New Rules for the Paper Game – IELTS Reading Answers

With the diligent practice of passages like New Rules for the Paper Game, the Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS aspirants. To score well, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the Reading Module.

Ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on a passage. You must scan the material for essential terms, comprehend the subject, and then respond in accordance with the instructions. Also, read the IELTS reading passage, pick out significant words, and recognise synonyms in order to provide a one-word response.

The Reading passage, New Rules for the Paper Game, is an IELTS Academic Reading passage that consists of 12 questions. Take the reading practice passage, New Rules for the Paper Game, below, and try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

The question types found in this passage are:

• Multiple-Choice Question (Q. 1-4) & (Q. 8-12)
• Sentence Completion (Q. 5-7)

Reading Passage

New Rules for the Paper Game

A Computerized data storage and electronic mail were to have heralded the paperless office. But, contrary to expectation, paper consumption throughout the world shows no sign of abating. In fact, consumption, especially of printing and writing papers, continues to increase. World demand for paper and board is now expected to grow faster than the general economic growth in the next 15 years. Strong demand will be underprinted by the growing industrialization of South East Asia, the reemergence of paper packaging, greater use of facsimile machines and photocopiers, and the popularity of direct -mail advertising. It is possible that by 2007, world paper and board demand will reach 455 million tonnes, compared with 241 million tonnes in 1991.

B The pulp and paper industry has not been badly affected by the electronic technologies that promised a paperless society. But what has radically altered the industry’s structure is pressure from another front-a more environmentally conscious society driving an irreversible move towards cleaner industrial production. The environmental consequences of antiquated pulp mill practices and technologies had marked this industry as one in need of reform. Graphic descriptions of deformed fish and thinning populations, particularly in the Baltic Sea where old pulp mills had discharged untreated effluents for 100 years, have disturbed the international community.

C Until the 1950s, it was common for pulp mills and other industries to discharge untreated effluent into rivers and seas. The environmental effects were at the time either not understood, or regarded as an acceptable cost of economic prosperity in an increasingly import-oriented world economy. But greater environmental awareness has spurred a fundamental change in attitude in the community, in government and in industry itself.

D Since the early 1980s, most of the world-scale pulp mills in Scandinavia and North America have modernized their operations, outlying substantial amounts to improve production methods. Changes in mill design and processes have been aimed at minimizing the environmental effects of effluent discharge while at the same time producing pulp with the whiteness and strength demanded by the international market. The environmental impetus is taking this industry even further, with the focus now on developing processes that may even eliminate waste-water discharges. But the ghost of the old mills continues to haunt industry today. In Europe, companies face a flood of environment-related legislation. In Germany, companies are now being held responsible for the waste they create.

E Pulp is the porridge -like mass of plant fibers from which paper is made. Paper makers choose the type of plant fibre and the processing methods, depending on what the end product will be used for: whether it is a sturdy packing box, a smooth sheet of writing paper or a fragile tissue. In wood, which is the source of about 90% of the world’s paper production, fibres are bound together by lignin, which gives the unbleached pulp a brown colour. Pulping can be done by mechanical grinding, or by chemical treatment in which woodchips are “cooked” with chemicals, or by a combination of both methods.

F Kraft pulping is the most widely used chemical process for producing pulp with the strength required by the high-quality paper market. It is now usually carried out in a continuous process in a large vessel called digester. Woodchips are fed from a pile into the top of the digester. In the digester, the chips are cooked in a solution called white liquor, nosed of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) sodium sulphide. The chips are cooked at high temperatures of up to 170 degree for up to three hours. The pulp is then washed and rate from the spent cooking liquor which has turned dark and is now appropriately ailed black liquor. An important feature of kraft pulping is a chemical recovery system which recycles about 95 % of the cooking chemicals and produces more than enough energy runs the mill. In a series of steps involving a furnace and tanks, some of the black liquor is transformed into energy, while some is regenerated into the original white cooking liquor. The pulp that comes out has little lignin left in the fibres. Bleaching removes the last remaining lignin and brightens the pulp. Most modern mills have modified their pulping process to remove as much of the lignin as possible before the pulp moves to the bleaching stage.

Check Out – IELTS Reading Practice Tests 2023 – Reading Passages and Samples

Questions 1-4

List of factors

A more people read newspapers

B increased use of paper bags

C increased boob production for education

D wider use of sign post advertising

E increased use of fax machines

F wider use of leaflet advertising

G greater use of duplicating machines

1 ………………………………

2 ………………………………

3 ………………………………

4 ………………………………

Questions 5-7

5 The international community has begun to demand ………………………………

6 In the past, the environmental effects of pulp mill practices were probably a price to pay for ………………………………

7 Some paper mills have recently modernized their mill design in order to decrease ………………………………

Questions 8-12

A the chips are cooked

B the fibres are bound by lignin

C the pulp is bleached

D woodchips are put into a pile

E the pulp is dried

F the pulp is removed from the black liquor

G the chips are put into the white liquor

H the pulp is washed

8 ………………………………

9 ………………………………

10 ………………………………

11 ………………………………

12 ………………………………

Answers of New Rules for the Paper Game Reading Answers with Location and Explanation

Find the answers and detailed explanations of the questions in the Reading Answers of New Rules for the Paper Game and get an idea of how to refine your IELTS preparation further.

