English Comprehension No.12
Read the passages carefully to grasp the sense and the Meaning sought to be conveyed by the narrator. Attempt to point the correct answer to each question.
Imagine a ship built to sail amongst the ice at the North Pole. the ship has a hull two feet, thick. the hull is shaped so that when the ice closes in on the ship she is pushed up- like a piece of soap in your hand and drifts in the top layer of the ice. a ship like this was built for the great Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
One day, while he was walking by the sea, Nansen found a piece of Russian wood. obviously the wood had drifted south across the Arctic Circle from Siberia. Nansen thought that if a piece of wood could make the journey so could he. If he had a ship which rested on the ice he would be able to drift across the Arctic Sea. And so the ‘Fram was built.
In June 1853 Nansen left Oslo with a crew of 13 men and 30 dogs for the sledges. Manz people thought his plans were mad and said that he was going to meet his death. Bz September, the Fram had reached Cape Chelzuskin, the most northerly point of Siberia. Here the ice became 30 ft unice and began to close in on the Fram. But just as Nansen had said, the ship rose up, came to rest on the ice. and began to drift. For a year she drifted northwards, then slowly westwards. Nansen then decided to rush to the North Pole with his companion Hjalmar Johansen. At that time no explorer had ever reached the Pole.
They set off with 28 dogs, 3 sledges, 2 small boats, a tent, sleeping bags and food. Bz April 1895 the were within 200 miles of the Pole.
This was nearer to the Pole than any other explorer had ever been. But the conditions were terrible. The temperature dropped to 40 degrees below freezing point. the dogs became exhausted. Their clothes froze on their bodies. In the end, they had to turn back. The two men and their dogs travelled four months through ice and snow. Frozen, exhausted and with sinking spirits. the struggled on through mile after mile of snow.
Once Nansen was nearly killed by animals. on another occasion, the tied their small boats to an iceberg and climbed up to make observations. The boats broke loose and began to drift. Nansen knew that the would not be able to go on without the boats. still wearing his heavy clothes he dived into the freezing water and swam after the boats. then, after he had got them back, Nansen s boat was nearly destroyed by an animal.
At last, the reached Franz Josef Land which is still inside the Arctic Circle. They decided to spend the winter. They built a hut of stone and covered it with animals skins and then settled down for a long cold wait. They spent the winter hunting, talking and writing. in this way, they stopped themselves from going mad with loneliness.
In May, when spring came, they set out again on their march southwards. A month later, they walked into a party of British explorers. The British had been in the Arctic for two years and we’re waiting for their ship to take them home. The ship arrived and took Nansen and Johansen back to Norway.
‘ But what had happened to the Fram There was no word. Her movements were as much a mystery as those of Nansen and Johansen had been. Astonishingly, a week after Nansen return, the ‘Fram’ drifted back to Norway- exactly three years after she had left. Nansen was given a hero’s welcome, and so were the men of the ‘Fram’.
Question 1 For going on a journey across the Arctic Nansen got an idea of a particular ship, specially designed for the purpose because
Answer A he must travel by a newly designed ship to go on an exploration mission
Answer B He must have a ship that would sail around the frozen Arctic
Answer C He must have a ship that would plough through the ice
Answer D He must have a ship that would reston the ice and drift
Answer D
Question 2: How did Nansen plan to go on an exploration mission across the Arctic?
Answer A He planned to go to Russia across the Arctic sea
Answer B He planned to sail towards the North Pole
Answer C He planned to sail Northwest toward the Pole
Answer D He planned to go across the Arctic from north to South
Answer D
Question 3: What happened when Nansen and Johansen tried to reach the North Pole processing westward?
Answer A They lost the way and were misled
Answer B They reached the pole but could not stay there
Answer C They reached the pole and passed the winter there
Answer D They approach closer to the pole but were forced to keep away by weather extremities
Answer D
Question 4: What happened to Nansen and Johnansen while they were on return Journey?
Answer A They met unknown explorers who played host to them
Answer B They met British explorers who offered them lift to Norway
Answer C They met the British explorers who took them home in their ship
Answer D they met the British explorers and took them home in their ship-the ‘Fram’
Answer C
Question 5: What happened to ‘Fram’ after it was abandoned by Nansen and Johansen?
Answer A The ship was destroyed by the snowstorm
Answer B Returned to Norway after a very long time
Answer C Returned to Norway shortly after Nansen
Answer D Nothing was heard of it
Answer c