Morse Code IELTS Reading Answers

Morse Code IELTS Reading Answer is one of the passages that appeared in IELTS Academic Reading exam. With diligent practice of this passage, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark and the reading module can be the top-scoring category for you. So, understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the reading module to achieve a top score.

By taking the ‘Morse Code’ IELTS Reading Answer, you can acquaint yourself with the types of questions that you will be asked in this IELTS Academic Reading passage and the level of difficulty that you can expect.  The question types in this Reading Passage include:

• IELTS Reading Matching Heading (Q. 1-7)
• True/False/Not Given IELTS Reading (Q. 8-12)
• IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions (Q. 13)

Practice the reading passage, Morse Code - IELTS Reading Answers, below, and for more, try IELTS reading practice tests. But, before you take the test, learn some tips from this video to get that perfect IELTS reading score!

Morse Code IELTS Reading Passage

A new satellite-based system is being implemented to replace Morse code for sending distress calls at sea. Since 1992, when the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System was established, nations have been gradually retiring their Morse equipment with similarly solemn (though less lyrical) farewells as the world’s shipping community transitions to the new satellite-based system. Many people consider February 1st to be the end of an era, as that is when the transition to GMDSS must be completed. Even while some people (amateur radio operators, spies, and some military personnel) will continue to utilize dots and dashes after the transfer to GMDSS, this will be the end of the final major international usage of Morse.

However, the code has a solid background behind it. According to legend, Samuel Morse came up with the idea for Morse code while he was on a ship crossing the Atlantic, which is fitting for a technology so closely connected with radio operators on doomed vessels. Morse, who was a painter and occasional inventor at the time, became fascinated with the concept of creating the electric telegraph after hearing about recent developments in electrical theory from another passenger on the ship. For the better part of a century, other innovators had been striving to achieve the same goal. Morse’s success and legacy as the telegraph’s “father” might be attributed in part to his dogged determination; it took, for example, 12 years for him to gain funding from Congress to build his first telegraph line.

Morse’s design for the electric telegraph was much more straightforward than its competitors; all it took to transmit a message was a “key” (basically a spring-loaded switch), a “sounder” (an audible signal), and a wire. Morse’s technology was straightforward, but it required operators to master a unique system of dots and dashes. Morse didn’t set out to depict letters using combinations of dots and dashes. While crossing the Atlantic, he sketched up his first code, which used dots and dashes to represent the numbers 0 through 9. Morse proposed that messages be made up of sequences of numbers that would be mapped to words and phrases in a unique numerical lexicon. Later, however, Morse gave up on that plan in favor of developing the Morse alphabet with his friend and colleague Alfred Vail. This system allowed for the individual letters of words to be represented by dots and dashes. Morse’s telegraph appeared insurmountably difficult at first because of the necessity to master this complicated-looking code, especially in light of previous, more user-friendly designs. With Cooke and Wheatstone’s telegraph, for instance, five needles were employed to select individual letters from a diamond-shaped grid. This meant that anyone could use the telegraph, but it also necessitated the use of five lines to connect each telegraph station. When using Morse’s telegraph, only one was required.

As the use of electric telegraphy spread rapidly in the early 1850s, the Morse telegraph soon became the standard. In 1851, it was officially recognized as the European standard, paving the way for seamless cross-border communication via telegraph. (Great Britain opted not to update their language to account for regional variations and foreign influences.) By this point, Morse code was being used; however, it still relied on needle telegraphs for a few characters, which led to the ongoing division between American and International Morse.

When transmitting data via international underwater cables, dots and dashes were represented by the leftward and rightward movement of a light beam reflected by a tiny spinning mirror. At the same time, a new telegraphic society was developing, complete with its own slang and a social order based on the operators’ Morse code speed. In large cities, the highest-paying employment goes to first-class operators who can send and receive at speeds of up to 45 words per minute and hence handle press traffic. Slow, incompetent rural operators, many of whom only operated the wires on the side, were at the bottom of the totem pole. However, as their proficiency in Morse code increased, rural operators discovered that their newfound expertise was a ticket to higher compensation in urban settings. As a result, telegraphers quickly became a significant part of the newly formed middle class. Work in telegraphy was likewise seen as acceptable for women. As early as 1870, women made up a third of the workforce at the Western Union branch in New York City.

