Bridging the Digital Divide Reading Answers

Mar 30, 2024

Bridging the Digital Divide Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Bridging the Digital Divide Reading Answers have a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the first 7 questions, you have to choose an appropriate paragraph from the passage. The next 6 questions are fill-in-the-blanks.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Bridging the Digital Divide Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Text Below and Answer Questions

Bridging the Digital Divide

When addressing the issue of global access to information technology, some people claim that the world's poor are more concerned about having enough to eat than about using e-mail or surfing the World Wide Web. Mike Chege disagrees.

In what concrete ways can information and communication technologies (ICTs) benefit the two -thirds of humanity who are more concerned about their next meal than about email or eBay?
First, there are the economic advantages of these technologies. Besides providing businesses with the opportunity to access real-time market information and complete business transactions electronically, ICTs can reduce costs and provide a channel to market goods and services. One small company from Tanzania replaced $20 faxes with 10 cent emails and saw its telecommunications bill go from over $500 per month to $45 per month. In the business-to- consumer segment you will find examples like EthioGift.com which sells gifts, including sheep and goats, over the Internet. And in India, which is fast becoming a global center for telemarketing, customer support and other call center services, ICTs are transforming the economy. With the legalization of Internet telephony, India has captured an even bigger chunk of the global outsourcing market, with calls from the US accounting for 80 percent of call center business. Schools are even training young men and women to speak in an American accent in order to handle the calls.
Health services also benefit from ICTs. Using the Internet, doctors in poor countries can keep up to speed with the latest developments in their field as well as seek help from their peers. This technology can also facilitate the control of diseases. Throughout Africa, for instance, individual cases of meningitis are tracked over the Internet so that epidemics can be stopped early. In addition, ICTs can assist in allowing healthcare professionals to extend their reach through telemedicine into the remotest and most underserved areas.
ICTs can make it easier to reach a broad segment of the population in education too. The African Virtual University is a distance learning project which is partly financed by the World Bank, and which serves the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The Virtual University uses satellites to broadcast televised courses to students who communicate with teachers by e-mail and telephone.
Finally, we come to what has been dubbed 'e-government'. E-government initiatives focus on making government transparent and accountable by providing citizens with direct access to information. Critics might argue that when you're being stalked by war, hunger and disease, this may be a priority. But the e-government is about more than just the ability to pay your taxes online or apply for a driving license over the Internet. It is about giving citizens access to information which allows them to make informed decisions on subjects that affect their lives.
But how can those people who need ICT capabilities most be best helped to bridge the Digital Divide? Throwing computers and modems at people (as someone colorfully puts it) will not in itself help much. Other important issues that need to be addressed include improving computer and keyboarding skills and increasing people's confidence in their ability to use the new technology.
A good example of how this can be done is the Information Village Project, a computer intra net linking ten villages near Pondicherry, India. The project, started with a $120,000 grant from the International Development Research Centre, Canada, provides locally relevant information on product prices, healthcare, weather and fishing conditions. A team of volunteers from each village gathers up the information and feeds it into the computer in the local language (Tamil). It is then available to all users of the intranet. There is also a multimedia component to make the information accessible to illiterate users. Most of the operators and volunteers providing the primary information are women, and their role in the project raises their status in the community. Since most of the villages experience erratic power supply, the project can run on solar power as well as mains Electricity.
Another Indian creation, the Simputer (short for Simple, Inexpensive, Multilingual computer) was conceived by a team of computer scientists at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. It is a small, hand-held, battery-powered computer about 12 cm by 7 cm that has a touch-sensitive screen. You use a stylus to tap on icons and to input information. Because each display page shows only a few possible commands, illiterate users should be able to learn by trial and error the purpose of the icons and buttons on each page. The Simputer also has software that can turn text into speech. This works for various Indian languages and allows the Simputer to read the text aloud on its tiny built-in speakers. It also has a slot for 'smart' cards, a feature that its makers see as crucial. Because the device lacks a hard drive, smart cards act as the device's portable storage units. In this way, many people can use one Simputer without having to share their private information with one another. The Simputer costs $200 - a sizable chunk of the yearly per capita income for many of its users. But one Simputer can enable an entire village to access the Internet, perform transactions, keep track of agricultural prices and educate its children.
So bridging the Digital Divide is not something that happens after addressing the 'core' development challenges; it is a key component of addressing those challenges in the 21st century. Failure to address the Digital Divide will only exacerbate the existing social and economic inequalities between countries and communities.

Section 2

Solution and Explantion

Questions 27-31

Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

The example of the Tanzanian company's telecommunications bill demonstrates how information and communication technology can cut ………………

Answer: COSTS
Supporting statement:“........businesses with the opportunity to access real-time market information and complete business transactions electronically, ICTs can reduce costs and provide a channel to market goods and services............”
Keywords: information, transactions
Keyword Location: para B, line 2
Explanation: The passage mentions how the Tanzanian company replaced expensive faxes with cheaper emails, significantly reducing their telecommunications bill.

In Africa, use of the Internet enables ................. diseases such as meningitis to be controlled.

Answer: EPIDEMICS
Supporting statement:“........This technology can also facilitate the control of diseases. Throughout Africa, for instance, individual cases of meningitis are tracked over the Internet so that epidemics can be stopped early. ............”
Keywords: instance, epidemics
Keyword Location: para C, line 3
Explanation: The passage says how individual cases of diseases like meningitis are tracked over the Internet in Africa to stop epidemics early.

