Comets Reading Answers

Apr 25, 2025

Comets Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Comets Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the first question set you have to complete the summary using the words in the box below. In the next question set given you have to choose the correct answer from the given text in no more than two words to fill the blanks. In the last question set you have to fill the blank with the correct answer in no more than two words.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognize essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practicing these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1 COMETS

Comets arrive to grace our skies every year; some are new to the inner Solar System, and some are old friends on a repeat visit, but only comparatively rarely do they reach sufficient brightness to become apparent to the unaided eye. Comets do not behave like any other

object that we can observe in the night sky with the unaided eye. Stars remain fixed in the pattern of their constellations, and are regular in their motion through the sky from one night to the next, and from one month to the next. A planet follows a fairly slow but expected path By comparison, a comet is a totally different kind of event: it will appear unexpectedly and at any place in the sky, it will change position from one night to the nod relative to the background Of stars, and its path will along a separate direction and path across the sky from the planets and stars. During the few weeks or months that it is observable, it will first steadily increase in brightness from one night to the next, may change its shape—growing bigger, longer or extra tails —and then wane to invisibility, never to be seen again. Throughout history, comets have always signified evil, war and death, and they were supposed to leave chaos and calamity in their wake. Indeed, plenty Of past comets have been blamed by the astrologers Of their day for bringing or marking misfortune.

There have been many spectacular comets throughout history; on average we are visited by what is termed a 'great comet' about three times a century. This appellation is saved for those comets that reach exceptional brightness. The most famous Of all comets is Halley's comet; not

that it is the most spectacular, but study Of its orbit by the English astronomer, Edmond Halley, was fundamental to pinning down the real nature of comets. During the 17th century, Halley was using Newton's new mathematics Of calculus to try to characterise the orbits Of twenty -four comets from sightings recorded over the previous four centuries. He realised that the orbital path of the bright comet recently seen in 1682 was very similar to that followed by two Other comets — one observed in 1531 and one in 1607. All moved in a retrograde direction (i.e.

opposite to the revolution Of the planets round the Sun), following an elliptical orbit that had a similar orientation to the plane Of the planets' motion. The great comet of 1456 was also known to have travelled in a retrograde direction. Halley's inspiration was to realise that these were four apparitions of the same comet, following a set path around the Sun, but which only became apparent to observers on Earth when its orbit returned the comet to the inner Solar System, after an interval Of about 76 years. Although he did not live to see the success Of his prediction Of the comet's return in 1758, when the comet was spotted on schedule, it was given his name. Subsequently, at least 23 previous appearances of Halley's comet have been identified from historical records, the first known being from a Chinese text dating from 240 BC

The nucleus is the sole solid component of a comet, and the only port that is always present. It resembles a dark-coloured iceberg; it is a frozen chunk of ice ranging between 5 to 20 km in size, and with a somewhat irregular shape. The ice is not just water ice, but also contains the ices of frozen ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide. The ices are blackened, as they contain small fragments of dust embedded within them, and the whole nucleus is of a low density, suggesting it to be a partially porous body. When travelling along the outer reaches of its orbit, far from the Sun, the nucleus remains frozen and dormant. As soon as its path brings the icy block into the inner Solar system, it begins to warm up and its surface becomes active. The solid ice turns directly into gas in a process known as 'sublimation,' and is liberated from the surface. The process is particularly apparent on the sunward flank of the nucleus, where the gases escape as jets, particularly through anyfissures that open up in the structure. These jets also push out the particles of solid dust that in the ice.

The closer an orbit brings a nucleus to the Sun, the warmer it becomes, and the more spectacular tails are generated with them, sometimes being visible during the day There are two types of comet tails: dust and gas ion. A dust tail contains small, solid particles that are about the same size as those found in cigarette smoke.This tail forms because sunlight pushes on these small particles, gently shoving them away from the comet's nucleus. Because the pressure from sunlight is relatively weak, the dust particles end up forming a diffuse curved tail in the direction of the comet's orbit. A gas ion tail forms when ultraviolet sunlight rips one or more electrons from gas atoms in the coma, making them into ions. The solar wind then carries these ions straight outward away from the Sun. As a comet heads away from the Sun, its tails dissipate, and the matter contained in its nucleus freezes into a rock-like material.

Questions 14-18

Complete the summary using the words in the box below.

Write your answers in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

COMETS

Comets are quite common in our solar system, but they are seldom(14)………. Comets behave differently to other sky objects; they are seemingly quiet(15)……….. in their movements and (16).............Comets have often been seen as predicting (17)............. . Halley's comet is probably the best known 'great comet. Using previous(18)………., Edmond Halley was successfully able to predict the comet's next appearance, although it occurred after his death.

14………….

Answer: VISIBLE

Supporting statement: but only comparatively rarely do they reach sufficient brightness to become apparent to the unaided eye.

