The Life of Sir Isaac Newton Reading Answers

Jan 24, 2023

The Life of Sir Isaac Newton Reading Answers is an academic reading topic and a detailed study about life history of Sir Isaac Newton. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “IELTS - The Complete Guide to General Reading”. The topic named The Life of Sir Isaac Newton Reading Answers comes with 13 different wide range of questions. Three different types of questions are included in this topic, like, choose the correct headings, no more than two words, and complete the following sentences. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like The Life of Sir Isaac Newton Reading Answers has been included.

Check: Get 10 Free Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now

Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Life of Sir Isaac Newton Reading Answers

Isaac Newton was born on January 4, 1643, in Lincolnshire, England. The son of a farmer, who died three months before he was born, Newton spent most of his early years with his maternal grandmother after his mother remarried. Following an education interrupted by a failed attempt to turn him into a farmer, he attended the King’s School in Grantham before enrolling at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College in 1661, where he soon became fascinated by the works of modern philosophers such as René Descartes. When the Great Plague shut Cambridge off from the rest of England in 1665, Newton returned home and began formulating his theories on calculus, light and color, his farm the setting for the supposed falling apple that inspired his work on gravity.

Newton returned to Cambridge in 1667. He constructed the first reflecting telescope in 1668, and the following year he received his Master of Arts degree and took over as Cambridge’s Professor of Mathematics. In 1671 he was asked to give a demonstration of his telescope to the Royal Society of London in 1671, the same year he was elected to the prestigious Society. The following year, fascinated with the study of light, he published his notes on optics for his peers. Through his experiments, Newton determined that white light was a composite of all the colors on the spectrum, and he asserted that light was composed of particles instead of waves. His methods were heavily criticized by established Society member Robert Hooke, who was also unwilling to compromise again with Newton’s follow-up paper in 1675. Known for his temperamental defense of his work, Newton engaged in heated correspondence with Hooke before suffering a nervous breakdown and withdrawing from the public eye in 1678. In the following years, he returned to his earlier studies on the forces governing gravity.

In 1684, English astronomer Edmund Halley paid a visit to the reclusive Newton. Upon learning that Newton had mathematically worked out the elliptical paths of celestial bodies, such as the movement of the planets around the sun, Halley urged him to organize his notes. The result was the 1687 publication of “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which established the three laws of motion and the law of universal gravity. Principia made Newton a star in intellectual circles, eventually earning him widespread acclaim as one of the most important figures in modern science.

As a now influential figure, Newton opposed King James II’s attempts to reinstate Catholic teachings at English Universities, and was elected to represent Cambridge in Parliament in 1689. He moved to London permanently after being named warden of the Royal Mint in 1696, earning a promotion to master of the Mint three years later. Determined to prove his position wasn’t merely symbolic, Newton moved the pound sterling from the silver to the gold standard and sought to punish forgers.

The death of Hooke in 1703 allowed Newton to take over as president of the Royal Society, and the following year he published his second major work, “Opticks.” Composed largely from his earlier notes on the subject, the book detailed Newton’s experiments with refraction and the color spectrum, and also contained his conclusions on such matters as energy and electricity. In 1705, he was knighted by Queen Anne of England.

Around this time, the debate over Newton’s claims to originating the field of calculus, the mathematical study of change, exploded into a nasty dispute. Newton had developed his mathematical concept of ‘fluxions’ (differentials) in the mid-1660s to account for celestial orbits, though there was no public record of his work. In the meantime, German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz formulated his own theories and published them in 1684. As president of the Royal Society, Newton oversaw an investigation that ruled his work to be the founding basis of the field, but the debate continued even after Leibniz’s death in 1716. Researchers later concluded that both men likely arrived at their conclusions independent of one another.

Newton was also obsessed with history and religious doctrines, and his writings on those subjects were collected into multiple books that were published after his death. Having never married, Newton spent his later years living with his niece at Cranbury Park, near Winchester, England. He died on March 31, 1727, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. A giant even among the brilliant minds that drove the Scientific Revolution, Newton is remembered as an extraordinary scholar, inventor and writer. His theories about the movement of bodies in the solar system transformed our understanding of the universe and his precise methodology helped to give birth to what is known as the scientific method. Although his theories of space-time and gravity were eventually superseded by those of Einstein his work remains the foundation stone of modern physics was built.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-6

The text has seven paragraphs labelled A–G.

