Revolutions In Mapping - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Official IELTS Practice Materials Academic Reading Test 1 · Part 2 · Questions 14–26
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
Revolutions in Mapping
Today, the mapmaker's vision is no longer confined to what the human eye can see. The perspective of mapmaking has shifted from the crow's nest of the sailing vessel, mountain top and airplane to new orbital heights. Radar, which bounces microwave radio signals off a given surface to create images of its contours and textures, can penetrate jungle foliage and has produced the first maps of the mountains of the planet Venus. And a combination of sonar and radar produces charts of the seafloor, putting much of Earth on the map for the first time. 'Suddenly it's a whole different world for us,' says Joel Morrison, chief of geography at the U.S. Bureau of the Census. 'Our future as mapmakers – even ten years from now – is uncertain.'
The world's largest collection of maps resides in the basement of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The collection, consisting of up to 4.6 million map sheets and 63,000 atlases, includes magnificent bound collections of elaborate maps – the pride of the golden age of Dutch cartography*. In the reading room scholars, wearing thin cotton gloves to protect the fragile sheets, examine ancient maps with magnifying glasses. Across the room people sit at their computer screens, studying the latest maps. With their prodigious memories, computers are able to store data about people, places and environments – the stuff of maps – and almost instantly information is displayed on the screen in the desired geographic context, and at the click of a button, a print-out of the map appears.
Measuring the spherical Earth ranks as the first major milestone in scientific cartography. This was first achieved by the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes, a scholar at the famous Alexandrian Library in Egypt in the third century BC. He calculated the Earth's circumference as 25,200 miles, which was remarkably accurate. The longitudinal circumference is known today to be 24,860 miles.
Building on the ideas of his predecessors, the astronomer and geographer Ptolemy, working in the second century AD, spelled out a system for organising maps according to grids of latitude and longitude. Today, parallels of latitude are often spaced at intervals of 10 to 20 degrees and meridians** at 15 degrees, and this is the basis for the width of modern time zones. Another legacy of Ptolemy's is his advice to cartographers to create maps to scale. Distance on today's maps is expressed as a fraction or ratio of the real distance. But mapmakers in Ptolemy's time lacked the geographic knowledge to live up to Ptolemy's scientific principles. Even now, when surveyors achieve accuracies down to inches and satellites can plot potential missile targets within feet, maps are not true pictures of reality.
However, just as the compass improved navigation and created demand for useful charts, so the invention of the printing press in the 15th century put maps in the hands of more people, and took their production away from monks, who had tended to illustrate theology rather than geography. Ocean-going ships launched an age of discovery, enlarging both what could and needed to be mapped, and awakened an intellectual spirit and desire for knowledge of the world.
Inspired by the rediscovered Ptolemy, whose writing had been preserved by Arabs after the sacking of the Alexandrian Library in AD 931, mapmakers in the 15th century gradually replaced theology with knowledge of faraway places, as reported by travelling merchants like Marco Polo.
Gerhardus Mercator, the foremost shipmaker of the 16th century, developed a technique of arranging meridians and parallels in such a way that navigators could draw straight lines between two points and steer a constant compass course between them. This distortion formula, introduced on his world map of 1569, created the 'Greenland problem'. Even on some standard maps to this day, Greenland looks as large as South America – one of the many problems when one tries to portray a round world on a flat sheet of paper. But the Mercator projection was so practical that it is still popular with sailors.
Scientific mapping of the land came into its own with the achievements of the Cassini family – father, son, grandson and great-grandson. In the late 17th century, the Italian-born founder, Jean-Dominique, invented a complex method of determining longitude based on observations of Jupiter's moons. Using this technique, surveyors were able to produce an accurate map of France. The family continued to map the French countryside and his great-grandson finally published their famous Cassini map in 1793 during the French Revolution. While it may have lacked the artistic appeal of earlier maps, it was the model of a social and geographic map showing roads, rivers, canals, towns, abbeys, vineyards, lakes and even windmills. With this achievement, France became the first country to be completely mapped by scientific methods.
Mapmaking has come a long way since those days. Today's surveyors rarely go into the field without being linked to navigation satellites. Their hand-held receivers are the most familiar of the new mapping technologies, and the satellite system, developed and still operated by the US Defense Department, is increasingly used by surveyors. Even ordinary hikers, sailors and explorers can tap into it for data telling them where they are. Simplified civilian versions of the receivers are available for a few hundred dollars and they are also the heart of electronic map displays available in some cars. Cartography is pressing on to cosmic frontiers, but its objective is, and always has been, to communicate a sense of 'here' in relation to 'there', however far away 'there' may be.
