Hydrogen Cars Reading Answers

Dec 7, 2022

Hydrogen Cars Reading Answers has 14 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes. Hydrogen Cars Reading Answers comprises three types of questions, namely- choose the appropriate heading, complete the sentence and pick the correct letter. For choosing the correct heading, candidates must read the IELTS reading passage and understand the statement provided and state the paragraph to which it belongs. Candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to complete the sentences. Candidates are supposed to pick the correct letter from the given multiple options to answer the questions. To practise on more varied topics, check IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Reading Passage Questions

Record gas prices are making road trips more expensive than ever. But what if, instead of gas, your car ran on the most abundant element in our universe? Many experts think hydrogen will replace petrol, diesel and natural gas as the main fuel for cars, buses and trucks over the next few decades. Already car manufacturers around the world have invested billions of dollars in research and development.
The advantages of hydrogen are enormous: no more smog-forming exhaust gasses, no more carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, no more worries about diminishing oil supplies and rising prices. But some tricky questions need to be answered before mass-produced hydrogen cars start appearing on the streets. Where will the hydrogen come from? How will motorists fill up? How will cars store the fuel? And there’s also the question of how best to tap the energy in the fuel for good, on-road performance.
Two kinds of engines can use hydrogen as a fuel; those that have an internal combustion engine converted to use it and those that are made up of a stack of fuel cells. Internal combustion engines have powered cars since they first began to replace horse-drawn carriages more than 100 years ago. These engines can be converted to run on a variety of fuels, including hydrogen. However, most car makers think that fuel cells powering an electric motor offer a better alternative. Unlike heavy batteries that need frequent recharging, fuel cells make electricity as they go. Recent developments in technology have greatly increased the amount of power that a stack of cells can provide. This has opened up the prospect of efficient, non-polluting electric cars.
Fuel cell technology sounds simple. The hydrogen fuel reacts with oxygen from the air to produce water and electricity, the reverse of the familiar electrolysis process that releases oxygen and hydrogen from water. In reality, of course, it’s a bit more complicated. The big advantage of a fuel cell engine over an internal combustion engine running on hydrogen is its greater efficiency. The same amount of hydrogen will take a fuel cell car at least twice as far as one with a converted internal combustion engine.
Hydrogen has many advantages as a fuel for vehicles, but a big disadvantage is that it is difficult to store. This is because at normal temperatures hydrogen is a gas. The obvious solutions are to strongly compress the hydrogen or liquefy it. However, tanks designed to hold hydrogen at extremely high pressures, or at temperatures approaching absolute zero, are heavy and expensive. So, high cost and a large amount of energy needed to liquefy the fuel is likely to be the main problems with refueling with liquid hydrogen. Filling up with compressed hydrogen gas will probably prove more practical, even though it may reduce the distance between fills. Cars could store the hydrogen under high-pressure tanks similar to those used for compressed natural gas or specially treated carbon may also hold large amounts.
Although there’s no risk that we’ll ever run out of hydrogen, on Earth, it exists naturally only in chemical compounds, not as hydrogen gas. A relatively simple principal technology, steam reforming, can produce hydrogen gas for cars at central plants or filling stations. Alternatively, fuel tanks could be filled with petrol or methanol, with the cars using onboard reformers to generate hydrogen for their fuel cells. This shows promise as a transitional measure while research proceeds on the problems of storing hydrogen. Water is the only potentially pollution-free source of hydrogen. Researchers are looking at new ways of producing hydrogen from water such as using algae, bacteria or photovoltaic cells to absorb sunlight and split water into hydrogen and oxygen. But the technology most likely to be adopted on a large scale is electrolysis, which uses an electric current to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.
Remember the Hindenburg’ – that’s a phrase often heard when hydrogen is discussed. This German passenger airship, kept aloft by hydrogen, crashed in flames as it came into land at Lakehurst, New Jersey, USA in May 1937. Thirty-five people died. Nowadays helium, which can’t burn, is the gas of choice for the lighter-than-air craft. Hydrogen is highly flammable, but recent research has indicated that the airship’s fabric, not hydrogen, was the culprit in the Hindenburg disaster. Properly handled, there’s no reason to think hydrogen is any more dangerous as a fuel than petrol, the explosive liquid now carried safely in the tanks of untold millions of motor vehicles.
Recent technological advances, particularly in fuel cell design, have made hydrogen-powered cars a practical proposition, and carmakers expect to start mass-producing them within the next decade or so. Their power and acceleration should match those of today’s conventionally-powered vehicles, but they may have to be refueled more often. The best ways to produce, distribute and store the hydrogen still have to be sorted out. In the short term, fossil fuels may remain in demand as a hydrogen source. However, the idea that in the not too distant future most of us will be driving non-polluting cars fuelled by hydrogen from a clean, renewable source is no longer a flight of fantasy.

Solution and Explanation

Question 1-7:

Eight paragraphs make up Reading Passage (A-H).
For paragraphs, B through H, pick the most appropriate headings from the following list.
Boxes 1–7 on your response sheet should be filled in with the corresponding number (i–xi).
NB: There are a lot of headings, but you will not utilize them all.

