Building Houses Out of Earth Reading Answers

The Academic passage, ‘Building Houses out of Earth Reading Answers’, is a reading passage that consists of 11 questions.

Ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on a passage. Read the IELTS reading passage, pick out significant words, and recognise synonyms in order to provide a one-word response.

So, let’s see how easy this passage is for you and if you’re able to make it in 20 minutes. If not, try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

The four question types found in this passage are:

• Multiple Choice Question (Q. 1) & (Q. 4-7)
• Short Answer Type Question (Q. 2-3) & (Q. 8-11)

Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-11, which are based on the Reading Passage below.

Building Houses out of Earth

A On every continent, one can find houses or other buildings made of the clay–bearing soils dug up from the ground. In some places, earth building technologies have been around for a very long time. In the southwestern United States, for example, American Indian tribes such as the Pueblo people have been building earth houses and other earth structures for thousands of years. And in China’s Xinjiang Province, archaeologists have found entire earth villages dating back over 2500 years. While building houses out of earth is certainly not new, it has never been very common because of the preference for other materials.

B In some parts of the world, however, there has been renewed growth in the popularity of earth building. Two such places are Australia and New Zealand, where the practice did not exist until the relatively recent arrival of European settlers. It is estimated that there are now over 2100 houses made of earth in Australia, and 35% of them were built within the past decade. An equal proportion of the 550 earthen structures in New Zealand were built in the last five years. This trend appears to reflect growing earth construction in North America and Eastern Europe.

C Why the renewed interest in earth building? The building material itself is probably the reason. Earth is available virtually anywhere, literally under our feet. And unlike many other building materials that typically require treatment with chemical preservatives, the earth is non-toxic. This cannot be said for commercially sold timber and brick products.

D Another well-known characteristic of earth houses is their passive solar capacity – their ability to retain warmth in the winter and keep cool in the summer without the need for dedicated solar panels, plumbing or fossil fuel energy sources. This comes entirely from the effective way in which earthen walls act to store heat.

E Some people claim that earth buildings are cheaper to build than conventional brick or wooden houses, the two most common types in Australia and New Zealand. This appears to be true, according to data from the New Zealand Construction Quarterly. Assuming walls make up 15% of the cost of building a house, then the use of earthen walls would bring a total saving of 10% over timber frame construction and 38% over brick.

F But perhaps most attractive of all is the unique atmosphere provided by earth houses, with their natural colors, their acoustic properties and thick, solid walls. Not all the earth building is done the same way. The technologies used vary from region to region, depending on the types of earth available and local building traditions. They are also undergoing constant study and improvement, with a view to bettering resistance to earthquakes and weather.

G In New Zealand, stabilisers such as cement, sand, straw, even cow dung, have been found to make a stronger and longer-lasting material when added to earth. The downside of using particularly effective stabilisers like cement is that they can be expensive and their manufacture may create much pollution. Thus, their use should be kept to a minimum.

H Those who choose to build with earth should also be careful about using paints or other coatings on the surface of the earth’s walls. Some coatings have the effect of preventing the walls from ‘breathing’. When this happens, any water that gets absorbed into the walls may not have a way of escaping and get trapped. This may lead to cracks or other signs of the early deterioration of the earthen material.

1 In ‘Building houses out of earth’, the writer’s main aim is to ….…

A provide an overview of earth building.

B promotes the building of earth houses.

C reviews the history of earth building.

D examines the variety of earth buildings.

2 Name places where earth building practices have existed for a long time.

Southwestern United States and …….…(2)……….

3 Name places where earth building is becoming more popular.

Australia, North America and ……..(3)………

A cost of construction

B resistance to earthquakes

C stability of earth

D heat storage capacity

E availability of materials

F construction technology

G appearance and character

8 What percentage of earth buildings in New Zealand were constructed in the past 5 years?

9 Name ONE building material that contains chemical preservatives.

10 Name the feature of earth houses that enables them to keep temperatures low in summer.

11 Name ONE substance that can lengthen the life of earth as a building material.

Reading Answers

1 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Answer

Answer location: The whole passage

Answer explanation: In different paragraphs of the passage, the writer explains various features of the earth buildings, like material, places where they are popular, characteristics, etc. As it provides an overall glimpse of earth building, the answer is A.

