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In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began an expedition to explore the lands west of the Mississippi River. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the journey after the Louisiana Purchase. The group, officially called the Corps of Discovery, departed from Camp Dubois near present-day Illinois in May 1804.

The expedition traveled up the Missouri River in a keelboat and smaller canoes. Along the way, they met many Native nations and recorded information about plants, animals, and geography. In the winter of 1804–1805, the Corps camped near the Mandan villages in what is now North Dakota.

In April 1805, the expedition left the Mandan area and continued west. A Shoshone woman named Sacagawea traveled with the group and helped interpret during key meetings. The Corps crossed the Rocky Mountains and reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805.

They built a winter camp called Fort Clatsop near the mouth of the Columbia River. After spending the winter there, the expedition began its return trip in March 1806 and arrived back in St. Louis in September 1806.

Question: According to the passage, what was the official name of the Lewis and Clark expedition group?

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In 1903, the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, conducted a series of flight experiments near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at a site called Kill Devil Hills. They had chosen the area because it offered steady winds and soft sand for safer landings. Their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, was a biplane constructed with a wooden frame and fabric covering.

On December 17, 1903, the brothers attempted four flights. Orville piloted the first flight at 10:35 a.m. It lasted 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet. The second and third flights were longer, and Wilbur piloted the fourth and final flight of the day. That last flight lasted 59 seconds and covered 852 feet.

A small group of witnesses observed the attempts, including members of the local lifesaving station. One of them used the brothers’ camera to take a photograph of the first flight. After the fourth flight, a strong gust of wind damaged the Flyer, and the brothers did not fly it again.

Although the flights were brief, they demonstrated controlled, powered flight. In later years, the Wright brothers continued to refine their designs and publicly demonstrated their aircraft in the United States and Europe.

Question: The passage clearly states that Orville’s first flight lasted how long?

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In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen organized an expedition to become the first person to reach the South Pole. Amundsen’s team departed from the Bay of Whales on the Ross Ice Shelf in October 1911. The party that made the final push included Amundsen, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting.

Amundsen relied heavily on dog sleds and carefully planned supply depots. Along the route, the expedition placed stores of food and fuel at clearly marked locations. The team’s base camp was named Framheim, after their ship, the Fram. Amundsen also studied the techniques of Arctic travel and emphasized efficient clothing and ski use.

On December 14, 1911, the five men arrived at the South Pole. They planted the Norwegian flag and set up a small tent. Amundsen left a letter inside the tent addressed to King Haakon VII of Norway, asking that it be delivered if the team did not return.

At the same time, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott was attempting the same goal using a different strategy that included ponies, motor sledges, and man-hauling. Scott’s party reached the pole later, on January 17, 1912, and found evidence of Amundsen’s earlier arrival.

Amundsen’s team returned safely to Framheim and then to their ship. The expedition’s success was widely reported in 1912, and Amundsen became internationally famous for his planning and speed.

Question: According to the passage, on what date did Amundsen’s party reach the South Pole?

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In 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming made an observation that later led to the development of penicillin. Fleming worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, where he studied bacteria that caused infections. In late summer of 1928, he returned to his laboratory after a vacation and examined several culture plates of Staphylococcus bacteria.

On one plate, Fleming noticed an unusual pattern: a patch of mold was growing, and the bacteria near it had been destroyed. Fleming identified the mold as Penicillium notatum. He concluded that the mold produced a substance that inhibited bacterial growth. Fleming named this substance penicillin.

Fleming published his findings in 1929, but penicillin was difficult to purify and produce in large quantities. In the early 1940s, a team led by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain at the University of Oxford developed methods to concentrate and test penicillin more effectively. During World War II, mass production expanded, and penicillin became widely used to treat bacterial infections in soldiers and civilians.

In 1945, Fleming, Florey, and Chain shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Fleming continued working in bacteriology for many years and remained associated with St. Mary’s Hospital.

Question: What does the passage explicitly say Fleming named the antibacterial substance?

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In April 1970, the damaged spacecraft Apollo 13 became the focus of an urgent rescue effort led by NASA’s Mission Control in Houston, Texas. The mission had launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, carrying three astronauts: James A. Lovell, John L. “Jack” Swigert, and Fred W. Haise. Their original goal was to land on the Moon near the Fra Mauro region.

On the evening of April 13, 1970, about 56 hours into the flight, an oxygen tank in the service module exploded. The crew reported the emergency at 9:08 p.m. Houston time. The explosion caused a rapid loss of oxygen and electrical power, making a lunar landing impossible. Mission Control immediately directed the astronauts to use the lunar module, Aquarius, as a “lifeboat.”

To conserve power, the crew shut down most systems in the command module, Odyssey, and moved essential operations into Aquarius. Engineers on the ground developed procedures to reduce carbon dioxide buildup by adapting square filters to fit round openings. They also planned a return path that used a free-return trajectory around the Moon.