Morse personally bid farewell to the international network of telegraphists he had helped create in a dramatic ceremony in 1871. More than 650,000 miles of telegraph line and 30,000 miles of underwater cable were pulsating with Morse code and 20,000 towns and villages were connected to the worldwide network by the time of his death in 1872. The telegraph was once referred regarded as the “instantaneous highway of the idea,” much like the Internet is today.

However, the telegraph’s time as a cutting-edge technology was coming to an end by the 1890s, thanks to the development of the telephone and the advent of automatic telegraphs, forerunners of the teleprinter, which did not necessitate any specialized training to use. But another innovation, wireless, was going to offer Morse code a second chance. Radiotelegraphy’s potential maritime applications became immediately obvious after its creation by Guglielmo Marconi in 1896. Previously, ships were unable to talk to each other or the shore when the weather was bad or they were too far away to see each other. Marconi used Morse code to communicate with an Italian cruiser located 19 kilometers (12 miles) away in 1897. In 1899, a lightship in the Dover Straits reported the grounding of the steamship Elbe, marking the first maritime rescue after a distress call sent via the radiotelegraph.

Morse Code IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1-7

1. Creating electricity.
2. The emergence of several job opportunities.
3. Modification of the Morse code.
4. Morse code’s creation.
5. For the code, there is both a standard and some room for deviation.
6. Radio operators are essential.
7. The benefits of Morse’s innovation.
8. Morse code’s use on ships increased as new tools became available.
9. Morse code’s global impact

Paragraph A

Paragraph B

Paragraph C

Paragraph D

Paragraph E

Paragraph F

Paragraph G

Questions 8-12

8. It’s common practice for major cities to hire people from the countryside to work in their businesses.
9. Morse code is difficult to understand because it differs from other formats in a number of important ways.
10. Morse had to wait a long time for congressional support.
11. Morse’s fame predates the development of the telegraph and the development of the code he developed.
12. The stress of his job was ultimately what caused Morse’s death.

Question 13

13. How many meters apart were the Italian cruiser and Marconi when he used Morse code to communicate with it in 1897?

1. 15000 m
2. 17000 m
3. 11000 m
4. 19000 m

Morse Code IELTS Reading Answers with Location and Explanation

Let’s now review the answers to the questions from the passage in the reading section, Morse Code - IELTS Reading Answers, and assess your improvement for a high IELTS Reading band score.

1. Answer: ii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph A

Answer explanation: Paragraph A illustrates, “Morse code is being replaced by a new satellite-based system for sending distress calls at sea. Since 1992 countries around the world have been decommissioning their Morse equipment with similar (if less poetic) sign-offs, as the world’s shipping switches over to a new satellite-based arrangement, the Global Maritime Distress, and Safety System. The final deadline for the switch-over to GMDSS is February 1st, a date that is widely seen as the end of an era.” These lines reveal the substitution for morse code. Hence, the answer is ii.

2. Answer: vii

Question type: Matching Heading

Answer location: Paragraph B

Answer explanation: Paragraph B states, “Appropriately for a technology commonly associated with radio operators on sinking ships, the idea of Morse code is said to have occurred to Samuel Morse while he was on board a ship crossing the Atlantic. At the time, Morse was a painter and occasional inventor, but when another of the ship’s passengers informed him of recent advances in electrical theory, Morse was suddenly taken with the idea of building an electric telegraph.” These lines indicate how the morse code was invented. Thus, the answer is vii.

