Hot Air Ballooning Reading Answers

Dec 19, 2022

Hot Air Ballooning Reading Answers contains a write up about the discovery of a hot air balloon and its working. Hot Air Ballooning Reading Answers comprising 11 different types of questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. Hot Air Ballooning Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For Matching heading in IELTS Reading passage, candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage. For sentence completion, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords and understand the concept. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

True/False/Not Given
Label the diagram
Short answer questions

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Hot Air Ballooning Reading Answers

The birth of the hot air balloon largely contributed to the efforts of two French brothers, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, who employed the fact that hot air was lighter than cool air and using this, managed to lift a small silk balloon 32 metres into the air. The brothers went on to elevate a balloon into the air ten thousand metres before it started to descend and then exploded. Arguably limited success, but their work came to the eye of the French Science Academy as the discovery of the properties of hot air balloons helped scientists to study weather patterns and the atmosphere.
It was not until some considerable time later that a balloon was launched that was capable of carrying passengers. Initial flights were trialled by animals, but after the success of these voyages, two passengers, Jean François Pilâtre and François Laurent d'Arlandes were sent up in a balloon that travelled across Paris for 29 minutes. The men fuelled the fire in the centre of their wicker basket to keep the balloon elevated and the trip across Paris was a great success.
The discovery of hydrogen-fuelled flights led to the death in 1785 of Pilatre, a tragedy that caused a downfall in the popularity of hot air ballooning but an increase in the popularity of hydrogen. Hot air ballooning lost further ground when alternate modes of air travel were introduced» but in the 1950s, ballooning experienced something of a revival as a leisure activity and sport. Today there are balloons of all shapes and sizes, with many unique designs.
In 1987, British entrepreneur Richard Branson crossed the Atlantic in a balloon named Virgin Atlantic Flyer. At the time, this balloon was the largest ever constructed at 65 thousand cubic metres, but four years later, he and Per Lindstrand from Sweden flew nearly 8000 kilometres from Japan to Northern Canada in their balloon the Virgin Pacific Flyer, which was nearly 10 thousand cubic metres bigger and was the longest flight in a hot air balloon ever made. The Pacific Flyer was designed to fly in the trans-oceanic jet streams and recorded the highest ground speed for a manned balloon at 394 kilometres per hour.
There are now a wide variety of designs and equipment available, from baskets with room for two people right up to 35 or more, separated compartments and specially designed flame-resistant fabrics, but the basic parts of the balloon have remained relatively unchanged. There is a basket, commonly made of wicker, inside which are stored the propane fuel tanks. Immediately above the basket and partly wrapped around by the skirt are the burners, attached to suspension wires. The balloon itself is made of strips of fabric called gores which run from the skirt to the top of the balloon; they are further broken into individual panels. This section of the craft is referred to as the envelope. At the top of the envelope is a self-closing flap that allows hot air to escape at a controlled rate to slow ascents or cause the balloon to descend. This is named the parachute valve and is controlled by the vent line – the cable that runs the length of the envelope and hangs just above the basket so the pilot can open and close the parachute valve.
At the mercy of prevailing wind currents, piloting a balloon takes a huge amount of skill but the controls used are fairly straight forward. To lift a balloon the pilot moves the control which releases propane. The pilot can control the speed of the balloon by increasing or decreasing the flow of propane gas, but they cannot control horizontal direction. As a result, balloons are often followed by the ground crew, who may have to pick up the pilot, passengers, and balloon from any number of landing sites. A pilot who wants to fly a hot air balloon must have his commercial pilot’s license to fly and must have at least 35 hours of flight instruction. There are no official safety requirements for passengers onboard, but they should know whom they’re flying with and what qualifications they may have. For safety reasons, hot air balloons don’t fly in the rain because the heat in the balloon can cause water to boil on top of the balloon and destroy the fabric.
One of the largest hot air balloon organizations is the Balloon Federation of America. Founded in 1961, membership in the BFA attracts those with a fascination with ballooning (or ‘Lighter Than Air’ flight). With an active discussion forum, meetings and displays all around the USA and beyond, the BFA runs on a number of guiding principles, primarily that the future of ballooning is directly related to the safety of enthusiasts. They run a number of training courses, from a novice who is interested in getting a basic license to pilot achievement courses. They even boast of a balloon simulator, which although it will not directly lead to a pilot’s license, can give participants a degree of the sensation enjoyed by professional balloon pilots.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-4

Do the following statements agree with the given in the reading passage?
In boxes 1-4 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

