it for 14 years. Had the ships sunk or been iced in? Were the men dead, or in need of rescue? Or had they broken through to the legendary open polar sea, beyond the ‘ice barrier’?
- In his correspondence and his published memoirs. Franklin comes across as a man dedicated to the external duties of war and exploration, who kept introspection and self-analysis to a minimum. His blandness makes him an amenably malleable subject for a novelist, and Sten Nadolny has taken full advantage of this license. Most important, he has endowed his John Franklin with a defining character trait for which there is no historical evidence: (‘slowness’, or ‘calmness’).
- Slowness influences not only Franklin’s behaviour but also his vision, his thought, and his speech. The opening scene of ‘The Discovery of Slowness (The Discovery of Slowness by Sten Nadolny) – depicts Franklin as a young boy. playing catch badly because his reaction time is too slow. Despite the bullying of his peers, Franklin resolves not to fall into step with ‘their way of doing things’. For Nadolny, Franklin’s fated fascination with the Arctic stems from his desire to find an environment suited to his peculiar slowness.
- He describes Franklin as a boy dreaming of the ‘open water and the time without hours and days’ which exist in the far north, and of finding in the Arctic a place ‘where nobody would find him too slow’. Ice is a slow mover. Ice demands corresponding patience from those who venture onto it. The explorers who have thrived at high latitude and high altitudes haven’t usually been men of great speed. They have tended instead to demonstrate unusual self-possession, a considerable capacity for boredom, and a talent for what the Scots call ‘tholing’, the uncomplaining endurance of suffering.
- These were all qualities that the historical Franklin possessed in abundance, and so Nadolny’s concentration and exaggeration of them isn’t unreasonable. Even as an adult, his slowness of thought means that he is unable to speak fluently, so he memorizes ‘entire fleets of words and batteries of response’, and speaks a languid, bric-a-brac language. In the Navy, his method of thinking first and acting later initially provokes mockery from his fellow sailors. But Franklin persists in doing things his way, and gradually earns the respect of those around him. To a commodore who tells him to speed up his report of an engagement, he replies: ‘When I tell something, sir. I use my own rhythm.’ A lieutenant says approvingly of him: ’Because Franklin is so slow, he never loses time.’
- Since it was first published in Germany in 1983. The Discovery of Slowness has sold more than a million copies and been translated into 13 languages. It has been named as one of German literature’s twenty ‘contemporary classics’, and it has been as a manual and by European pressure groups and institutions representing causes as diverse as sustainable development, the Protestant Church, management science, motoring policy, and pacifism.
- The various groups that have taken the novel up have one thing in common: a dislike of the high-speed culture of Postmodernity. Nadolny’s Franklin appeals to them because he is immune to ‘the compulsion to be constantly occupied’, and to the idea that ‘someone was better if he could do the same thing fast.’ Several German churches have used him in their and focus groups as an example of peacefulness, piety, and self-confidence. A centre scheme (a ‘march of slowness’ or ‘of the slow’), inspired by the novel. Nadolny has appeared as a guest speaker for RIO. a Lucerne-based organization which aims to reconcile management principles with ideas of environmental sustainability. The novel has even become involved in the debate about speed limits on German roads. Drive down an autobahn today, and you will see large road-side signs proclaiming ‘unhurriedness’ a slogan that deliberately plays off the title of the novel.
- A management journal in the US described The Discovery of Slowness is a ‘major event not only for connoisseurs of fine historical fiction, but also for those of us who concern themselves with leadership, communication, and systems-thinking, issues’. It’s easy to see where the attraction lies for the management crowd. The novel is crammed with quotations about time-efficiency, punctiliousness, and profitability: ‘As a rule, there are always three points in time: the right one. the lost one and the premature one’. ‘What did too late mean? They hadn’t waited for it long enough, that’s what it meant.’
Read More IELTS Reading Related Articles
Check: IELTS Actual Test ebooks Combo
Section 2
Solution and Explanation
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-H, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.
(Guide: Candidates need to match the following information with the correct paragraph from A to H)
Q1. What was Sir John Franklin’s occupation before he went on a career of arctic exploration?
Answer - Section – A
Supporting sentence - John Franklin (1786-1847) was the most famous vanisher of the Victorian era. He joined the Navy as a midshipman at the age of 14 and fought in the battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar.