Reading passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct headings for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

Continued breakthroughs in research
Competing claims of originality
The early years of Sir Isaac Newton
The legacy of an exceptional mind
Routine life at a 17th century university
Heated academic disputes
A new venture
His crowning achievement
A controversial theory about planets

Question 1: Paragraph B

Answer: vi
Supporting sentence: Known for his temperamental defense of his work, Newton engaged in heated correspondence with Hooke before suffering a nervous breakdown and withdrawing from the public eye in 1678.
Keyword : temperamental defense, Newton, heated correspondence, the public eye in 1678
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 9-11
Explanation: Lines 9-11 of paragraph B suggests that in 1667, Newton made his way back to Cambridge. In 1668, he built the first reflecting telescope. In the following year, he got his Master of Arts and assumed leadership of Cambridge's Mathematics Department. In 1671, the same year he was elected to the esteemed Society, he was asked to present a telescope demonstration to the Royal Society of London.

Question 2: Paragraph C

Answer: viii
Supporting sentence: The result was the 1687 publication of “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which established the three laws of motion and the law of universal gravity.
Keyword : result, 1687, publication, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica
Keyword location: paragraph C, lines 3-6
Explanation: Lines 3-6 of paragraph C implies that Edmund Halley, an English astronomer, visited the reclusive Isaac Newton in 1684. For instance, as the motion of the planets around the sun. "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), established the three laws of motion. Also, the law of universal gravitation, was published as a consequence in 1687.

Question 3: Paragraph D

Answer: vii
Supporting sentence: Determined to prove his position wasn’t merely symbolic, Newton moved the pound sterling from the silver to the gold standard and sought to punish forgers.
Keyword : Newton, moved, pound sterling, silver to the gold standard
Keyword location: paragraph D, lines 4-6
Explanation: Lines 4-6 of paragraph D explains that Newton, who was gaining power at the time, resisted King James II's efforts. Three years later, he was promoted to the position of master of the Mint. Newton changed the pound sterling from the silver standard to the gold standard.

Question 4: Paragraph E

Answer: i
Supporting sentence: The death of Hooke in 1703 allowed Newton to take over as president of the Royal Society, and the following year he published his second major work, “Opticks.”
Keyword : death, Hooke, Newton, take over as president
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph E says that Newton was able to take over as president of the Royal Society after Hooke's passing in 1703. In the following year his second significant work, "Opticks," was published. The book described Newton's research with refraction and the colour spectrum and included his conclusions on topics like energy and electricity. It was mostly composed from his earlier notes on the subject. He received a knighthood from Queen Anne of England in 1705.

Question 5: Paragraph F

Answer: ii
Supporting sentence: Around this time, the debate over Newton’s claims to originating the field of calculus, the mathematical study of change, exploded into a nasty dispute.
Keyword : debate, Newton’s, claims, field of calculus
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph F implies that around this time, a heated argument broke out regarding Newton's assertions that he invented calculus. It is the branch of mathematics that studies change. Although there was no public record of his work, Newton had created his mathematical theory of "fluxions". It is to explain celestial orbits by the middle of the 1660s.

Question 6: Paragraph G

Answer: iv
Supporting sentence: A giant even among the brilliant minds that drove the Scientific Revolution, Newton is remembered as an extraordinary scholar, inventor and writer.
Keyword : giant, brilliant minds, Scientific Revolution, extraordinary scholar
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 4-6
Explanation: Paragraph G explains that Newton was also preoccupied with history and theological concepts. His works on such themes were compiled into many books that were published after his death. His beliefs on the
motion of solar system bodies revolutionised our understanding of the cosmos. Also, his exact technique helped to establish what is now known as the scientific method.

Questions 7-8

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer

Write your answers in boxes 7-8 on your answer sheet.

Question 7: With which scientific organization was Newton associated for much of his career?

