Thomas Young The Last True Know It All Reading Answers

Jan 5, 2023

Thomas Young The Last True Know It All Reading Answers contains sample answers about Thomas Young who contributed 63 articles to the encyclopaedia britannica. Thomas Young The Last True Know It All Reading Answers comprising 13 different questions. IELTS Thomas Young The Last True Know It All Reading Answers contains two types of questions: write true/false/not given and answer the questions. Candidates are required to go through the IELTS Reading passage to answer whether the stated information is true, false or not given based on their understanding. Candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage and answer the given questions in no more than three words or a number. Candidates gain proficiency on diverse topics by undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers.

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

Thomas Young The Last True Know It All Reading Answers

Thomas Young (1773-1829) contributed 63 articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica, including 46 biographical entries (mostly on scientists and classicists) and substantial essays on “Bridge,” “Chromatics,” “Egypt,” “Languages'' and “Tides”. Was someone who could write authoritatively about so many subjects a polymath, a genius or a dilettante? In an ambitious new biography, Andrew Robinson argues that Young is a good contender for the epitaph “the last man who knew everything.” Young has competition, however: The phrase, which Robinson takes for his title, also serves as the subtitle of two other recent biographies: Leonard Warren’s 1998 life of palaeontologist Joseph Leidy (1823-1891) and Paula Findlen’s 2004 book on Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), another polymath.

Young, of course, did more than write encyclopaedia entries. He presented his first paper to the Royal Society of London at the age of 20 and was elected a Fellow a week after his 21st birthday. In the paper, Young explained the process of accommodation in the human eye —on how the eye focuses properly on objects at varying distances. Young hypothesised that this was achieved by changes in the shape of the lens. Young also theorised that light travelled in waves and believed that, to account for the ability to see in colour, there must be three receptors in the eye corresponding to the three “principal colours” to which the retina could respond: red, green, violet. All these hypotheses Were subsequently proved to be correct.

Later in his life, when he was in his forties, Young was instrumental in cracking the code that unlocked the unknown script on the Rosetta Stone, a tablet that was “found” in Egypt by the Napoleonic army in 1799. The stone contains text in three alphabets: Greek, something unrecognisable and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The unrecognisable script is now known as demotic and, as Young deduced, is related directly to hieroglyphics. His initial work on this appeared in his Britannica entry on Egypt. In another entry, he coined the term Indo-European to describe the family of languages spoken throughout most of Europe and northern India. These are the landmark achievements of a man who was a child prodigy and who, unlike many remarkable children, did not disappear into oblivion as an adult.

Born in 1773 in Somerset in England, Young lived from an early age with his maternal grandfather, eventually leaving to attend boarding school. He had devoured books from the age of two, and through his own initiative, he excelled at Latin, Greek, mathematics and natural philosophy. After leaving school, he was greatly encouraged by his mother’s uncle, Richard Brocklesby, a physician and Fellow of the Royal Society. Following Brocklesby’s lead, Young decided to pursue a career in medicine. He studied in London, following the medical circuit, and then moved on to more formal education in Edinburgh, Gottingen and Cambridge. After completing his medical training at the University of Cambridge in 1808, Young set up practice as a physician in London. He soon became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a few years later was appointed physician at St. George’s Hospital.

Young’s skill as a physician, however, did not equal his skill as a scholar of natural philosophy or linguistics. Earlier, in 1801, he had been appointed to a professorship of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution, where he delivered as many as 60 lectures in a year. These were published in two volumes in 1807. In 1804 Young had become secretary to the Royal Society, a post he would hold until his death. His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London and methods of ship construction. From 1819 he was superintendent of the Nautical Almanack and secretary to the Board of Longitude. From 1824 to 1829 he was physician to and inspector of calculations for the Palladian Insurance Company. Between 1816 and 1825 he contributed his many and various entries to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and throughout his career, he authored numerous books, essays and papers.

Young is a perfect subject for a biography — perfect, but daunting. Few men contributed so much to so many technical fields. Robinson’s aim is to introduce non-scientists to Young’s work and life. He succeeds, providing clear expositions of the technical material (especially that on optics and Egyptian hieroglyphs). Some readers of this book will, like Robinson, find Young’s accomplishments impressive; others will see him as some historians have —as a dilettante. Yet despite the rich material presented in this book, readers will not end up knowing Young personally. We catch glimpses of a playful Young, doodling Greek and Latin phrases in his notes on medical lectures and translating the verses that a young lady had written on the walls of a summerhouse into Greek elegiacs. Young was introduced into elite society, attended the theatre and learned to dance and play the flute. In addition, he was an accomplished horseman. However, his personal life looks pale next to his vibrant career and studies.

Young married Eliza Maxwell in 1804, and according to Robinson, “their marriage was a happy one and she appreciated his work,” Almost all we know about her is that she sustained her husband through some rancorous disputes about optics and that she worried about money when his medical career was slow to take off. Very little evidence survives about the complexities of Young’s relationships with his mother and father. Robinson does not credit them, or anyone else, with shaping Young’s extraordinary mind. Despite the lack of details concerning Young’s relationships, however, anyone interested in what it means to be a genius should read this book.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-7 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

‘The last man who knew everything’ has also been claimed by other people.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Andrew Robinson argues that Young is a good contender for the epitaph “the last man who knew everything.”
Keyword: young, contender, the last man who knew everything
Keyword Location: paragraph A, line 5
Explanation: The passage's first paragraph introduces Thomas Young. Additionally, it says that according to Andrew Robinson, Young is a strong candidate for the honorific title "the last man who knew everything." Robinson believed that Thomas Young was the last person on earth to possess all knowledge, so to speak. Therefore, the right response is true.

