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Unit 4 in Search of True North

Dr. Toby Clark aims to retrace Sir Edmund Halley's 17th century voyage to chart compass variations across the Atlantic Ocean. Halley's measurements were crucial for navigation as they allowed sailors to correct for declination, the difference between magnetic and true north. Dr. Clark hopes to update Halley's data on Earth's changing magnetic field by following Halley's original route with modern instruments. The expedition, called "In the Wake of the Paramore", would honor Halley's accomplishments and contributions to science.

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Angela Navarro
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860 views3 pages

Unit 4 in Search of True North

Dr. Toby Clark aims to retrace Sir Edmund Halley's 17th century voyage to chart compass variations across the Atlantic Ocean. Halley's measurements were crucial for navigation as they allowed sailors to correct for declination, the difference between magnetic and true north. Dr. Clark hopes to update Halley's data on Earth's changing magnetic field by following Halley's original route with modern instruments. The expedition, called "In the Wake of the Paramore", would honor Halley's accomplishments and contributions to science.

Uploaded by

Angela Navarro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Test 2

Part 2

For questions 17-22, choose which of the paragraphs A-G on page 39 fit into the numbered gaps
in the following newspaper article. There is one extra paragraph which does not fit in any of the
gaps. Indicate your answers on the separate answer sheet.

In search of true north - and the man behind


Halley's comet
Dr Toby Clark, a researcher at the British Geological Survey, aims to retrace
Sir Edmund Halley's quest to chart compass variations. Anjana Ahuja reports.

Astronomer Sir Edmund Halley (1656-1742) is Dr Clark became fascinated by Halley during a
best known for the comet that bears his name. two-year posting to Halley Station in Antarctica,
Yet one of his greatest accomplishments, in the where he read biographies of the great scientist.
eyes of his contemporaries, was to chart, using
calculations made on his sea voyages on the
warship Paramore, the 'variations of the
compass'. These variations are now known as It was during this period that Halley developed a
'declination', that is, the angle between magnetic diving bell and also advised Sir Isaac Newton
north and true geographical north. Without it, during his writing of PrinCipia Mathematica, the
sailors were unable to correct their compasses. foundation of classical physics. Recreating the
It was therefore impossible to deduce longitude voyage, Dr Clark says, will afford Halley the
precisely and navigate the oceans. recognition he deserves. The projected
expedition, which he has entitled 'In the Wake
17
- - -
I of the Paramore', will also have scientific merit.

This voyage took him and his crew to Rio de


Janeiro, down past South Georgia, up again to
Newfoundland and back to England. From these The data collected should help to refine the
travels Halley published, in 170 I, a 'New and existing mathematical model of Earth's magnetic
Correct Chart shewing the Variations of the field, called the international geomagnetic
Compasse in the Western and Southern Oceans'. reference field. 'It is common to measure the
More sophisticated successors to this primitive size but not the direction of the magnetic field.
cartographic effort proved indispensable to That's because you need to know true north to
seamen for more than a century, before a slow measure the direction,' says Dr Clark.
change in the terrestrial magnetic field rendered
them inaccurate.
@]--
~J _ ----_
I
.. _--"
Dr Clark hopes that his measurements will plug
any gaps in its coverage of the Atlantic Ocean
00,000 will have to be raised before he and, he points out, it is also useful to have
embarks, and Sir Vivian Fuchs, who led the first ground-based measurements as a comparison. It
cross-Antarctica expedition, is providing is easy to forget just how significant Halley's
support for his efforts to do this. Atlantic journey really was. It was the first
dedicated scientific expedition on the seas and

38
Paper 1 Reading

Halley became the first civilian who was And does he share Halley's obsessive trait? 'I am
appointed naval captain to pursue what many prepared to give up my life for eight months to
regarded as an obsession with declination. Does do this, so I suppose some people might think
Dr Clark possess the credentials to make his I'm obsessed. But I wouldn't want to sail across
parallel voyage a success? the Atlantic again without a good reason. Halley,
t==T---
iL-l
22 I
__
-----J
_ _
and his fascinating life, have given me a real
sense of purpose.'

A 'On our expedition we can use global E It will involve making the measurements that
positioning satellites to determine that.' The Halley made, but with far more precise
British Geological Survey and the United instruments. These measurements need to
States Navy have offered to supply instru- be updated because the terrestrial magnetic
ments. By chance, a Danish satellite will be field is slowly but constantly changing.
taking similar measurements over the globe.
F In addition, the charts that he produced are
B Ifall goes well, Halley's accomplishments will celebrated by cartographers - they are said
be celebrated once again. Dr Clark, himself to be the first maps that used lines to
a keen sailor, plans to commemorate the delineate physical quantities. The contours
three-hundredth anniversary of Halley's trip became known briefly as 'halleyan' lines.
by retracing the route of the Paramore.
G 'Halley led a remarkable life: Dr Clark says.
C As well as spending two years in Antarctica 'He was not only a respected scientist but
and working in the geomagnetic group at also led expeditions. He was not just an
the British Geological Survey, he has already astronomer but also did research in
sailed the 13,000 kilometres from Rio de geophysics. While he was Astronomer
Janeiro to England. He envisages that the Royal, he mapped the positions of the stars,
expedition will be completed in four stages, and also found time for other interests.'
with four different crews.

o So it was that Halley, one of only two men


in the land at that time paid to conduct
scientific research, set sail for the Cape
Verde Islands with the grand plan of charting
declination in the North and South Atlantic.
The trip was quickly aborted because of
crew insubordination, but Halley returned
to the seas a second time.

39
Test 3

Part 6

For questions 75-80, read the following text and then choose from the list A-I given below the best
phrase to fill each of the spaces. Indicate your answer on the separate answer sheet. Each correct
phrase may only be used once. Some of the suggested answers do not fit at all.

The birth of writing


Evidence of keeping records dates from around 30,000 years ago, but neither cutting
notches in sticks nor the use of pictures could convey a great variety of meanings. Their
capabilities were far too restricted for societies that were more and more dependent on
detailed and complicated instructions. (75) ..... of the stage of human evolution that has
become known as civilisation - life based on eivis, the Latin word for a dweller. With its
development, people were able to extend their influence over much greater areas, and to
pass on knowledge from one generation to the next. (76) ..... largely through person-to-
person contact. But once population reaches a certain level of complexity, both
technological and social, personal contacts are no longer enough. Complexity demands
formal, lasting and widely comprehensible written communication. The development of
writing enabled people to communicate without speech. (77) ..... over great distances, safe
in the knowledge that they did not have to rely on a messenger's memory. (78) ..... that
could be recalled accurately years later. (79) ..... by populations in the future. 'History' had
arrived. Once invented, the effect of writing was to stimulate the creation of yet greater
social complexity. (80) ..... : law, commerce, administration, food production, manufacturing,
education and literature.

A Leaders could transmit instructions


B Instructions to people have been considered necessary
C Small communities are able to communicate
D They could make records of objects, events and thoughts
E Writing is one of the main distinguishing marks
F The accumulated wisdom of civilisation would be understood
G This had implications for every branch of society
H Experts have achieved great success in deciphering ancient scripts
I Systems of this kind were normally used

84

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