Reed Bed Reading Answers

Sep 29, 2022

Reed Bed Reading Answers 13 questions that have to be answered in 20 minutes. Reading Answers comprises question types, namely- true/false/not given, complete the diagram, write the appropriate letter, and choose two letters. For true/false/not given, candidates are required to use the given cues, candidates are required to complete the diagram using no more than three words or a number for each answer, write the appropriate letter from the given list of options and choose two correct letters from the given options.
Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question.

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Reading Passage Question

(A) Nowadays subsurface flow wetlands are a common alternative in Europe for the treatment of wastewater in rural areas. Mainly in the last 10 to 12 years, there has been significant growth in the number and size of the systems in use. In comparison to the common treatment facilities, wetlands are lower in cost investment, lesser to maintain, and are ideal for densely populated rural or suburban areas rather than urban areas.

(B) The common 'Reed' has the ability to transfer oxygen from its leaves, down through its stem and rhizomes, and out via its root system. As a result of this action, a very high population of microorganisms occurs in the root system, with zones of aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic conditions. Therefore with the wastewater moving very slowly and carefully through the mass of Reed roots, this liquid can be successfully treated.

(C) A straightforward definition of a reed bed is if you have dirty water in your pool or water, which is heavily polluted, reed beds will be planted to make the water clean again. This is good for ecology and living organisms and fish in the water. Reed beds have a wide range of qualities and are acceptable for cleaning everything from secondary to tertiary treatment of mild domestic effluent, to rural waste and even heavy industrial contaminants. The reason why they're so effective is often that within the bed's root sector, natural biological, physical, and chemical processes interact with one another to degrade or remove a good range of pollutants. Reed beds can be built in a number of variants, but mainly they are of the horizontal flow or vertical (down) flow configuration where water flows through the beds horizontally or vertically.

(D) Horizontal-flow wetlands may be of two types: Free-water surface flow (FWF) or Subsurface water flow (SSF). In the former, the effluent flows freely above the sand/gravel bed in which the reeds, etc. are planted; in the latter effluent passes through the sand/ gravel bed. In FWF-type wetlands, the effluent is treated by plant stems, leaves, and rhizomes. Such FWF wetlands are densely planted and typically have water depths of less than 0.4m. However, dense planting can limit oxygen diffusion into the water. These systems work particularly well for low-strength effluents or effluents that have undergone some form of pretreatment and play an invaluable role in the tertiary treatment and the polishing of effluents. The horizontal reed flow system uses a long reed bed, Where the liquid slowly flows horizontally through. The length of the reed bed is about 100 meters. The downside of the horizontal reed beds is that they use up lots of land space and they do take quite a long time to produce clean water.

VERTICAL FLOW REED BED SYSTEMS

(E) A vertical flow reed bed is a sealed, gravel-filled trench with reeds growing in it (see the picture below). The common reed oxygenates the water, which helps to create the right environment for colonies of bacteria to break down unwanted organic matter and pollutants. The reeds also make the bed attractive to wildlife.

How Does a Vertical Flow Reed Bed Work?

(F) In vertical flow (Downflow) reed beds, the wastewater is applied on top of the reed bed, flows down through a rhizome zone with sludge as substrate, then the root zone with sand as substrate, and followed by a layer of gravel for drainage, and is collected in an under drainage system of large stones. The effluent flows onto the surface of the bed and percolates slowly through the different layers into an outlet pipe, which leads to a horizontal flow bed and is cleaned by millions of bacteria, algae, fungi, and microorganisms that digest the waste, including sewage. There is no standing water so there should be no unpleasant smells.

(G) Vertical flow reed bed systems are much more effective than horizontal flow reed beds not only in reducing biochemical oxygen demanded (BOD) and suspended solids (SS) levels but also in reducing ammonia levels and eliminating smells.

Usually considerably smaller than horizontal flow beds, they are capable of handling much stronger effluents that contain heavily polluted matters and have a longer lifetime value. A vertical reed bed system works more efficiently than a horizontal reed bed system, but it requires more management, and its reed beds are often operated for a few days then rested, so several beds and a distribution.

(H) There are several advantages of Reed Bed systems over traditional forms of water treatment: first, they have low construction and running costs; second, they are easy management; third they have an excellent reduction of biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids; last they have a potential for efficient removal of a wide range of pollutants.

