Reaching the Stars Reading Answers

Sayantani Barman

Mar 15, 2024

Reaching the Stars Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Reaching the Stars Reading Answers have a total of 14 IELTS questions in total. This topic has 6 questions in which we have to fill up the black choosing appropriate paragraphs. The next 2 questions we have to choose the corect option. The next 4 questions are fill in the blanks.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Reaching the stars Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Reaching the Stars

  1. Our nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is 4.2 light years away from us - more than 200,000 times the distance from the planet Earth to the Sun. Such huge distances would seem to put the stars well beyond the reach of human explorers Suppose we were able to ride aboard NASA's Voyager 1, the fastest interstellar space probe build till date. Voyager 1 is now heading out of the solar system at about 17 Km/s. At this rate it would take 74,000 years for it to reach Proxima Centauri
  2. What would it take for humans to reach the stars within this lifetime? For a start, we would need a spacecraft that can travel as close as to speed of light. There has been plenty of proposals: vehicles propelled by repeated blasts, from hydrogen bombs, or from the destruction of matter. Others looks huge sailing ships with giant reflective sails, pushed along by powerful lasers. All of these ambitious schemes have their disadvantages, and it is doubtful they could really go such a vast distance
  3. Now there are two radical possibilities on the table that might just enable us to reach the stars. One physicist has outlined his design for a spacecraft driven by dark matter, which is apparently extremely abundant. And two mathematicians have outlined a craft powered by an artificial black hole.
  4. Everybody agrees that building a ship powered by black holes or dark matter  would be extremely difficult. Yet, there seems to be nothing in our present understanding of physics to prevent us from doing so. Most astronomers are convinced about dark matter because of the way it's gravity pulls on the stars and galaxies. Such observations prove that dark matter outweighs the universe's visible matter by a factor of six. So a dark matter starship could pick up its fuel on its way and would therefore will not need to carry any.
  5. It is speculated that dark matter particles could be possibly made to collide, thus annihilating each other and converting their mass into energy. One kilogram of dark matter could release 10 billion times extra energy than 1 Kilo grain of dynamite. The matter could be collected and compressed, which would raise its annihilation rate, and the faster it travels, the faster it would scoop up its fuel and accelerate. It is thought that such a rocket might be able to come close to the speed of light within a some days.
  6. Another possibility consists of the constructing a rocket using a black hole as fuel. Very small black holes emit massive radiation as compared to large, stellar-mass black holes, according to the equations describing black holes. A black hole weighing about a million tonnes would make a best energy source. It is small enough to generate powerful radiation to power a starship, yet large enough to survive without radiating all its mass during a typical stellar journey of about 100 years duration.
  7. One possibility is to look for a pre-existing black hole, but theories have been skeptical and prefer another proposal of making one. 20 cubic meters of tremendous energy is required to create a black hole. Solar energy would be collected in panels, orbiting the Sun and soaking up the sunlight. The resulting million-tonne black hole would be about the equivalent of an atomic nucleus The next phase is to get it into the focal range of parabolic mirror attached to the back of the starship. The Gamma ray photos would be the starship's exhaust and push it forwards. A black hole starship could fly at the light speed in a few decades.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation 

Questions 29-35

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings.

  1. More attractive plans for long-range space travel
  2. An ideal dimension of a possible source of power
  3. Stars are far away to reach with current technology
  4. Plentiful power supply in space
  5. unlikely suggestion for interstellar transport
  6. process of ageing for space travellers
  7. risks of using dark matter as fuel source
  8. an artificial power source
  9. energy and speed generated using dark matter

  1. Paragraph A - .

Answer: III
Supporting statement: “........Voyager 1 is now heading out of the solar system at about 17 Km/s. At this rate it would take 74,000 years for it to reach Proxima Centauri.........”
Keywords: rate, centauri
Keyword Location: para A, line 5
Explanation: It is given that the paragraph A mentions different statistical information that clearly states that it is unlikely to reach star. 

