Polar Exploration Then & Now

Question 1

When a scientist wants to pinpoint the exact spot of a research camp on the Arctic ice, which pair of methods correctly shows what a Heroic‑Age explorer would have used and what a modern polar researcher uses today?

Accepted Answer

A compass and a hand‑drawn map; a GPS receiver and satellite images

Answer

Dog‑sled tracks and counting days walked; an ice‑breaker ship and heated tents

Answer

A telescope for star navigation and a sextant; a radio and a hot‑air balloon

Answer

A GPS receiver and satellite images; a compass and a hand‑drawn map

Question 2

Which statement correctly compares how ice thickness was measured in the early 1900s with how it is measured by scientists today?

Accepted Answer

Early explorers measured ice thickness by drilling holes with hand‑powered augers, while today’s scientists use radar mounted on aircraft to quickly map thickness from above.

Answer

In the early 1900s, scientists measured ice thickness using satellite images, and now researchers rely on dog sleds and hand drills to collect the same data.

Answer

Both past explorers and present‑day scientists locate their positions on the ice using GPS devices.

Answer

Explorers of the Heroic Age stayed warm in heated tents and measured ice by feeling its resistance, whereas modern researchers still use wool clothing to survive the cold.

Question 3

Which statement most accurately shows how traveling over the polar ice has changed from the early 1900s to today?

Accepted Answer

Early explorers pulled sleds by hand and used dog teams, while modern researchers pinpoint locations with GPS and travel on ice‑breaking ships that have heated laboratories.

Answer

Both past and present explorers depend on satellite phones to call for help, but only modern teams have unheated tents.

Answer

Heroic‑Age explorers used hot‑air balloons to map the pole, whereas modern teams use submarines to collect ice samples.

Answer

In the early 1900s scientists rode motorized snowmobiles across the ice, and today they still rely on dog sleds and compass navigation.

Try three questions

When a scientist wants to pinpoint the exact spot of a research camp on the Arctic ice, which pair of methods correctly shows what a Heroic‑Age explorer would have used and what a modern polar researcher uses today?

Which statement correctly compares how ice thickness was measured in the early 1900s with how it is measured by scientists today?

Which statement most accurately shows how traveling over the polar ice has changed from the early 1900s to today?

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