Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit - IELTS Reading Answers

Practicing single IELTS Reading passages, such as 'Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit’, helps you understand how the difficulty level varies across different texts. By focusing on individual passages, you can easily identify the differences between straightforward factual texts and more complex analytical ones.

Take the practice test, Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit, below, and try more IELTS reading practice tests. We have provided explanations, locations for the answers, and tips to help you handle the three different types of reading questions here.

Passage for Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit IELTS Reading Answers

Now go through the passage for ‘Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit’ Reading Answers given below, and be prepared to solve similar IELTS Reading topics for General and Academic for the reading section.

Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit

Today they are everywhere. Production lines controlled by computers and operated by robots. There’s no chatter of assembly workers, just the whirr and click of machines. In the mid-1940s, the workerless factory was still the stuff of science fiction. There were no computers to speak of and electronics were primitive. Yet hidden away in the English countryside was a highly automated production line called ECME, which could turn out 1500 radio receivers a day with almost no help from human hands

A John Sargrove, the visionary engineer who developed the technology, was way ahead of his time. For more than a decade, Sargrove had been trying to figure out how to make cheaper radios. Automating the manufacturing process would help. But radios didn’t lend themselves to such methods: there were too many parts to fit together and too many wires to solder. Even a simple receiver might have 30 separate components and 80 hand-soldered connections. At every stage, things had to be tested and inspected. Making radios required highly skilled labour—and lots of it.

B In 1944, Sargrove came up with the answer. His solution was to dispense with most of the fiddly bits by inventing a primitive chip—a slab of Bakelite with all the receiver’s electrical components and connections embedded in it. This was something that could be made by machines, and he designed those too. At the end of the war, Sargrove built an automatic production line, which he called ECME (electronic circuit-making equipment), in a small factory in Effingham, Surrey.

C An operator sat at one end of each ECME line, feeding in die plates. She didn’t need much skill, only quick hands. From now on, everything was controlled by electronic switches and relays. First stop was the sandblaster, which roughened the surface of the plastic BO that molten metal would stick to. The plates were then cleaned to remove any traces of grit The machine automatically checked that the surface was rough enough before sending the plate to the spraying section. There, eight nozzles rotated into position and sprayed molten zinc over both sides of the plate. Again, the nozzles only began to spray when a plate was in place. The plate whizzed on. The next stop was the milling machine, which ground away the surface layer of metal to leave the circuit and other components in the grooves and recesses. Now the plate was a composite of metal and plastic. It sped on to be lacquered and have its circuits tested. By the time it emerged from the end of the line, robot hands had fitted it with sockets to attach components such as valves and loudspeakers. When ECME was working flat out; the whole process took 20 seconds.

D ECME was astonishingly advanced. Electronic eyes, photocells that generated a small current when a panel arrived, triggered each step in the operation, BO avoiding excessive wear and tear on the machinery. The plates were automatically tested at each stage as they moved along the conveyor. And if more than two plates in succession were duds, the machines were automatically adjusted—or if necessary halted. In a conventional factory, workers would test faulty circuits and repair them. But Sargrove’s assembly line produced circuits so cheaply they just threw away the faulty ones. Sargrove’s circuit board was even more astonishing for the time. It predated the more familiar printed circuit, with wiring printed on a board, yet was more sophisticated. Its built-in components made it more like a modem chip.

E When Sargrove unveiled his invention at a meeting of the British Institution of Radio Engineers in February 1947, the assembled engineers were impressed. So was the man from The Times. ECME, he reported the following day, “produces almost without human labour, a complete radio receiving set. This new method of production can be equally well applied to television and other forms of electronic apparatus.

F The receivers had many advantages over their predecessors, with components that were more robust. Robots didn’t make the sorts of mistakes human assembly workers sometimes did. “Wiring mistakes just cannot happen,” wrote Sargrove. No wires also meant the radios were lighter and cheaper to ship abroad. And with no soldered wires to come unstuck, the radios were more reliable. Sargrove pointed out that the circuit boards didn’t have to be flat. They could be curved, opening up the prospect of building the electronics into the cabinet of Bakelite radios.

G was all for introducing this type of automation to other products. It could be used to make more complex electronic equipment than radios, he argued. And even if only part of a manufacturing process were automated, the savings would be substantial. But while his invention was brilliant, his timing was bad. ECME was too advanced for its own good. It was only competitive on huge production runs because each new job meant retooling the machines. But disruption was frequent. Sophisticated as it was, ECME still depended on old- fashioned electromechanical relays and valves—which failed with monotonous regularity. The state of Britain’s economy added to Sargrove’s troubles. Production was dogged by power cuts and post-war shortages of materials. Sargrove’s financial backers began to get cold feet.

H There was another problem Sargrove hadn’t foreseen. One of ECME’s biggest advantages—the savings on the cost of labour—also accelerated its downfall. Sargrove’s factory had two ECME production lines to produce the two circuits needed for each radio. Between them these did what a thousand assembly workers would otherwise have done. Human hands were needed only to feed the raw material in at one end and plug the valves into the sockets and fit the loudspeakers at the other. After that, the only job left was to fit the pair of Bakelite panels into a radio cabinet and check that it worked.

I Sargrove saw automation as the way to solve post-war labour shortages. With somewhat Utopian idealism, he imagined his new technology would free people from boring, repetitive jobs on the production line and allow them to do more interesting work. “Don’t get the idea that we are out to rob people of their jobs,” he told the Daily Mnror. “Our task is to liberate men and women from being slaves of machines.