Headings:

Hydrogen Storage
Traditional Production Methods
The Possible Danger of Combustible Hydrogen
A Plentiful Alternative
Looking Forward
Good Idea but…
Today’s Hydrogen Production
How the Process Works
Hydrogen Sources and Production
The Workings of the Internal Combustion Engine
The Engine Dilemma

Question 1: Paragraph B

Answer: VI, Good Idea but…
Supporting Sentence: The advantages of hydrogen are enormous: no more smog-forming exhaust gasses, no more carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, no more worries about diminishing oil supplies and rising prices. However, there are a number of issues that need to be resolved before hydrogen-powered vehicles can be mass built.
Keywords: The advantages of hydrogen, global warming, But some tricky questions.
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Lines 1-5
Explanation: In accordance with paragraph B, hydrogen also lowers worries about a limited oil supply and rising oil prices. In addition to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other smog-forming pollutants and other global warming gases. Before hydrogen-powered cars are produced in large quantities, however, a number of problems must be solved. Therefore, the heading "Good idea but..." is ideal for this paragraph.

Question 2: Paragraph C

Answer: XI, The Engine Dilemma
Supporting Sentence: Two kinds of engines can use hydrogen as a fuel; those that have an internal combustion engine converted to use it and those that are made up of a stack of fuel cells.
Keywords: two kinds of engines, hydrogen, fuel cells, internal combustion engine.
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Lines 1-3
Explanation: According to paragraph C, a stack of fuel cells and an internal combustion engine can both be used to power a hydrogen-powered engine. However, most automakers believe that using fuel cells to power an electric motor is a better option. As a result, the title "The Engine Dilemma" seems ideal for this passage.

Question 3: Paragraph D

Answer: VIII, How the Process Works
Supporting Sentence: Fuel cell technology sounds simple. The hydrogen fuel reacts with oxygen from the air to produce water and electricity, the reverse of the familiar electrolysis process that releases oxygen and hydrogen from water.
Keywords: Fuel cell technology, hydrogen fuel, electrolysis
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Line 1-3
Explanation: The first few sentences in paragraph D make fuel cell technology sound easy. Contrary to the well-known electrolysis process. This releases oxygen and hydrogen from liquids, water and electricity are created when hydrogen reacts with oxygen in the air. For this reason, the heading "How the Process Works" is ideal for this paragraph.

Question 4: Paragraph E

Answer: I, Hydrogen Storage
Supporting Sentence: However, tanks designed to hold hydrogen at extremely high pressures, or at temperatures approaching absolute zero, are heavy and expensive.
Keywords: tanks, hydrogen, absolute zero
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Line 4
Explanation: According to the fourth line of paragraph E, hydrogen as a fuel for vehicles has a number of benefits. But one significant disadvantage is the challenge of storing it. This is because hydrogen is a gas at standard temperatures. Both liquefaction and extreme compression of hydrogen are possible. Tanks made to hold hydrogen at extreme temperatures or high pressures are heavy and expensive. As a result, the heading "Hydrogen storage" is appropriate for this passage.

Question 5: Paragraph F

Answer: IX, Hydrogen Sources and Production
Supporting Sentence: Although there’s no risk that we’ll ever run out of hydrogen, on Earth, it exists naturally only in chemical compounds, not as hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas can be produced at centralized plants or pumping stations using steam reforming, a relatively simple process.
Keywords: Hydrogen gas, chemical compounds, principal technology
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Line 1
Explanation: Although there is no chance that mankind would ever run out of hydrogen gas.Moreover, hydrogen can only be found in chemical compounds on Earth, according to the first sentence of paragraph F. Steam reforming is an easy-to-use technique that may create hydrogen gas at central plants or filling stations. As a result, the heading "Hydrogen Sources and Production" is appropriate for this paragraph.

Question 6: Paragraph G

Answer: III, The Possible Danger of Combustible Hydroge
Supporting Sentence: Properly handled, there’s no reason to think hydrogen is any more dangerous as a fuel than petrol, the explosive liquid now carried safely in the tanks of untold millions of motor vehicles.
Keywords: Hydrogen, motor vehicles, explosive liquid, motor vehicles
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Line 7
Explanation: According to the seventh line of paragraph G, the risk associated with using hydrogen as a fuel is not greater than the risk associated with using gasoline. It is currently stored safely in the tanks of millions of automobiles.

Question 7: Paragraph H

Answer: V, Looking Forward
Supporting Sentence: However, the idea that in the not too distant future most of us will be driving non-polluting cars fuelled by hydrogen from a clean, renewable source is no longer a flight of fantasy.
Keywords: not too distant future, renewable source, flight of fantasy
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Line 7
Explanation: The generation, delivery, and storage of hydrogen are still unresolved problems, according to the seventh line of paragraph H. In the not too distant future, fossil fuels might be required as a hydrogen source. But the idea that most of us will be driving green, renewable hydrogen-powered cars in the not-too-distant future is no longer just a pipe dream.

