Hitting Jackpot - Las Vegas Story Reading Answers

Feb 5, 2025

Hitting Jackpot - Las Vegas Story Reading Answers contains 13 questions, and it is a topic belonging to the assessment system of IELTS general reading test. Hitting Jackpot - Las Vegas Story Reading Answers have to be answered within 20 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, there are questions like Choosing the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, I-x, and Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1. Also, this Hitting Jackpot - Las Vegas Story Reading Answers talks about the journey of Las Vegas city. To practice reading papers like that, the candidates can refer to IELTS Reading Practice test.

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Topic:

Hitting Jackpot - Las Vegas Story

Las Vegas, often called "Sin City," has carved a unique niche worldwide as a hub of entertainment, gambling, and extravagance. While it is renowned today as a glittering metropolis, its journey to becoming the Entertainment Capital of the World was far from instant. Before Las Vegas was known for siot machines and neon lights, it was a particularly unattractive desert town with little going for it.

A. Las Vegas's origins can be traced back to its establishment as a small railroad town in 1905. At the onset of the 1910s, the population stood at a mere 800 people, rendering the likelihood of it emerging as a prominent world destination improbable. During that period, the city needed more recognition as a destination for wagering or entertainment. Nevertheless, its changes commenced in the early 20th century, propelled by many pivotal factors.

B. The year 1931 marked a turning point in the development of Las Vegas, as Nevada made the historic decision to legalize gambling. The Hoover Dam's construction began concurrently, drawing tens of thousands of laborers to the adjacent city of Boulder. Upon receiving their wages, these laborers would commence the approximately 25-mile journey to Las Vegas to partake in casino activities on Fremont Street, the city's central business district, before the development of the renowned Las Vegas Strip. Nonetheless, although these modifications facilitated the city's metamorphosis, they constituted merely a fraction of the whole. Indeed, notwithstanding the biweekly influx of gamblers, Las Vegas required a significantly more substantial impetus. Such impetus materialized in the shape of city visionaries, the first of whom was Guy McAfee, a former corrupt vice squad commander from Los Angeles.

C. From him, many significant turning points emerged, with the first taking place in 1941 with the opening of El Rancho Vegas, the Inaugural Integrated hotel-casino, along a segment of Highway 91 that McAfee subsequently dubbed "the Strip." Following its triumph, additional establishments of hotel-casinos emerged, some of which were located on Fremont Street in an area referred to as "Glitter Gulch." In contrast, others were situated on the Strip, an area beyond city limits. McAfee and other resort proprietors established the unincorporated township of Paradise, Nevada as an additional tax shelter.

D. During the same era that McAfee and his associates constructed gambling resorts and sought tax advantages, organized crime figures recognized the opportunity to establish their own casinos in Las Vegas. Las Vegas presented them with numerous opportunities. Nevada was the only state to have legalized casino gambling before the 1970s; therefore, mobsters who had previously operated illegal gambling enterprises in other cities could now legally profit from Las Vegas. Before any other prominent mafia figure, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was a pioneer in the Las Vegas gambling industry, whose contribution to Las Vegas featured the 1947 launch of The Flamingo on the Strip. Following Siegel's murder that year, other mob figures began to get involved in the city's gambling operations.

E. In the 1950s, the mafia significantly attracted more individuals to the casinos by securing celebrity performances for Las Vegas. By their connections to prominent city nightclubs, mobsters were able to secure the services of Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Judy Garland, Liberace, and numerous others. In the interim, resorts and clubs vied for the opportunity to showcase the most opulent showgirl performances, which featured lines of women performing in scant, synchronized attire adorned with ornate headdresses and feather boas. In addition to featuring celebrities and showgirls, Las Vegas resorts implemented nuclear testing to attract tourists to their establishments, accompanied by the provision of unique "atomic cocktails" and "Miss Atomic Energy" contests.

F. Midway through the 1960s and 1970s, however, ownership of Las Vegas resorts began to change. Significant ownership changes occurred in the Desert Inn and numerous other properties when Howard Hughes acquired them in 1967. His acquisitions enabled the abolition of certain organized crime figures who had previously possessed hotels and casinos. Concurrently, Nevada enacted the Corporate Gaming Act in 1967, which loosened restrictions on the operation of casinos by corporations. This legislative amendment facilitated the acquisition of Las Vegas resorts by corporations, thereby exacerbating the expulsion of mob proprietors. Las Vegas was changing to a new era of corporate ownership as the tide turned, making many worry about its future.

G. Then, starting in 1978, with the opening of the first casino in Atlantic City, Las Vegas began to face competition from other gambling destinations outside Nevada. As casino gambling became legal in more parts of the United States, corporate resorts started to offer different types of attractions beyond gambling. diversifying their offerings to draw people to their venues. Still, then, Las Vegas had shifted from an arid desert settlement into the world's preeminent gambling metropolis within just a few decades, enabling it to thrive to the present day.

H. Today, once a remote desert town, the city has evolved into a global hub of entertainment, gambling, and luxury. Las Vegas continues to attract millions of visitors worldwide, and its evolution from a dusty railroad town to a world renowned gambling and entertainment destination is a testament to its enduring appeal and adaptability.

Questions 1-7

Reading passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A-G.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, I-x.

