Book Review: The Discovery of Slowness
Read Book Review: The Discovery of Slowness and check the IELTS Reading answers. The English explorer and writer John Franklin (1786-1847) joined the Navy at the age of 14, and fought at the battle of Trafalgar. When peace came, he turned his attention to Arctic exploration, and in particular to so…
Passage preview
The English explorer and writer John Franklin (1786-1847) joined the Navy at the age of 14, and fought at the battle of Trafalgar. When peace came, he turned his attention to Arctic exploration, and in particular to solving the conundrum of the Northwest Passage, a mythical clear-water route through the ice which would, if it existed, link the Pacific Ocean on America's West Coast with the Atlantic on its East. The first expedition Franklin led to the Arctic was an arduous overland journey lasting from 1819 to 1822, in which he and his twenty-strong team covered 8880 kilometres on foot. Their expedition was a triumph of surveying - they managed to chart hundreds of kilometres of previously unknown coastline - but food ran out on their journey back to civilisation, and the men were forced to eat their belts and their boots (which they boiled up to make leather soup).
Vocabulary from this passage
7 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- arduous adjective
Involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.
His first expedition was an arduous journey covering thousands of kilometres on foot.
- conundrum noun
A confusing and difficult problem or question.
Franklin spent much of his career trying to solve the conundrum of the Northwest Passage.
- introspection noun
The examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.
The explorer kept introspection to a minimum in his official memoirs and correspondence.
- malleable adjective
Easily influenced; able to be hammered or pressed into shape without breaking.
The explorer's bland personality made him a malleable subject for a historical novelist.
- pliant adjective
Easily bent; flexible or easily influenced.
The first crystals on the sea surface form a silkily pliant layer known as nilas.
- punctiliousness noun
Strict attention to minute details or forms, especially in conduct or manners.
The novel is full of quotations regarding time-efficiency, profitability, and extreme punctiliousness.
- self-possession noun
The state or feeling of being calm and in control of one's oneself.
Successful Polar explorers demonstrate unusual self-possession and endurance during times of suffering.
Answers with explanations
- 27. A
The answer is **A**. This paragraph summarizes Franklin's life and **occupation** (Navy, fighting in battles) during the **period before** his first major Arctic expedition which began in 1819. It provides the chronological background of his career.
- 28. C
The answer is **C**. The paragraph mentions that the **character trait** of 'slowness' is a fictional invention by Nadolny, explicitly stating there is '**no historical evidence**' for it in the real life of Franklin, thus having no basis in fact.
- 29. E
The question asks for a link between the novel's **central theme** and an **environmental process**. The theme is slowness, and the paragraph about ice says '**Ice is a slow mover**'. It then describes how polar pack ice takes at least **two years to form**, passing through stages from a film of crystals to young ice. The process of ice formation is the environmental process, and its slowness mirrors the theme. This paragraph, rather than the later one on language, makes that connection.
- 30. H
The answer is **H**. The text provides evidence of the novel's **widespread appeal** by citing its massive sales figures (over a million copies) and its translation into numerous **languages**, as well as its adoption by various European groups.
- 31. B
The question asks for a **summary of events** after Franklin's return from his first expedition. The first paragraph ends with the hungry journey back, so the next paragraph picks up the story: 'There **followed** a career as a travel writer and **public speaker**'. It then moves to 1845, when he set off with two ships and 129 men, and ends with the discovery that all had perished. This sequence is a brief account of what happened afterwards.
- 32. G
The summary says little is known from Franklin's **correspondence** and published writings about his ___. In the paragraph on his letters and memoirs, he 'comes across as a man dedicated to the **external duties** of war and exploration' who kept **introspection** and self-analysis to a minimum. A man who revealed little about his inner life tells us little about his **personality**. Of the words offered, 'personality' alone fits the gap and the meaning.
- 33. K
The answer is **K** (sporting). The author uses the example of Franklin failing to catch a ball to illustrate how his slowness affected his **sporting** or physical activities as a child. This inability to react quickly is the primary example of his early struggles.
- 34. F
The answer is **F** (an outsider). Due to his slow reactions and the resulting **bullying** from other children, Franklin becomes **an outsider** who chooses not to follow the conventional 'way of doing things' practiced by his peers.
- 35. L
The summary says that as a child, the quality of ___ attracts Franklin to the Arctic. The paragraph on slowness says Nadolny shows Franklin as a **boy** dreaming of the '**time without hours and days**' in the far north. A place without hours or days is **timeless**, and it suits his slowness because nobody there would find him too slow. 'Timelessness' is the only option that expresses this idea, so it completes the sentence.
- 36. D
The question asks what the **different types of ice** illustrate. The writer says 'Ice demands a corresponding **patience** from those who venture onto it', then describes the **qualities** of successful explorers: self-possession, a capacity for boredom and uncomplaining endurance. The ice stages show slowness, and the point is about **personal qualities** required, not scenery. Extreme conditions, beauty and conservation are not what the passage draws from the description.
- 37. C
The question asks about the **way Franklin communicates**. In the paragraph on his adult slowness, his thinking is so slow that he 'is unable to speak fluently, so he **learns by heart** entire fleets of words and batteries of **responses**'. Learning by heart matches using words and phrases he has **memorised** beforehand. Nothing says his ideas are limited, that he only discusses familiar topics, or that he is fluent only on naval matters.
- 38. D
The answer is **D**. Although initially mocked by fellow sailors for his slow thinking, the text states that Franklin's persistence eventually leads them to **appreciate** him and **earn their respect**, showing a positive shift in their attitude toward his character.
- 39. B
The answer is **B**. The writer describes the stylistic choice for the book's early chapters as a 'medley of **separate fragments**,' meaning they are composed of **short, disconnected pieces** of text rather than a continuous, traditional narrative.
- 40. A
The answer is **A**. The novel is popular because it resonates with people's **concern** or 'dislike' regarding the 'high-speed culture' of **modern life** (Postmodernity), appealing to those who feel pressured by the constant demand for speed.