J The workers saw things differently. They viewed automation in the same light as the everlasting light bulb or the suit that never wears out—as a threat to people’s livelihoods. If automation spread, they wouldn’t be released to do more exciting jobs. They’d be released to join the dole queue. Financial backing for ECME fizzled out. The money dried up. And Britain lost its lead in a technology that would transform industry just a few years later.

Questions for Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit Reading Answers

The passage, Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit Reading Answers, consists of 13 questions, which showcase three different IELTS Reading question types. They are:

• IELTS Reading Diagram Completion (Q. 1-7)
• IELTS Reading Summary Completion (Q. 8-11)
• IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions (Q. 12-13)

Questions 1-7

The following diagram explains the process of ECME:

Questions 8-11

Sargrove had been dedicated to create a 8___________radio by automation of manufacture. The old version of radio had a large number of independent 9___________After this innovation was made, wireless-style radios became 10___________and inexpensive to export overseas. As Sargrove saw it, the real benefit of ECME’s radio was that it reduced 11___________of manual work; which can be easily copied to other industries of manufacturing electronic devices.

Questions 12-13

12 What were workers attitude towards ECME Model initially

A Anxious

B Welcoming

C Boring

D Inspiring

13 What is the main idea of this passage?

A Approach to reduce the price of radio

B A new generation of fully popular products and successful business

C In application of die automation in the early stage

D ECME technology can be applied in many product fields

Answers and Explanations of Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit IELTS Reading Passage

Refer to 'Radio Automation: Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit' answers and evaluate your progress for achieving a high IELTS band score.

1 Answer: Chip

Question type: Diagram completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 1 – 4

Answer explanation: In 1944, Sargrove devised a primitive chip which was a slab of Bakelite with all the receiver’s electrical components and connections embedded in it. Sargrove also designed machines since this chip could also be created by them. Hence, the answer is chip.

2 Answer: Grit

Question type: Diagram completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 3 – 5

Answer explanation: The sandblaster’s job was to roughen up the plastic surface so that the molten metal could stick it and also get rid of the grit in the process. Hence, it is the answer.

3 Answer: Molten zinc

Question type: Diagram completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 7-8

Answer explanation: In the spraying section, eight nozzles rotated into position and sprayed molten zinc over both sides of the plate only when a plate was in place after being roughened up. Hence, the answer is molten zinc.

4 Answer: Milling machine

Question type: Diagram completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 9 -11

Answer explanation: The task of the milling machine was to get rid of the surface layer of metal so that it could leave the circuit and other components in the grooves and recesses. Hence, it is the answer.

5 Answer: Sockets

Question type: Diagram completion

Answer location: Paragraph H, lines 5-6

Answer explanation: The end of the process needed people to fit the raw material in at one end and plug the valves into the sockets as well as fitting the loudspeakers at the other. Hence, the answer is sockets.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in the Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit Reading Passage

Given below are some IELTS exam preparation tips for band score of 8+ by helping you answer the types of questions in the ‘Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit’ Reading Answers.

Diagram Completion

• Read the diagram title and stages before the passage: Before reading the text, study the diagram carefully to understand the sequence of stages. This helps you predict whether each blank requires a material, machine, or component, which narrows your scanning focus.
• Use paragraph references implied by the process order: Process diagrams usually follow the same order as the passage, especially in technical texts. Start scanning from Paragraph B onwards and move forward logically instead of jumping randomly between paragraphs.
• Match function, not just keywords: If a blank describes what something does (e.g. roughening, spraying, fitting), look for a sentence explaining that function, not just a repeated word. IELTS passages often paraphrase actions while keeping technical nouns unchanged.
• Copy exact wording and check word limits: Always lift the answer directly from the passage without changing form or adding articles. Recheck that your answer does not exceed two words, as extra words, even correct ones, will be marked wrong.

Summary Completion

• Read the summary as a whole to identify the main idea: Understand the overall message of the summary (here: automation, cost reduction, export benefits). This prevents you from choosing words that fit grammatically but do not match the author’s argument.
• Predict the word type for each gap: Decide whether each blank needs an adjective, noun, or abstract concept before scanning the passage. For example, phrases like “create a ___ radio” clearly signal an adjective describing price or quality.
• Scan early paragraphs for background ideas: Summary questions usually draw from introductory or concluding paragraphs, not technical middle sections. Focus first on Paragraphs A, F, and H where the author discusses motivation, results, and benefits.
• Check paraphrasing carefully: The summary will rephrase the passage, so look for synonymous expressions (e.g. “reduce manual work” → “reduce cost of labour”). Only choose words that preserve the original meaning, not just similar vocabulary.

Multiple Choice Questions

• Identify whether the question asks for attitude or main idea: Question 12 targets emotional reaction (attitude), while Question 13 asks for the overall purpose of the passage. Knowing this prevents confusion between detail-based and global questions.
• Locate the exact paragraph before reading options: Always find the paragraph first (here, the final paragraph), then read it carefully. This avoids being misled by options that sound reasonable but are not stated or supported.
• Eliminate options that are too narrow or too broad: Incorrect options often focus on only one benefit or exaggerate success. The correct answer usually reflects the author’s final evaluation, including limitations or outcomes.
• Match the option to the writer’s viewpoint, not facts alone: Choose the option that best reflects the overall message, not just a single invention or advantage mentioned earlier.

To conclude, reading samples from IELTS recent actual tests, such as Radio Automation Forerunner of the Integrated Circuit IELTS Reading Answers, is crucial. These resources will help improve your reading speed, identify weaknesses, and familiarize you with various question types. Consistent practice with these tests will likely lead to your desired outcomes.

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