The Geodesic Dome – The House of The Future- IELTS Reading Answers

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.

Reading Passage

The Geodesic Dome – The House of The Future

Questions 1 – 2

1 In 1944, government officials were interested in Fuller’s family dwelling because

A — they had a housing shortage.

B — it is the house of the future.

C — it could be produced rapidly and installed easily.

D — all of the above.

2 Fuller’s family dwelling was not fully produced mainly because

A — aircraft company installed these houses

B — there were financing problems

C —union contractors did not support Fuller

D —Fuller and the stockholders held different ideas

Questions 3 – 7

NB You may use any answer more than once.

3 doing more than less

4 stable

5 allowing natural air circulation

6 rigid

7 folding

IELTSFever Academic IELTS Reading Test 66 Questions 8 – 13

8 A geodesic dome is a spherical structure created from rectangles.

9 It has been proved that the geodesic dome is the most efficient human shelter.

10 Domes are environment-friendly buildings.

11 Some scientists set up domes in the Polar Regions.

12 Domes are much cheaper than traditional houses.

13 Fuller won the Gran Premio in 1954.

Reading Answer

1 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 3

Answer explanation: Paragraph 3 illustrates that In 1944, the United States suffered a serious housing shortage. Government officials knew that Fuller had developed a prototype of a family dwelling that could be produced rapidly, using the same equipment which had previously built war-time airplanes. These lines suggest that in 1944, the government officials were interested in Fuller’s family dwelling because it could be produced rapidly and installed easily. Thus, the answer is C.

2 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 4, last line

Answer explanation: Paragraph 4 illustrates the reasons why Fuller was never able to get into full production. In the last line, it is mentioned that the main obstruction was obtaining the financing for the tooling costs, which were purposefully not included in the negotiations with investors. No bank would finance the project with union problems and stockholder battles. These lines reveal Fuller’s family dwelling was not fully produced mainly because there were financial problems. Thus, the answer is B.

3 Answer: S

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 6, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of the 6th Paragraph states that a principle directed his studies toward creating a new architectural design, the geodesic dome, based also upon his idea of “doing more with less.” Fuller discovered that if a spherical structure was created from triangles, it would have unparalleled strength. Thus, it is evident that doing more than less refers to the sphere. Hence, the answer is S.

4 Answer: T

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 6, line 3

Answer explanation: The 3rd line of the 6th Paragraph states that the rectangle would fold up and be unstable but the triangle withstands the pressure and is much more rigid in fact, the triangle is twice as strong. We can deduce from these lines that the rectangle would remain unstable whereas the triangle would be stable enough to withstand the pressure. Hence, the answer is T.

5 Answer: S

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 8

Answer explanation: paragraph 8 states that the spherical structure of a Dome is one of the most efficient interior atmospheres for human dwellings because air and energy are allowed to circulate without obstruction. We understand from these lines that the spherical structure of the dome allows natural air circulation without obstruction. Hence, the answer is S.

6 Answer: T

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 6, line 3

Answer explanation: The 3rd line of the 6th Paragraph states that the rectangle would fold up and be unstable but the triangle withstands the pressure and is much more rigid in fact, the triangle is twice as strong. These lines reveal that the rectangle would fold up and be unstable. However, the triangle can withstand the pressure, as it is rigid and is twice as strong. Hence the answer is T.

7 Answer: R

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 6, line 3

Answer explanation: The 3rd line of the 6th Paragraph states that the rectangle would fold up and be unstable but the triangle withstands the pressure and is much more rigid in fact, the triangle is twice as strong. We can deduce that the rectangle can fold up and be unstable whereas the triangle can withstand the pressure. Hence, the answer is R.

8 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 6, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of the 6th Paragraph states that the geodesic dome, is based also upon his idea of “doing more with less.” Fuller discovered that if a spherical structure was created from triangles, it would have unparalleled strength. It is from these lines, we understand that a Geodesic Dome is a spherical structure created from triangles with unparalleled structure. Thus, the statement contradicts the information, so, the answer is False.

9 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 8

Answer explanation: Paragraph 8 illustrates that the spherical structure of a dome is one of the most efficient interior atmospheres for human dwellings because air and energy are allowed to circulate without obstruction. These lines suggest that because the properties of the Geodesic domes such as heating and cooling occur naturally, they’ve proven to be the most efficient human shelter. Thus, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.

10 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 10

Answer explanation: Paragraph 10 illustrates that the net annual energy savings for a Dome owner are 30% less than normal rectilinear homes, which is quite an improvement and helps save the environment from wasted energy. Thus, it is clear that domes are environment-friendly buildings. Hence, the answer is True.

11 Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 10, last line

Answer explanation: We can understand from the last line of the 10th Paragraph that Domes have been designed by Fuller and others to withstand high winds and extreme temperatures as seen in the Polar Regions. Thus, it is not mentioned anywhere that some scientists set up domes in the polar region. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

12 Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 2,last line

Answer explanation: The last line of the 2nd Paragraph states that Fuller studied structure shells and devised several alternatives, each less expensive, lighter, and stronger than traditional wood, brick, and stone buildings. These lines indicate that Fuller was able to devise numerous alternatives after studying structure shells, which were less expensive, lighter, and stronger than traditional wood, brick, and stone buildings. Thus, we don’t find reference to the fact that domes are much cheaper than traditional houses. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

13 Answer: True

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 13, last line

Answer explanation: Paragraph 13 reveals that the theme for 1954 was life between artifact and nature: Design and the environmental challenge, in which Fuller had participated. In the last line of the Paragraph, it is mentioned that the 42-foot paperboard Geodesic was installed in the old Sforza garden in Milan and came away with the highest award, the Gran Premio. So, it is evident that Fuller was awarded the Gran Premio in 1954. Hence, the answer is True.