Much Ado about Almost Nothing Reading Answers for IELTS 2024

Since IELTS Reading is considered the second easiest module of the exam after Listening, solve and review Much Ado about Almost Nothing Reading Answers and IELTS reading practice tests to ensure that your reading skills are up to the mark. It is an IELTS Academic Reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Since questions get repeated in the IELTS exam, these passages are ideal for practice.

There are 13 questions in Much Ado about Almost Nothing IELTS Reading Answers, which showcase three different IELTS Reading question types. They are:

• IELTS Reading Matching Features (Q. 1-4)
• IELTS Reading Sentence Completion (Q. 5-8)
• IELTS Reading Summary Completion (Q. 9-13)

Reading Passage 

Much Ado about Almost Nothing

A The time for discussion of the rights and wrongs of GM crops has passed. Intense and consistent economic sabotage and intimidation are what will make the commercialisation of GM crops an unattractive option.

B Words like these, from an article in the current edition of Earth First!, a radical environmental journal, send shivers down the spines of those involved in commercialising biotechnology. The strength of public disapproval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was a shock and a surprise to most of those involved. Now, some people are wondering whether nanotechnology – a term that covers the manipulation of matter at scales of a millionth of a millimetre — could be in for similar treatment and, if so, whether there are lessons that its protagonists can learn from the public backlash against biotechnology.

Profit of Doom

C In a neglected corner, amid thousands of participants at a Nanotech conference held in Boston last week, Jeffrey Matsuura, a law professor at the University of Dayton, in Ohio, stood next to his unprepossessing poster of his work. His warning, however, was pertinent to everyone there — especially the investors who were scouring the conference for opportunities. And this is that several of the factors that created a public backlash against biotechnology are already at work within nanotechnology. Dr. Matsuura says that biotechnologists assumed that the public would quickly recognise and appreciate biotech’s potential for improving the quality of life. Instead, the risks captured the attention of the media and much of the general public. Well-fed European consumers met the suggestion of cheaper food, in particular, with scepticism. Many felt that the gains would accrue to the companies which had developed GMO, while the risks of growing and consuming the crops would be taken on by the public.

D Dr. Matsuura believes that public perception of nanotechnology is developing along a similar track. Like those of biotechnology, the first applications of nanotechnology will bring little obvious benefit to consumers. Better, cheaper materials, and hidden manufacturing efficiencies that benefit producers first, are redolent of the ‘advantages’ of biotech — namely reduced applications of agricultural chemicals, which help to keep the cost down while raising yields. Obvious consumer benefits, such as improvements in medicine, are further away.

E This should not matter ~ consumers do benefit eventually, even from cost savings. And yet, in alliance with a feeling that there are hazards involved, an absence of immediate benefits could turn public opinion against nanotech quite rapidly. And potential hazards there are. Concerns over out-of-control, self- replicating ‘nanobots’ that would eventually consume and transform the entire planet into a ‘grey goo’ are absurd. And yet, it is true that novel ‘nanoparticles’ might have real toxicological risks.

F Nanoparticles are so small that, if inhaled, they could become lodged in the lungs. In theory, they are small enough to enter living cells and accumulate there. And in January Ken Donaldson, a professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, told a Royal Institution seminar in London that, once inhaled, ultrafine carbon particles can move to the brain and blood.

G There are already several products that use nanoparticles already on the market, such as sunscreen and car parts. Though all this may sound alarming, people are already exposed to nanoparticles of many different kinds, and have been throughout history. Soot, for example, is composed of carbon nanoparticles. Nevertheless, nanoparticles from sources such as diesel soot, welding fumes and photocopier toner are already associated with ill-health. The prospect of more such particles is likely to worry many. No wonder that several people at the conference in Boston mentioned the need to address public fears over nanotechnology “aggressively”.

H One of these was Clayton Teague, the director of America’s National Nanotechnology Coordination Office. He says the American government is as sensitive to any indication of true health risk as any member of the public. Several large and well-funded studies on the environmental and health risks of nanotechnology are now under way.

