Garbage In Garbage Out Reading Answer
Garbage In Garbage Out Reading Answer assesses the cognition and interpretation potential of the candidates over passages and then answering the questions. IELTS Reading test helps students in improving various kinds of skill sets. In this IELTS Reading Section, the candidates will be provided with a set of questions with specific styles and instructions. It is instructed to read those instructions thoroughly before answering. The following IELTS reading piece - Garbage In Garbage Out Reading Answer caters to two types of questions:
- Choose no more than Three Words
- Write the correct letter, A-J
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Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
Garbage In Garbage Out Reading Answer
- There are many ways of obtaining an understanding of people's behaviour. One of these is to study the objects discarded by a community, objects used in daily lives. The study of the refuse of a society is the basis for the science of archaeology in which the lives and behaviour of past societies are minutely examined. Some recent studies have indicated the degree to which rubbish is socially defined.
- For several years the University of Arizona, USA, has been running a Garbage Project, in which garbage is collected, sorted out and noted. It began with an arrangement whereby the City of Tucson collected for analysis garbage from randomly selected households in designated census collection districts. Since then the researchers have studied other cities, both in the USA and Mexico, refining their techniques and procedures in response to the challenges of validating and understanding the often unexpected results they have obtained. Garbage is sorted according to an extremely detailed schedule, a range of data for each item is recorded on a standardised coding form, and the researchers cross-tabulate their findings with information from census and other social surveys.
- This project arose out of courses designed to teach students at the University the principles of archaeological methodology and to sensitise them to the complex and frequently surprising links between cultural assumptions and physical realities. Often a considerable discrepancy exists between what people say they do or even think they do-and what they actually do. In one Garbage Project study, none of the Hispanic (Spanish-speaking) women in the sample admitted to using as much as a single serving of commercially-prepared baby food, clearly reflecting cultural expectations about proper mothering. Yet garbage from the Hispanic households with infants contained just as many baby food containers as garbage from nonHispanic households with infants.
- The project leaders then decided to take not only at what was thrown away, but what happened to it after that. In many countries waste is disposed of in landfills; the rubbish is compacted and buried in the ground. So the project expanded its activities to include the excavation of landfills across the United States and Canada. Surprisingly, n9zone had ever attempted such excavations before.
- The researchers discovered that far from being sites of chemical and biological activity, the interiors of waste landfills are rather inactive, with the possible exception of those established in swamps. Newspapers buried 20 or more years previously usually remained perfectly legible, and a remarkable amount of food waste of similar age also remained intact.
- While discarded household products such as paints, pesticides, cleaners and cosmetics result in a fair amount of hazardous substances being contained in municipal landfills, toxic leachates pose considerably less danger than people fear, provided that a landfill is properly sited and constructed. Garbage Project researchers have found that the leachates do not migrate far, and tend to get absorbed by the other materials in the immediate surrounds.
- The composition of landfills is also strikingly different from what is commonly believed. In a recent US survey people were asked whether particular items were a major cause of garbage problems. Disposable nappies (baby diapers) were identified as a major cause by 41 per cent of the survey respondents, plastic bottles by 29 per cent, allorms of paper by six per cent, and construction debris by zero per cent. Yet Garbage Project data shows that disposable nappies make up less than two per cent of the volume of landfills and plastic bottles less than one per cent. On the other hand, over 40 per cent of the volume of landfills is composed of paper and around 12 per cent is construction debris.
- Packaging--the paper and plastic wrapping around goods bought- has also been seen as a serious cause of pollution. But while some packaging is excessive, the Garbage Project researchers note that most manufacturers use as little as possible, because less is cheaper. They also point out that modern product packaging frequently functions to reduce the overall size of the solid-waste stream.
- This apparent paradox is illustrated by the results of a comparison of garbage from a large and socially diverse sample of households in Mexico City with a similarly large and diverse sample in three United States cities. Even after correcting for differences in family size;US households generated far less garbage than the Mexican ones. Because they are much more dependent on processed and packaged foods than Mexican households, US households produce much less food debris. (And most of the leaves, husks, etc. that the US processor has removed from the food can be used in the manufacture of other products, rather than entering the waste stream as is the likely fate with fresh produce purchased by households.)
