Evolution Of Transport
And
Communication
(My World and I)
A. Fill in the blanks:
1. The earliest wheeled vehicles were animal-drawn.
2. As trade expanded in early times, people travelled to more long distances places.
3. Travel by steamships reduced the time taken for journeys.
4. In ancient times, letters sometimes took many months to reach.
5. Communications become much easier and faster because of several technological developments.
B. Write true or false:
1. Things that are dragged move as fast as things that are rolled. [F]
2. For many centuries, the muscle power of animals was used for land transport. [T]
3. Many inventions in communication took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. [T]
4. Senders buy postal steps to pay the postal service for delivering their letters. [T]
5. Satellites do not help to send live radio, television, and telephone transmissions. [F]
6. The Internet is a world wide web of connections which makes instant communication possible. [T]
C. Match the following:
1. The European travellers with their journey:
a. Marco Polo 1. his ship sailed around the earth,
proving it is round. [d]
b. Christopher 2. found a sea route from Europe Columbus to India. [c]
c. Vasco da 3. travelled to China and back. [a]
Gama
d. Ferdinand 4. discovered America. [b]
Magellan
2. The country with the inventions made there:
a. England 1. telegraph, telephone, typewriter. [b]
b. United States 2. printing press, motor car. [c]
c. Germany 3. steam engine, telegraph. [a]
D. Choose the correct answer:
1. The wheel was invented about 5,000/2,000 years ago.
2. The power of steam was used for aeroplanes/locomotives.
3. Homing pigeons/Owls were used to send messages quickly during war.
4. The postal/telegraph system was developed to deliver letters and parcels.
5. Smart mobile phones are only useful for telephone calls/can be used as mini-computers.
E. Answer the following questions:
1. How were goods for trades transported in ancient times?
= Wheeled vehicles, like carts, could transport goods from place to place. The muscle power of bullocks or horses was used to move the vehicles.
People also transported goods by water. Boats used the muscle power of the rowers, while sail boats used wind power.
2. What power was used by early ships and how was this different from the power used in ships of 19th century?
=For thousands of years human being used the power of the wind or muscle power for vehicles. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the power of steam was discovered, which changed travelling.
New steam ships used this power in engines fitted in their ships. Sea journeys became faster.
3. How has travel between India and Britain changed in the type of transport and the time the journey takes? Explain in two or three sentences.
= A journey from England to India, that took several months by sailing ships, could be made in six weeks. Steam was also used to power locomotives(engines) of the first trains, which were invented in the early 19th century in England.
4. What does communication mean?
= Communication means to be in touch with others through speaking, writing, reading or travelling.
5. Arrange these 'power' words in the right time order: electricity, muscle, petrol, steam.
= i) muscle;
ii) steam;
iii) petrol;
iv) electricity;
6. Write one sentence each about the advantages of the following inventions -
printing press; telegraph; telephone; and radio and TV.
= i) The printing press made it possible to print many copies of books and newspapers, so knowledge and information became available to many people.
ii) The telegraph made it possible to send important messages much quicker than sending a letter.
iii) With the telephone, people who were far way from each other could have a conversation.
iv) Radio and television made it possible to deliver news, information and entertainment to thousands of people at the same time. They became very popular all over the world.
7. Give five ways in which the Internet can be used.
= With computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones, the internet is used to:
i) Send and receive emails;
ii) Get information from any part of the world;
iii) Use social networking sites;
iv) Upload and download pictures;
v) Book travel tickets and shop online.