For centuries, people have tried to make money or to look important with hoaxes about anything, from fake
discoveries to made-up stories about creatures. Hoaxes can be exciting stories that grab our attention, but they are
just clever lies. Here are some hoaxes that have made history.
A. The Piltdown Man
Charles Dawson was passionate about archaeology – the study of ancient cultures by looking for and examining their
buildings, tools, and bones. In 1912, he announced that he had found the creature that developed from monkeys into
humans. He is said to have discovered part of a skull – the bones in our heads – that looked human-like among a pile
of small stones near Piltdown village in Sussex, England. Dawson and a fossil expert at the National History Museum
worked together and found more pieces of bones and some simple tools in the area. They thought all these belonged
to the same person. After putting the pieces of bones together, they suggested that this showed evidence of a human
living about 500,000 years ago.
But in 1949, an expert at the Natural History Museum used special tests and found out that the Piltdown remains were
only 50,000 years old. This meant that the Piltdown Man couldn’t be the missing link between monkeys and humans
because humans had already evolved into their current form by then. It was also found that the bones were from two
different species, a human and a large type of monkey. Under the microscope, it was possible to see that someone
had filed them down to make them look human. They also found out that many of the Piltdown site discoveries had
been artificially painted to match the colour of the local stones.
B. The Fiji Mermaids
The Fiji mermaids, also known as Feejee mermaids, are nothing like the beautiful, enchanting creatures you might
imagine from fantasy films: they are ugly, scary, and quite small – about 30 to 45 cm. Instead of gracefully swimming
through clear blue waters, they often appear as if they’re coming out of a nightmare. P.T. Barnum, a famous showman,
played a big part in the fame of Fiji mermaids. It is said that he bought the original mermaid from a fisherman in Japan
for his circus.
In 1842, Barnum advertised three mermaids at his American Museum in New York, but what people saw inside was
shocking—a creature with the body of a fish and the head of a monkey. Despite, or perhaps because of, this strange
display, the mermaid became very popular. In reality, these creatures were fake. They were formed by putting together
the front body of a monkey and the tail of a fish.
C. America’s Stonehenge
“America’s Stonehenge” is an intricate network of stone structures in North Salem, New Hampshire, believed to have
been built by an ancient civilisation. It’s evident that a native society lived in this area, with carbon dating indicating
that some parts of the site could be as old as 4000 years. Some believe that pre-Columbian European migrants may
have built this site for religious rituals and ceremonies, although no objects and tools from the Bronze Age have been
found in North America.
The belief in ancient European colonisation in America dates back to the 19th century and has been popularised by
various individuals, including archaeologist William Goodwin and author Barry Fell. However, their claims have been
dismissed by a wide group of archaeologists due to the lack of reliable evidence. It was thought that it was Goodwin
who built the site to recreate ancient megalithic structures.
Questions 1-7: Choose the correct answer for each question. Type A, B, C, or D.
1/ How do hoaxes influence people’s understanding of history?
A. They provide new evidence for scientific research.
B. They help archaeologists make more discoveries.
C. They confirm old theories about historical events.
D. They create false beliefs that can last for many years.
2/ What did Charles Dawson claim to have found?
A. An early human skull and some tools
B. A new type of ancient animal
C. A collection of old carved stones
D. An ancient book about archaeology
3/ Why was the Piltdown Man proven to be a hoax?
A. It was originally discovered in another country.
B. The bones were from different species and had been modified.
C. The fossils were too new to be from ancient times.
D. The tools found at the site were made of artificial stones.
4/ What was strange about the Fiji mermaids?
A. They were larger than real mermaids.
B. They were bought from a fisherman in Japan.
C. They could not swim in the ocean.
D. They had the top and bottom of different animals.
5/ What made people doubt the origins of "America's Stonehenge"?
A. It was first built for religious rituals and ceremonies.
B. There was no real evidence that Europeans built it.
C. The stones were too small for a ritual site.
D. It was created by the government for tourism.
6/ What does the phrase "carbon dating" in section C most likely mean?
A. A method to find out how old something is
B. A way to examine an object under a microscope
C. A process of cleaning ancient materials
D. A technique for building stone structures
7/ What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To show that archaeology is not a useless science
B. To convince people to visit historical sites
C. To inform readers about famous historical hoaxes
D. To argue that hoaxes should be illegal
Questions 8-10: Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
8/ Scientists later discovered that many of the Piltdown remains had been ______ to match the local stones.
9/ The Fiji mermaid was created by combining _______ parts of a monkey and a fish.
10/ Some believe that "America’s Stonehenge" was used for special ceremonies by an ancient ______ .