- One criticism made of Western societies is that the people are wasteful, and throw things away while they are still usable. This, however, does not seem to be true. Garbage Project data showed that furniture and consumer appliances were entering the solid waste stream at a rate very much less than would be expected from production and service-life 'gures. So the researchers set up a study to track the fate of such items and thus gained an insight into the huge informal and commercial trade in used goods that rarely turns up in official calculations and statistics.
- The Garbage Project's work shows how many misconceptions exist about garbage. The Researchers are therefore critical of attempts to promote one type of waste management, such as source reduction or recycling, over others, such as incineration or landfilling. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and what may be appropriate for one locality may not be appropriate for another.
Section 2
Solution with Explanation
Question 28-34:
Complete the summary below
Choose No More than THREE Words from the passage for each answer
Studying the 28.... of a community is one means by which an understanding of people's behaviour can be obtained. Researchers running a Garbage Project found from their initial analysis of collected garbage that it was necessary to refine their techniques and procedures because of the difficulties they faced in substantiating some 29……… The investigation involved entering data on a standardised coding form and comparing these results with those from other 30.... The Garbage Project actually came about through courses aimed at teaching archaeological methodology and making students aware of the often unexpected connection between 31.... and what in fact happens in reality. This kind of 32.…….. was observed in a sample of Hispanic women who claimed not to have used store-bought
baby food, obviously expressing that which would be culturally expected insofar as 33..... is concerned. Their household garbage, however, told another story. It had the same quantity of 34..... as the non-Hispanic households with infants.
- Studying the _________ of a community is one means by which an understanding of people's behaviour can be obtained
Answer: Refuse
Supporting sentence: The study of the refuse of a society is the basis for the science of archaeology in which the lives and behaviour of past societies are minutely examined.
Keyword: science, archaeology
Keyword location: Paragraph 1, lines 2-3
Explanation: As mentioned in Para 1 and lines 2-3, the science of archaeology in which the archaeologists study and examine the behaviour of past societies is based on the study of refuse.
Read More IELTS Reading Related Articles
- Researchers running a Garbage Project found from their initial analysis of collected garbage that it was necessary to refine their techniques and procedures because of the difficulties they faced in substantiating some ___________
Answer: Unexpected results
Supporting sentence: Since then the researchers have studied other cities, both in the USA and Mexico, refining their techniques and procedures in response to the challenges of validating and understanding the often unexpected results they have obtained.
Keyword: researchers, techniques
Keyword location: Para 2, lines 4-5
Explanation: According to Para 2, the researchers have examined other cities in the USA as well as in Mexico and they have also refined their techniques to understand the unexpected results that they have got from their findings.
- The investigation involved entering data on a standardised coding form and comparing these results with those from other_________
Answer: Social surveys
Supporting sentence: Garbage is sorted according to an extremely detailed schedule, a range of data for each item is recorded on a standardised coding form, and the researchers cross-tabulate their findings with information from census and other social surveys.
Keyword: detailed, standardised, information
Keyword location: Para 2, lines 6-9
Explanation: The sorting of garbage is based on a detailed schedule and the range of data for each item is recorded in a standardised manner, the researchers also match their examined report with the information received from social surveys.
- The Garbage Project actually came about through courses aimed at teaching archaeological methodology and making students aware of the often unexpected connection between _______ and what in fact happens in reality.
Answer: Cultural assumptions
Supporting sentence: This project arose out of courses designed to teach students at the University the principles of archaeological methodology and to sensitise them to the complex and frequently surprising links between cultural assumptions and physical realities.
Keyword: project, methodology, assumptions
Keyword location: Para 3, lines 1-3
Explanation: According to Para 3, lines 1-3, the garbage project was aimed at teaching students about the complex and surprising links between cultural assumptions and what happens in reality.
- This kind of ________ was observed in a sample of Hispanic women who claimed not to have used store-bought baby food
Answer: Discrepancy
Supporting sentence: In one Garbage Project study, none of the Hispanic (Spanish-speaking) women in the sample admitted to using as much as a single serving of commercially-prepared baby food.
Keyword: hispanic, women, food
Keyword location: Para 3, lines 5-6
Explanation: As per the lines 5-6 of para 3, an example of the differences between cultural assumptions and physical reality was observed when none of the Hispanic women admitted that they use the commercially-prepared food for their babies.
- ….. obviously expressing that which would be culturally expected insofar as ________ is concerned.
