Braille Reading Answers

Jan 4, 2023

Braille Reading Answers comprises 15 questions that need to be answered within 20 minutes. It is an IELTS reading answers topic. This topic has been taken from the book: Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers. The topic: Braille Reading Answers is the first part of the reading section. The candidates must analyse the IELTS reading passage for keywords. The candidates must read the passage attentively to give accurate answers to the questions. Braille Reading Answers topic intends to test the analysing and reading skills of the candidates. The candidates must practice the IELTS Reading practice papers to get familiar with more similar topics like this.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Braille Reading Answers

The Braille system is a contact reading and writing device for the blind where the dots indicate the letters and numbers. It also has dots for punctuation marks and markers for showing letter groupings. They read using both hands, but mostly using their index fingers. They can read at a speed of about 125 words per minute on average. Some people can read up to 200 words per minute. Blind people will learn about the written word while using the braille alphabet. They will also learn things like pronunciation, punctuation, paragraph formatting, and footnotes.

Most importantly, braille gives blind people access to a wide variety of items, including leisure and instructional reading, income reports, restaurant menus and critical things in everyday adult life like contracts, laws, insurance plans, indexes, and cookbooks. Using materials such as musical scores, songbooks, card games, and chess, blind people will also enjoy activities and cultural stimulation through braille. Many other methods have been tried over the years to help blind people to read. Many of those were elevated copies of print letters. The braille scheme became a success because it is made on a logical series of signs intended for the fingertips instead of imitating signs designed for the eyes.

Braille has a long tradition that dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. In Bonaparte’s French army, a man named Charles Barbier invented a unique technique known as “night printing” so soldiers could talk peacefully at night. Barbier, a veteran of the military, saw the deaths of several troops who used lights after dark to understand battle signals. Because of the light from the torches, enemy combatants realised where the French soldiers were, causing the death of several men. Barbier’s “night printing” technique is made on an elevated 12-dot cell that is 2 dots wide and 6 dots deep. Inside the cell, each dot or mixture of dots denoted a letter or phonetic sound. The issue with the legal regulations was that the normal fingertip did not recognise any of the dots with a single touch.

Louis Braille was born in a French village called Coupvray on Jan 4, 1809. He went blind at a young age after accidently stabbing himself in the eye with his father’s blade. Braille’s father was a leather maker who used a tool to punch holes in the leather goods he made. At the age of 11, Braille was inspired to change Charles Barbier’s “night printing” code to make an effective written correspondence device for all the blind people. He had joined the National Institute of the Blind in Paris a year before. He spent the best part of the next 9 years designing and making a perfect pattern of raised dots that bears his signature, Braille.

With all of Braille’s efforts, the coding was now directed on cells of just 6 dots rather than 12. This crucial advancement meant that a fingertip could cover the entire cell unit with a single impression and travel quickly from one cell to the next. Braille eventually gained acceptance around the world as the main mode of written communication for blind people. Even today, there is no difference in the braille system from what he invented. However, some small changes have been made to the braille system, most notably the addition of contractions describing groups of letters or entire words that occur regularly in a script. Contractions allow for easier braille reading. It also helped to reduce the scale of braille books, making them even lighter.

In 1853 Braille passed away, at the age of 43, a year before his native France adopted braille as the official correspondence method for the blind. In 1860, Braille made its way “across the pond” to America, where it was used by The Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis. The legacy of Louis Braille has enriched the lives of millions of people who are blind. As a consequence, blind people from around the world learn from Braille’s work on a regular basis. Today, braille code has been transposed in a variety of languages all over the world. Braille will be proud to know that his work has helped many people get literacy over the years. The effect is largely inspiring and helps them to achieve success in their academics and their career paths.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1 – 5:
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBERS from the passage for each answer.

The Braille system is a contact reading and writing device for the blind where the ________ indicate the letters and numbers.

