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RC Passage
Direction for the questions 1 to 6: The passage below is accompanied by a set of six questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
Understanding where you are in the world is a basic survival skill, which is why we, like most species, come hard-wired with specialised brain areas to create cognitive maps of our surroundings. Where humans are unique, though, with the possible exception of honeybees, is that we try to communicate this understanding of the world with others. We have a long history of doing this by drawing maps — the earliest versions yet discovered were scrawled on cave walls 14,000 years ago. Human cultures have been drawing them on stone tablets, papyrus, paper and now computer screens ever since.
Given such a long history of human map-making, it is perhaps surprising that it is only within the last few hundred years that north has been consistently considered to be at the top. In fact, for much of human history, north almost never appeared at the top, according to Jerry Brotton, a map historian... “North was rarely put at the top for the simple fact that north is where darkness comes from,” he says. “West is also very unlikely to be put at the top because west is where the sun disappears.”
Confusingly, early Chinese maps seem to buck this trend. But, Brotton, says, even though they did have compasses at the time, that isn’t the reason that they placed north at the top. Early Chinese compasses were actually oriented to point south, which was considered to be more desirable than deepest darkest north. But in Chinese maps, the Emperor, who lived in the north of the country was always put at the top of the map, with everyone else, his loyal subjects, looking up towards him. “In Chinese culture the Emperor looks south because it's where the winds come from, it's a good direction. North is not very good but you are in a position of subjection to the emperor, so you look up to him,” says Brotton.
Given that each culture has a very different idea of who, or what, they should look up to, it’s perhaps not surprising that there is very little consistency in which way early maps pointed. In ancient Egyptian times the top of the world was east, the position of sunrise. Early Islamic maps favoured south at the top because most of the early Muslim cultures were north of Mecca, so they imagined looking up (south) towards it. Christian maps from the same era (called Mappa Mundi) put east at the top, towards the Garden of Eden and with Jerusalem in the centre.
So when did everyone get together and decide that north was the top? It’s tempting to put it down to European explorers like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Megellan, who were navigating by the North Star. But Brotton argues that these early explorers didn’t think of the world like that at all. “When Columbus describes the world it is in accordance with east being at the top,” he says. “Columbus says he is going towards paradise, so his mentality is from a medieval mappa mundi.” We’ve got to remember, adds Brotton, that at the time, “no one knows what they are doing and where they are going.”
Full RC Video Analysis
RC Line-wise Explanation
Paragraph 1
"Understanding where you are in the world is a basic survival skill, which is why we, like most species come hard-wired with specialised brain areas to create cognitive maps of our surroundings."
Explanation: Knowing your location is essential for survival, so humans and many other species have brain areas designed to build mental maps of their environment.
"Where humans are unique, though, with the possible exception of honeybees, is that we try to communicate this understanding of the world with others."
Explanation: Unlike most species (except maybe honeybees), humans actively share their knowledge of locations with others.
"We have a long history of doing this by drawing maps - the earliest versions yet discovered were scrawled on cave walls 14,000 years ago."
Explanation: Humans have been creating maps for a very long time, with the oldest known maps drawn on cave walls 14,000 years ago.
"Human cultures have been drawing them on stone tablets, papyrus, paper and now computer screens ever since."
Explanation: Over time, humans have used various materials like stone, papyrus, paper, and digital screens to draw maps.
Paragraph 2
"Given such a long history of human map-making, it is perhaps surprising that it is only within the last few hundred years that north has been consistently considered to be at the top."
Explanation: Even though humans have been making maps for thousands of years, using north as the top of maps is a relatively recent development.
"In fact, for much of human history, north almost never appeared at the top, according to Jerry Brotton, a map historian..."
Explanation: Map historian Jerry Brotton points out that historically, north was rarely placed at the top of maps.
"North was rarely put at the top for the simple fact that north is where darkness comes from," he says.
Explanation: Brotton explains that north was avoided because it symbolized darkness.
"West is also very unlikely to be put at the top because west is where the sun disappears."
Explanation: Similarly, west was avoided because it represented sunset and disappearance of light.
Paragraph 3
"Confusingly, early Chinese maps seem to buck this trend."
Explanation: Early Chinese maps are an exception to the pattern described earlier.
"But, Brotton, says, even though they did have compasses at the time, that isn’t the reason that they placed north at the top."
Explanation: Brotton clarifies that even though Chinese had compasses, that wasn't why they placed north at the top.
"Early Chinese compasses were actually oriented to point south, which was considered to be more desirable than deepest darkest north."
