Telling The Time Using Water Clocks Reading Answers

Aug 22, 2024

The topic discussed is an academic reading answers topic. Telling the time using water clocks Reading Answers has a total of 7 IELTS questions in total. You have to fill in the blanks after seeing the image.

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Section 1

TELLING THE TIME USING WATER CLOCKS

A water clock is a timepiece by which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel.

EGYPT: The oldest water clock of which there is physical evidence is Egyptian. These simple water clocks, which were of the outflow type, were stone vessels with sloping sides that allowed water to drip at a nearly constant rate from a small hole near the bottom. There were twelve separate columns with consistently spaced markings on the inside to measure the passage of "hours" as the water level reached them. These clocks were used by priests to determine the time at night so that the temple rites and sacrifices could be performed at the correct hour.

BABYLON: In Babylon, water clocks were of the outflow type and were cylindrical and aided astronomical calculations While there are no surviving water clocks from this region, evidence of their existence comes from writings on clay tablets. These clocks were unique, as they did not have an indicator such as hands (as are typically used today or grooved notches (as were used in Egypt). Instead, these clocks measured time by the weight of water flowing from them.

INDIA: Pots excavated from the Indus Valley site of Mohenjo-daro were used as water clocks. They are tapered at the bottom have a hole on the side, and are similar to the utensils used to perform various religious rituals. Four-hour-long intervals were measured, which consisted of a similar copper bowl holding two large floats in a larger bowl filled with water; it sank when filled and was marked by the beating of a drum throughout the day.

KOREA: In 1434, Chang Yongsil, who was a palace guard and later chief court engineer, constructed a self-striking hydro-mechanical water clock. This innovation no longer required the reliance of human workers, known as 'rooster men", to constantly replenish the water. The uniqueness of the clock was its capability to announce the time with both visual and audible signals. This water clock was not preserved well and did not survive; however, reconstructions based on text descriptions have been made. As the water from the upper containers seeped down to the lower jar via spouts, the water would then rise to a set position pushing a cork prong upwards through a cylindrical tube, tilting a floating rod, triggering the release of a ball bearing through a small outlet, which would roll down a pipe to a container of iron balls. The collision would cause them to travel along a lower pipe and would mark the hour automatically with the sounds of a bell, drum, and lastly, a gong.

PERSIA: The use of water clocks in Iran dates back to the beginning of the millennium. They were used to determine the shortest, longest, and equal-length days and nights of the year. Persian water clocks consisted of a large pot full of water and a bowl with a small hole in the centre. When the bowl became full of water, it would sink into the pot, and the clock manager would empty the bowl and again put it on top of the water in the pot. He would record the number of times the bowl sank by putting small stones into a jar.

GREECE: The Greeks introduced several types of inflow clocks and invented an indicator system typical for later clocks such as the dial and pointer. They also designed one of the world's first alarm clocks, working with gongs or trumpets. A commonly used water clock was the simple outflow one. This small earthenware vessel had a hole in its side near the base. In both Greek 50d Roman times, this type of water clock was used in courts for allocating periods to speakers. In important cases such as when a person's life was at stake, it was filled, but for more minor cases, only partially.

Questions 25 - 31

Label parts of the water clock on the diagram

below. Choose the labels given in the diagram.

CLOCK PARTS

Cork prong	Cylindrical tube
Containers	Gong
Lower pipe	Bell
Floating rod	Jar
Drum	Spouts
Pipe	Iron ball
Ball bearing	Outlet

Q.25

Answer: CONTAINERS

Supporting statement: “.......As the water from the upper containers seeped down to the lower jar via spouts.......”

Keywords: water, spouts

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Line 7

Explanation: The passage mentions that water moves from the upper containers to the lower jar. This indicates that the water clock has multiple containers that hold and transfer water, making "containers" the correct label for this part.

Q.26

Answer: JAR

Supporting statement: “........As the water from the upper containers seeped down to the lower jar via spouts......”

Keywords: upper, jar

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Line 7

Explanation: The lower jar is specifically mentioned as the container that receives water from the upper containers via spouts. The term "jar" refers to this part of the clock that collects the water, so "jar" is the correct answer.

Q.27

Answer: CORK PRONG

Supporting statement: “.......the water would then rise to a set position pushing a cork prong upwards through a cylindrical tube.......”

Keywords: prong, cylindrical

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Line 8

Explanation: The cork prong is pushed upwards by the rising water, which is a crucial part of the mechanism in the clock. This description confirms that the part labeled in the diagram as "cork prong" is correct.

Q.28

Answer: FLOATING ROD

Supporting statement: “......pushing a cork prong upwards through a cylindrical tube, tilting a floating rod........”

Keywords: cork, rod

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Line 8

Explanation: The passage describes how the cork prong pushes a floating rod, which then triggers other actions within the clock. This detail shows that the floating rod is part of the clock's mechanism, making it the correct answer.

Q.29

Answer: BALL BEARING

Supporting statement: “........tilting a floating rod, triggering the release of a ball bearing through a small outlet......”

Keywords: floating, outlet

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Line 8

Explanation: The floating rod triggers the release of a ball bearing, which is part of the water clock's mechanism. The mention of a "small outlet" from which the ball bearing is released confirms that "ball bearing" is the correct label for this part.

Q.30

Answer: IRON BALL

Supporting statement: “......which would roll down a pipe to a container of iron balls. The collision would cause them to travel along a lower pipe.........”

Keywords: collision, travel

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Lines 9-10

Explanation: The passage explains that the ball bearing rolls down a pipe and causes iron balls to travel along a lower pipe. This means that "iron ball" is the correct label for the part involved in this action.

Q.31

Answer: BELL

Supporting statement: “......mark the hour automatically with the sounds of a bell, drum, and lastly, a gong........”

Keywords: hour, gong

Keyword Location: para KOREA, Line 10

Explanation: The water clock marks the hour with various sounds, including a bell. The description makes it clear that the bell is part of the time-announcing mechanism, so "bell" is the correct label for this part.

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