Answer: dots
Supporting Sentence: The Braille system is a contact reading and writing device for the blind where the dots indicate the letters and numbers.
Keyword: contact reading, writing device, dots indicate the letters and numbers.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The first paragraph clearly states that the Braille system is a sort of contact reading and writing device. It is created for the blind where the dots denote the number and letters. Therefore, “dots” is the correct answer and it suitably fits in the blank.

The braille scheme became a success because it is made on a logical series of signs intended for the ________ instead of imitating signs designed for the eyes.

Answer: fingertips
Supporting Sentence: The braille scheme became a success because it is made on a logical series of signs intended for the fingertips instead of imitating signs designed for the eyes.
Keyword: braille scheme, a success, logical series of signs, for the fingertips, imitating signs.
Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, last sentence.
Explanation: The second paragraph depicts that the scheme of Braille has earned success in spite of imitating signs created for eyes. It is made on logical signs that are intended for fingertips. Therefore, “fingertips” is the correct answer since it is the proper word that makes the sentence complete and supports the argument of the passage.

Braille eventually gained acceptance around the world as the main mode of ________ for blind people.

Answer: written communication
Supporting Sentence: Braille eventually gained acceptance around the world as the main mode of written communication for blind people.
Keyword: gained acceptance, main mode of written communication, blind people.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 3rd sentence.
Explanation: The author in the fifth paragraph states that Braille has become popularised around the world. This is due to the fact that Braille has enhanced the mode of written communication for blind people. Therefore, “written communication” is the correct answer as it goes perfectly with the content of the passage.

Braille code has been transposed in a variety of ________ all over the world.

Answer: languages
Supporting Sentence: Today, braille code has been transposed in a variety of languages all over the world.
Keyword: braille code, transposed in, variety of languages.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 5th sentence.
Explanation: The sixth paragraph illustrates that nowadays braille code has been transferred into various kinds of languages all around the world. It is because it would enhance the learning process of blind people all over the world. This would enable them to learn on a regular basis. Therefore, “languages” is the correct answer as it fits in the blank perfectly.

The issue with the ________ was that the normal fingertip did not recognise any of the dots with a single touch.

Answer: legal regulations
Supporting Sentence: The issue with the legal regulations was that the normal fingertip did not recognise any of the dots with a single touch.
Keyword: legal regulations, normal fingertip, not recognise any of the dots.
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, last sentence.
Explanation: The third paragraph indicates the problems regarding the legal regulations. It was that the normal fingertips were not able to identify any of the dots with a single contact. Therefore, “legal regulations” is the correct answer as it satisfies the statement given in the passage. Hence it suits well in the blank.

Questions 6 – 10:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

Write:

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO, if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

The average speed of reading using Braille is 125 words per minute.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: They can read at a speed of about 125 words per minute on average.
Keyword: read at a speed, 125 words per minute.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, 4th sentence.
Explanation: The first paragraph clearly indicates that the blind person can read at an average speed of 125 words per minute. It has been analyzed that blind people use the braille alphabet to learn the written word. Therefore, the answer is Yes as it satisfies the statement of the passage.

Braille cannot be used for reading contracts, laws, insurance plans, indexes, and cookbooks

Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: Most importantly, braille gives blind people access to a wide variety of items, including leisure and instructional reading, income reports, restaurant menus and critical things in everyday adult life like contracts, laws, insurance plans, indexes, and cookbooks.
Keyword: braille gives blind people, wide variety of items, critical things, everyday adult life.
Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The second paragraph states that braille gives blind people an opportunity to handle a lot of things in everyday life. It can be used to read contracts, laws, insurance plans, indexes, and cookbooks. Therefore, the answer is No as it does not satisfy the content of the passage and contradicts the claims of the author.

Braille died in 1835 at the age of 43.

Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: In 1853 Braille passed away, at the age of 43, a year before his native France adopted braille as the official correspondence method for the blind.
Keyword: In 1853, Braille passed away, age of 43.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The author clearly states in the sixth paragraph that Braille died at the age of 43 in the year 1853. Therefore, the statement is false as it contradicts the claim of the author. It does not support the argument of the passage. Hence the answer will be No.

