# Venus in transit: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 2, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 2, 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 | F | The parallax principle can be extended to measure the distances to the stars. |
| 15 | D | his view was clouded out at the last moment |
| 16 | G | such transits have paved the way for what might prove to be one of the most vital breakthroughs |
| 17 | E | both effects made it impossible to obtain accurate timings |
| 18 | D | finally determined a value for the AU based on all these parallax measurements |
| 19 | A | By timing the transit from two widely-separated locations, teams of astronomers could calculate the parallax angle |
| 20 | B | had shown that the distances of the planets from the Sun governed their orbital speeds |
| 21 | C | the ship's pitching and rolling ruled out any attempt at making accurate observations |
| 22 | FALSE | though he didn't survive to see either |
| 23 | FALSE | his view was clouded out at the last moment, a very dispiriting experience |
| 24 | TRUE | When Venus begins to cross the Sun's disc, it looks smeared not circular |
| 25 | NOT GIVEN | Venus was surrounded by thick layer of gases refracting sunlight around it |
| 26 | TRUE | the parallax shift lets astronomers calculate the distance |

## Why these answers are right

**14. F.** You need a paragraph showing the parallax principle used in more than one way. Paragraph F describes Encke using parallax measurements to fix the AU, then says the same principle can be extended to measure distances to the stars. Two applications appear, so F.

**15. D.** An event that stopped a transit observation must be found. Paragraph D tells how Le Gentil traveled to the Philippines for the second transit, but his view was clouded out at the last moment. Cloud cover blocked his observation, so the answer is D.

**16. G.** The statement concerns possible future discoveries that grow out of transit work. Paragraph G says transits have paved the way for what might prove a vital breakthrough, detecting Earth-sized planets around other stars. Might prove signals the future, so the answer is G.

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

[Practice Venus in transit](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/venus-in-transit)