Answer: royal society
Supporting sentence: As president of the Royal Society, Newton oversaw an investigation that ruled his work to be the founding basis of the field, but the debate continued even after Leibniz’s death in 1716.
Keyword : president, Royal Society, Newton, oversaw an investigation
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 5-7
Explanation: Lines 5-7 of paragraph F portrays Newton's claims that he invented calculus, a contentious debate erupted. In his capacity as the Royal Society's president, Newton commissioned an investigation that found his work to be the subject's primary source. Later research revealed that both males' opinions were most likely the result of independent thought.

Question 8: With whom did Newton live as he got older?

Answer: niece / his niece
Supporting sentence: Having never married, Newton spent his later years living with his niece at Cranbury Park, near Winchester, England.
Keyword : Newton, spent, later years, living with his niece
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 2-4
Explanation: Lines 2-4 of paragraph G portrays that history and theological ideas also consumed much of Newton's thinking. His writings on these subjects were collected into numerous publications that were released after his passing. Living with his niece at Cranbury Park, a short distance from Winchester, England, during his senior years, Newton never married. He passed away and was buried in Westminster Abbey on March 31, 1727.

Questions 9-13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

Sir Isaac Newton’s achievements

Created first reflecting 9………………….., subsequently made a professor at Cambridge at the age of 25.
Helped develop the scientific method with his experiments in 10……………………, the study of light; showed that it is 11………………….., not waves, that constitute light.
Worked out the laws of the movement of bodies in space (planets etc.), published Principia Mathematica with laws of gravity and 12……………………..
Joint founder (with Leibniz) of 13……………………., a new branch of mathematics.

Question 9:

Answer: telescope
Supporting sentence: He constructed the first reflecting telescope in 1668, and the following year he received his Master of Arts degree and took over as Cambridge’s Professor of Mathematics.
Keyword : constructed, first, reflecting telescope, 1668,
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 1-3
Explanation: Lines 1-3 of paragraph B portrays that returning to Cambridge, Newton moved. He created the first reflecting telescope in 1668. He earned his Master of Arts the following year and took over as head of Cambridge's Mathematics Department. He was asked to demonstrate a telescope to the Royal Society of London in 1671. It is the same year he was elected to the prestigious Society.

Question 10:

Answer: optics
Supporting sentence: The following year, fascinated with the study of light, he published his notes on optics for his peers.
Keyword : following year, fascinated, published, optics
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph B implies that the same year he was elected a member of the distinguished Society, is 1671. In this year, he was asked to present a telescope demonstration to the Royal Society of London. He shared his notes on optics for his fellow students the next year after becoming captivated with the science of light.

Question 11:

Answer: particles
Supporting sentence: Through his experiments, Newton determined that white light was a composite of all the colors on the spectrum, and he asserted that light was composed of particles instead of waves.
Keyword : experiments, Newton, light, particles
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph B portrays that Newton discovered that white light was a combination of all the hues. It was combinations of hues on the spectrum through his tests, and he claimed that light was made up of particles rather than waves. Robert Hooke, a seasoned Society member, harshly criticised Newton's methodology. He refused to make another concession in response to Newton's follow-up article in 1675.

Question 12:

Answer: motion
Supporting sentence: The result was the 1687 publication of “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), which established the three laws of motion and the law of universal gravity.
Keyword : 1687, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, three laws of motion, iversal gravity
Keyword location: paragraph C, lines 3-6
Explanation: Lines 3-6 of paragraph C says about the visit to the reclusive Isaac Newton in 1684 by English astronomer Edmund Halley. After learning that Newton had mathematically calculated the elliptical orbits of celestial planets, Halley urged him to order his notes. For instance, the planets' orbital motion around the sun.

Question 13:

Answer: calculus
Supporting sentence: Around this time, the debate over Newton’s claims to originating the field of calculus, the mathematical study of change, exploded into a nasty dispute.
Keyword : Newton’s claims, field of calculus, mathematical study of change, nasty dispute
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph F states that a heated argument broke out over Newton's assertions that he created calculus. The subject of this branch of mathematics is change. Newton had created his mathematical theory of "fluxions," despite the fact that his work was never made publicly available. It is still employed to describe celestial orbits as it was in the middle of the 1660s. German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz developed his own theories in the meantime and published them in 1684.