Explanation: In fact, early Chinese compasses pointed south because south was viewed more positively than north.
"But in Chinese maps, the Emperor, who lived in the north of the country was always put at the top of the map, with everyone else, his loyal subjects, looking up towards him."
Explanation: Chinese maps placed the north at the top to honor the Emperor, who lived in the north, symbolizing subjects looking up to him.
"In Chinese culture the Emperor looks south because it's where the winds come from, it's a good direction."
Explanation: In Chinese tradition, the Emperor faced south because it was associated with favorable winds and good fortune.
"North is not very good but you are in a position of subjection to the emperor, so you look up to him," says Brotton.
Explanation: Although north wasn't favored, the subjects looked northward on maps as a sign of respect towards the Emperor.
Paragraph 4
"Given that each culture has a very different idea of who, or what, they should look up to it’s perhaps not surprising that there is very little consistency in which way early maps pointed."
Explanation: Since different cultures valued different directions, early maps lacked a consistent orientation.
"In ancient Egyptian times the top of the world was east, the position of sunrise."
Explanation: For ancient Egyptians, east (where the sun rises) was considered the top.
"Early Islamic maps favoured south at the top because most of the early Muslim cultures were north of Mecca, so they imagined looking up (south) towards it."
Explanation: Early Muslim cultures placed south at the top because they were located north of Mecca and looked southward toward it.
"Christian maps from the same era (called Mappa Mundi) put east at the top, towards the Garden of Eden and with Jerusalem in the centre."
Explanation: Medieval Christian maps, known as Mappa Mundi, placed east at the top to align with the Garden of Eden, centering Jerusalem.
Paragraph 5
"So when did everyone get together and decide that north was the top?"
Explanation: The text raises the question of when north became the universal top direction on maps.
"It’s tempting to put it down to European explorers like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Megellan, who were navigating by the North Star."
Explanation: It might seem logical to attribute north-at-top maps to explorers like Columbus and Magellan who used the North Star.
"But Brotton argues that these early explorers didn’t think of the world like that at all."
Explanation: However, Brotton believes these explorers did not view the world with north at the top.
"When Columbus describes the world it is in accordance with east being at the top," he says.
Explanation: Brotton states that Columbus described the world with east at the top.
"Columbus says he is going towards paradise, so his mentality is from a medieval mappa mundi."
Explanation: Columbus believed he was heading toward paradise, following the medieval map tradition of placing east on top.
"We’ve got to remember, adds Brotton, that at the time, “no one knows what they are doing and where they are going.”"
Explanation: Brotton concludes by emphasizing that early explorers were largely uncertain and confused about geography.
RC Paragraph Explanation
Paragraph 1 Summary
Humans, like other species, naturally create mental maps of their environment, but uniquely, they also communicate these maps to others. This tradition of map-making dates back 14,000 years, evolving through different materials over time.
Paragraph 2 Summary
Despite the long history of maps, placing north at the top is a relatively recent practice. Historically, directions like north and west were avoided at the top due to their negative associations with darkness and sunset.
Paragraph 3 Summary
Although early Chinese maps showed north at the top, it wasn’t due to compass use but cultural reasons: the Emperor lived in the north, and subjects symbolically looked up to him, reflecting the values of Chinese society.
Paragraph 4 Summary
Different cultures had varying ideas about map orientation, often based on spiritual or religious significance. Egyptians preferred east, early Muslims preferred south, and Christians placed east at the top toward religious landmarks.
Paragraph 5 Summary
The common use of north at the top wasn’t due to early European explorers, as they still favored east. In fact, explorers like Columbus were still influenced by medieval ideas and lacked a clear geographical understanding.
RC Quick Table Summary
| Paragraph Number | Main Idea |
|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | Humans have always made and shared maps to represent their surroundings. |
| Paragraph 2 | North was historically avoided at the top of maps due to its association with darkness. |
| Paragraph 3 | Chinese maps placed north at the top for cultural reasons honoring the Emperor. |
| Paragraph 4 | Different cultures oriented maps based on religious or cultural significance. |
| Paragraph 5 | North became the top direction later; early explorers still favored eastward views. |
RC Questions
Ques 1. Which one of the following best describes what the passage is trying to do?
Ques 2. Early maps did NOT put north at the top for all the following reasons EXCEPT
Ques 3. According to the passage early Chinese maps placed north at the top because
Ques 4. It can be inferred from the passage that European explorers like Columbus and Megellan
Ques 5. Which one of the following about the northern orientation of modern maps is asserted in the passage?
Ques 6. The role of natural phenomena in influencing map-making conventions is seen most clearly in
