Cork Reading Answers

Dec 15, 2022

Cork Reading Answers is a topic discussing about a thick and tough part of an oak tree. “Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers” is the book from which the given IELTS topic has been taken. The topic named Cork Reading Answers has 13 questions which the candidates should attempt within the given time span of 20 minutes. The candidates for undertanding the overall concept should mandatorily go through the passage. The topic is divided into two types of questions, mainly, True/False/Not Given, and choose only one word. The candidates should thoroughly skim the IELTS reading passage in order to analyze the gist of the passage, recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and then should attempt to answer the questions below. The candidates for the preparation of similar kinds of topics like Cork Reading Answers, should go mandatorily go through the IELTS reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Cork Reading Answers

Cork - the thick bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber) - is a remarkable material. It is tough, elastic, buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes. It has also been used for millennia: the ancient Egyptians sealed then sarcophagi (stone coffins) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it for anything from beehives to sandals.

And the cork oak itself is an extraordinary tree. Its bark grows up to 20 cm in thickness, insulating the tree like a coat wrapped around the trunk and branches and keeping the inside at a constant 20°C all year round. Developed most probably as a defence against forest fires, the bark of the cork oak has a particular cellular structure - with about 40 million cells per cubic centimetre - that technology has never succeeded in replicating. The cells are filled with air, which is why cork is so buoyant. It also has an elasticity that means you can squash it and watch it spring back to its original size and shape when you release the pressure.

Cork oaks grow in a number of Mediterranean countries, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Morocco. They flourish in warm, sunny climates where there is a minimum of 400 millimetres of rain per year, and no more than 800 millimetres. Like grape vines, the trees thrive in poor soil, putting down deep root in search of moisture and nutrients. Southern Portugal’s Alentejo region meets all of these requirements, which explains why, by the early 20th century, this region had become the world’s largest producer of cork, and why today it accounts for roughly half of all cork production around the world.

Most cork forests are family-owned. Many of these family businesses, and indeed many of the trees themselves, are around 200 years old. Cork production is, above all, an exercise in patience. From the planting of a cork sapling to the first harvest takes 25 years, and a gap of approximately a decade must separate harvests from an individual tree. And for top-quality cork, it’s necessary to wait a further 15 or 20 years. You even have to wait for the right kind of summer’s day to harvest cork. If the bark is stripped on a day when it’s too cold - or when the air is damp - the tree will be damaged.

Cork harvesting is a very specialised profession. No mechanical means of stripping cork bark has been invented, so the job is done by teams of highly skilled workers. First, they make vertical cuts down the bark using small sharp axes, then lever it away in pieces as large as they can manage. The most skilful cork- strippers prise away a semi-circular husk that runs the length of the trunk from just above ground level to the first branches. It is then dried on the ground for about four months, before being taken to factories, where it is boiled to kill any insects that might remain in the cork. Over 60% of cork then goes on to be made into traditional bottle stoppers, with most of the remainder being used in the construction trade, Corkboard and cork tiles are ideal for thermal and acoustic insulation, while granules of cork are used in the manufacture of concrete.

Recent years have seen the end of the virtual monopoly of cork as the material for bottle stoppers, due to concerns about the effect it may have on the contents of the bottle. This is caused by a chemical compound called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), which forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mould. The tiniest concentrations - as little as three or four parts to a trillion - can spoil the taste of the product contained in the bottle. The result has been a gradual yet steady move first towards plastic stoppers and, more recently, to aluminium screw caps. These substitutes are cheaper to manufacture and, in the case of screw caps, more convenient for the user.

The classic cork stopper does have several advantages, however. Firstly, its traditional image is more in keeping with that of the type of high quality goods with which it has long been associated. Secondly - and very importantly - cork is a sustainable product that can be recycled without difficulty. Moreover, cork forests are a resource which support local biodiversity, and prevent desertification in the regions where they are planted. So, given the current concerns about environmental issues, the future of this ancient material once again looks promising.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Question 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

Question 1- The cork oak has the thickest bark of any living tree.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: No suitable or pertinent information to support this sentence has been given in the passage.

