The Construction of Roads and Bridges Reading Answers

Feb 22, 2023

The Construction of Roads and Bridges Reading Answers comprises a total of 13 questions. This IELTS reading topic; The Construction of Roads and Bridges Reading Answers comprises question types such as; No More Than three words/A Number, True/False/Not Given, and No More Than One Word. To solve these questions in the IELTS reading topic, candidates must go through the passage carefully and identify the major keywords. The Construction of Roads and Bridges Reading Answers are to be solved by the candidates within a timeframe of 20 minutes which remains the same for all the IELTS Reading assessments. To practice more such IELTS reading topics, candidates can refer to the book Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers. Moreover, candidates might consider IELTS reading practice papers to practice such relevant questions.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Construction of Roads and Bridges Reading Answers

Although there were highway links in Mesopotamia from as early as 3500 BC, the Romans were probably the first road-builders with fixed engineering standards. At the peak of the Roman Empire in the first century AD, Rome had road connections totalling about 85,000 kilometres.

Roman roads were constructed with a deep stone surface for stability and load-bearing. They had straight alignments and therefore were often hilly. The Roman roads remained the main arteries of European transport for many centuries, and even today many roads follow the Roman routes. New roads were generally of inferior quality, and the achievements of Roman builders were largely unsurpassed until the resurgence of road-building in the eighteenth century.

With horse-drawn coaches in mind, eighteenth-century engineers preferred to curve their roads to avoid hills. The road surface was regarded as merely a face to absorb wear, the load-bearing strength being obtained from a properly prepared and well-drained foundation. Immediately above this, the Scottish engineer John McAdam (1756-1836) typically laid crushed stone, to which stone dust mixed with water was added, and which was compacted to a thickness of just five centimetres, and then rolled. McAdam’s surface layer - hot tar onto which a layer of stone chips was laid - became known as ‘tarmacadam’, or tarmac. Roads of this kind were known as flexible pavements.

By the early nineteenth century - the start of the railway age - men such as John McAdam and Thomas Telford had created a British road network totalling some 200,000 km, of which about one sixth was privately owned toll roads called turnpikes. In the first half of the nineteenth century, many roads in the US were built to the new standards, of which the National Pike from West Virginia to Illinois was perhaps the most notable.

In the twentieth century, the ever-increasing use of motor vehicles threatened to break up roads built to nineteenth-century standards, so new techniques had to be developed.

On routes with heavy traffic, flexible pavements were replaced by rigid pavements, in which the top layer was concrete, 15 to 30 centimetres thick, laid on a prepared bed. Nowadays steel bars are laid within the concrete. This not only restrains shrinkage during setting, but also reduces expansion in warm weather. As a result, it is possible to lay long slabs without danger of cracking.

The demands of heavy traffic led to the concept of high-speed, long-'distance roads, with access - or slip-lanes - spaced widely apart. The US Bronx River Parkway of 1925 was followed by several variants - Germany’s autobahns and the Pan American Highway. Such roads - especially the intercity autobahns with their separate multi-lane carriageways for each direction - were the predecessors of today’s motorways.

Bridges

The development by the Romans of the arched bridge marked the beginning of scientific bridge-building; hitherto, bridges had generally been crossings in the form of felled trees or flat stone blocks. Absorbing the load by compression, arched bridges are very strong. Most were built of stone, but brick and timber were also used. A fine early example is at Alcantara in Spain, built of granite by the Romans in AD 105 to span the River Tagus. In modern times, metal and concrete arched bridges have been constructed. The first significant metal bridge, built of cast iron in 1779, still stands at Ironbridge in England.

Steel, with its superior strength-to-weight ratio, soon replaced iron in metal bridge-work. In the railway age, the truss (or girder) bridge became popular. Built of wood or metal, the truss beam consists of upper and lower horizontal booms joined by vertical or inclined members.

The suspension bridge has a deck supported by suspenders that drop from one or more overhead cables. It requires strong anchorage at each end to resist the inward tension of the cables, and the deck is strengthened to control distortion by moving loads or high winds. Such bridges are nevertheless light, and therefore the most suitable for very long spans. The Clifton Suspension Bridge in the UK, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunei (1806—59) to span the Avon Gorge in England, is famous both for its beautiful setting and for its elegant design. The 1998 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has a span of 1,991 metres, which is the longest to date.

Cantilever bridges, such as the 1889 Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, exploit the potential of steel construction to produce a wide clearwater space. The spans have a central supporting pier and meet midstream. The downward thrust, where the spans meet, is countered by firm anchorage of the spans at their other ends. Although the suspension bridge can span a wider gap, the cantilever is relatively stable, and this was important for nineteenth-century railway builders. The world’s longest cantilever span - 549 metres - is that of the Quebec rail bridge in Canada, constructed in 1918.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Question 1 – 3:
Label the diagram below.

Diagram

Question 1:

Answer: Hot Tar
Supporting Sentence: McAdam’s surface layer - hot tar onto which a layer of stone chips was laid - became known as ‘tarmacadam’, or tarmac. Roads of this kind were known as flexible pavements.
Keywords: Tarmacadam, stone chips, surface layer
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, line 4
Explanation: According to paragraph B, Scottish engineer John McAdam laid crushed stone, combined with stone-dust and water, compacted to a thickness of only five cm, and then rolled. 'Tarmacadam,' or tarmac, was the name given to McAdam's surface layer, which consisted of heated tar over which a layer of stone chips was put. Flexible pavements were the name for these kinds of roads. As a result, we can deduce that the layer of stone chip was deposited on top of hot tar, as shown in the diagram.

