Low Cost Lamps Light Rural India Reading Answers

Feb 3, 2023

Low Cost Lamps Light Rural India Reading Answers is an academic reading topic discussing in detail about the Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation (GSBF). The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “101 Ielts Reading Past Papers with Answers”. The topic named Low Cost Lamps Light Rural India Reading Answers has a total of 14 wide range of questions. The topic consists of three sorts of questions, such as, choose the correct letter, complete the following sentences, and True/False/Not Given. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like Low Cost Lamps Light Rural India Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Low Cost Lamps Light Rural India Reading Answers

Until three months ago, life in this humble village without electricity would come to a halt after sunset. Inside his mud-and-clay home, Ganpat Jadhav's three children used to study in the dim, smoky glow of a kerosene lamp, when their monthly fuel quota of four litres dried up in just a fortnight, they had to strain their eyes using the light from a cooking fire. That all changed with the installation of low-cost, energy-efficient lamps that are powered entirely by the sun. The lights were installed by the Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation (GSBF), an Indian non-governmental organisation focused on bringing light to rural India. Some 100,000 Indian villages do not yet have electricity. The GSBF lamps use LEDs - light emitting diodes - that are four times more efficient than a normal bulb. After a $55 installation cost, solar energy lights the lamp free of charge. LED lighting, like cell phones, is another example of a technology whose low cost could allow the rural poor to leap into the 21st century.

As many as 1.5 billion people - nearly 80 million in India alone - light their houses using kerosene as the primary lighting media. The fuel is dangerous, dirty, and - despite being subsidised - consumes nearly four per cent of a typical rural Indian household’s budget. A recent report by the Intermediate Technology Development Group suggests that indoor air pollution from such lighting media results in 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year. LED lamps, or more specifically white LEDs, are believed to produce nearly 200 times more useful light than a kerosene lamp and almost 50 times the amount of useful light of a conventional bulb. "This technology can light an entire rural village with less energy than that used by a single conventional 100-watt light bulb,” says Dave Irvine-Halliday, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Calgary, Canada and the founder of Light up the World Foundation (LUTW). Founded in 1997, LUTW has used LED technology to bring light to nearly 10,000 homes in remote and disadvantaged corners of some 27 countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, and the Philippines.

The technology, which is not yet widely known in India, faces some scepticism here. “LED systems are revolutionising rural lighting, but this isn’t a magic solution to the world’s energy problems,” says Ashok Jhunjhunwala, head of the electrical engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. In a scenario in which nearly 60 per cent of India’s rural population uses 180 million tons of biomass per year for cooking via primitive wood stoves - which are smoky and provide only 10-15 per cent efficiency in cooking -Jhunjhunwala emphasises the need for a clean energy source, not just for lighting but for other domestic purposes as well. The Indian government in April launched an ambitious project to bring electricity to 112,000 rural villages in the next decade. However, the remote locations of the village will make reaching this goal difficult. A. K. Lakhina, the chairman of India’s Rural Electrification Corporation, says the Indian government recognises the potential of LED lighting powered by solar technology, but expressed reservations about its high costs. “If only LEDs weren't imported but manufactured locally,” he says, “and in bulk.”

The lamps installed in nearly 300 homes by GSBF cost nearly half the price of other solar lighting systems. Jasjeet Singh Chaddha, the founder of the NGO, currently imports his LEDs from China. He wants to set up an LED manufacturing unit and a solar panel manufacturing unit in India. If manufactured locally, the cost of his LED lamp could plummet to $22, as they will not incur heavy import duties. “We need close to $5 million for this,” he says. Mr. Chaddha says he has also asked the government to exempt the lamps from such duties, but to no avail. An entrepreneur who made his money in plastics, Chaddha, has poured his own money into the project, providing the initial installations free of charge. As he looks to make the project self-sustainable, he recognises that it is only urban markets -which have also shown an avid interest in LED lighting - that can pay. The rural markets in India cannot afford it, he says, until the prices are brought down. The rural markets would be able to afford it, says Mr. Irvine-Halliday, if they had access to microcredit. He says that in Tembisa, a shanty town in Johannesburg, he found that almost 10,000 homes spent more than $60 each on candles and paraffin every year. As calculations revealed, these families can afford to purchase a solid state lighting system in just over a year of paying per week what they would normally spend on candles and paraffin - if they have access to microcredit. LUTW is in the process of creating such a microcredit facility for South Africa.

