What is Exploration Reading Answers

Jan 2, 2023

What is Exploration Reading Answers contains sample answers about. What is Exploration Reading Answers comprising 14 different types of questions. IELTS What is Exploration Reading Answers contains three types of questions: write the correct letter, match each statement with the correct explorer and complete the summary. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage carefully to choose the correct letter from the given option. To match each statement with the correct explorer, candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage, to match the statement with the correct explorer. At last, candidates are supposed to complete the summary using no more than two words from the IELTS Reading passage for each answer. Furthermore, to gain proficiency on diverse topic, candidates can practise from the IELTS Reading practice papers

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

What is Exploration Reading Answers

We are all explorers. Our desire to discover, and then share that new-found knowledge, is part of what makes us human – indeed, this has played an important part in our success as a species. Long before the first caveman slumped down beside the fire and grunted news that there were plenty of wildebeest over yonder, our ancestors had learnt the value of sending out scouts to investigate the unknown. This questing nature of ours undoubtedly helped our species spread around the globe, just as it nowadays no doubt helps the last nomadic Penan maintain their existence in the depleted forests of Borneo, and a visitor negotiate the subways of New York.

Over the years, we’ve come to think of explorers as a peculiar breed – different from the rest of us, different from those of us who are merely ‘well travelled’, even; and perhaps there is a type of person more suited to seeking out the new, a type of caveman more inclined to risk venturing out. That, however, doesn’t take away from the fact that we all have this enquiring instinct, even today; and that in all sorts of professions – whether artist, marine biologist or astronomer – borders of the unknown are being tested each day.

Thomas Hardy set some of his novels in Egdon Heath, a fictional area of uncultivated land, and used the landscape to suggest the desires and fears of his characters. He is delving into matters we all recognise because they are common to humanity. This is surely an act of exploration, and into a world as remote as the author chooses. Explorer and travel writer Peter Fleming talks of the moment when the explorer returns to the existence he has left behind with his loved ones. The traveller ‘who has for weeks or months seen himself only as a puny and irrelevant alien crawling laboriously over a country in which he has no roots and no background, suddenly encounters his other self, a relatively solid figure, with a place in the minds of certain people’.

In this book about the exploration of the earth’s surface, I have confined myself to those whose travels were real and who also aimed at more than personal discovery. But that still left me with another problem: the word ‘explorer’ has become associated with a past era. We think back to a golden age, as if exploration peaked somehow in the 19th century – as if the process of discovery is now on the decline, though the truth is that we have named only one and a half million of this planet’s species, and there may be more than 10 million – and that’s not including bacteria. We have studied only 5 per cent of the species we know. We have scarcely mapped the ocean floors, and know even less about ourselves; we fully understand the workings of only 10 per cent of our brains.

Here is how some of today’s ‘explorers’ define the word. Ran Fiennes, dubbed the ‘greatest living explorer’, said, ‘An explorer is someone who has done something that no human has done before – and also done something scientifically useful.’ Chris Bonington, a leading mountaineer, felt exploration was to be found in the act of physically touching the unknown: ‘You have to have gone somewhere new.’ Then Robin Hanbury-Tenison, a campaigner on behalf of remote so-called ‘tribal’ peoples, said, ‘A traveller simply records information about some far-off world, and reports back; but an explorer changes the world.’ Wilfred Thesiger, who crossed Arabia’s Empty Quarter in 1946, and belongs to an era of unmechanised travel now lost to the rest of us, told me, ‘If I’d gone across by camel when I could have gone by car, it would have been a stunt.’ To him, exploration meant bringing back information from a remote place regardless of any great self-discovery.

Each definition is slightly different – and tends to reflect the field of endeavour of each pioneer. It was the same whoever I asked: the prominent historian would say exploration was a thing of the past, the cutting-edge scientist would say it was of the present. And so on. They each set their own particular criteria; the common factor in their approach being that they all had, unlike many of us who simply enjoy travel or discovering new things, both a very definite objective from the outset and also a desire to record their findings.