Keyword – vanisher, midshipman
Keyword Location - Section A
Explanation – The first line of section A of the passage makes clear mention of Sir John Franklin’s work as a midshipman in the navy before he went onto his adventures of arctic exploration.
Q2. A story John Franklin reacted strangely when he met bullies by other children
Answer - Section D
Supporting sentence- The opening scene of The Discovery of Slowness (The Discovery of Slowness by Sten Nadolny) – depicts Franklin as a young boy, playing catch badly because his reaction time is too slow. Despite the bullying of his peers, Franklin resolves not to fall into step with ‘their way of doing things’. For Nadolny, Franklin’s fated fascination with the Arctic stems from his desire to find an environment suited to his peculiar slowness.
Keyword – fall into their “way of doing things”, desire to find an environment suited to his peculiar slowness
Keyword location - Section D
Explanation– John Franklin had accepted his peculiar slowness and did not let bullies get into his head and rather waited for an environment where he could adapt as a peculiarly slow person.
Q3. Reason of popularity for the book The Discovery of Slowness
Answer - Section H
Supporting sentence - The various groups that have taken the novel up have one thing in common: a dislike of the high-speed culture of Postmodernity. Nadolny’s Franklin appeals to them because he is immune to ‘the compulsion to be constantly occupied’, and to the idea that ‘someone was better if he could do the same thing fast.’
Keywords - immune to ‘the compulsion to be constantly occupied’, example of peacefulness, piety and self-confidence,
Keyword location - Section H
Explanation– The novel allows people to accept that it is not necessary to be on the same pace as the rest of the world to be successful or happy with oneself. It makes one realize that it is their own peace that determines them.
Q4. A depiction that Sten Nadolny’s biography on John Franklin is not much based on facts
Answer - Section C
Supporting sentence - His blandness makes him an amenably malleable subject for a novelist, and Sten Nadolny has taken full advantage of this licence. Most important, he has endowed his John Franklin with a defining character trait for which there is no historical evidence: (‘slowness’, or ‘calmness’).
Keywords - historical evidence, malleable, advantage of this license
Keyword location - Section C
Explanation– The novelist uses the emotional identity of Franklin to build his story. He also revolves the character around traits that have no historical evidence
Q5. The particular career Sir John Franklin took after his expedition unmatched before.
Answer - Section – B
Supporting sentence - There followed a career as a travel writer and salon-goer {‘the man who ate his boots’ was Franklin’s tag-line), a second long Arctic expedition, and a controversial spell as Governor of Van Diemen’s Land.
Keywords – travel writer, governor
Keyword location- Section B
Explanation– Franklin became a travel writer before his second arctic expedition, and had a spell as a governor of the Van Diemen’s land, a colony in the Australian islands, which was not very memorable for him
Q6. What is the central scheme and environment conveyed by the book The Discovery of Slowness
Answer - Section – H
Supporting sentence - Several German churches have used him in their symposia and focus groups as an example of peacefulness, piety and self confidence. A centre scheme (a ‘march of slowness’ or ‘of the slow’), inspired by the novel. Nadolny has appeared as a guest speaker for RIO, a Lucerne-based organisation which aims to reconcile management principles with ideas of environmental sustainability. The novel has even become involved in the debate about speed limits on German roads. Drive down an autobahn today, and you will see large road-side signs proclaiming ‘unhurriedness’ a slogan which deliberately plays off the title of the novel.
Keywords – peacefulness, high speed culture
Keyword location - Section H
Explanation– The book tries to normalize for people to not have to join the rat race of the postmodern world, but rather work at their own pace and their calmness. It tries to portray the importance of unhurriedness in life
Question 7-10:
Complete the Summary paragraph described below. In boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet, write the correct answer with one word chosen from the box below
In his personal correspondence to and in his published memoirs by Sten Nadolny, John Franklin was depicted as a man dedicated to the exploration, and the word of “slowness” was used to define his 7…….when Franklin was in his childhood, his determination to the 8………of the schoolboys was too slow for him to fall into step. And Franklin was said to be a boy dreaming finding in a place he could enjoy the 9………in the Arctic. Later in 20th, His biography of the discovery of slowness has been adopted as a 10______ as for the movement such as sustainable development, or management science, motoring policy.
| An exploration | B blandness | C personality D policy |
| E pressure | F guidebook | G management |
| H timelessness | I sports | J bully K evidence |
Question 7.
