IELTS Cambridge 8 Test 2 : ACADEMIC READING ANSWERS

Reading Passage 1: Sheet glass manufacture: the float process

Questions 1-5: (Table completion):

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete different gaps in a table with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage. Keywords are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. However, we should not be surprised if the sequence is not maintained. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Here is the table with the title: Early methods of producing flat glass

Question 1 & 2:

Method: 1. _________

Advantages:

• Glass remained 2. __________

Keywords for the question: method, advantages, remained,

Tips: To answer this question, we need to have a look at the whole table first and apply a trick.

As you can see from the given picture, there are two early methods of producing float glass in this table. One is ‘Ribbon’ and we have to find the other one. You should probably know by now that most of the IELTS Reading question types follow a sequence; so we can figure out easily that the description of ‘Ribbon method’ is given in the text/passage right after the description of the method’s name we are looking for. Now, the mention of the ‘Ribbon method’ is found in the very beginning of Paragraph no. 2. So, we can safely assume that we’ll find the answer for question no. 1, 2 and 3 in paragraph no. 1.

Let’s have a look. Remember the word ‘early’ in the table? This word suggests that the methods were the first methods of producing clear flat glass. Take a look at lines 3-6 of paragraph no. 1, “. . . .The first successful method for making clear, flat glass involved spinning. This method was very effective as the glass had not touched any surfaces between being soft and becoming hard, so it stayed perfectly unblemished, with a ‘fire finish’.”

Here, The first successful method indicates that the name of the first method is spinning.

Also, stayed = remained.

So, the answers are:

1. spinning
2. (perfectly) unblemished

Question 3:
Disadvantages:

• Slow
• ____________

Keywords for the question: disadvantages, slow,

Take a look at line no. 6 of paragraph no. 1. “However, the process took a long time, and was labour intensive.”

So, here we find the disadvantages/ pitfalls/ problems related to this ‘spinning’ process. The first problem was that the process was slow (took a long time). The second problem was that it was labour intensive.

So, the answer is: labour intensive

Question 4:  

Advantages:

• Could produce glass sheets of varying ___________
• Non-stop process

Keywords for the question: Ribbon, advantages, produce glass sheets, varying, non-stop process,     

The answer is found in paragraph no. 2. In lines 2-4 the writer says, “. .. .The first continuous ribbon process involved squeezing molten glass through two hot rollers, similar to an old mangle. This allowed glass of virtually any thickness to be made non-stop. . .. .”

Here, virtually any means nearly any kind of or varying

So, the answer is: thickness

Question 5: 

Disadvantages:

• Glass was ___________
• 20% of glass rubbed away
• Machines were expensive

Keywords for the question: disadvantages, 20, rubbed away, machines, expensive,

Again, the answer is found in paragraph no. 2 in lines 4-6, “. .. . but the rollers would leave both sides of the glass marked, and these would then need to be ground and polished. This part of the process rubbed away around 20 percent of the glass, and the machines were very expensive”.

So, the answer is: marked

Questions 6-8: (Labeling a diagram)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to label a diagram with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage. Keywords are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. However, we should not be surprised if the sequence is not maintained. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

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Here is the diagram with the title: Pilkington’s float process

To answer a diagram, we need to understand the concept of a diagram. In this diagram, we have to fill in the gaps for the model of Pilkington’s float process.

In paragraph no. 3 we find the explanation of ‘Pilkington’s float process’.

Let’s take a look:

“The float process for making flat glass was invented by Alistair Pilkington. This process allows the manufacture of clear, tinted and coated glass for buildings, and clear and tinted glass for vehicles. Pilkington had been experimenting with improving the melting process, and in 1952 he had the idea of using a bed of molten metal to form the flat glass, eliminating altogether the need for rollers within the float bath. The metal had to melt at a temperature less than the hardening point of glass (about 600°C), but could not boil at a temperature below the temperature of the molten glass (about 1500°C). The best metal for the job was tin.”

Then, in paragraph no. 4 we find further explanation of ‘Pilkington’s float process’ and we find all answers for the diagram in this paragraph. Take a close look at lines 2-6, “Consequently, when pouring molten glass onto the molten tin, the underside of the glass would also be perfectly flat. If the glass were kept hot enough, it would flow over the molten tin until the top surface was also flat, horizontal and perfectly parallel to the bottom surface. Once the glass cooled to 604°C or less it was too hard to mark and could be transported out of the cooling zone by rollers.

So, for question no. 6, the answer has to be glass/ molten glass. (The picture indicates that molten glass is poured on the float bath.)

Then, for question no. 7, the answer is molten metal/tin. (The picture indicates that molten glass is poured on the float bath which is made from some material that could not boil below 1500°C).

And, for question no. 8, the answer is rollers. (The picture indicates that two small wheels helps to transport the molten glass from the float bath’s melting zone to cooling zone).