  1. Paragraph B -..

Answer: V
Supporting statement: “........ For a start, we would need a spacecraft that can travel as close as to speed of light. There has been plenty of proposals: vehicles propelled by repeated blasts, from hydrogen.........”
Keywords: propelled, repeated
Keyword Location: para B, line 1
Explanation: It is given that the para B mention about different ways to reach star. It is stated that we need to travel with speed of light. 

  1. Paragraph C -

Answer: I
Supporting statement: “.......One physicist has outlined his design for a spacecraft driven by dark matter, which is apparently extremely abundant. And two mathematicians have outlined a craft powered by an artificial black hole...........”
Keywords: dark, artifical
Keyword Location: para C, line 2
Explanation: The paragraph mentions possible scientific ways to reach a star. One is using dark matter and other is black hole. 

  1. Paragraph D -

Answer: IV
Supporting statement: “.......So a dark matter starship could pick up its fuel on its way and would therefore will not need to carry any..........”
Keywords: way, carry
Keyword Location: para D, line 6
Explanation: It is given that the dark matter ships could be refuled easily because dark matter is everywhere. 

  1. Paragraph E-

Answer: IX
Supporting statement: “........One kilogram of dark matter could release 10 billion times extra energy than 1 Kilo grain of dynamite.........”
Keywords: extra, dynamite
Keyword Location: para E, line 1
Explanation: It is given that one Kg of dark matter can release 10 billion times more energy than 1kg of dynamite. 

  1. Paragraph F -

Answer: II
Supporting statement: “........Another possibility consists of the constructing a rocket using a black hole as fuel. Very small black holes emit massive radiation as compared to large, stellar-mass.........”
Keywords: black, large
Keyword Location: para F, line 2
Explanation: It is given that the rocket can also be fueled using black hole. It is a different source of energy. 

  1. Paragraph G -

Answer: VIII
Supporting statement: “..........20 cubic meters of tremendous energy is required to create a black hole. Solar energy would be collected in panels, orbiting the Sun and soaking up the sunlight. .......”
Keywords: black, sunlight
Keyword Location: para G, line 2
Explanation: It is given that the 20 cc of tremendous energy is required for black hole. It is collected in panels around the sun through sunlight. 

Questions 36-37

Which TWO proposals to power superships might allow humans to travel to the stars?

  1. hydrogen bombs
  2. laser-driven sails
  3. black holes
  4. dark matter
  5. solar energy

Answer: C / D
Supporting statement: “........Everybody agrees that building a ship powered by black holes or dark matter  would be extremely difficult. Yet, there seems to be nothing in our present understanding of physics to prevent us from doing so..........”
Keywords: understanding, physics
Keyword Location: para D, line 2
Explanation: It is given that the building of ship is scientifically possible using dark matter and black hole. 

Questions 38-40

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage.

One theory suggests a collision of dark matter (38)........., which

Answer: PARTICLES
Supporting statement: “....... It is speculated that dark matter particles could be possibly made to collide, thus annihilating each other and converting their mass into energy...........”
Keywords: possible, energy
Keyword Location: para E, line 1
Explanation: It is given that the collision of dark matter could lead to creating energy. 

would be mutually destroyed, thus resulting in a physical transformation into (39)......... Such a process would be capable of producing massive force than using a

Answer: ENERGY
Supporting statement: “.........It is speculated that dark matter particles could be possibly made to collide, thus annihilating each other and converting their mass into energy.........”
Keywords: collide, energy
Keyword Location: para E, line 1
Explanation: It is given that the particles will turn to physically transformation and create energy conventional explosive. Acquisition and compression of the matter would increase its

(40)...., and the vehicle might approach light speed in a short interval.

Answer: ANNIHILATION 
Supporting statement: “........The matter could be collected and compressed, which would raise its annihilation rate, and the faster it travels, the faster it would scoop up its fuel and accelerate..........”
Keywords: raise, accelerate
Keyword Location: para E, line 4
Explanation: It is given that the acquisition and compression of matter could increase its annihilation. 

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