I’d best declare my own bias. As a writer, I’m interested in the exploration of ideas. I’ve done a great many expeditions and each one was unique. I’ve lived for months alone with isolated groups of people all around the world, even two ‘uncontacted tribes’. But none of these things is of the slightest interest to anyone unless, through my books, I’ve found a new slant, explored a new idea. Why? Because the world has moved on. The time has long passed for the great continental voyages – another walk to the poles, another crossing of the Empty Quarter. We know how the land surface of our planet lies; exploration of it is now down to the details – the habits of microbes, say, or the grazing behaviour of buffalo. Aside from the deep sea and deep underground, it’s the era of specialists. However, this is to disregard the role the human mind has in conveying remote places; and this is what interests me: how a fresh interpretation, even of a well-travelled route, can give its readers new insights.

Section 2

Solution With Explanation
Questions 27 – 32
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.

The writer refers to visitors to New York to illustrate the point that

exploration is an intrinsic element of being human.
most people are enthusiastic about exploring.
exploration can lead to surprising results.
most people find exploration daunting.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: This questing nature of ours undoubtedly helped our species spread around the globe, just as it nowadays. No doubt helps the last nomadic Penan maintain their existence in the depleted forests of Borneo, and a visitor negotiates the subways of New York.
Keywords: Subways, New York, questing, nature
Keywords Location: 1st paragraph, last line
Explanation: The first paragraph used tourists to New York as an illustration for the statement that came before it. "This questing nature of ours surely helped our species spread over the globe". Here "questing" is synonymous with "exploring" and "nature" denotes the "intrinsic element." This example therefore shows how exploring aids a tourist in locating their destination in a foreign metropolis like New York's subway system. As a result, A is the answer.

According to the second paragraph, what is the writer’s view of explorers?

Their discoveries have brought both benefits and disadvantages.
Their main value is in teaching others.
They act on an urge that is common to everyone.
They tend to be more attracted to certain professions than to others.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Over the years, we’ve come to think of explorers as a peculiar breed – different from the rest of us, different from those of us who are merely ‘well travelled’. And perhaps there is a type of person
more suited to seeking out the new, a type of caveman more inclined to risk venturing out.
Keywords: explorers, well travelled, caveman, venturing out
Keywords Location: 2nd paragraph, 1st line
Explanation: Paragraph 2 begins by noting that people tend to think that explorers are peculiar. And there are some people who are better suited for exploration. In the end, the author refutes such a notion by saying that "we all have this inquisitive instinct." Since "we all have" implies that it is "common to everyone," the word "instinct" might be translated as "urge." Thus, it follows that everyone has the impulse to explore, or another name for desire to do so. Therefore, C is the correct answer.

The writer refers to a description of Egdon Heath to suggest that

Hardy was writing about his own experience of exploration.
Hardy was mistaken about the nature of exploration.
Hardy’s aim was to investigate people’s emotional states.
Hardy’s aim was to show the attraction of isolation.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Thomas Hardy set some of his novels in Egdon Heath, a fictional area of uncultivated land. And used the landscape to suggest the desires and fears of his characters.
Keywords: Thomas Hardy, Egdon Heath, landscape, desires, fears
Keywords Location: 3rd paragraph, 1st line
Explanation: The Egdon Heath environment was allegedly used in paragraph 3 to "convey the desires and concerns of Thomas Hardy's characters." Hereby You can generally refer to "emotional states" as "desires and fears." To put it another way, Egdon Heath's descriptions are employed to convey the feelings of his characters, who are afterwards referred to as "humanity". And are therefore considered to be "people." Thus, we could conclude that C is the correct answer.

In the fourth paragraph, the writer refers to ‘a golden age’ to suggest that

the amount of useful information produced by exploration has decreased.
fewer people are interested in exploring than in the 19th century.
recent developments have made exploration less exciting.
we are wrong to think that exploration is no longer necessary.