LIST OF HEADINGS

i Critical Transformations

ii. Mafia Involvement

lil. Competition and Diversification

Iv. The Early Years

v. The Sin City

vi. The First Push

vii. Changing Ownership

vili. Attractions: Usual and Unusual

ix. Las Vegas Today

x. From Desert Town to Entertainment Capital

1. Paragraph A

Answer: iv. The Early Years

Supporting statement: "Las Vegas's origins can be traced back to its establishment as a small railroad town in 1905. At the onset of the 1910s, the population stood at a mere 800 people."

Keywords: establishment, origins

Keyword Location: para A, line 1-3

Explanation: This paragraph focuses on the humble beginnings of Las Vegas and its early days as a small, unremarkable desert town.

2. Paragraph B

Answer: vi. The First Push

Supporting statement: "The year 1931 marked a turning point in the development of Las Vegas, as Nevada made the historic decision to legalize gambling."

Keywords: development, legalize gambling

Keyword Location: para B, line 1

Explanation: This paragraph describes the early catalysts for Las Vegas's growth, including legalized gambling and the construction of the Hoover Dam, which brought laborers and gamblers to the city.

3. Paragraph C

Answer: i. Critical Transformations

Supporting statement: "The first [turning point] took place in 1941 with the opening of El Rancho Vegas, the inaugural integrated hotel-casino, along a segment of Highway 91."

Keywords: hotel-casino, turning point

Keyword Location: para C, line 2-3

Explanation: This paragraph highlights pivotal developments, including the establishment of the first hotel-casino on what became the Las Vegas Strip.

4. Paragraph D

Answer: ii. Mafia Involvement

Supporting statement: "During the same era, organized crime figures recognized the opportunity to establish their own casinos in Las Vegas."

Keywords: crime figures, establish

Keyword Location: para D, line 1-2

Explanation: This paragraph focuses on the role of organized crime in developing Las Vegas, including notable figures like Bugsy Siegel.

5. Paragraph E

Answer: viii. Attractions: Usual and Unusual

Supporting statement: "The mafia significantly attracted more individuals to the casinos by securing celebrity performances for Las Vegas."

Keywords: attracted, celebrity performances

Keyword Location: para E, line 1

Explanation: This paragraph discusses various unique attractions, from celebrity performances to "atomic cocktails" and nuclear testing tours, which drew visitors to Las Vegas.

6. Paragraph F

Answer: vii. Changing Ownership

Supporting statement: "Significant ownership changes occurred...when Howard Hughes acquired them in 1967."

Keywords: ownership, acquired

Keyword Location: para F, line 2-3

Explanation: This paragraph details the transition of ownership from mob figures to corporations, marking a major shift in the city's landscape.

7. Paragraph G

Answer: iii. Competition and Diversification

Supporting statement: "Starting in 1978, with the opening of the first casino in Atlantic City, Las Vegas began to face competition from other gambling destinations."

Keywords: competition, first casino

Keyword Location: para G, line 1-2

Explanation: This paragraph focuses on the competition Las Vegas faced from other gambling destinations and the city's diversification strategies to remain relevant.

Questions 8-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 8-13 in your answer sheet, write:

TRUE If the statement agrees with the information

FALSE If the statement contradicts with the information

NOT GIVEN it there is no information on this

8. Though at first, Las Vegas only had a small number of citizens, its potential as a tourist destination was seen.

Answer: False

Supporting statement: "At the onset of the 1910s, the population stood at a mere 800 people, rendering the likelihood of it emerging as a prominent world destination improbable."

Keywords: population, 800 people

Keyword Location: para A, line 2-3

Explanation: The statement contradicts the information, as the passage explicitly mentions that it seemed unlikely for Las Vegas to become a tourist destination during its early days.

9. Fremont Street was no longer Las Vegas' central business district after a while.

Answer: True

Supporting statement: "Laborers would commence the approximately 25-mile journey to Las Vegas to partake in casino activities on Fremont Street, the city's central business district, before the development of the renowned Las Vegas Strip."

Keywords: Fremont Street, Laborers

Keyword Location: para B, line 6-7

Explanation: The statement aligns with the passage, which indicates Fremont Street was the central business district before the Las Vegas Strip was developed, implying the transition over time.

10. Many hotel-casinos appeared after the success of El Rancho Vegas but few matched its popularity.

Answer: Not Given

Supporting statement: -

Keywords: -

Keyword Location: -

Explanation: While the passage mentions that more hotel-casinos appeared after El Rancho Vegas's success, there is no information comparing their popularity to El Rancho Vegas.

11. The Flamingo, launched in 1947, was located within the city's boundaries.

Answer: False

Supporting statement: "Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel... contributed to Las Vegas with the 1947 launch of The Flamingo on the Strip."

Keywords: Las Vegas, Flamingo

Keyword Location: para D, line 5-6

Explanation: The passage mentions The Flamingo was on the Strip, which is described earlier as being "beyond city limits" (Paragraph C). Therefore, the statement contradicts the information.

12. Nuclear testing was the most popular attraction when it was added.

Answer: Not Given

Supporting statement: -

Keywords: -

Keyword Location: -

Explanation: The passage mentions nuclear testing as an attraction but does not specify whether it was the most popular.

13. The changing ownership as well as competition did not stop Las Vegas' rise.

Answer: True

Supporting statement: "Still, then, Las Vegas had shifted from an arid desert settlement into the world's preeminent gambling metropolis within just a few decades, enabling it to thrive to the present day."

Keywords: Las Vegas, shifted

Keyword Location: para G, line 5-6

Explanation: Despite ownership changes and competition, the passage affirms Las Vegas's growth and its continued prominence as a gambling and entertainment hub.

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