Question 2- Scientists have developed a synthetic cork with the same cellular structure as natural cork.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: It also has an elasticity that means you can squash it and watch it spring back to its original size and shape when you release the pressure.
Keywords: cellular, technology, succeeded, replicating
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2
Explanation: The second paragraph suggests that there are over 40 million cells per cubic centimetre in the bark of the cork oak, which has a unique cellular structure that technology has never been able to duplicate. The air in the cells is what makes cork so buoyant. Additionally, it is elastic, so you can squeeze it and watch it rebound to its initial size and shape after you release the pressure. So, the statement is regarded as False.

Question 3- Individual cork oak trees must be left for 25 years between the first and second harvest.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: From the planting of a cork sapling to the first harvest takes 25 years, and a gap of approximately a decade must separate harvests from an individual tree.
Keywords: approximately, decade, harvests, individual
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: The fourth paragraph states that it takes 25 years from the time a cork sapling is planted to the first harvest, and there must be a ten-year lag between harvests from the same tree. Also we will required to wait another 15 or 20 years for premium cork. Hence, it is a False one.

Question 4- Cork bark should be stripped in dry atmospheric conditions.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: If the bark is stripped on a day when it’s too cold - or when the air is damp - the tree will be damaged.
Keywords: stripped, damp, damaged
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: The fourth paragraph in the passage implies that a tree will suffer casualties if the bark is removed on a day when it is too cold or when the air is wet. So, it is a True statement.

Question 5- The only way to remove the bark from cork oak trees is by hand.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: No mechanical means of stripping cork bark has been invented, so the job is done by teams of highly skilled workers.
Keywords: the mechanical, invented, cork bark
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: Paragraph 5 enhances that the cork bark stripping is now done by hand by groups of highly skilled workers because there is no machine for the process. Therefore, it is a True sentence.

Question 6-13:

Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.

Comparison of aluminium screw caps and cork bottle stoppers
Advantages of aluminum screw caps

Question 6- do not affect the ……. of the bottle contents

Answer: Taste
Supporting Sentence: The tiniest concentrations - as little as three or four parts to a trillion - can spoil the taste of the product contained in the bottle.
Keywords: tiniest, concentrations, trillion, contained
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: The sixth paragraph explains that the flavor taste of the product in the bottle can be ruined by even the smallest quantities, which can be as low as three or four parts per trillion.

Question 7- are…... to produce

Answer: Cheaper
Supporting Sentence: These substitutes are cheaper to manufacture and, in the case of screw caps, more convenient for the user.
Keywords: substitutes, manufacture, convenient, screw caps
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: Paragraph 6 in the passage implies that the alternatives are easier to use and less expensive to produce in the case of aluminium screw caps.

Question 8- are……. to use

Answer: Convenient
Supporting Sentence: These substitutes are cheaper to manufacture and, in the case of screw caps, more convenient for the user.
Keyword: convenient, user
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: The sixth paragraph explains that these alternatives provide the user greater convenience.

Advantages of cork bottle stoppers

Question 9- suit the……. of quality products

Answer: Image
Supporting Sentence: its traditional image is more in keeping with that of the type of high-quality goods with which it has long been associated.
Keyword: traditional, high-quality, associated
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7
Explanation: The paragraph 7 implies that the bottle stoppers made of aluminium and cork enhance the appearance or image of high-quality goods.

Question 10- made from a….. material.

Answer: Sustainable
Supporting Sentence: cork is a sustainable product.
Keyword: cork, sustainable product
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7
Explanation: Paragraph 7 explains that the aluminium cork is made of a material which is sustainable or ecofriendly.

Question 11- easily……..

Answer: Recycled
Supporting Sentence: cork is a sustainable product that can be recycled without difficulty.
Keyword: recycled, difficulty
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7
Explanation: The seventh paragraph states that the cork is a renewable material that is easily recyclable.

Question 12- cork forests aid…….

Answer: Biodiversity
Supporting Sentence:Biodiversity, and prevent desertification in the regions where they are planted.
Keyword: Biodiversity, desertification, prevent
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7
Explanation: The sevent paragraph explains that the areas in which the corks are planted, biodiversity and stop desertification.

Question 13- cork forests stop……. happening

Answer: Desertification
Supporting Sentence: Desertification in the regions where they are planted.
Keyword: planted, regions
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7
Explanation: The narrator in the 7th paragraph explains that the prevention of desertification is done by the cork forests in the places where they were planted.

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