Apollo 13 swung behind the Moon on April 15, 1970, and then fired its engines to adjust its course home. The spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on April 17, 1970, and the astronauts splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Navy recovery forces reached the crew soon after landing. Although the mission did not land on the Moon, NASA later described Apollo 13 as a “successful failure” because the crew returned alive.

Question: The passage clearly states that the oxygen tank exploded when?

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In September 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed large sections of the city. The fire began in a bakery on Pudding Lane in the early hours of Sunday, September 2, 1666. The bakery belonged to Thomas Farriner, who supplied bread to the king’s navy. A strong wind helped the flames spread quickly through wooden buildings and narrow streets.

The fire burned for four days, moving westward from the area near London Bridge. Many residents fled on foot or by boat, carrying what belongings they could. The fire destroyed St. Paul’s Cathedral, along with thousands of houses, shops, and churches. Contemporary estimates reported that about 13,200 houses were lost.

Despite the enormous property damage, official records listed only a small number of deaths. After the fire, London faced the task of rebuilding. New regulations encouraged the use of brick and stone instead of wood. The architect Sir Christopher Wren proposed ambitious redesigns for the city, though many streets were rebuilt along older lines because property boundaries were difficult to change.

By the late 1660s and into the following decades, London gradually recovered. The disaster, however, remained a defining event in the city’s history and influenced building practices for generations.

Question: According to the passage, the Great Fire began in a bakery on which street?

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In 1492, the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to support the voyage of Christopher Columbus, an Italian navigator. Columbus sailed from Palos de la Frontera in Spain on August 3, 1492, with three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.

After weeks at sea, the expedition reached land on October 12, 1492. Columbus named the island San Salvador. The voyage continued through parts of the Caribbean, and the Santa María later ran aground. Columbus left some men at a settlement called La Navidad.

Columbus returned to Spain in early 1493 and reported that he had reached islands near Asia. In later years, Europeans recognized that the voyages had connected Europe to the Americas in a sustained way. Columbus made additional voyages, but the first voyage remained the most famous because it marked the initial landing in 1492.

Question: According to the passage, what were the names of Columbus’s three ships?

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In 1787, delegates from the American states met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. The meeting became the Constitutional Convention, and it took place primarily in the Pennsylvania State House, later called Independence Hall. George Washington was unanimously chosen to preside over the convention.

The delegates debated representation, executive power, and the relationship between state and federal authority. One major compromise was the creation of a bicameral legislature: the House of Representatives, based on population, and the Senate, with equal representation for each state. This agreement became known as the Great Compromise.

On September 17, 1787, the final text of the U.S. Constitution was signed by many delegates, though not all agreed with every provision. The Constitution then went to the states for ratification. Supporters, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, wrote essays later collected as The Federalist Papers.

After ratification, the new government began operations in 1789. The Constitution has since been amended multiple times, including the addition of the Bill of Rights in 1791.

Question: According to the passage, who was chosen to preside over the Constitutional Convention?

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In 1881, author Louisa May Alcott published Little Men, a novel that continues the story of characters introduced in Little Women. The book is set primarily at Plumfield, a school run by Jo March and her husband, Professor Friedrich Bhaer. Plumfield is located in Massachusetts, and it is described as a lively household where boys learn through both lessons and practical work.

The story follows several students, including Nat Blake, a talented boy with a love of music, and Dan Kean, who is adventurous and often impulsive. Jo and Professor Bhaer try to guide the boys with firm rules and patience. The school’s daily routine includes chores, outdoor exercise, and time for reading.

In one episode, Dan’s restlessness leads him into trouble, and he is injured while attempting a risky stunt. The adults respond by caring for him and by reinforcing expectations for safer behavior. Throughout the novel, Alcott emphasizes community life at Plumfield and the gradual growth of the boys as they learn responsibility.

Little Men was well received by many readers, especially those who wanted to revisit Jo’s world. It was later followed by another book, Jo’s Boys, published in 1886.

Question: What does the passage explicitly mention as the name of Jo’s school?

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In 1815, the Battle of Waterloo ended the period known as the Hundred Days, when Napoleon Bonaparte returned to power in France after escaping exile. Napoleon assembled an army to confront the forces of the Seventh Coalition. The opposing army in Belgium was led by the British commander Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, and supported by Prussian forces under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

The battle took place on June 18, 1815, near the village of Waterloo, in what is now Belgium. Heavy rain the night before had made the ground muddy, affecting movement and artillery. Napoleon attacked Wellington’s defensive positions throughout the day.

As the fighting continued, Prussian troops arrived in increasing numbers, putting pressure on Napoleon’s right flank. By evening, the combined Coalition forces forced a French retreat. Napoleon’s defeat ended his rule, and he was later exiled to Saint Helena.

After Waterloo, European leaders met to reshape the continent’s political order. The battle became one of the most famous military engagements in European history.

Question: The passage clearly states that the Battle of Waterloo occurred on which date?