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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 72

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This reading practice simulates one part of the IELTS General Reading test. You should spend about twenty minutes on it. Read the passage and answer questions 31-40.

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In the summer of 1999, a large pane of toughened glass suddenly shattered in Cirencester, a town in the UK, falling from its frame in a shopping center’s roof at Bishop’s Walk. The day was August 2nd, and it was an especially hot one. In the wake of this incident, experts at the large glass man...
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Questions 31-33
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 31-33 on your answer sheet.

31. The crystals expand within the glass due to…

32. Why do crystals of nickel sulfide remain in the glass after manufacturing?

33. Which of the following speeds the process which leads to toughened glass failure?

The answer is B. The reason the crystals expand within the glass is due to “unstable alpha changing quickly to beta crystals in the glass.” The passage states: "This leaves unstable alpha crystals in the glass, primed like a coiled spring, ready to revert to the beta phase without warning. When this happens, the crystals expand by up to 4%." This explanation appears in the third paragraph discussing how nickel sulfide crystals behave after the toughened glass manufacturing process, specifically as they change from alpha to beta phase, which causes expansion and may shatter the pane.

Associated Text:
This leaves unstable alpha crystals in the glass, primed like a coiled spring, ready to revert to the beta phase without warning. When this happens, the crystals expand by up to 4%.

The answer is D. All of the options listed contribute to why crystals of nickel sulfide remain in the glass after manufacturing. The passage explains that small amounts of nickel and sulfur in raw materials, and nickel from contamination, (A) lead to impurities; the high temperature converts the crystals to the alpha form (C); and crucially, the rapid cooling (B) prevents these alpha crystals from converting to the stable beta form, meaning the unstable alpha crystals are trapped within the glass (D) encompasses all these points and is the most complete answer. This information is found in the fourth paragraph on the manufacturing process and impurities.

Associated Text:
Small amounts of nickel and sulfur are usually present in the raw materials used to make glass, and nickel can also be introduced by fragments of nickel alloys falling into the molten glass. As the glass is heated, these atoms react to form tiny crystals of nickel sulfide. These crystals can exist in two forms: a dense form called the alpha phase, which is stable at high temperatures, and a less dense form called the beta phase, which is stable at room temperatures. The high temperatures used in the toughening process convert all the crystals to the dense, compact alpha form. But afterwards, cooling is so rapid that the crystals don't have time to change back to the beta phase.

The answer is C. Exposure to sunlight speeds the process which leads to toughened glass failure. As stated in the passage, "if the glass is heated, by sunlight, for example, the process speeds up." This description is provided in the fifth paragraph when discussing the rate at which failures can occur due to environmental factors.

Associated Text:
if the glass is heated, by sunlight, for example, the process speeds up.

Questions 34-38
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-N, below.
  1. compression
  2. after
  3. warm
  4. heating
  5. before
  6. slowly cooling
  7. nickel sulphide
  8. rapidly cooling
  9. cold
  10. cool
  11. tension
  12. heat
  13. compressive
  14. tensile

The manufacturing process of toughened glass involves  ordinary glass and keeping it there for a time, before the outside of the glass. This leads to the outer layer contracting the inner layer. The end result is glass which is under on the outside, and under on the inside.  In order to break the glass, the compressive force must first be exceeded.

The answer is D. The manufacturing process of toughened glass involves "heating" ordinary glass. The passage says, "It is made by heating a sheet of ordinary glass to about 620°C to soften it slightly." This comes from the paragraph that details the production of toughened glass, describing the initial stage as heating.

Associated Text:
It is made by heating a sheet of ordinary glass to about 620°C to soften it slightly.

The answer is H. The next step in the manufacturing process is "rapidly cooling" the outside of the glass. The passage states: "and then cooling it rapidly with jets of cold air." This is found in the paragraph on the toughened glass manufacturing method, immediately following the heating step.

Associated Text:
and then cooling it rapidly with jets of cold air.

The answer is E. The manufacturing process description states that the outer layer contracts "before" the inner layer, as the outer cools and solidifies sooner. The sentence from the passage says, "This causes the outer layer of the pane to contract and solidify before the interior." This is detailed in the production process paragraph.

Associated Text:
This causes the outer layer of the pane to contract and solidify before the interior.

The answer is A. The glass is left in permanent "compression" on the outside after manufacturing. As stated, "it exerts a pull on the outer layer that leaves it in permanent compression." This explanation is from the paragraph explaining the toughened glass structure and why it is resilient to cracking.

Associated Text:
it exerts a pull on the outer layer that leaves it in permanent compression

The answer is K. The inside of the glass is under "tension" as a result of the manufacturing process. The passage specifies this, noting it "produces a tensile force inside the glass." This is discussed in the section on the physical forces within toughened glass after the rapid cooling process.

Associated Text:
and produces a tensile force inside the glass.

Questions 39-40
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 39-40 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE   if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE   if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN   if there is no information on this.

39. There is plenty of documented evidence available about the incidence of nickel sulphide failure.

40. Toughened glass has the same appearance as ordinary glass.

The answer is FALSE. The passage explicitly indicates there is not plenty of documented evidence available about nickel sulphide failures. Experts state, “What you hear is only the tip of the iceberg,” and “No-one wants bad press,” which strongly suggests cases are underreported and not well documented. This statement is from the section where various experts discuss the true extent of reporting and documentation on such incidents.

