# GLASS: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 4, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 4, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | viii | Today fibre optics are used to obtain a clearer image of smaller and smaller objects than ever before ... the pulses would travel over glass fibres, not copper wire. |
| 2 | i | The use of glass as art, a tradition spins back at least to Roman times, is also booming. |
| 3 | ix | But not all the glass technology that touches our lives is ultra-modern. |
| 4 | iii | The secret of the versatility of glass lies in its interior structure. |
| 5 | vi | building designers test their imaginations with applications of special types of glass. |
| 6 | molten glass | a narrow ribbon of molten glass |
| 7 | belt of steel | travels over a moving belt of steel in which there are holes. |
| 8 | moulds | The glass sags through the holes and into waiting moulds. |
| 9 | A | glass ceramics serving as the nose cones of missiles and as crowns for teeth |
| 10 | B | On the horizon are optical computers. ... These could store programs and process information by means of light |
| 11 | A | He now has a new commission - a glass sculpture for the headquarters building of a pizza company |
| 12 | C | even a new type of glass fashioned of nuclear waste in order to dispose of that unwanted material. |
| 13 | A | Glass as instant curtains is available now, but the cost is exorbitant. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. viii.** Paragraph B moves from future optical computers whose pulses travel over glass fibres to today's fibre optic imaging of viruses and cells, and a surge in fibre optic use. The thread running through all of it is new fibre optic technology, so heading viii fits.

**2. i.** Paragraph C says the use of glass as art is booming, with people everywhere blowing glass, and gives Dale Chihuly as an artist who now earns half a million dollars for one commission. That describes a growing market for glass crafts, heading i.

**3. ix.** Paragraph D turns away from modern uses to the light bulb and Corning's ribbon machine from the 1920s, explaining how that older method replaced hand-blown bulbs. Because it describes a past glass technology, heading ix, A former glass technology, is the match.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/glass/answers).

[Practice GLASS](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/glass)