# Science in Space: answers and explanations

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 5, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 5, Reading Passage 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 27 | B | no one can doubt the agency's technological ambition. The most complex engineering project ever attempted |
| 28 | A | an astronaut is strapped into the seat of a machine that resembles an exercise bike. |
| 29 | B | One of CASIS's roles is to convince public and private investors that science on the station is worth the spend ... it cost less than one-tenth of the price of the space station. |
| 30 | D | recently called for proposals for experiments on muscle wasting, osteoporosis and the immune system. |
| 31 | C | Investment from outside organisations is vital, says Uhran, and a balance between academic and commercial research will help attract this. |
| 32 | D | Others know there's science, but they don't know what kind. |
| 33 | B | suggesting that the agency reduces the time between approving experiments and sending them into space |
| 34 | C | Mark Uhran, assistant associate administrator for the ISS, refutes the criticism that the station hasn't done any useful research. |
| 35 | A | The only way to test this is in weightlessness |
| 36 | H | it suggests it can reduce launch costs by two-thirds. |
| 37 | D | Stern believes they will revolutionise the way we, the public, see space. Soon everyone will be dreaming of interplanetary travel again |
| 38 | F | This demand for low-cost spaceflight could eventually lead to a service running on a more frequent basis |
| 39 | G | Getting flight experience should help them win a slot on the station, says Stern. |
| 40 | B | To get the ISS research back on track, CASIS has examined more than 100 previous microgravity experiments to identify promising research themes. ... made a number of recommendations |

## Why these answers are right

**27. B.** The question asks what the first paragraph says about the ISS. The writer states that no one can doubt NASA's technological ambition and calls the station the most complex engineering project ever attempted, which presents it as a great technological achievement, option B.

**28. A.** You need a fact about Iwase's centrifuge. Paragraph B says the astronaut sits in a machine that resembles an exercise bike, pedaling for a workout while the seat rotates. Resembling an exercise bike means it is based on conventional exercise equipment, so A is right.

**29. B.** The question asks why Hubble is mentioned. In paragraph E, CASIS must convince investors the ISS is worth the money, and Hubble's 11,300 papers at under a tenth of the cost show how poor the ISS looks by comparison. This highlights the need to present the ISS positively, option B.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/science-in-space/answers).

[Practice Science in Space](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/science-in-space)