So, the answers are:

• (molten) glass
• (molten) metal/tin
• rollers

Questions 9-13: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this  – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 9: The metal used in the float process had to have specific properties.

Keywords for this question: metal, float process, specific properties,  

In paragraph no. 3, in lines 5-7, the author describes the Pilkington’s float process, “The metal had to melt at a temperature less than the hardening point of glass (about 600°C), but could not boil at a temperature below the temperature of the molten glass (about 1500°C). The best metal for the job was tin.”

The lines clearly indicate that float process required a specific metal which was tin.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 10: Pilkington invested some of his own money in his float plant.

Keywords for this question: Pilkington, invested, own money, float plant,

In paragraph no. 5, the writer only mentions, “Pilkington built a pilot plant in 1953 and by 1955 he had convinced his company to build a full-scale plant.” However, there is no indication of whether he invested some of his own money on that project.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 11: Pilkington’s first full-scale plant was an instant commercial success.

Keywords for this question: first full-scale plant, instant commercial success,   

In paragraph no. 5 the author says, “Pilkington built a pilot plant in 1953 and by 1955 he had convinced his company to build a full-scale plant. However, it took 14 months of non-stop production, costing the company £100,000 a month, before the plant produced any usable glass. Furthermore, once they succeeded in making marketable flat glass, the machine was turned off for a service to prepare it for years of continuous production. When it started up again it took another four months to get the process right again. They finally succeeded in 1959. …”

So, the plant was built in 1953 but it became successful in 1959, after 6 years. Therefore, it was not an instant or immediate success.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 12: The process invented by Pilkington has now been improved.

Keywords for this question: process, invented by Pilkington, improved,   

For this question, you need to compare the original Pilkington process which is explained in paragraph no. 3 and 4 with the modern Pilkington process which is explained in paragraph no. 6. You’ll find a number of improvements in the modern Pilkington process including refining, homogenizing, continuous melting process etc.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 13: Computers are better than humans at detecting faults in glass.

Keywords for this question: Computers, better, humans, detecting, faults in glass,    

The last few lines of paragraph no. 7 gives us the answer, “Inspection technology allows more than 100 million measurements a second to be made across the ribbon, locating flaws the unaided eye would be unable to see. Secondly, it enables computers downstream to steer cutters around flaws.”

This means computers can detect such faults in glass that naked eyes of human cannot detect.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Reading Passage 2: The Little Ice Age

Questions 14-17 (List of headings):

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph which will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence. ]

Question 14: Paragraph B

In paragraph B, in lines 3-5, the writer says, “The climate events of the Little Ice Age did more than help shape the modern world. They are the deeply important context for the current unprecedented global warming”.

The lines suggest that the climate events of the Little Ice Age are very important or relevant for the modern world / current state of global warming.

So, the answer is: ii (The relevance of the Little Ice Age today)

Question 15: Paragraph D

Take a look at the first sentence of paragraph D is: “This book is a narrative history of climate shifts during the past ten centuries.”

Here, ten centuries means a thousand years, narrative history means study,

So, the answer is: vii (A study covering a thousand years)

Question 16: Paragraph E   

Take a look at the last sentence of paragraph E states: “The increased productivity from farmland made some countries self-sufficient in grain and livestock and offered effective protection against famine”.

The lines clearly indicate that some countries now have enough food to tackle famine, thanks to the productivity from farmland.

Here, self-sufficient = adequate to survive from their own resources, grain and livestock = foods and animals such as cows, sheep, horse, buffalos, buffalos, goats, etc. 

So, the answer is: ix (Enough food at last)

Question 17: Paragraph F

In general, paragraph F deals with how present human civilization is responsible for different types of problems that have affected our climate. For instance, we can find the reference of the famine caused by the Irish potato blight (lines 2-4), deforestation because of intensive farming (lines 4-5), and the rise in temperature because of excessive use of fossil fuel (lines 9-10).

All these activities are done by humans and it has affected the climate seriously.

So, the answer is: iv (Human impact on the climate)

Questions 18-22 (Completing summary with list of words)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Title of the summary: Weather during the Little Ice Age

Questions 18 and 19: Documentation of past weather conditions is limited: our main sources of knowledge of conditions in the distant past are 18. ________ and 19. _________.

Keywords for this question: documentation, past weather conditions, limited, main source of knowledge,

In paragraph C the writer talks about how limited the documentation of the past weather is.

In lines 1-2 the writer says, “Reconstructing the climate changes of the past is extremely difficult, because systematic weather observations began only a few centuries ago. . . .”

Then, in lines 4-5, the writer says, “For the time before records began, we have only ‘proxy records’ reconstructed largely from tree rings and ice cores, . … ..”

