1. PART A: Which of the following best identifies the main idea of the text?

A. The Internet reached its peak development at packet switching, and has not
changed significantly since then.
B. The Internet was initially created with the goal of allowing people to connect
with their friends and family around the world.
C. The Internet was initially developed for limited communication among a select
few, but since then it has evolved dramatically and is accessible by all.
D. While many people have contributed to the creation of the Internet, the most
important contributor was Tim Berners-Lee.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

A. 'The data had to travel across that path exactly and could only be accessed by
one of the two devices in the circuit." (Paragraph 5)
B. "When Bob Taylor said 'talking online with someone at S. D.C.' in 1999, he both
meant the same thing and a very different thing than we do now." (Paragraph 7)
C. 'The World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 and it is the
application used to create and view websites." (Paragraph 9)
D. 'The Internet was created with the goal to make it easier for computer scientists
to talk to one another. But it also made it easier for everyone else to talk to one
another" (Paragraph 12)

3. What distinction does the author draw between packet switching and circuit switching?
A. Circuit switching and packet switching are different ways in which information
can be accessed on multiple computers at once.
B. Packet switching allows a wireless connection while circuit switching requires a
physical connection.
C. Packet switching allows information to be accessed on multiple computers,
while circuit switching can only share data between two computers.
D. Circuit switching allows information to be accessed on various computers at the
same time, while packet switching is the communication between two
computers.

4. How do paragraphs 9-11 contribute to the author's explanation of the Internet?
A. This section explains the distinction between the World Wide Web and the
Internet, which addresses a misunderstanding many users have.
B. This section criticizes the creators of the World Wide Web for creating a complex
language for writing web pages on the Internet.
C. These paragraphs establish that the World Wide Web is a computer network
system, while the Internet is an application people use on the World Wide Web.
D. This section illustrates how the World Wide Web is superior because, unlike the
Internet, it can be used without a connection to a computer network system.

How does the author support her claim that the Internet "wasn't really created by anyone"
(Paragraph 12)?

COMMONLIT

Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to
share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. Before reading this article, how did you think the Internet worked? How did this this article
affect your understanding of the Internet?

2. What do you think would happen if one person was responsible for the development and
maintenance of the Internet?

In your opinion, why is it important to understand how the Internet came to be?

In the context of the text, how do people benefit from the Internet? In what ways does the
Internet present new problems? How do you think the benefits of the Internet compare to
the costs?

In the context of the text, what should the future look like? How could additional
development of the Internet affect the future? What could be the costs and benefits of this?