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 |
1 ‘The last man who knew everything’ has also been claimed to other people.
2 All Young’s articles were published in Encyclopedia Britannica.
3 Like others, Young wasn’t so brilliant when growing up.
4 Young’s talent as a doctor surpassed his other skills.
5 Young’s advice was sought by people responsible for local and national issues.
6 Young took part in various social pastimes.
7 Young suffered from a disease in his later years.
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
1. ‘The last man who knew everything’ has also been claimed to other people.” | Andrew Robinson argues that Young is a good contender for the epitaph "the last man who knew everything." |
+ In the question, the keyword is “the last man who knew everything” +After scanning the keyword, the author tell about that at paragraph A. +According to this sentence, apart from Young, there are many people who also are contender for the epitaph. Hence, the answer here should be True. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
2. All Young’s articles were published in Encyclopedia Britannica. | Young, of course, did more than write encyclopedia entries. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “Encyclopedia Britannica” and “all” +Take a look at the beginning of paragraph B, we find the keyword. However, he do more than write encyclopedia entries. Hence, the answer here should be False. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
3. Like others, Young wasn’t so brilliant when growing up. | 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 question, the keywords are “not brilliant” and “when growing up” +Take a look, “at the age of 20” is equal to “when growing up”. However, unlike others, he presented his first paper when he was 20 and was elected a Fellow after his 21st birthday. Hence, the answer here should be False. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
4. Young’s talent as a doctor surpassed his other skills. | Young's skill as a physician, however, did not equal his skill as a scholar of natural philosophy or linguistics. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “doctor” and “surpassed his others skills” + "A physician" is a person who is qualified to practice medicine, which is a doctor. + "surpass" means to do or to be better than something, which contradicts the meaning of "did not equal". Hence, the answer must be False. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
5. Young’s advice was sought by people responsible for local and national issues. | His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London and methods of ship construction. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “Young’s advice” and “sought by people responsible for local and national” +As we know, “Young’s advice” is equivalent to “his opinion” and “ local and national” is equal to “civic and national”. Hence, the answer here should be True. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
6. Young took part in various social pastimes. | Young was introduced into elite society, attended the theatre and learned to dance and play the flute. In addition, he was an accomplished horseman. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “interested” and “various social pastimes” + Elite society, theatre, dancing, playing flute, being horseman were all social activities he got involved in. Hence, the answer here should be True. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | |
7. Young suffered from a disease in his later years. | |
+ In the question, the keyword is “suffer diseases” + We can’t find any information about diseases that he suffered in his later life. Hence, the answer here should be Not given. |
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?
8
What aspect of scientific research did Young focus on in his first academic paper?
9
What name did Young introduce to refer to a group of languages?
10
Who inspired Young to start his medical studies?
11
Where did Young get a teaching position?
12
What contribution did Young make to London?
13
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
8. How many life stories did Young write for the Encyclopedia Britannica? | Thomas Young (1773-1829) contributed 63 articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica, including 46 biographical entries |
+ In the question, the keywords are “how many” and “life stories” + The answer should be a number. +Take a look at 1 st sentence, “life stories” is equal to “biographical entries”. Note: Be careful, you may be confused “63” with “46”, they just asked you “life stories”. Hence, the answer here should be 46. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
9. What aspect of scientific research did Young focus on in his first academic paper?. | In the paper, Young explained the process of accommodation in the human eye |
+ In the question, the keywords are “what aspect” and “in his first academic paper” + The answer should be noun +Take a look, “the paper” in the passage implied “his first academic paper”. Hence, the answer here should be human eye. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
10. What name did Young introduce to refer to a group of languages? | In another entry, he coined the term Indo-European to describe the family of languages spoken throughout most of Europe and northern India. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “what name” and “refer a group of language”. + “coin” means invent or introduce something. Hence, the answer here is Indo-European. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
11. Who inspired Young to start his medical studies? | After leaving school, he was greatly encouraged by his mother's uncle, Richard Brock-lesby, a physician and Fellow of the Royal Society. Following Brocklesby's lead, Young decided to pursue a career in medicine. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “who inspired” and “medical studies”. + The answer should be a name + “inspired” is equal to “encouraged”. Look at the next sentence, “Following Brocklesby's lead, Young decided to pursue a career in medicine” is a clear evidence to answer the Q11. Hence, the answer here is Richard Brocklesby. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
12. Where did Young get a teaching position? | 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. |
+ In the question, the keywords are “where” and “get teaching position” +This blank should be fulfilled by a name of school. +As we know, “professorship” is a teaching position. Hence, the answer here should be Royal Institution. |
KEYWORDS IN QUESTIONS | SIMILAR WORDS IN PASSAGE |
13. What contribution did Young make to London? | His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London and methods of ship construction. |
+ In the question, the keyword is “make to London” +We saw the keyword “London” in this sentence. It’s is clear that “Young introduce of gas lighting to London.” Hence, the answer here should be gas lighting. |
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
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 authorita-tively about so many subjects a polymath, a genius or a dilettante? In an ambitious new biog-raphy, 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 paleontologist Joseph Leidy (1823-1891) and Paula Findlen's 2004 book on Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), another polymath.
Young, of course, did more than write encyclopedia 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 traveled in waves and ho believed that, to account for the ability to see in color, there must be three receptors in the eye corresponding to the three "principal colors" 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 hieroglyphic. 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.
Bom 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 Brock-lesby, 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 Almanac 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 Britan-nica, 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 accom-plishments 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 rela-tionships, however, anyone interested in what it means to be a genius should read this book.
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