Question 2:

Answer: Five centimeters
Supporting Sentence: The Scottish engineer John McAdam (1756-1836) typically laid crushed stone, to which stone dust mixed with water was added, and which was compacted to a thickness of just five centimetres, and then rolled.
Keywords: thickness, compacted, crushed stone
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, line 3
Explanation: According to paragraph B, Scottish engineer John McAdam laid crushed stone to which he added stone-dust mixed with water, compacted to a thickness of only five centimetres, and then rolled. As a result, we can deduce that the middle layer was five centimetres thick. As a result, the right answer is five centimetres.

Question 3:

Answer: Water
Supporting Sentence: The Scottish engineer John McAdam (1756-1836) typically laid crushed stone, to which stone dust mixed with water was added, and which was compacted to a thickness of just five centimetres, and then rolled.
Keywords: Crushed stone, dust, mixed, stone dust
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, line 3
Explanation: According to the Scottish engineer John McAdam (1756-1836), crushed stone was laid, to which stone-dust mixed with water was added, compressed to a thickness of only five cm, and then rolled. So, the answer is water, which was combined with stone-dust.

Question 4 –7:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage? 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 4: Road construction improved continuously between the first and eighteenth centuries.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: New roads were generally of inferior quality, and the achievements of Roman builders were largely unsurpassed until the resurgence of road-building in the eighteenth century.
Keywords: Inferior quality, new roads, road building, eighteenth century
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, last line
Explanation: New roads were often of poorer quality, and the achievements of Roman builders was essentially unmatched until the rebirth of road-building in the eighteenth century, as given in paragraph A, last line. As a result, we may deduce that road-building resurgence began in the eighteenth century and was not a continuous process between the first and the eighteenth centuries.

Question 5: In Britain, during the nineteenth century, only the very rich could afford to use toll roads.

Answer: Not given
Explanation: No relevant statement was found in the reading passage.

Question 6: Nineteenth-century road surfaces were inadequate for heavy motor traffic.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: In the twentieth century, the ever-increasing use of motor vehicles threatened to break up roads built to nineteenth-century standards, so new techniques had to be developed.
Keywords: nineteenth century, threatened to break, motor vehicle, increasing use.
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, last line.
Explanation: The last sentence of paragraph C states that in the twentieth century, the ever-increasing usage of motor vehicles threatened to break apart roads built to nineteenth-century standards, necessitating the development of new procedures. So, we may agree that nineteenth-century road surfaces were unsuitable for large vehicular usage.

Question 7: Traffic speeds on long-distance highways were unregulated in the early part of the twentieth century.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: No relevant statement was found in the reading passage.

Question 8 – 13:
Complete the table below.
Use ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Bridges

Types of Bridge	Features	Example(s)
Arched Bridge	Introduced by (8) _______________. Very Strong Usually made of (9)____________.	Alcantara, Spain Ironbridge, UK
Truss Bridge	Made of wood or metal. Popular for railways.	-
Suspension Bridge	Has a suspended deck. Strong but (10)__________.	Clifton, UK. Akashi Kaikyo, Japan (currently the (11)________ span).
Cantilever Bridge	Made of (12)__________. More (13)__________ than the suspension bridge.	Quebec, Canada.

Question 8:

Answer: Romans
Supporting Sentence: The development by the Romans of the arched bridge marked the beginning of scientific bridge-building.
Keywords: arched bridge, development, beginning
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, line 1.
Explanation: The invention of the arched bridge by the Romans signified the beginning of scientific bridge-building, according to paragraph F, line 1. As can be seen from this line, our answer is Romans.

Question 9:

Answer: Stone
Supporting Sentence: Absorbing the load by compression, arched bridges are very strong. Most were built of stone, but brick and timber were also used.
Keywords: arched bridge, strong, built
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, line 2 and 3.
Explanation: We can locate our answer in paragraph F, lines 2 and 3, where it is stated that arched bridges are exceptionally strong at absorbing load through compression. The majority of the structures were made of stone, but brick and timber were also employed. As a result, our answer is stone.

Question 10:

Answer: Light
Supporting Sentence: It requires strong anchorage at each end to resist the inward tension of the cables, and the deck is strengthened to control distortion by moving loads or high winds. Such bridges are nevertheless light, and therefore the most suitable for very long spans.
Keywords: Strong, strengthened, nevertheless.
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, line 2 and 3
Explanation: Our solution may be found in paragraph H, lines 2 and 3, where it is stated that strong anchorage is required at each end to resist the inward pull of the cables, and the deck is strengthened to control distortion caused by moving loads or heavy winds. However, because such bridges are light, they are best suited for very large spans. As a result, our answer is light.

Question 11:

Answer: Longest
Supporting Sentence: The 1998 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has a span of 1,991 metres, which is the longest to date.
Keywords: Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan.
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, last line
Explanation: The 1998 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has a span of 1,991 metres, making it the longest to date, according to the last sentence of paragraph H. As a result, our response is the longest.

Question 12:

Answer: Steel
Supporting Sentence: Cantilever bridges, such as the 1889 Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, exploit the potential of steel construction to produce a wide clearwater space.
Keywords: Cantilever bridge, potential, construction.
Keyword Location: Paragraph I, line 1.
Explanation: Our answer may be found in paragraph I, line 1, where it is stated that cantilever bridges, such as the 1889 Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, use steel construction to create a large Clearwater space. As a result, steel is our answer.

Question 13:

Answer: Stable
Supporting Sentence: Although the suspension bridge can span a wider gap, the cantilever is relatively stable, and this was important for nineteenth-century railway builders.
Keywords: suspension bridge, cantilever, nineteenth century, railway builder
Keyword Location: Paragraph I, line 4.
Explanation: Our solution can be found in paragraph I, line 4, which explains that, while the suspension bridge may span a wider gap, the cantilever is generally stable, which was vital for nineteenth-century railway engineers. So, our answer is stable.