Captain cook

captain james cook is known as one of the greatest navigators and explorers of all time. james cook was only 18 years old when he joined the british navy in 1746, and by 1758, he was the captain of his own ship. as part of his service, he traveled to canada, where he studied math, charting, geography, and astronomy. the senior members in the royal navy were impressed by cook's knowledge of astronomy and made him the leader of an astronomical expedition they were planning. they intended to observe when the planet venus passed between the sun and earth. the royal navy also instructed captain cook to search for an unknown continent or land in the south.
captain cook started his first voyage in 1768, when he set sail for the pacific on his ship, the endeavour. captain cook first reached new zealand, and he mapped the land's coast. he then sailed toward australia, which was then known as new holland. captain cook and his crew members became the first europeans to map the eastern coast of australia in 1770. he then sailed north around africa and back to england to inform the royal navy that the unknown continent they were looking for in the south did not exist.
in 1772, captain cook once again set sail in search of the mysterious continent in the south that the royal navy still believed existed. he traveled through the pacific ocean and even into the antarctic circle, and he was finally confident that the southern continent did not exist. however, this second voyage did not go to waste. he put many new, previously unknown islands on the european maps and discovered new societies in the pacific.
captain cook's final voyage took place in 1776. this time, captain cook had a plan of his own, and he wanted to explore the northwest passage. he believed that the northwest passage was a possible shortcut from the arctic ocean that could connect europe, asia, and america. he believed that this route could make trade between these countries much quicker. captain cook explored the northern pacific and mapped large parts of north america and alaska before returning due to the presence of huge icebergs.
cook also collected lots of samples of plants from new places, and he recorded the customs and his interactions with native people. he became a national hero because of his aggressive determination to find unexplored lands and routes.
which is the best way to summarize the passage?
a.
the royal navy believed that there was a unknown land or continent in the south. to search for the land, they sent captain cook on several voyages. however, captain cook could not locate the continent, and he returned to england to inform the royal navy that the mysterious land did not exist.
b.
captain cook set sail for many different places during his lifetime. however, his most well-known voyage was in search of the northwest passage that cook believed connected europe, asia, and america. captain cook wanted to locate the route, as that would make trade easier for the european nations.
c.
at an early age, james cook became the captain of his own ship, studied astronomy, and set out on an astronomical expedition. in his voyages, he tried to search for an unknown southern continent, but he could not locate the land. however, he was the first european to map australia, and he searched for the northwest passage.
d.
james cook became the captain of his very own ship, the endeavour, at an early age. to serve his country better, he traveled to canada to study math, astronomy, charting, and geography. the royal navy was impressed by captain cook's knowledge and talent, and they decided to make him the leader of an astronomical expedition.