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ENGLISH 3 STEP
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The Nok culture is named after the settlement of the same name in It is estimated that 90 per cent of the world’s trade is transported by
Nigeria, where artefacts of their culture were first discovered. They sea. As consumers, we think very little about how the things we buy
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flourished during the Iron Age from the 5 century BC to the 2 century are delivered across the globe to our homes. That is, until an incident
AD. Some theories say that the depletion of natural resources played like the recent grounding of a huge container ship, the Ever Given,
a major role in the population’s decline. Whatever the case, scholars in the Suez Canal, the gateway for the movement of goods between
believe they played a significant role in the development of other cultures Europe and Asia, exposes the weaknesses in this global system. The
in the area like the Yoruba and Benin peoples. One of the identifying reason the container ship blocked the narrow strait, which serves as
characteristics of the Nok is the terracotta sculptures of human heads, a trade artery between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, is
human figures, and animals found throughout the area. Another presumed to be strong winds. However, since shipments depend on
important feature of the Nok culture is the use of iron technology. There these narrow waterways, the possibility of such an accident is always
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is evidence of ironworking in the region dating back to at least the 4 present. Maritime security researchers often simulate incidents like
century BC, possibly even earlier. In the village of Taruga, Nigeria, the Ever Given grounding to understand the probable long and short-
archaeologists have found no fewer than 13 iron smelting furnaces. They term consequences. The incident represents an almost the worst-case
have also discovered other Nok iron artefacts, such as agricultural tools scenario for the Suez Canal and knock-on effects on global trade. The
and weapons. While the Nok undoubtedly had the technology of iron Suez Canal Authorities stated that they started expanding the strait to
smelting, they used stone tools as well as metal, indicating that metallic raise its daily capacity from 49 vessels at present to 97 within a few
materials were scarce and not widely available. The Nok was one of the years. This will give you an idea of the number of ships that are expected
few civilisations in the world that went directly from stone tools to iron to be affected by the current situation. There are reports that the incident
tools without first learning to make copper or bronze tools. Even though has already halted the passage of ten crude tankers carrying 13 million
they are believed to have been one of the earliest African civilisations, barrels of oil, and that any ships rerouted will have at least 15 days
evidence of their existence has been slow to come to light, as what is added to their voyage.
now Nigeria is a notoriously difficult country to explore.

7. What is the main purpose of the passage? 10. One can understand from the passage that consumers
_______.
A) To talk about the success of the Nok in the past
B) To inform readers about the earliest African civilisations A) are mostly aware of the importance of canals like Suez in the
C) To give some information about the Nok culture transportation of goods across the continents
D) To uncover the reasons why the Nok used stone tools B) will have to wait for another fifteen days for their packages to be
E) To explain why the Nok culture no longer exists today delivered after the Ever Given incident
C) hardly ever know that nearly 90 per cent of the world’s trade is
carried out by sea
D) almost never thought of how the products that they bought
were transported to their threshold until the Ever Given incident
E) have understood how difficult it is to carry a good from one part
of the world to another following the Ever Given incident

8. According to the passage, the Nok _______. 11. According to the passage, the Suez Canal _______.
A) got its name because of the location where the sculptures were A) occupies an important place in the trade between Asia and
found Europe
B) preferred to produce figures of animals to sculptures of human B) is located in a region where high winds are usually seen
heads in terracotta C) was partly closed to transportation after the Ever Given incident
C) was the first civilisation to learn to make copper or bronze tools D) will host three times as many as vessels it now does after the
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D) declined around the 2 century AD due to the arrival of other expansion of the strait is completed
cultures such as the Yoruba and Benin peoples E) was one of the canals which were presumed to be affected by
E) had perfect iron-smelting technology, so they stopped using an incident like the Ever Given the least
stone tools and used metal ones instead

9. According to the passage, which of the following is true? 12. What can be concluded about the passage?
A) The Nok is the earliest African civilisation to use agricultural A) Apart from sea transportation, there are some other ways to
tools and weapons. transport goods across the world.
B) Archaeologists have managed to unearth all the characteristics of B) The Ever Given incident caused a global crisis in world trade
the Nok despite modern-day Nigeria’s infamously difficult-to-study as it took place in the Suez Canal, which is the most important
environment. gateway between Asia and Europe.
C) The use of mostly stone tools instead of iron tools indicates that C) The expansion of the Suez Canal may contribute to world trade
the Nok culture did not get to the Iron Age. more than expected.
D) The Nok culture is known for its unique terracotta sculptures D) If man-made canals are built in the Mediterranean and the Red
and its early ironworking. Sea, world trade will double as a consequence.
E) The surrounding cultures held the Nok in considerable respect E) The Ever Given incident is not the first vessel accident that
owing to near life-size terracotta sculptures. blocked the Suez Canal.

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