# PTE SWT #5: Historical Perspectives on Early...

Summarize Written Text #5 - Level 1 - Feeds Writing + Reading

> Read the passage below and summarize it using one sentence. Type your response in the box at the bottom of the screen. You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your answer.

Columbus was the first European to attempt to sail to China by sailing West across the Atlantic but he never actually landed on the mainland of North America. Since the Americas were already populated when he arrived at least one group of people had beaten him there. Archaeological evidence shows that several Viking expeditions reached North America and there are fringe theories of other Pre-Columbus visits to America. Columbus's trip to America is often claimed as a voyage of discovery. In many senses it was, but it was not the first trip to the Americas nor even the first European expedition. Humans first crossed to the Americas from Asia during the last Ice Age. About 30,000 years ago a land bridge existed between Siberia and Alaska. These people can certainly be said to have discovered America quite some time before Columbus. But if you wish to overlook them, and they so often are, there were other discoverers of America. The Icelandic Sagas talk of expeditions to the West which reached two landing sites- one called Greenland and one called Vinland. Greenland can be easily identified as the country we now call Greenland. But it was thought that visits to Vinland were mythical. In 1960 at a place called Laux Meadows in Newfoundland the remains of a Viking settlement were discovered. Settled around 1000AD the village included houses and a forge built along traditional Viking lines. The discovery shows that Columbus was at least 500 years too late to be called the discoverer of America.

## Answer

Columbus is often credited with discovering America but this is inaccurate because the continent was already inhabited, humans had migrated from Asia during the Ice Age, and archaeological evidence including Viking settlements in Newfoundland around 1000 AD proves that Europeans reached America at least 500 years before Columbus.

## Explanation

A strong response correctly synthesizes the provided information by acknowledging the distinction between traditional historical narratives and archaeological evidence. It effectively structures the argument by addressing the timeline of human migration, the role of early seafaring groups, and the significance of physical evidence in challenging established myths.

## Hints

- Focus on identifying the main argument regarding the timeline of arrival in the Americas.
- Ensure you contrast the traditional view with the evidence provided about early settlements.

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