* cartography: mapmaking
** meridians: lines of longitude on the earth running north to south
Questions
Questions 14–18 One Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Questions 19–21 Matching Features
Look at the following list of achievements (Questions 19-21) and the list of mapmakers below.
Match each achievement with the correct mapmaker, A, B, C or D.
A. Mercator
B. Ptolemy
C. Cassini family
D. Eratosthenes
Questions 22–26 Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Ancient maps allow us to see how we have come to make sense of the world. They also reflect the attitudes and knowledge of the day. The first great step in mapmaking took place in 22 in the 3rd century BC. Work continued in this tradition until the 2nd century AD but was then abandoned for over a thousand years, during which time maps were the responsibility of 23 rather than scientists. Fortunately, however, the writings of 24 had been kept, and interest in scientific mapmaking was revived as scholars sought to produce maps, inspired by the accounts of travellers.
These days, 25 are vital to the creation of maps and radar has allowed cartographers to map areas beyond our immediate world. In addition, this high-tech equipment is not only used to map faraway places, but cheaper versions have also been developed for use in 26.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q14 | A | And a combination of sonar and radar produces charts of the seafloor, putting much of Earth on the map for the first time | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that using sonar and radar together allows mapmakers to create maps of the ocean floor, which puts parts of the world on a map for the very first time. Answer Explanation: The answer means that modern mapmakers use different technologies together to map places that were previously unmapped or unknown. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the first paragraph states that a 'combination of sonar and radar' (combining techniques) creates maps of the seafloor, 'putting much of Earth on the map for the first time' (charting unknown territory). Other options are incorrect because mapmakers are no longer limited to what the human eye can see, visiting the jungle itself is not mentioned, and relying on experts from other fields is not discussed in this paragraph. |
| Q15 | D | With their prodigious memories, computers are able to store data about people, places and environments – the stuff of maps – and almost instantly information is displayed on the screen in the desired geographic context, and at the click of a button, a print-out of the map appears | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that computers store map details and can quickly show a map on the screen in whatever location or style the user wants, and then easily print it out. Answer Explanation: The answer means that people visiting the Library of Congress can use computers to make and print specific maps according to their own choices. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the text states that computer screens at the Library of Congress allow users to display map information in their 'desired geographic context' and get 'a print-out of the map' instantly. This shows that visitors can create custom maps on demand. |
| Q16 | B | Another legacy of Ptolemy's is his advice to cartographers to create maps to scale. Distance on today's maps is expressed as a fraction or ratio of the real distance | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that Ptolemy advised mapmakers to create maps to scale, meaning the distance shown on a map corresponds to a fraction or ratio of the actual distance in the real world. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Ptolemy told mapmakers of his time that it is important to make maps using correct scale measurements that show the exact comparison between distances on a map and real distances on Earth. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the passage mentions Ptolemy's advice to mapmakers ("cartographers") to make maps "to scale." It goes on to define this concept by stating that distance on a map is shown as a "fraction or ratio of the real distance." Therefore, Ptolemy showed people of his time the importance of using accurate ratios of distance when making maps. |
| Q17 | C | However, just as the compass improved navigation and created demand for useful charts, so the invention of the printing press in the 15th century put maps in the hands of more people, and took their production away from monks, who had tended to illustrate theology rather than geography | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that the printing press allowed maps to be given to more people and stopped monks from being the primary creators. Because monks made religious drawings instead of geographical maps, this change transformed how mapmaking was done. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the creation of the printing press altered how maps were made and who made them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage explains that the printing press moved map production away from monks, who used to draw religious ideas ('theology') rather than real geography. This shifted the overall method and style—the approach—of mapmaking. Keywords like 'took their production away' and 'illustrate theology rather than geography' highlight this shift in mapmaking. |
| Q18 | C | Cartography is pressing on to cosmic frontiers, but its objective is, and always has been, to communicate a sense of 'here' in relation to 'there', however far away 'there' may be | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that even though mapmaking is now reaching into space, its goal has always been to show where one place is compared to another place. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the main goal of making maps has stayed the same over time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because at the end of the passage, the writer points out that even though mapmaking (cartography) is moving into space, its main goal ("objective") is still the same as it has always been ("always has been"). That main goal is to show where one location is in relation to another place ("communicate a sense of 'here' in relation to 'there'"). This shows that the basic purpose or aim of mapmaking remains unchanged. |
