Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.

Teacher & Student Guide

How to use this lesson

📌 For the Teacher

Give your students 12 minutes to read the passage and solve the 8 interactive questions below.

Review the evidence and simple explanations together after completing the tasks.

🚀 For the Learner

First, read the short article about the seven bridges puzzle carefully.

Next, complete all 8 questions in order from easy to hard to test your reading skill.

School Web Article • History & Math

A Famous Walk in Königsberg

⏱️ Reading Time: 2 mins

A vintage 18th century map illustration of the city of Königsberg showing two central islands in the Pregel river connec

The city of Königsberg and its seven bridges over the Pregel river.

Königsberg was an old city on the Pregel river. Today, it is called Kaliningrad and is in Russia. The city had two big islands in the river and seven bridges. The puzzle was to take a walk through the city and cross each bridge once and only once.

In the 1730s, the mathematician Leonhard Euler studied the puzzle. He showed that this walk is not possible. Many people say his paper was the first paper in graph theory, a part of mathematics. Some bridges are not there now because two were lost in the bombing of the Second World War, and two were lost when a road was built.

Listen to key phrase: "In the 1730s, the mathematician Leonhard Euler studied the puzzle."

💡 Word Helper: Simple Vocabulary

Here are simple explanations for the new words in our reading passage:

puzzle (noun) A fun game or question that tests your thinking skills.

mathematician (noun) A person who studies numbers and mathematics deeply.

cross (verb) To go from one side of a river or road to the other side.

graph theory (noun) A part of mathematics.

bombing (noun) An attack using explosive bombs during a war.

Practice Tasks (Questions 1 – 8)

Answer each question below. Read the explanation box to check your answer and evidence!

📝

Question 1 • True / False (Easy)

Today, the old city of Königsberg is located in Russia and is named Kaliningrad.

____ True ____ False

Question 2 • True / False (Easy)

In the past, the city had three big islands in the river and five bridges.

____ True ____ False

Question 3 • Multiple Choice (Medium)

What was the main goal of the famous city puzzle?

____ a. To build seven new bridges across the river ____ b. To swim around the two big islands in the river ____ c. To count how many boats passed under the bridges ____ d. To walk through the city and cross each bridge once and only once

Question 4 • Multiple Choice (Medium)

What did the mathematician Leonhard Euler discover in the 1730s?

____ a. This walk is not possible ____ b. Anyone can finish the walk in 10 minutes ____ c. The city needed two more bridges ____ d. The islands were floating down the river

Question 5 • Matching (Medium)

Match each item on the left with its description on the right.

Term

Mathematician

Part of mathematics

1. Leonhard Euler

____ Mathematician ____ Part of mathematics

2. Graph theory

____ Mathematician ____ Part of mathematics

Question 6 • Short Answer (Upper-Medium)

Why do many people say Euler's paper was famous and important for math?

Complete the sentence below by typing the missing words from the article:

Many people say it was the ____ .

Question 7 • Multiple Choice (Hard)

What caused two of the seven bridges to be lost?

____ a. A heavy storm washed them away in the river ____ b. People took them down to make space for houses ____ c. The bombing of the Second World War ____ d. Leonhard Euler broke them down for his study

Question 8 • Short Answer (Hard)

What happened to make two other bridges disappear?

Fill in the blank with the reason given in the text:

Two bridges were lost when ____ .

Reading: The Königsberg Bridge Puzzle

How to use this lesson

A Famous Walk in Königsberg

💡 Word Helper: Simple Vocabulary

Practice Tasks (Questions 1 – 8)

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