Answer – personality
Supporting sentence - Slowness influences not only Franklin’s behaviour but also his vision, his thought, and his speech. The opening scene of ‘The Discovery of Slowness (The Discovery of Slowness by Sten Nadolny) – depicts Franklin as a young boy.
Keyword - slowness
Keyword location - Paragraph D
Explanation– Out of the rest of the options the word ‘personality’ fits best with regards to the context of the sentence that the word ‘slowness’ was used to determine his personality.
Question 8.
Answer – bully
Supporting sentence - Despite the bullying of his peers, Franklin resolves not to fall into step with ‘their way of doing things’.
Keyword- bullying
Keyword location- Paragraph D
Explanation – Franklin as a boy was slow and he had accepted that fact about himself, which was the reason he did not pay any heed to the bully of the schoolboys around him.
Question 9.
Answer – timelessness
Supporting sentence - He describes Franklin as a boy dreaming of the ‘open water and the time without hours and days’ which exist in the far north, and of finding in the Arctic a place ‘where nobody would find him too slow’.
Keyword - ‘without hours and days’
Keyword location- Paragraph E
Explanation– As Franklin had accepted he was different from others he dreamed of finding a place different from the regular world where could witness the state of eternal existence, away from the regular people
Question 10.
Answer– guidebook
Supporting sentence- Since it was first published in Germany in 1983. The Discovery of Slowness has sold more than a million copies and been translated into 13 languages. It has been named as one of German literature’s twenty ‘contemporary classics’, and it has been as a manual and by European pressure groups and institutions representing causes as diverse as sustainable development, the Protestant Church, management science, motoring policy, and pacifism.
Keyword - manual
Keyword location - Paragraph E
Explanation– His story of him accepting who he is and managing to make a life out of his skills despite his backdrops became a motivation for other people, especially those who could physically and mentally relate to Franklin, for whom his biography acted as a guide.
Question 11 - Question 14:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
Q11. Why does the author mention “the ice is slow in the geological arctic”, to demonstrate the idea
- of the difficulties Franklin conquered
- that Franklin had a dream since his childhood
- of fascination with the Arctic exploration
- that explorer-like Franklin should possess the quality of being patient
Answer - D
Supporting sentence - Ice is a slow mover. Ice demands a corresponding patience from those who venture onto it. The explorers who have thrived at high latitude and at high altitudes haven’t usually been men of great speed.
Keyword - corresponding patience
Keyword location - Paragraph E
Explanation – The author mentions the idea because Franklin is looking for a place in the arctic where no one would find him slow. Men who have made it to the Arctic have been known to be men of patience. Franklin cannot be impatient about going to the Arctic.
Q12. When Franklin was on board with sailors, how did he speak to his fellow sailors
- he spoke in a way mocking his followers
- he spoke a bric-a-brac language to show he languish attitude
- he spoke in the words and phrases he previously memorized
- he spoke in a rhythmical tune to save chatting time
Answer – C
Supporting sentence - Even as an adult, his slowness of thought means that he is unable to speak fluently, so he memorized ‘entire fleets of words and batteries of response’, and speaks a languid, bric-a-brac language.
Keyword - speak, memorized
Keyword location- Paragraph F
Explanation – Because of his slowness, Franklin is not the quickest on his tongue. When with fellow sailors he talked in phrases he had remembered previously, but this ended up his fellows making fun of him.
Q13. His effort to overcome his slowness in marine time life had finally won the
- understanding of his personality better
- capacity for coping with boredom
- respect for him as he insisted to overcome his difficulties
- the valuable time he can use to finish a report
Answer – C
Supporting sentence - But Franklin persists in doing things his way. and gradually earns the respect of those around him.
Keyword - ‘his way’, persists
Keyword location - Paragraph F
Explanation– despite the struggles that he faces because of his slowness, Franklin does not give up and instead keeps fighting his own battles, which makes others respect him.
Q14. Why is the book The Discovery of Slowness sold more than a million copies
- it contains aspects of the life people would like to enjoy
- it contains the information for the flag language applied in ships
- it induces a debate about speed limits German
- it contains the technique for symposia German churches
Answer – A
Supporting sentence - The various groups that have taken the novel up have one thing in common: a dislike of the high-speed culture of Postmodernity
Keyword - one thing in common
Keyword location - Paragraph H
Explanation– The book sold a million copies as it helps people understand that it is okay to be not normal. It makes people believe that they don’t need to be up to speed with the rest of the world and everyone works at their own pace. It helps people feel good about them and enjoy themselves
Comments