Questions 8 – 12:
Complete each of the following statements (Questions 8 – 12) with words taken from Reading Passage.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Question 8: There is no reason that we’ll run out of hydrogen as it’s the ________ that exists.

Answer: Most abundant element
Supporting Sentence: But what if, instead of gas, your car ran on the most abundant element in our universe? Many experts think hydrogen will replace petrol, diesel and natural gas as the main fuel for cars, buses and trucks over the next few decades.
Keyword: abundant
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 2nd and 3rd line
Explanation: The author wonders what would happen if cars ran on the most prevalent element in our universe rather than gasoline. As indicated in the second and third lines of paragraph A. The author offers the hydrogen-based solution in the following sentence. Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe, so there is no reason to think we will run out of it.

Question 9: ________ have been devoted by companies to producing hydrogen cars.

Answer: Billions of dollars
Supporting Sentence: Already car manufacturers around the world have invested billions of dollars in research and development.
Keyword: dollars
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, last line
Explanation: According to the last sentence of paragraph A, car manufacturers throughout the world have poured billions of dollars into Research & Development. As a result, according to the author, numerous automakers have invested a sizable sum of money in creating hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Question 10: ________ could use traditional fuels to produce the hydrogen needed to power hydrogen cars.

Answer: On-board reformers
Supporting Sentence: Alternatively, fuel tanks could be filled with petrol or methanol, with the cars using onboard reformers to generate hydrogen for their fuel cells.
Keyword: Reformers
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 3rd line
Explanation: It is indicated in the third line of paragraph F that fuel tanks can be filled with either gasoline or methanol. Moreover, the vehicles use onboard reformers to produce hydrogen for their fuel cells. So, cards produce hydrogen fuel using onboard reformers.

Question 11: Investigations have proved that ________ was the cause of the Hindenburg disaster.

Answer: The airship’s fabric
Supporting Sentence: Hydrogen is highly flammable, but recent research has indicated that the airship’s fabric, not hydrogen, was the culprit in the Hindenburg disaster.
Keyword: airship
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, 5th line
Explanation: Although it is stated in the fifth line of paragraph G that hydrogen is highly combustible. Further, current study has shown that the fabric of the airship, not hydrogen, was to blame for the Hindenburg tragedy. Despite the fact that hydrogen is combustible, research indicates that the fabric of the airship was to blame for the Hindenburg accident. It follows that the fabric of the airship is the right answer.

Question 12: Hydrogen cars have the potential to offer the ________ that we associate with today’s fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

Answer: Power and acceleration
Supporting Sentence: Recent technological advances, particularly in fuel cell design, have made hydrogen-powered cars a practical proposition, and carmakers expect to start mass-producing them within the next decade or so. Their power and acceleration should match those of today’s conventionally-powered vehicles, but they may have to be refueled more often.
Keyword: acceleration
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, 1st and 2nd line.
Explanation: In the first sentences of paragraph H, it is stated that recent scientific advancements, particularly in fuel cell design, have made hydrogen-powered automobiles. These have turned out as a viable possibility, and carmakers anticipate beginning their mass production within the next ten to twenty years. They should have the same power and acceleration as today's conventionally powered vehicles, although they might require more frequent refuelling. It implies that recent technological advancements could give hydrogen-powered cars a similar amount of power and acceleration. Power and acceleration is the right answer, therefore.

Question 13-14:
Choose the appropriate letters A – D that best answer the question

Question 13: Which of the preceding is NOT a potential issue with the advent of hydrogen-powered automobiles?

The frequency with which refueling stops occur.
By-products of the electricity generation process.
Hydrogen's flammability.
Keeping hydrogen in automobiles.

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The hydrogen fuel reacts with oxygen from the air to produce water and electricity, the reverse of the familiar electrolysis process that releases oxygen and hydrogen from water.
Keywords: hydrogen fuel, oxygen, electrolysis process
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph D states that. In contrast to the electrolysis process, which separates oxygen and hydrogen from water. The hydrogen fuel combines with oxygen from the air to produce water and energy. Additionally, internal combustion engines running on hydrogen perform worse than fuel cells. A fuel cell car can travel twice as far as a hybrid on the same amount of hydrogen.

Question 14: According to the article, which of the following hydrogen generation methods for hydrogen-powered cars is considered a temporary measure?

A system for hydrogen production from fossil fuels.
A technique for synthesizing hydrogen from water vapor.
A procedure that generates hydrogen by the use of microscopic organisms.
A hydrogen generating system based on electrolysis.

Answer: A) A system producing hydrogen from fossil fuels.
Supporting Sentence: The best ways to produce, distribute and store the hydrogen still have to be sorted out. In the short term, fossil fuels may remain in demand as a hydrogen source.
Keywords: hydrogen, fossil fuels, hydrogen source
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, line 5
Explanation: The fifth line of paragraph H states that recent scientific developments, particularly in fuel cell design, have made hydrogen-powered cars a practical possibility. Over the following ten or two years, automakers plan to start mass producing them.

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