All Young’s articles were published in Encyclopedia Britannica.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: Young, of course, did more than write encyclopaedia entries
Keyword: young, more, encyclopaedia
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 1
Explanation: Young accomplished more than just writing encyclopaedia entries, according to paragraph B of the passage. It tells us that at the age of 20, he delivered his first paper to the Royal Society of London. This demonstrates that Thomas Young authored articles for encyclopaedias as well as other publications. Therefore, the correct answer is false.

Like others, Young wasn’t so brilliant when growing up.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: the landmark achievements of a man who was a child prodigy
Keyword: achievements, man, child prodigy
Keyword Location: paragraph C, 2nd last line
Explanation: The accomplishments of Young are detailed in paragraph C of the passage. In addition, it tells us that a man who was a prodigy as a child made such historic accomplishments. Furthermore, he did not vanish into obscurity as an adult, unlike many extraordinary children. As a result, the correct answer is false.

Young’s talent as a doctor surpassed his other skills.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The passage doesn't provide any information that is relevant to the question.

Young’s advice was sought by people responsible for local and national issues.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London and methods of ship construction.
Keyword: opinions, civic, national matters, gas lighting, methods, ship construction
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 5
Explanation: Young's opinions on a number of issues were taken, as stated in paragraph E. His comments on local and governmental issues were reportedly sought after. Comparable to the development of shipbuilding techniques and the advent of gas lights to London. Thus, the answer is true.

Young took part in various social pastimes.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Young was introduced into elite society, attended the theatre and learned to dance and play the flute
Keyword: dance, flute, elite society, theatre
Keyword Location: paragraph F, 3rd to the last line
Explanation: Young's additional interests are mentioned in paragraph F. It says Young was introduced to high society, went to the theatre, and picked up dance and flute playing. Additionally, he was a skilled rider. But in comparison to his dynamic profession and studies, his personal life seems tepid. Therefore, the right answer is true.

Young suffered from a disease in his later years.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The passage doesn't provide any information that is relevant to the question.

Questions 8-13

Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

How many life stories did Young write for the Encyclopedia Britannica?

Answer: 46
Supporting Sentence: contributed 63 articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica, including 46 biographical entries
Keyword: articles, encyclopaedia, biographical entries
Keyword Location: paragraph A, line 1
Explanation: Paragraph A mention of Thomas Young's significant works follows in paragraph A. It claims that he wrote 46 biographical items among his 63 contributions to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Additionally, he produced lengthy pieces on the following topics: "Tides," "Bridge," "Chromatics," "Egypt," and "Languages." Hence, the answer is 46.

What aspect of scientific research did Young focus on in his first academic paper?

Answer: human eye accommodation
Supporting Sentence: Young explained the process of accommodation in the human eye —on how the eye focuses properly on objects at varying distances
Keyword: explained, eye, focuses, objects, distances
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 3
Explanation: His first paper presentation to the Royal Society of London occurred when he was 20 years old, according to paragraph B. Young described how the human eye accommodates to its surroundings. He wrote about the eye's ability to focus correctly on things of various distances. Therefore, the answer is human eye accommodation.

What name did Young introduce to refer to a group of languages?

Answer: Indo-European
Supporting Sentence: Indo-European to describe the family of languages spoken throughout most of Europe and northern India.
Keyword: family, languages,spoken, Europe, Northern India
Keyword Location: paragraph C, line 7
Explanation: He invented the term "Indo-European," as stated in paragraph C, in a different entry. He created it to refer to the group of languages that make up the majority of those in northern India and Europe. These are the historical accomplishments of a man who was a prodigy as a child. Therefore, the answer is Indo-European.

Who inspired Young to start his medical studies?

Answer: Richard Brocklesby
Supporting Sentence: he was greatly encouraged by his mother’s uncle, Richard Brocklesby, a physician and Fellow of the Royal Society
Keyword: encouraged, mother’s uncle, physician, Royal Society
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 4
Explanation: According to paragraph D, Richard Brocklesby, the uncle of his mother, gave him a lot of encouragement when he dropped out of school. He was a physician and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Young made the decision to pursue a profession in medicine after taking Brocklesby's example. Hence, the answer is Richard Brocklesby.

Where did Young get a teaching position?

Answer: Royal Institution
Supporting Sentence: he had been appointed to a professorship of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution
Keyword: appointed, professorship, philosophy
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 2
Explanation: He was previously assigned to a professorship of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution, as is mentioned in paragraph E. In one year, he gave as many as 60 lectures. Two volumes of these were released in 1807. Therefore, the answer is Royal Institution.

What contribution did Young make to London?

Answer: Gas Lighting
Supporting Sentence: His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London
Keyword: opinions, sought, civic, national
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 5
Explanation: Young's opinions on a number of issues were taken, as stated in paragraph E. His comments on local and governmental issues were reportedly sought after. Comparable to the development of shipbuilding techniques and the advent of gas lights to London. Thus, the right answer is gas lighting.