1) The Montgolfier brothers were the first people to fly in a hot air balloon.
2) Hot air ballooning became less popular in the late eighteenth century.
3) The largest hot air balloon had a capacity of over 75000 cubic metres.
4) Membership of the BFA is only open to people in AmeriCA

Question 1.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: The birth of the hot air balloon largely contributed to the efforts of two French brothers, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, who employed the fact that hot air was lighter than cool air and using this, managed to lift a small silk balloon 32 metres into the air. Jean François Pilâtre and François Laurent d'Arlandes, were sent up in a balloon which travelled across Paris for 29 minutes.
Keywords: Montgolfier, brothers
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, line 1
Explanation: The hot air balloon was created by Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, as well as Jean François Pilâtre but also François Laurent d'Arlandes were the very first people to fly in one, as is plainly stated.

Question 2.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: The discovery of hydrogen-fuelled flights led to the death in 1785 of Pilatre, a tragedy which caused a downfall in the popularity of hot air ballooning but an increase in the popularity of hydrogen.
Keywords: popularity, downfall
Keyword Location: Paragraph C. line 2
Explanation: The assertion is accurate because it is stated explicitly in the paragraphs that Pilatre's passing caused the reputation of hot air balloons to decline.

Question 3.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: 65000 + nearly 10000 more = just under 75000 m3
Keywords: largest, constructed
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, line 3
Explanation: According to this sentence, the largest hot air balloon ever built had a volume of 65,000 cubic meters.

Question 4.

Answer: Not Given

Explanation:No relevant information associated with the question has been given in the paragraphs.

Questions 5 – 7

5) Who accompanied the entrepreneur on the longest balloon flight?
6) Who follows a hot air balloon’s flight to retrieve the craft when it lands?
7) What can give newcomers to the sport some idea of the feeling of flying a balloon?

Question 5.

Answer: Per Lindstrand
Supporting sentence: he and Per Lindstrand from Sweden flew nearly 8000 kilometres from Japan to Northern Canada in their balloon, the Virgin Pacific Flyer.
Keywords: 8000 km, balloon
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, line 3
Explanation: Per Lindstrand traveled in the balloon with the entrepreneur, as it is stated explicitly in paragraph 4.

Question 6.

Answer: Ground crew
Supporting sentence: As a result, balloons are often followed by ground crew, who may have to pick up the pilot, passengers and balloon from any number of landing sites.
Keywords: crew, pilot, landing sites
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, line 5
Explanation:The ground crew follows balloons because they occasionally need to pick up some pilots, passengers, as well as balloons from the landing locations.

Question 7.

Answer: Balloons simulator
Supporting sentence: They even boast of a balloon simulator, which although will not directly lead to a pilot’s license, it can give participants a degree of the sensation enjoyed by professional balloon pilots.
Keywords: simulator, license

Keyword Location: Paragraph G, last 2nd line
Explanation: Since they lack a license, a balloon simulator will assist them in simulating the notion or sensation of riding in a hot air balloon; this is expressly stated in the final paragraph of the reading section.

Questions 8 – 11

Label the diagram below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8- 11 on your answer sheet.

Diagram

Question 8.

Answer: Parachute valve
Supporting sentence: At the top of the envelope is a self-closing flap that allows hot air to escape at a controlled rate to slow ascents or cause the balloon to descend. This is named the parachute valve,
Keywords: vent line, envelope
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, last 2nd line
Explanation: The top of the envelope, which allows heated air to escape, is referred to as a parachute valve, as is made apparent in paragraph 5.

Question 9.

Answer: Envelope
Supporting sentence: The balloon itself is made of strips of fabric called gores which run from the skirt to the top of the balloon; they are further broken into individual panels. This section of the craft is referred to as the envelope
Keywords: strips, gores
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, line 6
Explanation: The fabric strips that extend from the balloon's skirt to its top are referred to as the balloon's envelope, as was stated in paragraph 5.

Question 10.

Answer: Panels
Supporting sentence: The balloon itself is made of strips of fabric called gores which run from the skirt to the top of the balloon; they are further broken into individual panels.
Keywords: skirt, broken
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, line 7
Explanation: The gores are divided into separate pieces known as panels.

Question 11.

Answer: Gores
Supporting sentence: The balloon itself is made of strips of fabric called gores which run from the skirt to the top of the balloon; they are further broken into individual panels.
Keywords: run, individual panels
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, line 6
Explanation:The balloon is formed of fabric strips called gores, as was stated in paragraph five.

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