# IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 1, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 1, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | iv | most SETI scientists adopt two ground rules ... we make a very conservative assumption that we are looking for a life form that is pretty well like us |
| 15 | vii | perhaps one in 100,000 stars might have a life-bearing planet orbiting it |
| 16 | i | all searches to date have concentrated on looking for radio waves in this frequency range |
| 17 | ii | There is considerable debate over how we should react if we detect a signal from an alien civilization. |
| 18 | several billion years | Since the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years |
| 19 | radio | we search for radio signals from other intelligent civilisations |
| 20 | 1000 | This part of the project is searching the nearest 1000 likely stars with high sensitivity |
| 21 | YES | the older civilization may pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats to survival such as nuclear war and global pollution |
| 22 | YES | we are looking for a life form that is pretty well like us |
| 23 | NOT GIVEN | including Australian searches using the radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales. |
| 24 | NO | Until now there have not been any detections from the few hundred stars which have been searched. |
| 25 | NOT GIVEN | when the US Congress voted NASA $10 million per year for ten years |
| 26 | NO | Everybody agrees that we should not reply immediately. ... Luckily, there is no urgency about this. |

## Why these answers are right

**14. iv.** Paragraph B sets out the two ground rules SETI scientists adopt: ignore UFOs, and assume the life form being sought is much like us. Ground rules and a conservative assumption match heading iv, the assumptions behind the search.

**15. vii.** Paragraph C admits we know little but uses the huge number of stars and galaxies to estimate that perhaps one in 100,000 stars might have a life-bearing planet. Estimating how probable life elsewhere is matches heading vii.

**16. i.** Paragraph D explains why radio waves between 1000 and 3000 MHz carry furthest across the galaxy and then describes the searches for them, including the NASA project. Looking for radio signals is the theme, so heading i fits.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/is-there-anybody-out-there/answers).

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