Associated Text:
“What you hear is only the tip of the iceberg,” says Trevor Ford, a glass expert at Resolve Engineering in Brisbane, Queensland. “No-one wants bad press.” says Ford, who believes this is the real explanation for the downplaying of similar events.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage does not mention anything about the appearance of toughened glass compared to ordinary glass. While it describes the manufacturing process and physical properties, it does not provide information about their relative appearance.

Associated Text:

Answer Sheet
1
N/A
2
N/A
3
N/A
4
N/A
5
N/A
6
N/A
7
N/A
8
N/A
9
N/A
10
N/A
11
N/A
12
N/A
13
N/A
14
N/A
15
N/A
16
N/A
17
N/A
18
N/A
19
N/A
20
N/A
21
N/A
22
N/A
23
N/A
24
N/A
25
N/A
26
N/A
27
N/A
28
N/A
29
N/A
30
N/A
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Score Summary
0 / 1
Multiple Choice
Matching Sentence Endings
Note Completion
Table Completion
Flow Chart Completion
Summary Completion
Multiple Selection
Short Answer
Matching Headings
Matching Features
Matching Information
Identifying Information
Identifying Viewer Claims
Sentence Completion
Diagram Labelling
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Tips to improve your reading speed
To get a high score on the IELTS reading section, you need to have a fast reading speed. To have a fast reading speed, you need to improve your vocabulary and practice dissecting sentences. One strategy to dissect a sentence is to look for the subject and verb of the sentence. Finding the subject and verb will help you better understand the main idea of said sentence. Keep in mind, a common feature of a IELTS reading passage is to join strings of ideas to form long compound sentences. This produces large chunks that students have a hard time absorbing. Do not get overwhelmed by its length, just look for the subject and verb, the rest of the ideas will flow.

Keep in mind, having a slow reading speed makes skimming or scanning a reading passage more difficult. The process of quickly skimming through a reading passage for specific keywords or main ideas is a requirement for you to employ successful reading strategies to improve your IELTS reading score. In other words, skimming and scanning are critical skills to ensure you complete all questions in the allotted time frame.
IELTS Reading Strategies
Once you can read and comprehend a passage with a rate of, at least, 220 words per minute, you'll be ready to start implementing our strategies. All too often, students spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time answering the questions. Here is a step by step guide for tackling the reading section.

  1. Step 1: Read questions first

    One of the most common mistakes that candidates make when approaching the reading exam is reading every single word of the passages. Although you can practice for the exam by reading for pleasure, "reading blindly" (reading without any sense of what the questions will ask) will not do you any favors in the exam. Instead, it will hurt your chances for effectively managing your time and getting the best score.

    The main reason to read the questions first is because the type of question may determine what you read in the passage or how you read it. For example, some question types will call for the "skimming" technique, while others may call for the "scanning" technique.

    It is important to answer a set of questions that are of the same question type. You'll need to determine which question type you want to tackle first. A good strategy would be to start with the easier question type and move on to more difficult question types later. The Easiest question types are the ones where you spend less time reading. For example, the Matching Heading question type is an easier one because you only need to find the heading that best describes the main idea of a paragraph. An example of a difficult question type would be Identifying Information. For this question type, you'll need to read each paragraph to find out if each statement is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN according to the passage.

    Here is a table that lists the difficulty levels for each question type. Use this table as a reference when choosing which question type you want to tackle first.

    Difficulty level Question Type
    Easy Sentence Completion
    Short answer
    Medium Matching Features
    Multiple choice
    Matching Headings
    Summary, Table, Flow-Chart Completion
    Difficult Matching Sentence Endings
    Matching Information
    Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
    Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

  2. Step 2: Read for an objective

    After you've read the questions for the passage, you will be able to read for an objective. What does this mean? For example, if you come across a question that includes the year "1896", you can make a note of when this year comes up in the text, using it to answer the question later on. There are two reading techniques that will help you stay on track with reading for an objective. The first one, skimming, is best defined as reading fast in order to get the "gist", or general idea, or a passage. With this technique, you are not stopping for any unfamiliar words or looking for specific details. The second technique, scanning, is best defined as reading for specific information. With this technique, you are not reading for the overall gist, but rather, specific information. Notice how each of these techniques has a specific objective in mind. This will help you find information more quickly.

  3. Step 3: Take notes

    As you're reading for an objective, you should also be making notes on the margins of the passage, placing stars next to key information, or underlining things that you believe will help you answer the various questions. This will make it easier for you to check back when you are asked certain things in the questions. Choose whichever note-taking system is right for you - just make sure you do it!

  4. Step 4: Answer wisely

    After you've read the questions, read the passage, and have taken any appropriate notes, you you should have located the part of the text where you where you need to read carefully. Then just read carefully and think critically to determine the correct answer.

IELTS Reading Question Types

The IELTS reading test contains many different question types:

Matching HeadingsIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Headings
Matching InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Information
Matching FeaturesIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Features
Summary CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Summary Completion
Identifying InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Information
Identifying Writer's claimsIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Writer's claims
Multiple ChoiceIELTS Reading Lesson: Multiple Choice
Short AnswerIELTS Reading Lesson: Short Answer
Match Sentence EndingIELTS Reading Lesson: Match Sentence Ending
Sentence CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Sentence Completion
Table CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Table Completion
 
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