In villages near Khadakwadi, the newly installed LED lamps are a subject of envy, even for those connected to the grid. Those connected to the grid have to face power cuts up to 6 or 7 hours a day. Constant energy shortages and blackouts are a common problem due to a lack of power plants, transmission, and distribution losses caused by old technology and illegal stealing of electricity from the grid. LED systems require far less maintenance, a longer life, and as villagers jokingly say, “no electricity bills”. The lamps provided by GSBF have enough power to provide just four hours of light a day. However, that is enough for people to get their work done in the early hours of the night, and is more reliable than light generated off India’s electrical grid. Villagers are educated by GSBF officials to make the most of the new lamps. An official from GSBF instructs Jadhav and his family to clean the lamp regularly. “Its luminosity and life will diminish if you let the dust settle on it,” he warns them.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 27-30

For each question, only ONE of the choices is correct. Write the corresponding

letter in the appropriate box on your answer sheet

Question 27. The GSBF lamps

provide light for 100,000 Indian villages.
are very expensive to install.
are powered by the sun.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: That all changed with the installation of low-cost, energy-efficient lamps that are powered entirely by the sun.
Keyword : changed, installation, low-cost, sun
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 1 implies that with the installation of inexpensive, energy-efficient lighting that are solely powered by the sun, everything changed. The Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation (GSBF), an Indian non-governmental organisation dedicated to delivering light to rural India, placed the lights. There are currently 100,000 Indian villages without electricity.

Question 28. More than half of India's population uses

kerosene as a cooking fuel.
biomass as a cooking fuel.
solar power as a cooking fuel.

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: In a scenario in which nearly 60 per cent of India’s rural population uses 180 million tons of biomass per year for cooking via primitive wood stoves
Keyword : nearly, 60 per cent, rural population, primitive wood stoves
Keyword location: parargraph 3, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 3 explains that Jhunjhunwala emphasises the need for a clean energy source. It is not just for lighting but for other domestic purposes. As well, it is given that nearly 60% of India's rural population uses 180 million tonnes of biomass per year. They used it for cooking via primitive wood stoves that are smoky and provide only 10-15% efficiency in cooking.

Question 29. In India, the GSBF lamps are too expensive for most people

in rural areas.
in urban areas.
in all areas.

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: India’s Rural Electrification Corporation, says the Indian government recognises the potential of LED lighting powered by solar technology
Keyword : Rural Electrification Corporation, government, LED, solar technology
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 10-13
Explanation: Lines 10-13 of paragraph 3 explains that according to India's Rural Electrification Corporation, the Indian government has expressed reservations. The reservations are about the high price of solar-powered LED lighting despite acknowledging its potential. If only LEDs were mass produced locally rather than being imported, he laments.

Question 30. The GSBF lamps

are not as reliable as electricity from the national power grid.
require skill to use.
only provide four hours of light a day.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Those connected to the grid have to face power cuts up to 6 or 7 hours a day.
Keyword : connected, grid, power cuts, 6 or 7 hours
Keyword location: paragraph 5, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 5 suggests that even those who are connected to the grid are envious of the newly installed LED lamps. The new LED lamps are installed in the villages close to Khadakwadi. Power outages can last up to six or seven hours a day for those who are linked to the grid.

Questions 31-35

Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each gap.

Another example of cheap technology helping poor people in the countryside is 31………….

Kerosene lamps and conventional bulbs give off less 32………….. than GSBF lamps.

It is unlikely that the Indian government will achieve its aim of connecting 112,000 villages to electricity because many villages are 33…………….

GSBF lamps would be cheaper if it weren’t for 34…………….

Users need to wipe 35………… from the LED in order to keep it working well.

Question 31:

Answer: cell phones
Supporting sentence: cell phones, is another example of a technology
Keyword : cell phones, another, example, technology
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 10-11
Explanation: Lines 10-11 of paragraph 1 suggests that the cell phones are the another example of technology like LEd lightning. LED lightning like cell phones is a kind of technology whose low cost might help the rural poor people. It can help the rural poor people to get modernized into the 21st century.

