The North Star

Among the multitude of stars in the universe, there are a couple that are of great

importance to people on Earth. The sun, of course, is one of them. The other is known as

Polaris, the North Star. Polaris is special because it is the only star that always appears to

be in the same place in the sky. Therefore, Polaris is a great compass. When people in the

northern hemisphere of Earth look toward Polaris, they can be certain that they are facing

north. The permanence of Polaris in the north sky has helped countless people find their

destinations.

Before the invention of modern navigation tools, mariners relied on Polaris. From the

top of their hulls, sailors would look for Polaris to figure out their place at sea. They figured

out the angle between the star and the horizon to determine their latitude. As long as the

equations weren't erroneous, the results were very reliable. Polaris also let sailors determine

North, South, East, and West. By knowing directions and their location, mariners could easily

navigate their ships.

To those who sail at night, volatile storms and dark clouds were more than nuisances.

They could disrupt entire journeys by blocking the view of Polaris. A captain could err and

make an inadvertent wrong turn. The ship could become stranded at sea, and the frantic

captain would have no way to improvise to get the ship back on the right course. The mariner's

fears wouldn't be soothed until the clouds cleared and Polaris came back into view. Even today,

sailors sometimes opt to navigate by using Polaris on clear nights.

It's not difficult to differentiate Polaris from other stars. The Big Dipper, a constellation

that is well known in astrology, appears to revolve around Polaris. The handle of the Big

Dipper always points to the North Star. When people get lost, it's comforting to know that

their problems can be alleviated by looking at the sky.

Reading Comprehension

PART A Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false

statements to make them true.

Even today, sailors opt to improvise by using Polaris on clear nights.

A ship could become stranded if a captain erred and made an inadvertent wrong turn.

People who are lost can be alleviated by gazing up at a frantic sky.

Volatile storms were more than nuisances because they disrupted entire journeys.

It is not difficult to differentiate Polaris from the multitude of other stars in the

universe.

PART B Answer the questions.

1. How did mariners determine their latitude from the top of their hulls?

2. What has the permanence of Polaris done for people?

3. How did sailors figure out latitude?

4. What well-known constellation in astrology revolves around Polaris?

5. On a cloudy night, when would a mariner finally feel soothed?