# The Mercator Projection and Its Critics: answers and explanations

Testmigo Practice Test 5, Reading Passage 2

Source: Written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | iii | must therefore choose what to give up |
| 15 | vi | on Mercator's map that path is drawn as a straight line |
| 16 | ix | land in high latitudes looks far bigger than it is |
| 17 | iv | encouraged people to see wealthy northern nations as more important |
| 18 | viii | the design was not new |
| 19 | vii | One influential publisher looked for a middle way |
| 20 | ii | Just as atlases were leaving Mercator behind, the internet revived it |
| 21 | sailors | corrected for the use of sailors |
| 22 | 1855 | had described the same projection in 1855 |
| 23 | lines | it draws the poles as lines rather than points |
| 24 | distance | those of area, direction and distance |
| 25 | rectangular | rejecting all rectangular world maps |
| 26 | globe | fully zoomed out, the Earth appears as a globe |

## Why these answers are right

**14. iii.** Paragraph A uses the orange peel and Gauss's proof to show that a perfect flat map is impossible, so every projection must choose what to give up. Giving something up is a sacrifice, which makes heading iii the match.

**15. vi.** Paragraph B explains that a ship holding one compass bearing follows a curve on the planet, but Mercator drew that path as a straight line, so a navigator could keep one angle for a whole voyage. Heading vi sums up this idea.

**16. ix.** Paragraph C describes how Mercator's stretching makes land in high latitudes look far bigger than it is, using Greenland and Africa, and ends with Snyder's warning that students form mistaken ideas. Heading ix, about enlarging the far north and south and misleading people, fits.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-mercator-projection-and-its-critics/answers).

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