Tpo 28- integrated writing

In this set of materials, the reading part discusses the truth of the Peary's claim about traveling to the North Pole in 37 days, and provides three reasons of support, and the listening section refutes each of the author's information presented in the article and argues that this evidence are not solid and convincing.

First, the passage posits that the National Geographic Society put together a committee to investigate the Peary's journey and his records. At the end they said that Peary's accounts were persuasive and he had indeed reached the North Pole. However the talk makes the point that this committee was not objective and all members were the Peary's friends, they contribute large sums of money to fund his trip. Also two days were not enough to examine all record, therefore it is not trustful.

Second, the text asserts that skeptics argues that he cannot travel that much fast, but a British explorer named Avery, recently made the same trek in less than the same time Peary did, he used the same dogsled as the Peary's. On the contrary the speaker believes that the conditions were not same, it is true that the sledges are same but Avery had much less weigh to carry he did not have food with him and airplanes dropped his food, also the weather condition was more favorable for Avery.

Third, according to the article, the photographs were taken by Peary is a support for his claim. By measuring the shadows in these photos it is possible to calculate the location of the sun and it confirms that these photos were taken in the North Pole. The professor disagrees with this point, and postulates that the photographs were taken hundred years ago with old cameras and these are not enough clear to measuring the shadows. The photos are unfocused and faded over time, therefore cannot measure the position of the sun accurately with blurred and faded photos.