3. Answer: iv

Question type: Matching Heading

Answer location: Paragraph C

Answer explanation: Paragraph C illustrates the merits of Morse’s invention. It is mentioned that at first, the need to learn this complicated-looking code made Morse’s telegraph seem impossibly tricky compared with other, more user-friendly designs. For example, Cooke and Wheatstone’s telegraph used five needles to pick out letters on a diamond-shaped grid. But although this meant that anyone could use it, it also required five wires between telegraph stations. Morse’s telegraph needed only one. It is clear from these lines that the writer has explained the advantages of Morse’s invention. Hence, the answer is iv.

4. Answer: i

Question type: Matching Heading

Answer location: Paragraph D

Answer explanation: Paragraph D illustrates, “As electric telegraphy took off in the early 1850s, the Morse telegraph quickly became dominant. It was adopted as the European standard in 1851, allowing direct connections between the telegraph networks of different countries. (Britain chose not to revise to allow for accents and other foreign more years) . By this time, Morse code had been involved, sticking with needle telegraphs for a few characters, resulting in a split between American and International Morse that continues to this day.” These lines indicate the standard and variation for the code. Thus, the answer is i.

5. Answer: iii

Question type: Matching Heading

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3

Answer explanation: The 3rd line of paragraph E states that first-class operators, who could send and receive at speeds of up to 45 words a minute, handled press traffic, securing the best-paid jobs in big cities. At the bottom of the pile were slow, inexperienced rural operators, many of whom worked the wires as part-timers. As their Morse code improved, however, rural operators found that their newfound skill was a passport to better pay in a city job. These lines suggested the emergence of many employment opportunities. Thus, the answer is iii.

6. Answer: ix

Question type: Matching Heading

Answer location: Paragraph F

Answer explanation: Paragraph F states that in a dramatic ceremony in 1871, Morse himself said goodbye to the global community of telegraphers he had brought into being. By the time of his death in 1872, the world was well and truly wired: more than 650,000 miles of telegraph line and 30,000 miles of submarine cable were throbbing with Morse code, and 20,000 towns and villages were connected to the global network. Just as the Internet is today often called an ‘information superhighway,’ the telegraph was described in its day as an ‘instantaneous highway of thought.’ These lines illustrate the international reach of the Morse code. Hence, the answer is ix.

7. Answer: vi

Question type: Matching Heading

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 4

Answer explanation: The 4th line of paragraph G states that for the first time, ships could communicate with each other, and with the shore, whatever the weather and even when out of visual range. In 1897 Marconi successfully sent Morse code messages between a shore station and an Italian warship 19km (12 miles) away. The first sea rescue after a distress call sent by the radiotelegraph took place in 1899 when a lightship in the Dover Straits reported the grounding of the Elbe, a steamship. These lines indicate that the sea application of Morse code expanded under new technology. Thus, the answer is vi.

8. Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 3

Answer explanation: In the 3rd line of paragraph B, it is mentioned that at the time, Morse was a painter and occasional inventor, but when another of the ship’s passengers informed him of recent advances in electrical theory, Morse was suddenly taken with the idea of building an electric telegraph. We know the fact of how the morse code was invented. However, it is not mentioned anywhere in the passage that Morse had already been famous before the invention of code. Thus, the answer is Not Given.

9. Answer: True

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph B, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of paragraph B states that Morse succeeded and is now remembered as the father of the telegraph partly thanks to his single-mindedness — it was 12 years, for example, before he secured money from Congress to build his first telegraph line — but also for technical reasons. We can understand from these lines that Morse had to wait for a long time to receive support from congress. Thus, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.

10. Answer: True

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph C

Answer explanation: In paragraph C, it is mentioned that Compared with rival electric telegraph designs, Morse’s design was very simple: it required little more than a ‘key’ (essentially, a spring-loaded switch) to send messages, a clicking ‘sounder’ to receive them, and a wire to link the two. These lines clearly indicate that compared with other designs, the learning experience of Morse code is demanding. Thus, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.

11. Answer: False

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 5

Answer explanation: The 5th line of paragraph E illustrates that As their Morse code improved, however, rural operators found that their newfound skill was a passport to better pay in a city job. These lines suggest that with the Morse code slowly beginning to improve, the rural operators found their new skills as a passport to better pay in a city job. Thus, the statement contradicts the information, so, the answer is False.

12. Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph B

Answer explanation: We know the fact from paragraph B that Morse was a painter and occasional inventor, but when another of the ship’s passengers informed him of recent advances in electrical theory, Morse was suddenly taken with the idea of building an electric telegraph. However, it is not mentioned anywhere in the passage that Morse died from overwork. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

13. Answer: D

Question Type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer Location: Para G, 4th Line

Answer Explanation: It represents that Marconi used Morse code to communicate with an Italian cruiser located 19 kilometers (12 miles) away in 1897.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Morse Code Reading Answers

Let us check out some quick IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ to answer the three types of questions in the Reading Answers.

Matching Headings

In the IELTS Reading Matching Headings, you must match the heading in this type of question to the appropriate paragraph or reading segment in the text. Your ability to figure out the paragraph’s key concept and its supporting ideas will be put to the test for a high IELTS band score.

• Read the instructions carefully: Before you start, make sure you understand what you need to match. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to match headings to paragraphs or statements to sections, so be clear on the task.
• Skim the passage: Quickly read through the passage to get a general sense of the content and layout. This will help you identify where the information you need might be located.
• Use keywords: Look for keywords or key phrases in the question and the passage. These words are often repeated or paraphrased in the text and can guide you to the correct answer.
• Underline or highlight: As you find information that matches the question, underline or highlight it in the passage. This will make it easier to refer back to when answering the questions.
• Check for synonyms: Be aware of synonyms and paraphrases. Sometimes, the exact words from the question may not appear in the passage, but similar words or phrases will. Keep an eye out for these and make sure to improve your IELTS Vocabulary beforehand.

True/False/Not Given

In the True/False/Not Given IELTS Reading questions are based on facts. Several factual statements will be provided to you, and it is up to you to determine whether or not they are accurate by reading the text. To answer this type of question, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the instructions carefully: Understand the difference between “True,” “False,” and “Not Given.” “True” means the information is directly stated in the passage, “False” means it contradicts the information in the passage, and “Not Given” means the information isn’t mentioned in the passage.
• Refer to the passage: For each statement, go back to the passage and carefully locate the relevant information. Pay close attention to the wording of the statement and compare it to the information in the passage.
• Beware of paraphrasing: Sometimes, the statement is paraphrased in the passage, so be vigilant about synonyms and rephrased sentences.
• Focus on keywords: Identify the keywords in the statement using the IELTS Reading keyword techniques and look for those exact words or synonyms in the passage.
• Watch out for distractors: The passage may contain information that seems related to the statement but isn’t directly addressing it. Don’t be tricked by these distractors; the answer should directly match the statement.

Multiple-Choice Questions

In the IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions, when we’re given a handful of options and each looks similar to each other then it might get tricky for one to answer it correctly. And, for that reason, we’ve outlined tips that’ll help you out for the same.

• Read the question first: Before you start reading the passage, quickly read the multiple-choice question. This will give you a specific focus as you read and help you identify relevant information more efficiently.
• Skim the passage: Begin by skimming the passage to get a general idea of the content. Pay attention to headings, subheadings, and any formatting features that might signal the location of the answer.
• Eliminate wrong answers: Use the process of elimination to eliminate answer choices that are clearly incorrect. This can often be done by matching keywords from the question to the passage.
• Pay attention to synonyms and paraphrasing: The answer choices may not use the exact same words as the passage but rather synonyms or paraphrases. Be on the lookout for these and be prepared to recognize them.
• Don’t spend too much time on one question: If you’re struggling with a multiple-choice question, move on and come back to it later. It’s important to manage your time effectively to answer all questions within the allotted time.

Mastering passages like “Morse Code - IELTS Reading Answers” can significantly boost your Reading IELTS band score. Regular practice with real exam-style questions not only improves speed and accuracy but also builds your confidence. Keep exploring different IELTS Reading passages and refine your techniques to ensure success on test day.

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