Braille’s father was a leather maker.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: Braille’s father was a leather maker who used a tool to punch holes in the leather goods he made.
Keyword: Braille’s father, leather maker, a tool to punch holes, leather goods.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence.
Explanation: The fourth paragraph clearly states that the father of Braille was a leather maker. His father creates the leather goods by employing a tool for punching holes in the leather. Therefore, the answer is Yes as it satisfies the statement of the passage and agrees with the claim of the author.

Contractions allow for easier braille reading and help to reduce the scale of braille books, making them even lighter.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: Contractions allow for easier braille reading.
Keyword: Contractions, easier braille reading, the scale of braille books, even lighter.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 6th and 7th sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph clearly states that the contradictions enable the braille reading in an easier way. It also diminishes the ranking of braille books and makes them even lighter. Therefore, the answer is Yes as it satisfies the statement depicted in the passage. It agrees with the claim of the author.

Questions 11-15:
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Louis Braille was born in a French village called 11____ on Jan 4, 1809. With Braille’s efforts, the coding was directed on cells of just 12____ rather than 12. Blind people from around the world learn from Braille’s work on a regular basis. It gave access to a wide variety of everyday items, including leisure and 13____ reading, income reports, restaurant menus and critical things. Today, 14____ has been transposed in a variety of languages all over the world. In 1853 Braille 15____, at the age of 43.

Question 11:

Answer: Coupvray
Supporting Sentence: Louis Braille was born in a French village called Coupvray on Jan 4, 1809.
Keyword: born in a French village, called Coupvray.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The author in the fourth paragraph clearly states that Louis Braille was born on Jan 4, 1809. He was an inhabitant of a French village named Coupvray. Therefore, “Coupvray” is the correct answer as it satisfies the argument of the passage and it accurately fits in the blank.

Question 12:

Answer: 6 dots
Supporting Sentence: With all of Braille’s efforts, the coding was now directed on cells of just 6 dots rather than 12.
Keyword: Braille’s efforts, coding, directed on cells, just 6 dots.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The author has mentioned precisely in the fifth paragraph that the coding was produced on cells of just 6 dots instead of 12. It was now taking place with all the efforts of Braille. Therefore, “6 dots” is the correct answer as it satisfies the content of the passage. Hence, it fits well in the blank.

Question 13:

Answer: instructional
Supporting Sentence: Most importantly, braille gives blind people access to a wide variety of items, including leisure and instructional reading, income reports, restaurant menus and critical things in everyday adult life like contracts, laws, insurance plans, indexes, and cookbooks.
Keyword: braille gives blind, access to a wide variety of items, leisure and instructional reading.
Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The second paragraph depicts that Braille offers blind people a chance to read a variety of items that includes leisure and instructional reading. It gives access to blind people to read restaurant menus, income reports and critical things in regular life. Therefore, “instructional” can be considered the correct answer as it satisfies the content of the passage. Hence it goes perfectly with the blank.

Question 14:

Answer: braille code
Supporting Sentence: Today, braille code has been transposed in a variety of languages all over the world.
Keyword: braille code, transposed in a variety of languages.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 5th sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph clearly indicates that in the current days, braille code has been transferred into various types of languages all around the world. Therefore, “braille code” is the missing word in the sentence since it satisfies the statement given in the passage. Hence, it is the correct answer as it fits perfectly in the blank.

Question 15:

Answer: passed away
Supporting Sentence: In 1853 Braille passed away, at the age of 43, a year before his native France adopted braille as the official correspondence method for the blind.
Keyword: In 1853, Braille passed away, age of 43.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The author clearly states in the sixth paragraph that Braille expired at the age of 43 in the year 1853. Therefore, “passed away” is the missing word in the sentence as it fulfills the content stated in the passage. Therefore, it is the correct answer that goes perfectly in the blank.

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