| Q19 | D | This was first achieved by the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes, a scholar at the famous Alexandrian Library in Egypt in the third century BC. He calculated the Earth's circumference as 25,200 miles, which was remarkably accurate | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's distance around itself (circumference) very accurately long ago. Answer Explanation: The answer D means Eratosthenes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the passage explains that the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's circumference (the total distance around the Earth) as 25,200 miles. The text notes that this calculation was 'remarkably accurate', meaning he came very close to finding the real measurement. |
| Q20 | C | The family continued to map the French countryside and his great-grandson finally published their famous Cassini map in 1793 during the French Revolution. While it may have lacked the artistic appeal of earlier maps, it was the model of a social and geographic map showing roads, rivers, canals, towns, abbeys, vineyards, lakes and even windmills | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage shows that the Cassini family's map displayed things made by humans (like roads, canals, towns, abbeys, and windmills) as well as natural features. Answer Explanation: The answer choice C means the Cassini family. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage explains that the Cassini family created a detailed map showing human-made features such as roads, canals, towns, abbeys, and windmills. These structures built by humans are examples of man-made landmarks, matching the achievement in the question. |
| Q21 | B | Building on the ideas of his predecessors, the astronomer and geographer Ptolemy, working in the second century AD, spelled out a system for organising maps according to grids of latitude and longitude. Today, parallels of latitude are often spaced at intervals of 10 to 20 degrees and meridians** at 15 degrees, and this is the basis for the width of modern time zones | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that Ptolemy set up a system of latitude and longitude lines on maps. The way these longitude lines are spaced today forms the base ("basis") for the size of our modern time zones. Answer Explanation: The answer B means Ptolemy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the passage explains that Ptolemy created a system of grid lines (latitude and longitude) for maps. This grid system, specifically the spacing of longitude lines (meridians), serves as the starting point or foundation ("basis") for how modern time zones are measured today. |
| Q22 | Egypt | Measuring the spherical Earth ranks as the first major milestone in scientific cartography. This was first achieved by the Greek astronomer Eratosthenes, a scholar at the famous Alexandrian Library in Egypt in the third century BC | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that measuring the round shape of the Earth was the first big success in scientific mapmaking. A smart person working in Egypt did this back in the third century BC. Answer Explanation: The answer is a country in North Africa where the first big achievement in making scientific maps took place. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is **Egypt** because the text discusses the history of mapmaking and identifies its first big achievement. The passage calls measuring the round Earth the "first major milestone" (first great step) in "scientific cartography" (mapmaking). It notes that this achievement was completed by a scholar at a famous library in **Egypt** during the "third century BC" (3rd century BC). |
| Q23 | monks | However, just as the compass improved navigation and created demand for useful charts, so the invention of the printing press in the 15th century put maps in the hands of more people, and took their production away from monks, who had tended to illustrate theology rather than geography | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the invention of the printing press took mapmaking away from monks, who used to draw religious themes instead of real geography. Answer Explanation: The answer "monks" refers to religious men who lived in a monastery and were responsible for making maps in the past. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "monks" because the text shows that before printing was invented, maps were created by monks instead of scientists. These monks focused on religion ("theology") rather than scientific geography, which matches the summary stating that maps became the responsibility of monks during this time. |
| Q24 | Ptolemy | Inspired by the rediscovered Ptolemy, whose writing had been preserved by Arabs after the sacking of the Alexandrian Library in AD 931, mapmakers in the 15th century gradually replaced theology with knowledge of faraway places, as reported by travelling merchants like Marco Polo | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that Ptolemy's writings were kept safe by Arabs. Mapmakers later found these writings and used them, along with stories from traveling merchants like Marco Polo, to make better maps of far away places. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to Ptolemy, an ancient scholar whose written works were saved and kept over time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Ptolemy because the text explains that his written works were preserved by Arabs. This allowed 15th-century mapmakers to rediscover his ideas and start making scientific maps again using information from travellers. |
| Q25 | navigation satellites / satellites | Today's surveyors rarely go into the field without being linked to navigation satellites | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that mapmakers today almost always connect to navigation satellites when they go out to work and measure land. Answer Explanation: The answer means satellites (or navigation satellites), which are electronic devices in space used to find exact locations on Earth. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is navigation satellites because modern land measurers (surveyors) depend heavily on them to make maps today. The text states that today's surveyors almost never go out to work without connecting to these satellites, showing that they are essential for creating modern maps. |
| Q26 | some cars / cars | Simplified civilian versions of the receivers are available for a few hundred dollars and they are also the heart of electronic map displays available in some cars | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that simpler and cheaper mapping devices are sold to the public and are used inside some cars to show electronic maps. Answer Explanation: The answer means certain automobiles or motor vehicles. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is '(some) cars' because the passage explains that cheaper, simpler versions of satellite map receivers are made for normal people and are used inside some cars to display electronic maps. |