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: We think back to a golden age, as if exploration peaked somehow in the 19th century – as if the process of discovery is now on the decline. Though the truth is that we have named only one and a half million of this planet’s species, and there may be more than 10 million. And that’s not including bacteria.
Keywords: golden age, exploration, discovery, decline
Keywords Location: 4th paragraph, 3rd line
Explanation: The opening sentence of paragraph 4 reads, "The word 'explorer' has become connected with a former era,". It conveys the sense that exploring is seen as essential only in the past and not in the present. Most people agree that the 19th century was this "golden age," although exploration has since decreased. Multiple "as if" expressions are used to express disagreement with this viewpoint in the sentences that follow. The author goes on to say that we have only researched 5% of the species that we are aware of. It suggests that there is still a vast area of knowledge to be explored, giving a refutation to the claim that exploration is no longer important at this time. D is the answer, therefore.

In the sixth paragraph, when discussing the definition of exploration, the writer argues that

people tend to relate exploration to their own professional interests.
certain people are likely to misunderstand the nature of exploration.
the generally accepted definition has changed over time.
historians and scientists have more valid definitions than the general public.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Each definition is slightly different – and tends to reflect the field of endeavour of each pioneer.
Keywords: definition, reflect, endeavour, pioneer
Keywords Location: 6th paragraph, 1st line
Explanation: It is stated in the first sentence of paragraph 6 that "Each definition is slightly different - and tends to represent the sphere of endeavour of each pioneer." Consequently, "definition" can be interpreted as each person's relationship to the issue described in the definition of "exploration". And "area of endeavour" is also "professional interest." This can be interpreted as the notion that each person would connect exploration to his or her own professional interests. Therefore, the answer is A.

In the last paragraph, the writer explains that he is interested in

how someone’s personality is reflected in their choice of places to visit.
the human ability to cast new light on places that may be familiar.
how travel writing has evolved to meet changing demands.
the feelings that writers develop about the places that they explore.

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: However, this is to disregard the role the human mind has in conveying remote places. And this is what interests me: how a fresh interpretation, even of a well-travelled route, can give its readers new insights.
Keywords: interpretation, insights, disregard, insights
Keywords Location: last paragraph, last line
Explanation: "How a fresh interpretation, even of a well-travelled route, can give its readers new insights," the author writes in the final paragraph, is what intrigues him. The act of "throwing new light" on something could be interpreted here as "giving new insight" or a "fresh interpretation,". While "well-travelled" refers to the perception of the path as "familiar." As a result, it may be assumed that the author is curious in how familiar areas could be illuminated in a new way, hence the correct response is B.

Questions 33 – 37

Look at the following statements (Questions 33-37) and the list of explorers below.

Match each statement with the correct explorer, A-E.
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 33-37 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

He referred to the relevance of the form of transport used.
He described feelings on coming back home after a long journey.
He worked for the benefit of specific groups of people.
He did not consider learning about oneself an essential part of exploration.
He defined exploration as being both unique and of value to others.

List of Explorers

Peter Fleming
Ran Fiennes
Chris Bonington
Robin Hanbury-Tenison
Wilfred Thesiger

Question 33:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Wilfred Thesiger, who crossed Arabia’s Empty Quarter in 1946, and belongs to an era of non mechanised travel now lost to the rest of us. Told me, ‘If I’d gone across by camel when I could have gone by car, it would have been a stunt.’
Keywords: unmechanised, travel, camel, car
Keywords Location: 5th paragraph, 4th line
Explanation: The many forms of transportation are discussed in paragraph 5. The saying "If I had travelled across on a camel rather than a car. It was going to be a stunt "refers to the numerous transportation methods that are employed. Wilfred Thesiger said this, hence E is the correct answer.