Here, For the time before records began = distant past,

So, the answers are: (in either order)

C (tree rings)

B (ice cores)

Question 20: We can deduce that the Little Ice Age was a time of ________, rather than of consistent freezing.

Keywords for this question: Little Ice Age, time of, rather than, consistent freezing,  

For this question, we need to go back a little bit to paragraph B first, in lines 6-7. Here, the author says, “. . . The little Ice Age was far from a deep freeze, however; rather an irregular seesaw of rapid climatic shifts, few lasting more than a quarter-century, . . ..”.

Now, in paragraph C, the writer says in the first line, “This book is a narrative history of climatic shifts during the past ten centuries, . . . .”

Here, far from a deep freeze = rather than of consistent freezing

So, the book shows that The Little Ice Age was, in fact, a time of climatic shifts.

So, the answer is: A (climatic shifts)

Questions 21 & 22: Within it there were some periods of very cold winters, others of 21. _________ and heavy rain, and yet others that saw 22. _________ with no rain at all.

Keywords for this question: some periods, very cold winters, others of, heavy rain,  

As paragraph B (lines 6-7) gave us the answer for question no. 20, we need look for the answer of this question in paragraph B. In lines 9-13, “The seesaw brought cycles of intensely cold winters and easterly winds; then switched abruptly to years of heavy spring and early summer rains, mild winters, and frequent Atlantic storms, or to periods of droughts, light northeasterly winds, and summer heat waves.”

So, the answers are:

• H (storms)
• G (heat waves)

Questions 23-26 (Classifying events to periods)

[In this kind of questions, candidates are asked to classify different events to their occurring periods and write the correct letters corresponding to the answers.]

Question 23: Many Europeans started farming abroad.

Keywords for this question: Many Europeans, farming, abroad,  

In paragraph F The author explains in the very beginning, “Global temperature began to rise slowly after 1850, with the beginning of the Modern Warm Period. There was a vast migration from Europe by land-hungry farmers and others, to which the famine caused by the Irish potato blight contributed. . .. .” 

Here, a vast migration from Europe by land-hungry farmers and others = Europeans started farming abroad,

So, the answer is: C (Modern Warm Period)

Question 24: The cutting down of trees began to affect the climate.

Keywords for this question: cutting down of trees, affect the climate,  

In paragraph F, the writer explains in lines 5-7, “. . . Millions of hectares of forest and woodland fell before the newcomers’ axes between 1850 and 1890, as intensive European farming methods expanded across the world. The unprecedented land clearance released vast quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, triggering for the first time humanly caused global warming.”

Here, Millions of hectares of forest and woodland fell and unprecedented land clearance = the cutting down of trees,

So, the answer is: C (Modern Warm Period)

Question 25: Europeans discovered other lands.

Keywords for this question: Europeans, discovered, other lands, 

In paragraph D, the author says in lines 2-5, “.. .. . Part one describes the Medieval Warm Period, roughly 900 to 1200. During these three centuries, Norse voyagers from Northern Europe explored northern seas, settled Greenland, and visited North America.”

So, the answer is: A (Medieval Warm Period)

Question 26: Changes took place in fishing patterns.

Keywords for this question: Changes, fishing patterns, 

Have a careful look at lines 9-12 of paragraph E, which talks about the Little Ice Age, “Dried cod and herring were already staples of the European fish trade, but changes in water temperature forced fishing fleets to work further offshore. The Basques, Dutch and English developed the first offshore fishing boats adapted to a colder and stormier Atlantic…”

This means the boats were redesigned for the change in fishing practice in the Atlantic.

So, the answer is: B (Little Ice Age)

Reading Passage 3: The meaning and power of smell

Questions 27-32 (List of headings):

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph which will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence. ]

Question 27: Paragraph A   

The third and last lines of paragraph A give us the answer,

Third line: “… It became apparent that smell can evoke strong emotional responses.”

Last lines: “. . . The perception of smell, therefore, consists not only of the sensation of the odours themselves, but of the experiences and emotions associated with them”.

Here, strong emotional responses and experiences and emotions = feelings, associated with them = relationship,

So, the answer is: viii (The relationship between smell and feelings)

Question 28: Paragraph B  

Take a look at lines no. 1-4, “Odours are also essential cues in social bonding. One respondent to the survey believed that there is no true emotional bonding without touching and smelling a loved one. In fact, infants recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or spouses by scent.. . .. .. . .”

Here, infants recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth = personal relationship

So, the answer is: ii (The role of smell in personal relationship)

Question 29: Paragraph C

The first few lines give us the answer, “In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped.”

Here, smell is probably the most undervalued sense = sense of smell is not appreciated

So, the answer is: vi (Why our sense of smell is not appreciated)

Question 30: Paragraph D  

In paragraph D, again, the first few lines provide us with the answer, “Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn’t exist.”

The lines suggest that there are difficulties to describe smell verbally.

