Mysterious Dark Matter May Not Always Have Been Dark Reading Answers

Mysterious Dark Matter May Not Always Have Been Dark Reading Answers consists of 14 questions and forms part of the evaluation framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Participants are given a time constraint of 20 minutes to finish the reading answers for Mysterious Dark Matter May Not Always Have Been Dark. This portion of the IELTS reading evaluation includes various types of questions, including Do the following statements agree with the information given, write no more than two words, and write the correct letter.

Mysterious Dark Matter May Not Always Have Been Dark Reading Answers provides a thorough examination of Scientists' proposal that dark matter once interacted strongly with normal matter when the universe was extremely hot, forming stable “stealth” particles made of four charged components. These particles, held together by a dark version of the strong force, could help explain why dark matter is five times more abundant than normal matter. For further practice with similar reading evaluations, candidates can check the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Mysterious Dark Matter May Not Always Have Been Dark Reading Answers

Dark matter particles may have interacted extensively with normal matter long ago, when the universe was very hot, a new study suggests. The nature of dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries in science. The invisible substance — which is detectable via its gravitational influence on “normal” matter — is thought to make up five-sixths of all matter in the universe.

Astronomers began suspecting the existence of dark matter when they noticed the cosmos seemed to possess more mass than stars could account for. For example, stars near the center of the Milky Way spin so fast they should overcome the gravitational pull of the galaxy’s core and zoom into the intergalactic void. Most scientists think dark matter provides the gravity that helps hold these stars back. Astronomers know more about what dark matter is not than what it actually is.

Scientists have mostly ruled out all known ordinary materials as candidates for dark matter. The consensus so far is that this missing mass is made up of new kinds of particles that interact very weakly with ordinary matter. One potential clue about the nature of dark matter has to do with the fact that it’s five times more abundant than normal matter, researchers said.

“This may seem a lot, and it is, but if dark and ordinary matter were generated in a completely independent way, then this number is puzzling,” said study co-author Pavlos Vranas, a particle physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. “Instead of five, it could have been a million or a billion. Why five?”

The researchers suggest a possible solution to this puzzle: Dark matter particles once interacted often with normal matter, even though they barely do so now. “This may have happened in the early universe, when the temperature was very high — so high that both ordinary and dark matter ‘melted’ in a plasma state made up of their ingredients.”

The protons and neutrons making up atomic nuclei are themselves made up of a trio of particles known as quarks. The researchers suggest dark matter could be made of a composite “stealth” particle, which is composed of a quartet of component particles and is difficult to detect (like a stealth airplane). The scientists’ supercomputer simulations suggest these composite particles may have masses ranging up to more than 200 billion electron-volts, which is about 213 times a proton’s mass. Quarks each possess fractional electrical charges of positive or negative one-third or two-thirds. In protons, these add up to a positive charge, while in neutrons, the result is a neutral charge. Quarks are confined within protons and neutrons by the so-called “strong interaction.”

The researchers suggest that the component particles making up stealth dark matter particles each have a fractional charge of positive or negative one-half, held together by a “dark form” of the strong interaction. Stealth dark matter particles themselves would have no electric charge, leading them to interact very weakly at best with ordinary matter, light, electric fields and magnetic fields. The researchers suggest that at the extremely high temperatures seen in the newborn universe, the component particles of stealth dark matter particles could have interacted with ordinary matter. Once the universe cooled, a new, powerful and as yet unknown force might have bound these components tightly to form electrically neutral composites. Stealth dark matter particles should be stable over time — not decaying often, if at all, much like protons.

However, the researchers suggest the component particles making up stealth dark matter particles can form unstable composites that decay relatively fast. For example, one could have composite particles made out of just two component particles, Vranas said.

These unstable particles might have masses of only 100 billion electron-volts or more, and could be created by particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) beneath the France–Switzerland border. They could also have an electric charge and be visible to detectors, Vranas said. Experiments at the LHC, or sensors designed to spot rare instances of dark matter mixing with ordinary matter, “may soon find evidence of, or rule out, this new stealth dark matter theory.”

Further research can investigate whether the strength of stealth dark matter exists, Vranas said. “In order to answer these questions, our calculations will require larger supercomputers,” he added. “At the same time, community development is progressing fast towards this direction.” The scientists, the Lattice Strong Dynamics Collaboration, will detail their findings in an upcoming issue of the journal Physical Review Letters.

QUESTIONS 27-34

WRITE NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS FROM THE PASSAGE FOR EACH ANSWER.