(I) Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions, and estuaries. The natural bed systems are biologically proven, and an environmentally friendly and visually unobtrusive way of treating wastewater and have the extra virtue of frequently being better than mechanical wastewater treatment systems. In the medium to long term reed bed systems are, in most cases, more cost-effective in installment than any other wastewater treatment. They are robust and require little maintenance. They are naturally environmentally sound protecting groundwater, dams, creeks, rivers, and estuaries.

Solution with Explanation
Questions 1-3:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in IELTS Data Reading Passage 128 – Water Treatment 2: Reed Bed Passage?
In boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet, write

True If the statement is true.
False If the statement is false
Not Given If the information is not given in the passage.

The Reed bed system is a conventional method for water treatment in an urban area.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: The conventional mechanism of water purification used in big cities where there are large volumes of water to be purified is inappropriate in rural areas.
Keywords: conventional, water purification, big cities, rural areas
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, last line
Explanation: According to the last sentence of paragraph A, rural communities should not use the traditional water purification methods used in large cities where there is a lot of water that needs to be cleaned. From these lines, it is clear that the reed bed system is a common mechanism of water purification employed in large cities (urban regions. It infers that there is a significant amount of water that needs to be purified. Because the information and the statement are inconsistent, the answer is false

IN the reed roots, there’s a series of processes that helps break down the pollutants.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Therefore with the wastewater moving very slowly and carefully through the mass of Reed roots, this liquid can be successfully treated.
Keywords: wastewater, reed roots, treated, liquid
Keywords Location: Paragraph B, last line
Explanation: The last sentence of paragraph B explains that the reason they are frequently so effective is that within the bed's root sector, natural biological, physical, and chemical processes interact with one another to break down or eliminate a wide variety of contaminants. These lines suggest that the reed bed system works because of the biological, physical, and chemical processes. These are part of nature interacting inside the toot sector of the bed to break down pollutants. Because the information and the statement are consistent, the answer is True.

Escherichia coli is the most difficult bacteria to be dismissed.

Answer: Not given
Explanation: No such relevant information was found in the paragraph.

Questions 4-6:
Complete the diagram below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Question 4:

Answer: Sludge
Supporting Sentence: vertical flow (Downflow) reed beds, the wastewater is applied on top of the reed bed, and flows down through a rhizome zone with sludge as substrate
Keywords: vertical flow, reed beds, wastewater, rhizome zone
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, 1st line
Explanation: The wastewater in vertical flow (Downflow) reed beds is applied on top of the reed bed and flows downward via a rhizome zone with sludge as the substrate, as shown in Paragraph F. The sludge is thus utilised as a substrate in the downflow reed bed system. So sludge is the solution.

Question 5:

Answer: Sand
Supporting Sentence: In vertical flow (Downflow) reed beds, the wastewater is applied on top of the reed bed, flows down through a rhizome zone with sludge as substrate, then the root zone with sand as substrate, and followed by a layer of gravel for drainage, and is collected in an under drainage system of large stones.
Keywords: vertical flow, reed bed, rhizome, root zone, drainage
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, 1st line
Explanation: The downflow reed bed system is explained in paragraph F. According to this theory, wastewater is put on top of the reed bed and flows downward via a rhizome zone with sludge as a substrate before entering the root zone with sand as a substrate. We know that the rhizome zone, which uses sludge as a substrate, initiates the downflow, followed by the root zone, which uses sand. So, sand is the answer.

Question 6:

Answer: Gravel
Supporting Sentence: In vertical flow (Downflow) reed beds, the wastewater is applied on top of the reed bed, flows down through a rhizome zone with sludge as substrate, then the root zone with sand as substrate, and followed by a layer of gravel for drainage, and is collected in an under drainage system of large stones.
Keywords: vertical flow, rhizome zone, sludge, drainage
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, 1st line
Explanation: The theory of the reed bed system's downflow is described in paragraph F. According to this theory, wastewater is applied on top of the reed bed and then flows through a sludge-substrated rhizome zone, a sand-substrated root zone, a layer of gravel for drainage, and finally, a collection system of large stones. We may infer that after wastewater is applied to the top of the reed bed, it flows downward via a rhizome zone with sludge as substrate, then passes through a root zone with sand and a layer of gravel for drainage, and finally collects in an under drainage system of large stones. So gravel is the answer.

Questions 7-11:

Use the information in the passage to match the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems: horizontal flow system and downflow system (listed A-H) below. Write the appropriate letters A-H in boxes 7-11 on your answer sheet.

