History of Fire Fighting and Prevention – IELTS Reading Answers
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‘History of Fire Fighting and Prevention’ is an academic reading passage that has appeared in an IELTS Test. Since questions get repeated in the IELTS exam, these reading passages are ideal for practice. If you want more practice, try taking an entire IELTS reading practice test.
The IELTS Reading Module takes around 60 minutes to complete. For this section, you will have to attempt a series of different question types based on a short to medium-length passage. The best way to prepare for this is by attempting as many sample questions of this type as possible to hone your speed and accuracy. To begin with, take a look at the passage below:
Reading Passage
History of Fire Fighting and Prevention
Questions 14—20
Complete the chart below.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers on lines 14—20 on your answer sheet
| Cause | Effects |
|---|---|
| Men used poles and ropes to pull down buildings near a fire.
Thatched-roof houses burn down easily. At the time of the Great Fire of London, the weather was 16___________ The Mayor of London thought it would be too expensive to 17_________ The Great Fire destroyed most of London. There had been many 19_______ in London over time. Insurance companies did not want to pay for rebuilding clients’ houses destroyed by fire. |
The fire did not have 14________
The King ordered people to 15_________ their fires nightly. The fire spread quickly. He told people not to pull down buildings in the fire’s path. People built new buildings out of 18_________ People started to buy insurance to protect their homes. Insurance companies hired men for 20 ______ |
Questions 21-23
Choose the correct letters, A—C, and write them on lines 21—23 on your answer sheet.
21 The first fire engine
A carried water to the site of the fire.
B used hand pumps.
C had very long hoses.
22 In 1865,
A London was destroyed by a series of fires.
B fire brigades began to join forces.
C the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was established.
23 Firemen who worked for the Metropolitan Fire Brigade
A earned low salaries.
B lived at the fire station.
C were not allowed to marry.
Questions 24-26
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage?
On lines 24—26 on your answer sheet, write:
YES: if the statement agrees with the information
NO: if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN: if there is no information on this in the passage
24 Leather hoses for fire fighting were made by machine.
25 Steam engine fire trucks were used until the early 1900s.
26 Fires caused a great deal of damage in London during World War I.
History of Fire Fighting and Prevention IELTS Reading Answers with Location and Explanations
Check out the answer key for this IELTS Academic Reading passage, History of Fire Fighting, with detailed explanations and location.
14 Answer: Fuel
Question type: Notes Completion
Answer location: Paragraph 1, lines 6-7
Answer explanation: “Watchmen also learned to create firebreaks with long hooked poles and ropes in order to pull down structures that provided fuel for a fire.” This suggests that the poles and ropes were pulled down to cut off the fuel from the fire.
15 Answer: Put out
Question type: Notes Completion
Answer location: Paragraph 1, lines 7-9
Answer explanation: “In 1066, in order to reduce the risk of fire in thatched-roof houses, King William the Conqueror made a ruling: Citizens had to extinguish their cooking fires at night.” This suggests that the fire was put out in order to prevent the thatched roof from catching the fire.
16 Answer: Hot and Dry
Question type: Notes Completion
Answer location: Paragraph 2, lines 1-5
Answer explanation: “The event that had the largest influence in the history of fire fighting was the Great Fire of London in 1666. The devastating blaze originated at the King’s Bakery near the London Bridge. At the onset, Lord Mayor Bludworth showed little concern for the fire, assuming it would extinguish itself before he could organize a group of men to attend to it. However, the summer of 1666 had been uncharacteristically hot and dry, and the wooden houses nearby caught fire quickly.” This suggests that in the hot and dry weather in 1666, the Great Fire of London took place.
17 Answer: Notes Completion
Question type: Rebuild the city
Answer location: Paragraph 2, lines 7-9
Answer explanation: “Although the procedure of pulling down buildings to prevent a fire from spreading was standard in Britain, the mayor grew concerned over the cost it would involve to rebuild the city and ordered that the surrounding structures be left intact.” This suggests that in order to prevent the huge splurge of money on the reconstruction of buildings, the king allowed the buildings to catch fires without pulling them.
18 Answer: Stone and Brick
Question type: Notes Completion
Answer location: Paragraph 3, lines 2-5
Answer explanation: “At the hands of architects such as Christopher Wren, most of London was rebuilt using stone and brick, materials that were far less flammable than wood and straw.” This suggests that the buildings were made up of stones and bricks after the Great Fire of London.
19 Answer: Fires
Question type: Notes Completion
Answer location: Paragraph 3, lines 4-6
Answer explanation: “Because of the long history of fires in London, those who could afford to build new homes and businesses began to seek insurance for their properties.” This suggests that people started buying insurance for their properties due to excessive episodes of fires.
20 Answer: Extinguish fires
Question type: Notes Completion
Answer location: Paragraph 3, lines 6-7
Answer explanation: “As insurance became a profitable business, companies soon realized the monetary benefits of hiring men to extinguish fires.” This implies that in order to prevent the renovation of the destroyed houses due to fire, the insurance company started hiring people.
21 Answer: A
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph 4, lines 2-3
Answer explanation: “The first fire engines were simple tubs on wheels that were pulled to the location of the fire, with water being supplied by a bucket brigade.” This suggests that the first fire engines carried water to the site of the fire.
22 Answer: C
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph 5, lines 5-7
Answer explanation: “ In 1865, the government became involved, bringing standards to both fire prevention and fire fighting and establishing London’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade.” This suggests that the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was established in 1865.
23 Answer: B
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph 5, last lines
Answer explanation: “Though the firemen were well paid, they were constantly on duty and thus obliged to call their fire station home for both themselves and their families.” This implies that the firemen involved in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade were living at the fire station.
24 Answer: No
Question type: Yes/No/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph 5, lines 2-3
Answer explanation: “Leather hoses with couplings that joined the lengths together were hand-sewn in the Netherlands and used until the late 1800s when rubber hoses became available.” Hence, the hoses were not made by machines but rather were hand-sewn.
25 Answer: Yes
Question type: Yes/No/Not Given
Answer location: Paragraph 5, lines 4-7
Answer explanation: “The technology for steam engine fire trucks was available in Britain and America in 1829, but most brigades were hesitant to use them until the 1850s. It was the public that eventually forced the brigades into putting the more efficient equipment to use. In the early 1900s, when the internal-combustion engine was developed, the trucks became motorized.” This implies that the steam engines and fire trucks were used from 1850 to the early 1900s.
26 Answer: Not given
Question type: Yes/No/Not Given
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: No such reference regarding World War Ⅰ has been given in the passage.
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