Answer: Proper mothering
Supporting sentence: In one Garbage Project study, none of the Hispanic (Spanish-speaking) women in the sample admitted to using as much as a single serving of commercially-prepared baby food, clearly reflecting cultural expectations about proper mothering.
Keyword: hispanic, proper, mothering
Keyword location: Para 3, lines 5-7
Explanation: The Hispanic women admitted that they never use even a single serving of commercially-prepared baby food as it is a cultural expectation for proper mothers to do so.
- Their household garbage, however, told another story. It had the same quantity of ________ as the non-Hispanic households with infants.
Answer: Baby food containers
Supporting sentence: Yet garbage from the Hispanic households with infants contained just as many baby food containers as garbage from non-Hispanic households with infants.
Keyword: garbage,containers, households
Keyword location: Para 3, lines 7-9
Explanation: Lines 7-9 of para 3 highlights the fact that the garbage from Hispanic households contained as many containers of baby food as from any non- Hispanic households with babies.
Questions 35-40:
Look at the following misconceptions about garbage and the list of counter arguments below.
Match each misconception with the appropriate counter argument.
Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet.
List of counter arguments
- Toxins are contained in designated sites only
- Fresh food creates less debris.
- Perishable items are often almost unchanged, even after long periods of time.
- It is used sparingly in the manufacturing industry.
- Businesses process food debris into other products.
- Household goods constituted a smaller-than-expected part of solid waste.
- Disposable nappies make up less than 2% of landfills.
- Leachates are confined to surrounding areas.
- It is used far more efficiently by manufacturers these days
- Paper constitutes 6% of landfill.
- Certain household items are a major cause of garbage problems in landfills.
Answer: G
Supporting sentence: Yet Garbage Project data shows that disposable nappies make up less than two per cent of the volume of landfills and plastic bottles less than one per cent.
Keyword: garbage, disposable, nappies
Keyword location: Para 7, lines 5-6
Explanation: According to people in the US, disposable nappies were identified as the major cause of garbage but the Garbage Project tells us that disposable nappies make up less than 2 percent of the landfills.
- Western households generate far more waste than others.
Answer: E
Supporting sentence: US households generated far less garbage than the Mexican ones. Because they are much more dependent on processed and packaged food than Mexican households, US households produce much less food debris.
Keyword: households, food, debris
Keyword location: Para 10, lines 1-3
Explanation: According to the Garbage Project, US households generate less garbage than Mexican households as they are mostly dependent on packaged food and produce much less food debris because most of the husks, leaves etc are removed from the food and they can be used for the manufacture of other items.
- Germs and bacteria are active and widespread in landfills.
Answer: C
Supporting sentence: The researchers discovered that far from being sites of chemical and biological activity, the interiors of waste landfills are rather inactive, with the possible exception of those established in swamps.
Keyword: researchers, landfills, inactive
Keyword location: Para 5, lines 1-2
Explanation: As mentioned in para 5, the interiors of landfills are inactive and these landfills are not the sites of any chemical or biological activity, in fact the germs and bacteria are not widespread and usually unchanged.
- Western societies waste many usable items.
Answer: F
Supporting sentence: Garbage Project data showed that furniture and consumer appliances were entering the solid waste stream at a rate very much less than would be expected from production and service-life figures.
Keyword: furniture, production
Keyword location: Para 11, lines 2-4
Explanation: Western societies are often criticised for throwing away usable things but according to Garbage Project data, household items like furniture and other consumer appliances constitute a very less part of the solid waste from western households.
- Harmful substances are widespread in municipal landfills.
Answer: H
Supporting sentence: Garbage Project researchers have found that the leachates do not migrate far, and tend to get absorbed by the other materials in their immediate surroundings.
Keyword: researchers, leachates, surrounds
Keyword location: Para 6, lines 4-5
Explanation: According to para 6, leachates do not migrate far and are not widespread in landfills, they usually get absorbed by other materials so, the conception about widespread harmful substances in municipal landfills is wrong.
- Paper wrapping is wasteful and causes excess garbage
Answer: D
Supporting sentence: But while some packaging is excessive, the Garbage Project researchers note that most manufactures use as little as possible, because less is cheaper.
Keyword: excessive, manufacturers, cheaper
Keyword location: Para 8, lines 2-5
Explanation: According to lines 2-5 of para 8, manufacturers use packaging as little as possible because they want to reduce the cost of the product and modern packaging functions frequently so that the overall size of solid waste can be reduced.
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