Academic Reading Passage : Matching Headings, TFNG and gapfill
Learning points:
- use the chronological order of the text (it goes in order of TIME) to help you work out the logic of the paragraphs e.g. goals/aims come at the start of the text
- look for synonyms e.g. goal/aim
- TFNG: Look for opposite information for FALSE answers e.g. ‘he understood’ vs ‘he didn’t realise’
I have broken up the text to help you read it more easily.
Look at each question and read the blue text taken from the original passage. Write down your answer, then check the answers below.
Matching Headings
i Different accounts of the same journey
ii Bingham gains support
iii A common belief
iv The aim of the trip
v A dramatic description
vi A new route
vii Bingham publishes his theory
vii Bingham’s lack of enthusiasm
Paragraph extracts
A. When Hirma Bingham arrived in South America in 1911…his goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation.
B. When he set off with his team, they had an advantage over travellers who had preceded them: a track had recently been blasted to enable rubber to be brought from the jungle.
C. The morning was dull and damp, and Bingham also seems to have been less than keen on the prospect of climbing the hill.
D. Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book.
E. We should remember, however, that the Lost City of the Incas was not written until 1948, many years after his journey. His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual appreciation of his achievement.
F When he came to write the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world in April 1913, he knew he had to produce a big idea.
G An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years is that Machu Picchu was a moya, a country estate built by an Inca emperor.
1 Para A iv The aim of the trip
A His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation.
2 Para B vi A new route
B. a track had recently been blasted
3 Para C viii Bingham’s lack of enthusiasm
C. Bingham also seems to have been less than keen on the prospect of climbing the hill.
4 Para E v A dramatic description
D. Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book.
5 Para E i Different accounts of the same journey
E. His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual appreciation of his achievement.
6 ParaF vii Bingham publishes his theory
F. When he came to write the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world in April 1913, he knew he had to produce a big idea.
7 Para G iii A common belief
Para G. An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years is that Machu Picchu was a moya,…
True, False, Not Given
Questions 8 – 11
8 Bingham went to South America in search of an Inca city.
Para A His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation.
9 Bingham chose a particular route down the Urubamba valley because it was the most common route used by travellers.
Para B When Bingham and his team set off down the Urubamba in late July, they had an advantage over travellers who had preceded them…Almost all previous travellers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across the mountains to rejoin the river lower down,…
10 Bingham understood the significance of Machu Picchu as soon as he saw it
Para F At this stage, Bingham didn’t realise the extent or the importance of the site, nor did he realise what use he could make of the discovery.
11 Bingham returned to Machu Picchu in order to find evidence to support his theory.
Sadly, his vision of the site as both the beginning and end of the Inca civilisation, while a magnificent one, is inaccurate. We now know that Vilcabamba actually lies 65 kilometres away in the depths of the jungle.
8 Bingham went to South America in search of an Inca city. TRUE
Para A His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation.
9 Bingham chose a particular route down the Urubamba valley because it was the most common route used by travellers. FALSE
Para B When Bingham and his team set off down the Urubamba in late July, they had an advantage over travellers who had preceded them…Almost all previous travellers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across the mountains to rejoin the river lower down,…
10 Bingham understood the significance of Machu Picchu as soon as he saw it. FALSE
Para F At this stage, Bingham didn’t realise the extent or the importance of the site, nor did he realise what use he could make of the discovery.
11 Bingham returned to Machu Picchu in order to find evidence to support his theory. NOT GIVEN
Gap fill
Questions 12-13
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.
12 The track that took Bingham down the Urubamba valley had been created for the transportation of ___________________.
a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle.
13 Bingham found out about the ruins of Machu Picchu from a _________________ in the Urubamba valley.
His companions showed no interest in accompanying him up the nearby hill to see some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, had told them about the night before.
12. rubber
13. farmer
How many did you get right?
Did it make it so much easier just focusing on the sentence where the answers could be found?
Of course in the real test it’s not that easy, but this shows you that when you find the right place, you can find the right answer, even if you don’t know what it means!
Do you agree? Let me know in the comments.
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