It can deal with a more seriously polluted effluent. It requires more beds than one compared to the other. It needs less control and doesn’t need to be taken care of all the time. It requires a lot of guidance. It can’t work all the time because the pool needs time to rest and recover after a certain period. It’s a lot more complicated to build the system. The system is easy to be built and does not need an auxiliary system. It consumes less water.

………7…………, which is the advantage of the down-flow system. However, ………..8………. and ……….9……… are the disadvantages of the down-flow system.………10………and ……..11………….. are the two benefits of the horizontal flow system. However, it’s less effective and efficient.

Question 7:

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: last they have a potential for efficient removal of a wide range of pollutants.
Keywords: potential, removal, pollutants
Keywords Location: Paragraph H, last line
Explanation: According to the last line of paragraph H, reed bed systems have the ability to effectively remove a variety of contaminants. The reading text informs us that Reed Beds will purify the dirty water, which is simply advantageous for the ecosystem, aquatic life, and fish. Furthermore, it is claimed in paragraph H that it has the capacity to effectively remove a variety of contaminants. So, the answer is A.

Question 8:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The horizontal reed flow system uses a long reed bed, Where the liquid slowly flows horizontally through. The length of the reed bed is about 100 meters. The downside of the horizontal reed beds is that they use up lots of land space and they do take quite a long time to produce clean water.
Keywords: long reed bed, downside, land space, long time
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, last and 2nd last line
Explanation: The last and second last lines of paragraph D explain that the horizontal reed flow system employs a long reed bed through which the liquid flows horizontally. The reed bed is around 100 metres long. The disadvantage of horizontal reed beds is that they take a long time to produce clean water and take up a lot of land. These lines make clear that because reed beds require a lot of space—they have an average length of around 100 meters—it takes more than one to create clean water, and it also takes a while. So, B is the correct answer.

Question 9:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: A vertical reed bed system works more efficiently than a horizontal reed bed system, but it requires more management, and its reed beds are often operated for a few days then rested, so several beds and a distribution.
Keywords: reed bed, efficiently, management, several beds, distribution
Keywords Location: Paragraph G, last line
Explanation: The last line of paragraph G shows how a vertical reed bed system operates more effectively than a horizontal reed bed system, but that it also requires more management because its reed beds are frequently run for a few days before resting, requiring many beds and a distribution. These lines show that the horizontal reed bed system is more effective than vertical reed beds because the latter requires more maintenance and are only used for a few days after a rest, i.e., the reed beds can't work continuously because the pool needs time to rest and recuperate after a period. So, the answer is E.

Question 10:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: They are robust and require little maintenance.
Keywords: robust, little maintenance
Keywords Location: Paragraph I, 4thh line
Explanation: The 4th line of paragraph I shows how installing long-term reed bed systems is typically more affordable than installing alternate wastewater treatment. They are durable and don't need much upkeep. These lines demonstrate that reed bed systems are sturdy and strong, and that they require little control (maintenance). Because of its strength, reed bed systems require less management and maintenance.

Question 11:

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: first, they have low construction and running costs
Keywords: low construction, running cost
Keywords Location: Paragraph H, 1st line
Explanation: We can infer from paragraph H that Reed Bed systems provide a number of benefits, including low construction and operating costs and simple management. These lines show that Reed Bed Systems can be constructed successfully without the aid of an additional system (auxiliary system).

Questions 12-13:
Choose two correct letters from the following A, B, C, D, or E.
Write your answers in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.
What are the two benefits of natural bed systems when compared to conventional systems?

Operation does not require electricity or fuel supply. They’re visually good and environmentally friendly. No mechanical systems are involved. They’re to be set up and used at less cost. They do not break down.

Question 12:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: the natural bed systems are biologically proven and an environmentally friendly and visually unobtrusive way of treating wastewater
Keywords: natural, environmentally, unobtrusive
Keywords Location: Paragraph I, 2nd line
Explanation: According to the second line of paragraph I, natural bed systems are scientifically proven, environmentally friendly, and unsightly ways to treat wastewater. These lines show that Reed bed systems are biologically tested, environmentally friendly, and aesthetically pleasing.

Question 13:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: cost-effective in instalment than any other wastewater treatment systems.
Keywords: cost effective, instalment, wastewater
Keywords Location: Paragraph I, 3rd line
Explanation: As shown in paragraph I, installing Reed Bed systems is typically more affordable than installing any other wastewater treatment system. These lines indicate that installing reed bed systems is much less expensive than installing other treatment methods.