Here, the specific vocabulary simply doesn’t exist = difficulties of talking about smells

So, the answer is: i (The difficulties of talking about smells)

Question 31: Paragraph E

Lines 3-5 of paragraph E give a hint to our answer, “ . . . .. but many fundamental questions have yet to be answered. Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two – one responding to odours proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air.”

Here, Researchers have still to decide = Future studies

So, the answer is: iii (Future studies into smell)

Question 32: Paragraph F

In paragraph F, we can find out that the author provides a link between cultures and smell in lines 8-9, “Importantly,  our commonly held feelings about smells can help distinguish us from other cultures”.

This line suggests that smell or odour can be exercised as a factor to define one person/culture from another.

Here, define = distinguish, groups = other cultures,

So, the answer is: v (The interpretation of smells as a factor in defining groups)

Questions 33-36: Multiple-choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers for previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question 33: According to the introduction, we become aware of the importance of smell when –

Keywords for this question: introduction, aware, importance of smell, when,

The last lines of the introduction give us the answer for this question, “It is only when the faculty of smell is impaired for some reason that we begin to realise the essential role the sense of smell plays in our sense of well-being.”

This means we become aware of the importance of smell when this faculty is impaired or damaged.

So, the answer is: C (our ability to smell is damaged)

Question 34: The experiment described in paragraph B –

Keywords for this question: experiment, paragraph B, 

Read the last half part of paragraph B, “ . .. In one well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage partners from similar clothing worn by other people. Most of the subjects would probably never have given much thought to odour as a cue for identifying family members before being involved in the test, but as the experiment revealed, even when not consciously considered, smells register.”

This means the experiment shows how our sense of smell is in use even though we don’t realise it.

So, the answer is: A (shows how we make use of smell without realising it)

Question 35: What is the writer doing in paragraph C?

Keywords for this question: writer doing, paragraph C, 

The common belief is given in lines 1-4, “.. . .. . smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped.” This means smell is extremely undervalued.

Then, in the next few lines, “.. . .. While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain animals, they are still remarkably acute. Our noses are able to recognise thousands of smells, and to perceive odours which are present only in extremely small quantities.” Here, the writer discards the common belief about the undervalued sense of smell.  

So, the answer is: C (rejecting a common belief)

Question 36: What does the writer suggest about the study of smell in the atmosphere in paragraph E?

Keywords for this question: writer suggest, study of smell, atmosphere, paragraph E,

In lines 3-4, we have our answer for this question, “ . . . but many fundamental questions have yet to be answered. Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two – . . ..”

This means the definition of smell is yet to come to light.

So, the answer is: D (Smell is yet to be defined)  

Questions 37-40 (Completing sentences with ONE WORD ONLY)

[For this type of question, candidates need to complete the sentences with ONE WORD ONLY from the passage. Candidates need to look for keywords in the sentence-beginnings and find the relative paragraphs and then sentences in the passage. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question type.]

Question 37: Tests have shown that odours can help people recognise the _______ belonging to their husbands and wives.

Keywords for this question: can help, recognise, belonging to, husbands and wives, 

In paragraph B, take a look at lines, “In one well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage partners from similar clothing worn by other people”. This means that the special smell in clothing worn by husbands or wives can be used to recognize their marriage partners.

Here, odours = smell, recognize = distinguish, their husbands and wives = their marriage partners,

So, the answer is: clothing  

Question 38: Certain linguistic groups may have difficulty describing smell because they lack the appropriate __________.

Keywords for this question: Certain linguistic groups, have difficulty, describing smell, lack, appropriate,  

In paragraph D, lines 1-4 say, “Odours, unlike colors, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply does not exist. “It smells like . . .” we have to say when describing an odour, struggling to express our olfactory experience”.

The lines suggest that it is quite hard for people to talk about smells because of the lack of specific vocabulary in their languages.

Here, linguistic groups = languages, lack = does not exist,

So, the answer is: vocabulary  

Question 39: The sense of smell may involve response to _________ which do not smell, in addition to obvious odours.

Keywords for this question: sense of smell, involve, and do not smell,

Take a look at paragraph E. In lines 4-5 the writer says, “Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two  – one responding to odours proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air.”

Therefore, it can be understood that chemicals are the things which do not smell in the air.

Here, do not smell = odourless,

So, the answer is: chemicals

Question 40: Odours regarded as unpleasant in certain ________ are not regarded as unpleasant in others.

Keywords for this question: unpleasant, regarded as, not unpleasant in others,

In paragraph F, read the following lines, “Odours are invested with cultural values: smells that are considered to be offensive in some cultures may be perfectly acceptable in others”.

The lines suggest that certain smells may be acceptable in some cultures, but in other cultures they are not acceptable.

Here, unpleasant = offensive, regarded as = considered, not unpleasant = acceptable,

So, the answer is: cultures