The Final Frontier for Tourism- IELTS Reading Answers

The Final Frontier for Tourism, are reading passages that appeared in the recent Academic IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. The Reading Module of the IELTS can be the top-scoring category with diligent practice. To achieve the best results in this section, you must understand how to approach and answer the different Question types in the Reading Module.

By solving and reviewing Sample Reading Questions from past IELTS papers, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark.This page contains – The Final Frontier for Tourism IELTS reading answers and its passage for you to practice.

The question types found in the passage are:

• Matching Headings (Q. 1-5)
• Matching Features (Q. 6-9)
• True/False/Not Given (Q. 10-13)

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Reading Passage 

The Final Frontier for Tourism 

A For some reason, humankind has always looked towards the stars and dreamt of one day making a voyage into the unknown and exploring outer space. Perhaps it is our innate curiosity, perhaps the challenge presented by the seemingly impossible; whatever the lure, the quest to venture into space has become an obsession for many.

B On a memorable July day in 1969, one man made a giant leap for his kind. Neil Armstrong touched down on the moon as the world watched with bated breath. Was this a beginning or the culmination of years of endeavour that pushed science to its very limits? Well, it has been a long time indeed since the last moon landing, more than 40 years, but science has not stood still in the interim, nor have our dreams become any less ambitious. According to NASA, plans are afoot for a manned mission to Mars at some point after 2020. A return to the moon has been scheduled sooner – perhaps 2018 if NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is rolled out on time. It may not be Hollywood razzle-dazzle-style progress; it may even be painstakingly slow, but rest assured that plans are afoot for something very ambitious and special indeed, and NASA may be back in the headlines making waves and history again, just as it did on that fateful day in 1969, in the not-too-distant future.

C That said, it is the prospect of space tourism for the masses that has captured the headlines recently, and this may not be such a distant dream as people would expect. In 2001, an American multimillionaire, Dennis Tito, became the first space tourist, spending ten days on the International Space Station along with his crew of Russian cosmonauts, and fulfilling a lifelong ambition in the process. He described the experience rather paradoxically as ‘indescribable’; everything that he thought it would be and more. A year later, South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth followed in his footsteps. On his return to Earth, he said, ‘every second will be with me for the rest of my life’ Clearly, these men had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but this came at a hefty price, both paying $20 million for the pleasure of their space adventures.

D At present, space tourism is undoubtedly reserved for an elite and wealthy few, but what of the future? If Eric Anderson, president of Space Adventures, the company that organised Tito and Shuttleworth’’s trips, is to be believed, it will be the next big thing. ‘Everyone’s looking for a new experience, he says. Indeed, Space Adventures is planning to offer rocket trips to the public for $100,000 within the next few years, so perhaps space tourism is closer than we think. Another company, The Space Island Group, is planning to build a space hotel inspired by the spaceship in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Gene Meyers, the company’s president, predicts that in 2020 a five-day holiday at the hotel will cost less than $25,000. Imagine, he says, a five-star hotel with all the usual luxuries, except that each morning you’ll be greeted by mind-blowing views of outer space. This is certainly food for thought for adventure-seeking holiday planners. That said, unless there is a serious spike in inflation between now and 2020, $25,000 will still remain a considerable sum of money to have to part with for a recreational activity, once-in-a-lifetime or not. But that is perhaps missing the point – the prospect of affordable space travel is getting closer and closer and it is only a matter of time before it becomes a reality.

E Other companies have even more ambitious plans. Bigelow Aerospace is spending close to $500 million on a project to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. The spaceship will be able to hold 100 guests, each with a private room offering truly unique views of the Earth’s sunset. Even the Hilton Hotel Group wants to get in on the act with talk of plans to build a Hilton on the moon. At present, only millionaires can enjoy the privilege of a space journey, but in the words of Bob Dylan, ‘The times are changing’ And sooner than you’d think.

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Questions 1-5

The Reading Passage has five paragraphs A-E.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph A-E from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number i-viii in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

1. Not worth the cost
2. Space travel; past, present and future
3. Russian innovation
4. A profitable investment
5. The future of tourism
6. Insatiable desire for adventure
7. The first space tourists
8. Moon hotels

1 Paragraph A

2 Paragraph B

3 Paragraph C

4 Paragraph D

5 Paragraph E

Questions 6-9

Look at the following people (Questions 6-9) and the list of statements below.

Match each person with the correct statement, A-D.

Write the correct letter, A-D, in box 6-9 on your answer sheet.

6 Denis Tito

7 Mark Shuttleworth

8 Eric Anderson

9 Gene Meyers

A touched down on the moon in 1969

B believes space tourism will be popular in the near future

C spent ten days on the International Space Station

D was the second tourist to travel into space

E predicts space holidays will be more affordable by 2020

F will build a hotel inspired by a film

Questions 10-13

10 Bigelow Aerospace’s spaceship will offer unique views of the Moon’s sunset.

11 The Hilton Hotel Group has ambitious plans to organise cheap space journeys.

12 NASA plans to launch a mission to Mars, but first, it is hoping to return to the moon.

13 At the moment, space tourism is too expensive for ordinary people, only the very rich can travel to space.

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The Final Frontier for Tourism Reading Answers With Explanation 

Read further for the explanation part of the The Final Frontier for Tourism reading answer.

1 Answer: vi

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 2

Answer explanation: In the mentioned lines, it is given that “Perhaps it is our innate curiosity, perhaps the challenge presented by the seemingly impossible; whatever the lure, the quest to venture into space has become an obsession for many.”. This line points out that the first paragraph discusses the innate curiosity and quest for adventure of humans to know the unknown that attracts them to venture out. Here, the keywords are ‘quest to venture’ (adventure) and ‘obsession’ (insatiable desire) Hence, the answer is vi (Insatiable desire for adventure).

