The Geography of Antarctica Reading Answers

Jan 23, 2023

The Geography of Antarctica Reading Answers is an academic reading topic and a detailed study about continent of Antarctica. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “IELTS - The Complete Guide to General Reading”. The topic named The Geography of Antarctica Reading Answers comes with 13 different wide range of questions. Three different types of questions are included in this topic, like, no more than two words, True/False/Not Given, and complete the following sentences. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like The Geography of Antarctica Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Geography of Antarctica Reading Answers

The continent of Antarctica makes up most of the Antarctic region. The Antarctic is a cold, remote area in the Southern Hemisphere encompassed by the Antarctic Convergence, an uneven line of latitude where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the warmer waters of the world's oceans. The whole Antarctic region covers approximately 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent in terms of total area, larger than both Oceania and Europe. It is unique in that it does not have a native population. There are no countries in Antarctica, although seven nations claim different parts of it: New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet dominates the region. It is the single piece of ice on Earth covering the greatest area. This ice sheet even extends beyond the continent when snow and ice are at their most extreme. The ice surface dramatically expands from about 3 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) at the end of summer to about 19 million square kilometers (7.3 million square miles) by winter. Ice sheet growth mainly occurs at the coastal ice shelves, primarily the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ronne Ice Shelf. Ice shelves are floating sheets of ice that are connected to the continent. Glacial ice moves from the continent's interior to these lower-elevation ice shelves at rates of 10 to 1,000 meters (33-32,808 feet) per year.

Antarctica has numerous mountain summits, including the Transantarctic Mountains, which divide the continent into eastern and western regions. A few of these summits reach altitudes of more than 4,500 meters (14,764 feet). The elevation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet itself is about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) and reaches 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above sea level near the center of the continent.

Without any ice, the continent would emerge as two distinct areas: a giant peninsula and archipelago of mountainous islands, known as Lesser Antarctica, and a single large landmass about the size of Australia, known as Greater Antarctica. These regions have different geologies; Greater Antarctica, or East Antarctica, is composed of older, igneous rocks whereas Lesser Antarctica, or West Antarctica, is made up of younger, volcanic rock. Lesser Antarctica, in fact, is part of the "Ring of Fire," a tectonically active area around the Pacific Ocean. Tectonic activity is the interaction of plates on Earth's crust, often resulting in earthquakes and volcanoes. Mount Erebus, located on Antarctica's Ross Island, is the southernmost active volcano on Earth.

Antarctica has an extremely cold, dry climate. Winter temperatures along Antarctica's coast generally range from -10° Celsius to -30° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit to -22° Fahrenheit). During the summer, coastal areas hover around 0°C (32°F) but can reach temperatures as high as 9°C (48°F). In the mountainous, interior regions, temperatures are much colder, dropping below -60°C (-76°F) in winter and -20°C (-4°F) in summer. In 1983, Russia's Vostok Research Station measured the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth: -89.2°C (-128.6°F). An even lower temperature was measured using satellite data taken in 2010: -93.2°C (-135.8°F)

Precipitation in the Antarctic is hard to measure. It always falls as snow. Antarctica's interior is believed to receive only 50 to 100 millimeters (2-4 inches) of water (in the form of snow) every year. The Antarctic desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. The oceans surrounding Antarctica provide an important physical component of the Antarctic region. The waters surrounding Antarctica are relatively deep, reaching 4,000 to 5,000 meters (13,123 to 16,404 feet) in depth.

The Antarctic region has an important role in global climate processes. It is an integral part of the Earth's heat balance. This balance, also called the energy balance, is the relationship between the amount of solar heat absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and the amount deflected back into space. Antarctica has a larger role than most continents in maintaining Earth's heat balance and ice is more reflective than land or water surfaces. As a result, the massive Antarctic Ice Sheet reflects a large amount of solar radiation away from Earth's surface. As global ice cover (ice sheets and glaciers) decreases, the reflectivity of Earth's surface also diminishes. This allows more incoming solar radiation to be absorbed by the Earth's surface, causing an unequal heat balance linked to global warming, the current period of climate change.

Interestingly, NASA scientists have found that climate change has caused more ice to form in some parts of Antarctica. They say this is happening because of new climate patterns caused by this change, which in turn create a strong wind pattern called the 'polar vortex.' These kinds of polar winds lower temperatures in the Antarctic and have been building in strength in recent decades-as much as 15 percent since 1980. This effect is not seen throughout the Antarctic, however, and some parts are experiencing ice melt.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 14-17

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Question 14. Antarctica's location far from other continents means that it is very……….

Answer: REMOTE
Supporting sentence: The Antarctic is a cold, remote area in the Southern Hemisphere encompassed by the Antarctic Convergence, an uneven line of latitude where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the warmer waters of the world's oceans.
Keyword : Antarctic, cold, remote area, Southern Hemisphere,
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 1-4
Explanation: Lines 1-4 of paragraph 1 states that the majority of the Antarctic area is made up of the continent of Antarctica. The Antarctic is a frigid, inhospitable region of the Southern Hemisphere is bounded by the Antarctic Convergence. It is an irregular line of latitude where the cold, northward-moving waters of the Antarctic meet the warmer waters of the world's seas.