I Dr. Teague adds that any decisions about nanotechnology will be made carefully and based on solid scientific data. But even if science gives the go-ahead, another one of Dr. Matsuura’s lessons is that this might not necessarily win the day, and that fear over potential abuses and accidents may dominate the debate.

J One piece of advice Dr. Matsuura gives is that everyone involved should have a consistent message. If investors are told a technology will change the world, someone who is concerned about the risks cannot then be told that the same technology is no big deal. It strikes a false note to say that something can be both revolutionary and nothing to worry about, he says. Such inconsistencies will breed public mistrust and fear.

Product Placement

K Donald Reed is a senior consultant with Ecos,a business-advisory firm based in Sydney, Australia, that acts as an intermediary between corporations and activists. Mr. Reed goes as far as to recommend that companies think about the early products they choose to pursue — in particular, whether they can demonstrate the “societal value” of these products. For example, it might be worth emphasising that one of the early products of nanotechnology could be cheap and efficient photovoltaic materials, which are used to generate electricity from sunlight.

Questions 1-4

1 Clayton Teague

2 Ken Donaldson

3 Donald Reed

4 Jeffrey Matsuura

List of Statements

A Nanotechnology is being affected by factors that created opposition to biotechnology.

B Europeans have the most to gain from nanotechnology development.

C Sound scientific data will be the basis of any decisions about nanotechnology.

D Governments cannot shape the development of nanotechnology.

E Nanotechnology is not a cause for concern.

F Carbon nanoparticles can be breathed in and then move to the brain and blood.

F Companies should show how their early nanotechnology products can benefit society.

Questions 5-8

5 Strong public disapproval of……………..came as a shock to those working in the area.

6 Europeans reacted to the suggestion of cheaper food with ……………………

7 Anxiety about ‘nanobots’ that would in time change the planet is……………

8 Nanoparticles from photocopier toner are already linked to………….

Questions 9-13

Some people believe that nanotechnology could face a 9……………..fate to biotechnology. Rather than welcoming the 10………………,the media and much of the general public focused their attention on the 11………….of biotechnology. So it is important to emphasize the immediate 12……………… of nanotechnology; otherwise, the public could adopt a negative 13…………………….. towards nanotech. It is therefore important for everyone involved to be consistent.

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Much Ado About Almost Nothing Reading Answers With Explanation

Now check out the answers to the questions from the passage in the reading section of IELTS Academic, Much Ado about Almost Nothing, and understand the shortcomings and strengths of your IELTS preparation.

1 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph I, line 1

Answer explanation: In the specified line, it is stated that “Dr. Teague adds that any decisions about nanotechnology will be made carefully and based on solid scientific data.”. From this line, it can be inferred that Clayton Teague is of the opinion that any decisions about nanotechnology should be taken on the basis of sound (solid) scientific data. Hence, the answer is C.

2 Answer: F

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 3

Answer explanation: In the mentioned paragraph, it is given “Nanoparticles are so small that, if inhaled… And in January Ken Donaldson, a professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, told a Royal Institution seminar in London that, once inhaled, ultrafine carbon particles can move to the brain and blood.”. This reference proves that Ken Donaldson informed the Royal Institution that carbon nanoparticles, as they are very small, can be breathed in (inhaled) and move to the brain and blood. Hence, the answer is F.

3 Answer: G

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph K, line 2

Answer explanation: In the specified section, it is given “Mr. Reed goes as far as to recommend that companies think about the early products they choose to pursue — in particular, whether they can demonstrate the “societal value” of these products.”.  In other words, Donald Reed advises that companies should show how their early nanotechnology products can benefit society (societal value), like the early products of nanotechnology could be cheap and efficient photovoltaic materials. Hence, the answer is G. 