Question 35:

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Explorer and travel writer Peter Fleming talks of the moment when the explorer returns to the existence he has left behind with his loved ones.
Keywords: travel writer, explorer, return, left behind
Keywords Location: 3rd paragraph, 4th line
Explanation: Peter Fleming describes the moment the explorer returns to his previous life with his loved ones in paragraph 3 of this passage. Speaking of the moment could refer to the act of "describing feelings" in this context. "The existence he has left behind" is to be regarded as the "home" he left in order to go. The conclusion is that Peter Fleming implied what it was like to feel at home after a long voyage, hence the answer is A.

Question 36:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Then Robin Hanbury-Tenison, a campaigner on behalf of remote so-called ‘tribal’ peoples said, ‘A traveller simply records information about some far-off world. And reports back; but an explorer changes the world.’
Keywords: campaigner, tribal, traveller, explorer
Keywords Location: Paragraph 5, 3rd line
Explanation: As "tribal" people, some groups of individuals were included in paragraph 5 and Robin Hanbury-Tenison fought for their rights as an activist. D is the correct answer in this case because Robin Hanbury-Tenison was allegedly working for particular groups of individuals.

Question 37:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: To him, exploration meant bringing back information from a remote place regardless of any great self-discovery.
Keywords: exploration, remote, self-discovery
Keywords Location: Paragraph 5, last line
Explanation: In the final clause of paragraph 5, Wilfred Thesiger is quoted as saying, "Exploration means... independent of any profound self-discovery." The term "regardless" in this sentence indicates "self-discovery". It is another way of saying "learning about oneself," is not a necessary component of exploration. As a result, E is the correct answer.

Question 38:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Ran Fiennes, dubbed the ‘greatest living explorer’, said, ‘An explorer is someone who has done something that no human has done before. And also did something scientifically useful.’
Keywords: greatest, living, explorer, scientifically
Keywords Location: Paragraph 5, 1st line
Explanation: According to Ran Fiennes, the first explorer stated in sentence five, "Something that no human has done before" is what makes something "unique". And "something scientifically useful" is what makes something "of worth." Thus, B is the correct answer.

Questions 38 – 40

Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.

The writer’s own bias

The writer has experience of a large number of 38 ……………., and was the first stranger that certain previously 39 ……………… people had encountered. He believes there is no need for further exploration of Earth’s 40 ………………., except to answer specific questions such as how buffalo eat.

Question 38:

Answer: expedition
Supporting Sentence: I’ve done a great many expeditions and each one was unique.
Keywords: many, each, unique
Keywords Location: last paragraph, 2nd line
Explanation: I've been on several adventures, and each one was different, the author claims. As "a great many" and "a large number of" are synonymous, the word "expeditions" should be used to fill in the blank.
Additionally, the passage's usage of the adjective "unique" might be added, creating our complete response to "(unique) adventures."

Question 39:

Answer: uncontacted/isolated
Supporting Sentence: I’ve lived for months alone with isolated groups of people all around the world, even two ‘uncontacted tribes’.
Keywords: isolated, groups, tribes, people
Keywords Location: last paragraph, 3rd line
Explanation: The third line of the last paragraph states that the author "lived for months alone with isolated groups of people all over the world. Including two 'uncontacted tribes'. As "uncontacted tribes" refers to persons who may have never met anyone outside of their small, exclusive group. Since it's possible that the writer was the first to get in touch with them, the appropriate response is either "uncontacted" or "isolated" in general.

Question 40:

Answer: surface
Supporting Sentence: The time has long passed for the great continental voyages – another walk to the poles, another crossing of the Empty Quarter.
Keywords: continental, voyages, poles, crossing
Keywords Location: Last paragraph, 6th line
Explanation: "The time has long passed for the huge continental trips," the sixth line of the last paragraph reads. Because "it's the era of specialists". This is the situation since investigation of the planet's surface is now limited to details because we are aware of how it is laid out. As a result, the author may think that there is no need for additional investigation of the "land surface,". As the process is already known and there are more professionals to investigate the minutiae of it. As a result, the answer must be "land surface."

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