An international organization has subsidized a ..................... scheme in Africa which depends on ICTs.

Answer: DISTANCE LEARNING
Supporting statement:“......... ICTs can make it easier to reach a broad segment of the population in education too. The African Virtual University is a distance learning project which is partly financed by the World
Bank,...........”
Keywords: financed, education
Keyword Location: para D,line 1
Explanation: The passage talks about the African Virtual University, which is partly financed by the World Bank and serves countries in sub-Saharan Africa, providing distance learning opportunities through the use of ICTs.

E-government provides people with a source of ........... so they can make their own choices in life.

Answer: INFORMATION
Supporting statement:“..........just the ability to pay your taxes online or apply for a driving license over the Internet. It is about giving citizens access to information which allows them to make informed decisions on subjects that affect their lives...........”
Keywords: license, decisions
Keyword Location: para E, line 3
Explanation: E-government initiatives aim to provide citizens with direct access to information, allowing them to make informed decisions about matters affecting their lives.

In order to allow global use of ICTs, people need to have the skill and…...... to use this technology.

Answer: CONFIDENCE
Supporting statement:“.........Other important issues that need to be addressed include improving computer and keyboarding skills and increasing people's confidence in their ability to use the new technology............”
Keywords: ability , computer
Keyword Location: para F, line 3
Explanation: The passage mentions the importance of addressing issues like improving computer and keyboarding skills and increasing people's confidence in using new technology to bridge the digital divide.

Questions 32-37

Classify the following features according to whether they apply to

the Information Village Project only
the Simputer only
both the Information Village Project and the Simputer
neither the Information Village Project nor the Simputer

use of the technology is not limited to individuals

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“.......... It is about giving citizens access to information which allows them to make informed decisions on subjects that affect their lives...........”
Keywords: informed, decisions
Keyword Location: para E, line 5
Explanation: Both the Information Village Project and the Simputer are designed to be utilized by communities rather than individuals.

information can be kept secure and private by individual users

Answer: B
Supporting statement:“........ It is a small, hand-held, battery-powered computer about 12 cm by 7 cm that has a touch-sensitive screen. You use a stylus to tap on icons and to input information...........”
Keywords: sensitive, information
Keyword Location: para H, line 3
Explanation: The Simputer has features like smart cards for portable storage, which allow individual users to keep their information secure and private.

must have a mains electricity supply

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“.........their role in the project raises their status in the community. Since most of the villages experience erratic power supply, the project can run on solar power as well as mains Electricity............”
Keywords: Electricity, community
Keyword Location: para G, line 8
Explanation: The Information Village Project can run on solar power as well as mains electricity, while the Simputer does not require mains electricity.

initially supported by an overseas agency

Answer: A
Supporting statement:“.........computer intra net linking ten villages near Pondicherry, India. The project, started with a $120,000 grant from the International Development Research Centre, Canada, ...........”
Keywords: project, Centre
Keyword Location: para G, line 2
Explanation: The Information Village Project received a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Canada, indicating initial support from an overseas agency.

can only be used by people who can read and write

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“...........provides locally relevant information on product prices, healthcare, weather and fishing conditions. A team of volunteers from each village gathers up the information and feeds .........”
Keywords: weather, information
Keyword Location: para G, line 5
Explanation: Both the Information Village Project and the Simputer are designed to be accessible to illiterate users through features like multimedia components and touch-sensitive screens.

knowledge of English not required

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“........This works for various Indian languages and allows the Simputer to read the text aloud on its tiny built-in speakers. It also has a slot for 'smart' cards, a feature that its makers see as crucial.............”
Keywords: feature, speakers
Keyword Location: para H, line 8
Explanation: Both the Information Village Project and the Simputer are designed to accommodate users who may not have knowledge of English, with features like locally relevant information and multilingual capabilities.

Questions 38-40

Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D.

What reason is given for the increasing importance of call centers to the Indian economy?

the availability of workers with the right accent
a change in the legal system
local familiarity with outsourcing techniques
the country's geographical position

Answer: B
Supporting statement:“......... With the legalization of Internet telephony, India has captured an even bigger chunk of the global outsourcing market, with calls from the US accounting for 80 percent of call center business. ...........”
Keywords: percent , center
Keyword Location: para B, line 9
Explanation: The passage mentions the legalization of Internet telephony in India, which has contributed to the growth of call centers by allowing India to capture a larger share of the global outsourcing market.

The writer says that in both health and education

more training is needed in the use of ICTs.
international organizations need to provide more support with ICTs.
Ordinary people are gaining more skill in the use of ICTs.
ICTs can help to provide services to more people than before.

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“..........And in India, which is fast becoming a global center for telemarketing, customer support and other call center services, ICTs are transforming the econom.........”
Keywords: telemarketing, customer
Keyword Location: para B, line 7
Explanation: The passage says how ICTs benefit both health and education sectors by extending services to remote areas and facilitating access to information and learning opportunities.

Overall the writer's main argument in this passage is that

ICT access is a basic need for a fairer world.
the digital divide is the cause of our present inequalities.
the developed world should do more to provide ICT training.
the digital divide may never be successfully bridged.

Answer: A
Supporting statement:“..........But how can those people who need ICT capabilities most be best helped to bridge the Digital Divide? Throwing computers and modems at people (as someone colorfully puts it) will not in itself help much..........”
Keywords: helped , people
Keyword Location: para F, line 1
Explanation: The passage focuses the importance of bridging the digital divide and providing access to ICTs as a fundamental requirement for achieving social and economic equity globally.

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