# Sheet glass manufacture: the float process: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 8, Test 2, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 8, Test 2, 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 | spinning | The first successful method for making clear, flat glass involved spinning. |
| 2 | unblemished | so it stayed perfectly unblemished, with a 'fire finish' |
| 3 | labour-intensive | the process took a long time and was labour intensive. |
| 4 | thickness | This allowed glass of virtually any thickness to be made non-stop |
| 5 | marked | but the rollers would leave both sides of the glass marked |
| 6 | glass | when pouring molten glass onto the molten tin |
| 7 | tin | The best metal for the job was tin. |
| 8 | rollers | could be transported out of the cooling zone by rollers |
| 9 | TRUE | The metal had to melt at a temperature less than the hardening point of glass (about 600°C), but could not boil at a temperature below the temperature of the molten glass |
| 10 | NOT GIVEN | by 1955 he had convinced his company to build a full-scale plant |
| 11 | FALSE | it took 14 months of non-stop production, costing the company GBP 100,000 a month, before the plant produced any usable glass |
| 12 | TRUE | However, the product has changed dramatically, from a single thickness of 6.8 mm to a range from sub-millimetre to 25 mm |
| 13 | TRUE | locating flaws the unaided eye would be unable to see |

## Why these answers are right

**1. spinning.** The first row of the notes needs the name of the earliest method. Paragraph A says the first successful way of making clear, flat glass involved spinning, and the advantages and disadvantage in that row match the spinning method, so spinning is the answer.

**2. unblemished.** The gap follows "Glass remained" in the advantages column for spinning. Paragraph A explains that the glass touched no surface while it hardened, so it stayed perfectly unblemished. The word unblemished, with or without perfectly, fits both the grammar and the two-word limit.

**3. labour-intensive.** The disadvantages of spinning are listed as "Slow" and then a gap. Paragraph A says the process took a long time, which is the word slow, and was labour intensive. The second drawback is therefore labour intensive, which fits within two words.

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

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