4 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: In the third paragraph, we can find the reference to the opinion of Jeffrey Matsuura as it states that “…Jeffrey Matsuura, a law professor at the University of Dayton, in Ohio, stood next to his unprepossessing poster of his work. His warning, however, was pertinent to everyone there — especially the investors who were scouring the conference for opportunities. And this is that several of the factors that created a public backlash against biotechnology are already at work within nanotechnology.”. It can be pointed out that he warned the investors that nanotechnology is being affected (already at work) by factors that created opposition (public backlash) to biotechnology. Hence, the answer is A.

5 Answer: GMOs

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 2

Answer explanation: Through a reference line like, “The strength of public disapproval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was a shock and a surprise to most of those involved.”, it can be concluded that genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, had drawn strong public disapproval and the strength of this reaction shocked (came as a shock) to the people who were working on that area (involved). Hence, the answer is ‘GMOs’.

6 Answer: skepticism

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 6

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of the third paragraph, it is written “Well-fed European consumers met the suggestion of cheaper food, in particular, with scepticism.”. It points out the fact that the idea of cheap food created by genetically modified food using biotechnology made European consumers skeptical about this idea. Hence, the answer is ‘skepticism’.

7 Answer: absurd

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 4

Answer explanation: In Paragraph 5, it is said that “Concerns over out-of-control, self- replicating ‘nanobots’ that would eventually consume and transform the entire planet into a ‘grey goo’ are absurd.”. This indicates that the anxiety (concern) about out-of-control, self-replicating ‘nanobots’ that would eventually (in time) change (transform) the planet is absurd. Hence, the answer is ‘absurd’.

8 Answer: ill-health

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 4

Answer explanation: The following line –Nevertheless, nanoparticles from sources such as diesel soot, welding fumes and photocopier toner are already associated with ill-health.– establishes the fact that nanoparticles from photocopier toner and other sources like diesel soot and welding fumes are already linked (associated) to ill-health. Hence, the answer is ‘ill-health’.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Much Ado about Almost Nothing Reading Passage

Since now you know the answers of Much Ado about Almost Nothing Reading Answers with location, let us check out some quick IELTS exam preparation tips to answer the types of questions in the Much Ado about Almost Nothing Reading Answers passage.

Matching Features: 

Matching Features is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to match a list of features to the correct people, places, or things in a passage. To answer matching features questions and obtain a high IELTS band score, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the features first: This will give you an idea of the types of information that you are looking for in the passage.
• Read the passage quickly: This will give you a general understanding of the content of the passage.
• Match the features to the people, places, or things: As you read the passage, look for the information that matches each feature.
• Check your answers: Once you have matched all of the features, double-check your answers to make sure that they are correct.

Sentence Completion:

In the sentence completion of the IELTS Reading, you will be asked to fill in the blanks in incomplete phrases with the relevant words or numbers.

• Read the instructions carefully. It will help you determine the word limit (no more than two, one word, etc) and important terms like ‘using words from the text’ or ‘from the text’. You have to follow these strictly.
• Read the incomplete sentences first. Also, think about keywords and how they could be represented by synonyms or paraphrasing.
• Locate where the information is by scanning quickly. If you can’t, move on.
• Study the reading text by using the skimming and scanning techniques. It will help to establish the answer quickly. When scanning for your answer, make sure you are thinking about paraphrasing and synonyms.
• The answers appear in the same order as the questions.Also, check your spelling and remember that your answer should be grammatically correct.

Summary Completion:

Summary Completion is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to fill in a gap in a paragraph with a word or phrase from the passage. To answer summary completion questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the sentences carefully: This will give you an idea of the type of word or phrase that is missing.
• Scan the passage for the keywords: The keywords in the sentence can help you to identify the correct word or phrase. Find them from the passage using the IELTS Reading keyword techniques.
• Read the sentence with the missing word or phrase: This will help you to see how the word or phrase fits into the sentence.
• Check your answer: Once you have filled in the gap, make sure that your answer makes sense in the context of the sentence.

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