1 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph A, Line 5

Answer explanation: The specified line of the first paragraph tells us, “Strong demand will be underprinted by the growing industrialization of South East Asia, the reemergence of paper packaging…”. So, it can be concluded that one of the factors responsible for the increase in paper usage in the future is the increased use of paper packaging in the form of paper bags, which are biodegradable. Hence, the answer is B (increased use of paper bags).

2 Answer: E

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph A, Line 5

Answer explanation: In the specified line, it is stated that “Strong demand will be underprinted by the growing industrialization of South East Asia…greater use of facsimile machines…”. This shows that increased (greater) use of fax machines (short of facsimile machines) will be another determinant in the increasing use of paper in the coming years. Hence, the answer is E (increased use of fax machines).

3 Answer: F

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph A, Line 5

Answer explanation: In the mentioned paragraph, it is given that “Strong demand will be underprinted by the growing industrialization of South East Asia…and the popularity of direct -mail advertising.”. It can be inferred that increased use (popularity) of leaflet (direct-mail) advertising will also lead to the rise of paper use in future. Hence, the answer is F (wider use of leaflet advertising).

4 Answer: G

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph A, Line 5

Answer explanation: The second paragraph mentions “Strong demand will be underprinted by the growing industrialization of South East Asia…greater use of facsimile machines and photocopiers…”. It points out that the final factor given in Paragraph A that will lead to the growth of paper use in the upcoming days is the use of photocopiers (photocopiers). Hence, the answer is G (greater use of duplicating machines).

5 Answer: cleaner industrial production

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, Line 2

Answer explanation: In the above-mentioned paragraph, it is stated that “But what has radically altered the industry’s structure is pressure from another front-a more environmentally conscious society driving an irreversible move towards cleaner industrial production.”. It can be pointed out from the quoted statement that society has become more environmentally conscious and, therefore, wants to move towards cleaner industrial production in the pulp and paper industry. Hence, the answer is ‘cleaner industrial production’.

6 Answer: economic prosperity

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, Line 1 – Line 2

Answer explanation: Through reference lines like, “Until the 1950s, it was common for pulp mills and other industries to discharge untreated effluent into rivers and seas. The environmental effects were at the time either not understood, or regarded as an acceptable cost of economic prosperity in an increasingly import-oriented world economy.”, it can be concluded that in the past (until the 1950s), the effects of the paper and pulp factory on the environment was a price (acceptable cost) for economic prosperity or were not understood properly. Hence, the answer is ‘economic prosperity’.

7 Answer: environmental effects

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, Line 2

Answer explanation: In the cited location, it is stated that “Changes in mill design and processes have been aimed at minimizing the environmental effects of effluent discharge while at the same time producing pulp with the whiteness and strength demanded by the international market.”. Based on this reference, it can be inferred that the changes in the mill design are to serve the aim of reducing (minimizing) the environmental effects and improving the paper quality. Hence, the answer is ‘environmental effects’.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in New Rules for the Paper Game IELTS Reading Answers

Since now you know the answers to the Reading Passage of New Rules for the Paper Game with explanations, let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the New Rules for the Paper Game IELTS Reading passage.

Multiple-Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple-choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

Here are some tips for answering multiple-choice questions in the IELTS Reading test:

• Read the Instructions Carefully: Understand how many choices you need to make (e.g., one choice, two choices), and whether there is a word limit for your answers.
• Skim the Passage First: Quickly go through the passage to get a sense of the content and locate keywords related to the questions.
• Underline Keywords & Eliminate Incorrect Options: When you read the question, underline or highlight keywords that are essential to find the correct answer. Then, start by eliminating options that you are certain are wrong. This narrows down your choices.
• Beware of Synonyms & Focus on Specific Information: The passage may use synonyms or paraphrases of the answer choices, so be vigilant in identifying these. If the question is about specific details, make sure the answer is factually correct and matches the information in the passage.
• Take an Educated Guess if You are Unsure: First, allocate a specific amount of time for each question and move on if you’re stuck, as you can return to it later. In the end, when you’re running out of time or unsure about an answer, take an educated guess. There’s no penalty for wrong answers.

Sentence Completion:

In the sentence completion of the IELTS Reading test, 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.

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