2 Answer: ii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph B

Answer explanation: In the specified paragraph, it is given that “On a memorable July day in 1969, one man made a giant leap for his kind. Neil Armstrong touched down on the moon as the world watched with bated breath…According to NASA, plans are afoot for a manned mission to Mars at some point after 2020. A return to the moon has been scheduled sooner – perhaps 2018 if NASA’s new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is rolled out on time.”. It proves that the second paragraph explores some instances of space travel that happened in the past (1969), and is planned for the present (2018) and the future (after 2020). Hence, the answer is ii (Space travel; past, present and future).

3 Answer: vii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2 & line 4

Answer explanation: In the mentioned lines, it is stated that “In 2001, an American multimillionaire, Dennis Tito, became the first space tourist, spending ten days on the International Space Station…A year later, South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth followed in his footsteps.”. It can be concluded that in the third paragraph, the author informs us about the first two space tourists, Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth. Hence, the answer is vii (The first space tourists).

4 Answer: v

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2 & line 4-line 5

Answer explanation: In the cited lines, it is stated that “If Eric Anderson, president of Space Adventures, the company that organised Tito and Shuttleworth’’s trips, is to be believed, it will be the next big thing…Indeed, Space Adventures is planning to offer rocket trips to the public for $100,000 within the next few years, so perhaps space tourism is closer than we think. Another company, The Space Island Group, is planning to build a space hotel…”. Based on these statements, it can be commented that the fourth paragraph discusses the future of space tourism. Hence, the answer is v (The future of tourism).

5 Answer: viii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2 & line 4

Answer explanation: In the mentioned lines, it is given that “Bigelow Aerospace is spending close to $500 million on a project to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon…Even the Hilton Hotel Group wants to get in on the act with talk of plans to build a Hilton on the moon.”. From this reference, it can be concluded that the last paragraph is stating examples of hotel projects or tourist accommodation on the moon by Bigelow Aerospace and the Hilton Hotel Group. Hence, the answer is viii (Moon hotels).

6 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2

Answer explanation: In Paragraph C, it is noted that “In 2001, an American multimillionaire, Dennis Tito, became the first space tourist, spending ten days on the International Space Station along with his crew of Russian cosmonauts, and fulfilling a lifelong ambition in the process.”. This statement points out that Dennis Tito, an American multimillionaire, spent 10 days on the International Space Station in 2001. Hence, the answer is C (spent ten days on the International Space Station).

7 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 4

Answer explanation: In the cited line, it is stated that “A year later, South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth followed in his footsteps.”. Here, ‘his footsteps’ referred to Dennis Tito, making Mark Shuttleworth the second tourist to travel in space. Hence, the answer is D (was the second tourist to travel into space).

8 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2

Answer explanation: In the quoted line, it is stated that “If Eric Anderson, president of Space Adventures, the company that organised Tito and Shuttleworth’’s trips, is to be believed, it will be the next big thing.”. It can be pointed out that according to Eric Anderson, space tourism will become popular in the future (the next big thing) Hence, the answer is B (believes space tourism will be popular in the near future).

9 Answer: E

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 6

Answer explanation: The given lines specify that “Gene Meyers, the company’s president, predicts that in 2020 a five-day holiday at the hotel will cost less than $25,000.”. It is indicated that Gene Meyers predicts space holidays (five-day holiday at the hotel) will be more affordable (cost less than $25,000) by 2020. Hence, the answer is E (predicts space holidays will be more affordable by 2020).

10 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3

Answer explanation: In Paragraph E, it is mentioned that “The spaceship will be able to hold 100 guests, each with a private room offering truly unique views of the Earth’s sunset.”. It shows that Bigelow Aerospace’s spaceship will offer unique views of the Earth’s sunset and not Moon’s sunset as mentioned in the statement. As the statement contradicts with the views of the writer, the answer is False.

11 Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: N.A.

Answer explanation: Although there is a reference that the Hilton Hotel Group wants to build a Hilton on the moon, there is no mention of whether they will include cheap space journeys. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

12 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 5-line 6

Answer explanation: In the mentioned portion, it is reported that “According to NASA, plans are afoot for a manned mission to Mars at some point after 2020. A return to the moon has been scheduled sooner…”. It can be concluded that NASA plans to launch a mission to Mars after 2020, before which they want to go back to the moon again. As the statement agrees with the information, the answer is True.

13 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 5

Answer explanation: In the mentioned line, it is given “For the present, only millionaires can enjoy the privilege of a space journey…”. It can be deduced from this statement that at the moment (at present), space tourism is expensive for ordinary people and can be afforded only by the very rich (millionaires). As the statement agrees with the information, the answer is True.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in The Final Frontier for Tourism Reading Passage

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the,  ‘The Final Frontier for Tourism’ IELTS Reading Answers passage.

True/False/Not Given: 

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

• True statements are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
• False statements are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
• Not Given statements are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

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, 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.

Matching Headings:

Matching Headings is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to match a list of headings to the correct paragraphs in a passage. To answer matching headings questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the headings first: This will give you an idea of the topics that will be covered in the passage.
• Read the paragraphs quickly: This will give you a general understanding of the content of each paragraph.
• Match the headings to the paragraphs: As you read each paragraph, look for the heading that best summarizes the main idea of the paragraph.
• Check your answers: Once you have matched all of the headings, double-check your answers to make sure that they are correct.

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