Question 32:

Answer: useful light
Supporting sentence: LED lamps, or more specifically white LEDs, are believed to produce nearly 200 times more useful light
Keyword : LED lamps, specifically, LEDs, 200 times more
Keyword location: paragraph 2, lines 5-6
Explanation: Lines 5-6 of paragraph 2 explains that the quantity of useable light produced by LED lamps. More precisely white LEDs, is said to be close to 200 times greater than that of a kerosene lamp and close to 50 times greater than that of a standard bulb. With the application of this technology, a single 100-watt conventional light bulb may provide lighting for a whole rural community with less energy.

Question 33:

Answer: remote
Supporting sentence: However, the remote locations of the village will make reaching this goal difficult.
Keyword : remote, village, goal, difficult
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 9-10
Explanation: Lines 9-10 of paragraph 3 says that an ambitious effort to supply power to 112,000 rural communities across India was begun by the Indian government in April. However, due to the village's isolated location, achieving this objective will be challenging. According to A. K. Lakhina, the Indian government is aware of the possibilities of solar-powered LED lighting.

Question 34:

Answer: (heavy) import duties
Supporting sentence: If manufactured locally, the cost of his LED lamp could plummet to $22, as they will not incur heavy import duties.
Keyword : manufactured, LED, $22, heavy import duties
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 4 describes about Jasjeet Singh Chaddha. Jasjeet Singh Chaddha, is the founder of th NGO association. He currently imports his LEDs from the country of China. His motive or purpose is to create an LED manufacturing unit along with a solar panel manufacturing unit in India. If his LED is manufactured in a local way, the cost of it could plunge to $22. It is because tese LED will not suffer heavy import duties.

Question 35:

Answer: dust
Supporting sentence: Its luminosity and life will diminish if you let the dust settle on it,” he warns them.
Keyword : luminosity, diminish, settle, warns
Keyword location: paragraph 5, lines 10-11
Explanation: Lines 10-11 of paragraph 5 explains that GSBF representatives instruct the villagers on how to make the most of the new lamps. Jadhav and his family are given instructions by a GSBF representative to periodically clean the lamp. The officials cautions them that if they let the dust settle on it, its brilliance and liveliness will wane.

Questions 36-40

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

In boxes 36 - 40 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 36. Ganpat Jadhav's monthly ration of kerosene was insufficient.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Inside his mud-and-clay home, Ganpat Jadhav's three children used to study in the dim, smoky glow of a kerosene lamp
Keyword : Inside, Ganpat Jadhav's, children, kerosene lamp
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 2-4
Explanation: The second to fourth lines of paragraph 1 explains that inside his mud and clay made house, Ganpat Jadhav lived along with his three children. His three children used to study in the atmosphere of the dim. They used to study under smoky glow of a kerosene lamp. Their monthly fuel quota of four litres perishes just a fortnight. Thus, the above statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 37. Kerosene causes many fires in homes in developing countries.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is not any pertinent information to prove the validation of this statement. Thus, we can clearly conclude this statement to be an invalid one.

Question 38. LED systems could solve the world's energy problems.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: LED systems are revolutionizing rural lighting, but this isn’t a magic solution to the world’s energy problems
Keyword : LED systems, revolutionizing, solution, problems
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph 3 explains that rural lighting is being revolutionised by LED systems. Although, this isn't a quick fix for the world's energy issues, according to Ashok Jhunjhunwala. Therefore, the above statement can be taken as a FALSE one.

Question 39. Chaddha has so far funded the GSBF lamp project himself.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: An entrepreneur who made his money in plastics, Chaddha, has poured his own money into the project, providing the initial installations free of charge.
Keyword : entrepreneur, money, initial, installations
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 6-8
Explanation: Lines 6-8 of paragraph 4 says that Chaddha, a businessman who made his money in plastics.He invested his own money in the initiative and gave away the original installations. Therefore, it is a TRUE statement.

Question 40. Microcredit would help to get more people to use LED lamps.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: The rural markets would be able to afford it, says Mr. Irvine-Halliday, if they had access to microcredit.
Keyword : rural markets, afford, Mr. Irvine-Halliday, microcredit
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 11-12
Explanation: Lines 11-12 of paragraph 4 suggests that Mr. Irvine-Halliday claims that if rural markets had access to microcredit, they could afford it. So, it is a TRUE statement.