2 Answer: China’s Xinjiang Province

Question type: Short Answer Type

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 3 – line 4

Answer explanation: In Paragraph A, it is said that “In the southwestern United States, for example, American Indian tribes such as the Pueblo people have been building earth houses and other earth structures for thousands of years. And in China’s Xinjiang Province, archaeologists have found entire earth villages dating back over 2500 years.” This points to the fact that apart from the southwestern United States, earth buildings are found in China’s Xinjiang Province for over 2500 years. Hence, the answer is ‘China’s Xinjiang Province’.

3 Answer: Eastern Europe

Question type: Short Answer Type

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4 – line 5

Answer explanation: In the lines of Paragraph B, it is said that “An equal proportion of the 550 earthen structures in New Zealand were built in the last five years. This trend appears to reflect growing earth construction in North America and Eastern Europe.” This proves the fact that earth building is becoming more popular in Australia, North America and Eastern Europe. Hence, the answer is ‘Eastern Europe’.

4 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Answer

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3

Answer explanation: In the mentioned line, it is stated “Assuming walls make up 15% of the cost of building a house, then the use of earthen walls would bring a total saving of 10% over timber frame construction and 38% over brick.”. It can be concluded that buildings made with earth reduce the cost of construction compared to when built with timber or brick. Hence, the answer is A (cost of construction).

5 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple Choice Answer

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2

Answer explanation: In Paragraph D, it is said that “This comes entirely from the effective way in which earthen walls act to store heat.”. This points out that earthen buildings have the capacity to store heat, which helps to retain warmth in the winter and keep cool in the summer without the need for dedicated solar panels. Hence, the answer is D (heat storage capacity).

6 Answer: E

Question type: Multiple Choice Answer

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following lines –The building material itself is probably the reason. Earth is available virtually anywhere, literally under our feet.– proves the fact that people prefer earthen buildings as the building material is readily available in abundance. Hence, the answer is E (availability of materials).

7 Answer: G

Question type: Multiple Choice Answer

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1

Answer explanation: The specified line states that “But perhaps most attractive of all is the unique atmosphere provided by earth houses, with their natural colors, their acoustic properties and thick, solid walls.”. From this reference, it can be said that one of the reasons why people prefer earth buildings is its appearance with its natural colors and the character it adds with their acoustic properties and thick, solid walls. Hence, the answer is G (appearance and character).

8 Answer: 35

Question type: Short Answer Type

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 3 – line 4

Answer explanation: The indicated lines of Paragraph B mention that “… in Australia, and 35% of them were built within the past decade. An equal proportion of the 550 earthen structures in New Zealand were built in the last five years.”. This statement indicates that the proportion of earthen houses built in New Zealand and Australia is equal and so the percentage of houses built in the last five years is 35. Hence, the answer is ‘35’.

9 Answer: brick/ commercially sold timber

Question type: Short Answer Type

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 4 – line 5

Answer explanation: The given lines of Paragraph C say that “And unlike many other building materials that typically require treatment with chemical preservatives, the earth is non-toxic. This cannot be said for commercially sold timber and brick products.”. It is clear that commercially sold timber and bricks have chemical preservatives. Hence, the answer is either ‘brick’ or ‘commercially sold timber’.

10 Answer: passive solar capacity

Question type: Short Answer Type

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1

Answer explanation: The given line of Paragraph D says that “Another well-known characteristic of earth houses is their passive solar capacity – their ability to retain warmth in the winter and keep cool in the summer without the need for dedicated solar panels, plumbing or fossil fuel energy sources.”. It is clear that the feature of earth houses that enables them to keep temperatures low in summer and warm in winter is ‘passive solar capacity’. Hence, the answer is ‘passive solar capacity’.

11 Answer: cow dung/straw/sand/cement

Question type: Short Answer Type

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 1

Answer explanation: The given line in Paragraph G says that “In New Zealand, stabilisers such as cement, sand, straw, even cow dung, have been found to make a stronger and longer-lasting material when added to earth.” In light of the fact that cement, sand, straw, and cow dung can lengthen the life of earth as a building material, the answer is ‘cow dung/straw/ sand/ cement’ (any one of them).