News by Levels · Level 1 · Student worksheet

Divers Find Clues on an Old Slave Ship

In this lesson: Identify the recovered objects and separate a fact from a possible owner.

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Researchers found part of a fine shoe and two metal rings on the wreck of Havmanden near Gothenburg in Sweden. The Danish ship sank in 1683.

The rings were used as payment in the slave trade. The shoe may have belonged to a governor, but its owner is not certain.

Source: National Museum of Denmark, 2026-11-11. https://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/15279623/sjaelden-sko-og-slavebetaling-fundet-pa-dansk-slaveskib?lang=da&publisherId=13560791

Read and practise

1. What did researchers find?

   1. Two shoe fragments and no rings
   2. Part of a shoe and two metal rings
   3. An intact shoe and three metal rings

2. Is the shoe’s owner certain?

   1. No
   2. Yes, the governor is confirmed
   3. The text names its modern owner

Your turn

Describe the two types of finds and what remains unknown.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/havmanden-shoe-manilla-shipwreck-find-november-2026/level-1/