Contaminating the Arctic- IELTS Reading Answers
Table of Contents
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Reading Passage
Contaminating the Arctic
Questions 15 – 20
Read the Reading passage and look at the statements below.
In boxes 15 – 20 on your answer sheet write:
| TRUE | if the statement is true |
| FALSE | if the statement is false |
| NOT GIVEN | If the information is not given in the passage |
15 Arctic conditions mean that the breakdown of pollutants is much accelerated
16 Pollution absorbed by Arctic algae can eventually affect humans.
17 The AEPS has set up scientific stations in the Arctic to monitor pollution.
18 Arctic pollution can sometimes resemble US urban pollution.
19 Evidence that this smog has only occurred in the 20th Century has been found in the ice on the polar ice cap.
20 Research has shown that aerosol arctic pollutants remain in the air indefinitely.
Questions 21 – 26
Complete the summary relating to Arctic Haze below.
Choose your answers from the box below the summary and write them in boxes 21 – 26 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more words than spaces, so you will not use them at all.
| Example | Answer |
| ……………………….. that the origins of spring, arctic haze, first seen over the ice cap… | Theories |
(eg) ______________________ that the origins of spring, arctic haze, first seen over the ice cap in the 1950s, came from far away were at first not 21 _______________ _______. This haze is a smog formed in the dark, arctic winter by pollution delivered to the Arctic by storms 22 ______________________ in Europe and Asia. It is known to be a recent phenomenon as proof from 23 ______________________ shows it only starting to occur in the 20th Century. The smog consists of sulphates and carbon, the latter creating the 24______________________ of the haze. Due to lack of research, the final destination of the pollution is unknown but it probably ends up in the 25 ______________________ and therefore into the food chain. Scientists are presently more worried about the 26______________________ effect it has on climate change.
| density | unknown | darkness | gases | accepted |
| terrible | originating | dissipating | air | birdlife |
| burning | theories | destroying | certain | valid |
| decided | agriculture | ice cores | sea |
Answers
15 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not given
Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 4-7
Answer explanation: “Due to extreme conditions in the Arctic, including reduced sunlight, extensive ice cover, and cold temperatures, contaminants break down much more slowly than in warmer climates. Contaminants can also become highly concentrated due to their significantly lengthened life span in the Arctic.” This suggests that the contaminants are broken down slowly and with much time as compared to the warmer climates.
16 Answer: True
Question type: True/False/Not given
Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 2-6
Answer explanation: “Spring algae bloom easily, absorbing the concentrated contaminants released by spring melting. These algae are in turn eaten by zooplankton and a wide variety of marine life. The accumulation of these contaminants increases with each step of the food chain or web and can potentially affect northerners who eat marine mammals near the top of the food chain.” This suggests that the contaminants consumed/absorbed by the algae eventually reach the topmost level of the food chain and hence, affect human beings (as human beings are the eventual consumers of the marine food chain).
17 Answer: Not given
Question type: True/False/Not given
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: There is no such reference given in the passage where the AEPS has set up scientific stations in the Arctic to monitor pollution.
18 Answer: True
Question type: True/False/Not given
Answer location: Paragraph D, last 3 lines
Answer explanation: “When the spring light arrives in the Arctic, there is a smog-like haze, which makes the region, at times, look like pollution over such cities as Los Angeles.” This suggests that the pollution of LA (US urban city) is similar to that of the Arctic haze (smog-like).
19 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not given
Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 7-9
Answer explanation: “Evidence from ice cores drilled from the ice sheet of Greenland indicates that these haze particles were not always present in the Arctic, but began to appear only in the last century.” This suggests that the Evidence that this smog has only occurred in the 20th Century (the last century) was found from the ice sheet of Greenland and not from the polar ice caps.
20 Answer: False
Question type: True/False/Not given
Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 2-4
Answer explanation: “The pollutants have only been studied in their aerosol form over the Arctic. However, little is known about what eventually happens to them. It is known that they are removed somehow.” This suggests that the aerosol arctic pollutants do not remain in the air indefinitely and are rather removed somehow.
21 Answer: CERTAIN
Question type: Summary completion
Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 1-4
Answer explanation: “In the 1950s, pilots traveling on weather reconnaissance flights in the Canadian high Arctic reported seeing bands of haze in the springtime in the Arctic region. It was during this time that the term “Arctic haze” was first used, referring to this smog of unknown origin.” This suggests that at the time of the observation of the Arctic haze, its origin was unknown and unestablished. Therefore, the origin was not certain.
22 Answer: ORIGINATING
Question type: Summary completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 4-5
Answer explanation: “It is now known that the contaminants originate largely from Europe and Asia.” It suggests that the pollutants and the contaminants of the Arctic region chiefly originate from Europe and Asia.
23 Answer: ICE CORES
Question type: Summary completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 7-9
Answer explanation: “Evidence from ice cores drilled from the ice sheet of Greenland indicates that these haze particles were not always present in the Arctic, but began to appear only in the last century.” This suggests that the origin of the Arctic haze was determined by investigating and studying the ice core taken out from the ice sheet.
24 Answer: DARKNESS
Question type: Summary completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 13-16
Answer explanation: “These sulfate particles or droplets of sulfuric acid quickly capture the carbon particles, which are also floating in the air. Pure sulfate particles or droplets are colorless, so it is believed the darkness of the haze is caused by the mixed-in carbon particles.” This clearly explains the reason behind the darkness of the Arctic haze, and that is due to carbon particles being entrapped by the sulfates.
25 Answer: SEA
Question type: Summary completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 4-6
Answer explanation: “There is a good degree of likelihood that the contaminants end up in the ocean, likely into the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea, and possibly the Bering Sea — all three very important fisheries.” This suggests that as per the speculations, the contaminants end up getting into the sea and that’s how they are removed.
26 Answer: UNKNOWN
Question type: Summary completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, last line
Answer explanation: “The global impact of this is currently unknown but the implications are quite powerful.” This line clearly suggests that the impact of the Arctic haze is yet to be discovered and investigated and the effect on the environment is unknown.
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