Could we survive an internet apocalypse? On Monday a tiny mistake shut down a swathe of the world’s biggest websites. Some say it might point to a future that is not too far away.
The tiny error that took out Snapchat
Swirling into the void: The apps and websites that stopped working this week all used Amazon Web Services. Comprehension quiz
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The word “catastrophe” most nearly means:
A: A minor inconvenience
B: A sudden, large-scale disaster
C: A technical improvement
D: A slow-building problem
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Which word is the closest synonym for “indestructible”?
A: Invisible
B: Easily broken
C: Unbreakable
D: Very common
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on monday, just such an outage struck some of the world’s biggest apps and websites, from reddit and snapchat to fortnite.
How many capital letters should this sentence have? Where should you put them?
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According to the article, what caused the major internet outage on Monday?
A: A DNS error at an Amazon Web Services data centre
B: The power grid shutting down
C: A solar flare interfering with satellites
D: Hackers attacking Reddit and Fortnite
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Why does the article say we shouldn’t think of the internet as just being “in the air”?
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If the internet completely stopped working, which of these is one major consequence mentioned in the text?
A: We would read and socialise less.
B: Only banks would be affected.
C: The power grid would fail, and fuel pumps would stop working.
D: Amazon would lose its 31% market share.
Answers
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1. B 2. C 3. 5 capital letters: "On" (start of sentence), "Monday" (day of the week), "Reddit" (proper noun), "Snapchat" (proper noun), and "Fortnite" (proper noun). 4. A 5. Because in reality, the internet is just data moved around the world through physical cables. 6. C
1. B 2. C 3. 5 capital letters: "On" (start of sentence), "Monday" (day of the week), "Reddit" (proper noun), "Snapchat" (proper noun), and "Fortnite" (proper noun). 4. A 5. Because in reality, the internet is just data moved around the world through physical cables. 6. C