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN BOXES 27-34 ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.

27. One of the greatest mysteries in science is the nature of the .........

Answer: dark matter

Supporting statement: “The nature of dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries in science.”

Keywords: nature, greatest mysteries, dark matter

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 1

Explanation: The passage directly states that dark matter’s nature is one of science’s biggest mysteries.

28. All known material have been mostly ........... as candidates for dark matter.

Answer: ruled out

Supporting statement: “Scientists have mostly ruled out all known ordinary materials as candidates for dark matter.”

Keywords: ruled out, known materials, dark matter

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 1

Explanation: It is clearly mentioned that ordinary materials are eliminated as possible dark matter candidates.

29. Dark matter is a lot more ........ than normal matter.

Answer: abundant

Supporting statement: “It’s five times more abundant than normal matter.”

Keywords: five times, more abundant, normal matter

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 3

Explanation: The text emphasizes that dark matter is significantly more abundant than normal matter.

30. Due to high temperature, both ordinary and dark matter were 'melted' in a ……………..

Answer: plasma state

Supporting statement: “…so high that both ordinary and dark matter ‘melted’ in a plasma state made up of their ingredients.”

Keywords: high temperature, melted, plasma state

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 3

Explanation: The term “plasma state” directly describes the condition when both types of matter melted.

31. It is confirmed that quarks are within protons and neutrons by ........

Answer: strong interaction

Supporting statement: “Quarks are confined within protons and neutrons by the so-called ‘strong interaction.’”

Keywords: confined, protons, neutrons, strong interaction

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, line 4

Explanation: The force that binds quarks inside protons and neutrons is identified as the strong interaction.

32. It is suggested that stealth dark matter particle would only have a ……………..

Answer: no electric charge

Supporting statement: “Stealth dark matter particles themselves would have no electric charge…”

Keywords: stealth dark matter, no electric charge

Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, line 2

Explanation: The stealth dark matter particles are stated to have no electric charge, making them interact weakly.

33. Experiments at the LHC may soon find …………………. of the new stealth dark matter theory.

Answer: evidence

Supporting statement: “Experiments at the LHC… may soon find evidence of, or rule out, this new stealth dark matter theory.”

Keywords: experiments, LHC, evidence, theory

Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, line 3

Explanation: The experiments at LHC might find evidence supporting the new theory.

34. To answer questions we require …………….. resources.

Answer: larger supercomputers

Supporting statement: “In order to answer these questions, our calculations will require larger supercomputers.”

Keywords: answer questions, require, larger supercomputers

Keyword Location: Paragraph 10, line 1

Explanation: The researcher states that larger supercomputers are needed to continue their investigations.

QUESTIONS 35-39

DO THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS AGREE WITH THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN READING PASSAGE 3?

IN BOXES 35-39 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

35. The nature of dark matter is a mystery.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “The nature of dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries in science.”

Keywords: nature, mystery

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 1

Explanation: The line directly supports that dark matter’s nature remains a mystery.

36. It is likely that dark matter consists of ordinary materials.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “Scientists have mostly ruled out all known ordinary materials as candidates for dark matter.”

Keywords: ruled out, ordinary materials

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 1

Explanation: Since ordinary materials are excluded, dark matter cannot consist of them.

37. Quarks have neither positive nor negative charge.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “Quarks each possess fractional electrical charges of positive or negative one-third or two-thirds.”

Keywords: quarks, fractional charge, positive/negative

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, line 2

Explanation: The statement that quarks have no charge contradicts the passage — they do have fractional charges.

38. Protons are not stable.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “Stealth dark matter particles should be stable over time — not decaying often, if at all, much like protons.”

Keywords: protons, stable

Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, line 4

Explanation: Protons are described as stable, not unstable, so the statement is false.

39. Dark matter has a serious impact on the cosmos.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “Dark matter… is detectable via its gravitational influence on ‘normal’ matter.”

Keywords: gravitational influence, normal matter

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 2

Explanation: This line shows dark matter’s significant impact on the cosmos through gravity.

QUESTION 40

CHOOSE THE CORRECT LETTER, A, B, C OR D.

40. Passage 3 is:

A. a scientific article

B. a sci-fi article

C. a short sketch

D. an article from a magazine

Answer: A. a scientific article

Supporting statement: The passage discusses research, experiments, simulations, and findings about dark matter and cites journals.

Keywords: study, researchers, Physical Review Letters

Keyword Location: Entire passage

Explanation: The writing style and focus on scientific discovery confirm it is a scientific article.

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