Keywords: comparatively rarely, apparent

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 2-3

Explanation: According to the passage comets are quite common in our solar system, some are new and some are like old friend visiting us after a few year gap but they are rare to be seen by the naked eye as they rarely reach sufficient brightness to become visible to the human eye without the help of any device.

15………….

Answer: UNPREDICTABLE

Supporting statement: it will appear unexpectedly and at any place in the sky, it will change position from one night to the nod relative

Keywords: unexpectedly, position

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 7-8

Explanation: The passage states that a planet travels along an expected but quite slow trajectory. A comet, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of event: it will show up suddenly and anywhere in the sky, it will shift from night to night in relation to the star background, and it will travel in a different direction and follow a different path across the sky than the planets and stars.

16………….

Answer: PROPERTIES

Supporting statement:it will first steadily increase in brightness from one night to the next, may change its shape

Keywords: steadily increase, change

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 10-11

Explanation: The passage states that a comet will first gradually get brighter from night to night for the few weeks or months that it is visible, then it may change shape, becoming larger, longer, or having more tails, before fading into oblivion and never being seen again.

17………….

Answer: DISASTER

Supporting statement:Throughout history, comets have always signified evil, war and death,

Keywords: history, signified evil

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 12-13

Explanation: According to the text comets have always been considered by the astrologers of their time to bring or signifying ill fortune. Comets were thought to leave chaos and disaster in their wake, and they have long been associated with evil, conflict, and death.

18………….

Answer: OBSERVATION

Supporting statement: characterise the orbits Of twenty -four comets from sightings recorded over the previous four centuries.

Keywords: characterise, four centuries

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 6-7

Explanation: According to the passage ,Edmond Halley was able to track the comet's paths and time stamp 76 years at which it will occur again with the help of the past observation but despite all this he could not see it himself as it became once again visible from earth only after his death.

Observations, dangerous, visible, beautiful, namingdisaster, success, unpredictable, properties, star

Question 19-23

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer

19. The nucleus Of a comet is the only part that is known to be…………..and to remain present through its orbits.

Answer: SOLID

Supporting statement: The nucleus is the sole solid component of a comet,

Keywords: nucleus, solid

Keyword Location: Para 3, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text the only known solid component of a comet that endures throughout its orbits is its nucleus.

20. The Frozen components of a comet's nucleus are………………due to the presence Of dust particles.

Answer: BLACKENED

Supporting statement:The ices are blackened, as they contain small fragments of dust embedded within them,

Keywords: blackened, dust

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The passage states that the dust particles cause the frozen parts of a comet's nucleus to become blackened. Not only is the ice water, but it also contains frozen carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane, and carbon monoxide.

21. The nucleus Of a comet has been theorised to be porous because Of its………………

Answer: (LOW) DENSITY

Supporting statement: and the whole nucleus is of a low density,

Keywords: whole nucleus, low density

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 5-6

Explanation: The text mentions that a comet's nucleus has been speculated to be porous due to its low density.

22. When far from the sun, a comet's nucleus is icy and………………..

Answer: DORMANT

Supporting statement: the nucleus remains frozen and dormant.

Keywords: remains, dormant

Keyword Location: Para 3, Line 7

Explanation: The text states that When a comet travels far from the Sun, at the outer regions of its orbit, the nucleus stays frozen and dormant. Its surface becomes active and it starts to warm up as soon as its trajectory takes the frozen block into the inner Solar System.

23. Gas jets eject more frequently from the…………..size of a comet.

Answer: SUNWARD

Supporting statement:The process is particularly apparent on the sunward flank of the nucleus,

Keywords: process, sunward

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 10

Explanation: According to the passage In a process called sublimation the solid ice changes straight into gas and is released from the surface. On the nucleus' sunward flank, where the gases exit as jets, the process is very noticeable. This is especially true of any fractures that form in the structure. Additionally, the solid dust particles in the ice are pushed out by these jets.

Questions 24-26

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDSfor each.

(25)..........tail

Answer: DUST

Supporting statement:types of comet tails: dust and gas ion.

Keywords: tails, dust

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 3

Explanation: According to the passage, a comet has two types of comet tails one of them being a dust tail that contains small, solid particles that are about the same size as those found in cigarette smoke

(24)..........tail

Answer: GAS (ION)

Supporting statement:types of comet tails: dust and gas ion.

Keywords: comet, gas ion.

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 3

Explanation: According to the passag,e a comet has two types of comet tails One being the dust tail and the other being the gas tai,l which forms when ultraviolet sunlight tears one or more electrons from gas atoms in the coma, turning them into ions.

The tails of the comet(26)........as they go further from the sun.

Answer: DISSIPATE

Supporting statement: comet heads away from the Sun, its tails dissipate,

Keywords: Sun, dissipate

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 9-10

Explanation: The text mentions that the comet's tails fade as it moves away from the Sun, and the material inside its nucleus turns into a substance that resembles rock.

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