Question 15. Antarctica is alone among the continents in having no……….

Answer: NATIVE POPULATION
Supporting sentence: It is unique in that it does not have a native population.
Keyword : unique, does not have, native, population
Keyword location: paragraph 1, line 6
Explanation: Line 6 of paragraph 1 says the chilly, northward-moving waters of the Antarctic meet the warmer waters of the world's oceans lies an uneven line of latitude. About 20% of the Southern Hemisphere is taken up by the entire Antarctic region. In terms of overall area, Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, surpassing both Oceania and Europe. It is distinctive in that there is no native population there.

Question 16. The Antarctic ice sheet holds the record as the largest………..sheet on Earth.

Answer: SINGLE
Supporting sentence: This ice sheet even extends beyond the continent when snow and ice are at their most extreme.
Keyword: ice sheet, beyond, continent, most extreme
Keyword location: paragraph 2, line 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 2 explains that overwhelming the area is the Antarctic Ice Sheet. It is the iceberg with the largest surface area on Earth. When snow and ice are at their worst, this ice sheet even extends outside the continent. From roughly 3 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) at the end of the summer to about 19 million square kilometers. It is about 7.3 million square miles by winter, the ice surface drastically increases.

Question 17. ………..are blocks of ice connected to the Antarctic ice sheet.

Answer: ICE SHELVES
Supporting sentence: Ice shelves are floating sheets of ice that are connected to the continent.
Keyword : Ice shelves, floating sheets, ice, continent
Keyword location: paragraph 2, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph 2 says about the coastal ice shelves. It is especially the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ronne Ice Shelf, are where the ice sheet grows the fastest. Ice shelves are connected to the land by sheets of floating ice. These lower-elevation ice shelves receive glacial ice at rates of 10 to 1,000 metres (33-32,808 feet) per year from the interior of the continent.

Questions 18-21

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage on the previous page?

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 18. Some of Antarctica's mountains are popular with climbers.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Supporting sentence: Antarctica has numerous mountain summits, including the Transantarctic Mountains, which divide the continent into eastern and western regions.
Keyword : Antarctica, mountain summits, Transantarctic Mountains, eastern and western regions
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph 3 says about the Transantarctic Mountains. It is those mountains which divide Antarctica into its eastern and western parts. Those are one of the many mountain summits on the continent. Several of these summits are over 4,500 metres in elevation (14,764 feet). Hence, it is nowhere mentioned that some of the mountains of Antartica are popular with climbers. Thus, being no valid information found, the above statement can be regarded as an invalid one.

Question 19. The temperature in Antarctica never rises above 0°C.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: Winter temperatures along Antarctica's coast generally range from -10° Celsius to -30° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit to -22° Fahrenheit).
Keyword : Winter, temperatures, Antarctica's coast, -10° Celsius to -30° Celsius
Keyword location: paragraph 5, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph 5 states about the temperature of the Antartica region. The average wintertime temperature along Antarctica's coast is between -10° Celsius and -30° Celsius (14° to -22° Fahrenheit). Coastal regions can see summertime temperatures as high as 9°C (48°F), but they typically linger around 0°C (32°F). The inner mountainous parts have substantially colder temperatures, with winter lows of -60°C (-76°F) and summer highs of -20°C (-4°F). Hence, it can be that the temperature in Antarctica rises above 0°C. Thus, the above statement can be considered to be a FALSE one.

Question 20. Antarctica constitutes around one-fifth of the southern half of the world.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: The whole Antarctic region covers approximately 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere.
Keyword : Antarctic, region, approximately, 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 1 depicts that the Antarctic is a cold, desolate territory in the Southern Hemisphere. The region is bounded by the Antarctic Convergence. It is an irregular line of latitude where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic seas meet the milder waters of the world's oceans. Twenty percent of the Southern Hemisphere is made up of the entire Antarctic region. Hence, it can be said that the Antarctica constitutes around one-fifth of the southern half of the world. Therefore, the above statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 21. Rain in Antarctica is rare but falls occasionally.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: Precipitation in the Antarctic is hard to measure.
Keyword : Precipitation, Antarctic, hard, measure
Keyword location: paragraph 6, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 6 says that it is difficult to measure precipitation in the Antarctic. Snow always results from it. Only 50 to 100 millimetres (2-4 inches) of water (in the form of snow) are thought to fall on Antarctica's interior each year. One of the driest deserts in the world is the one in Antarctica. An essential physical element of the Antarctic region is provided by the waters that circle Antarctica. So, it hard to proclaim that the rainfall is rare in Antarctica but falls occasionally. So, the above statement can be taken as a FALSE one.

Questions 22-26

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-G, below.

Antarctica and the Changing Climate

Antarctica plays an important role in regulating the Earth's climate through the process of (22)............ . (23)............ is diverted away from the Earth by the huge Antarctic ice sheet. As the size and (24)..........of the ice sheet have decreased, (25).............. has caused melting in some parts of the continent.However, other areas of Antarctica have experienced falling temperatures in recent years, due to (26).......... climate patterns leading to reduced temperatures.

reflectivity
ice melt
solar radiation
polar vortex winds
heat balance
water surfaces
global warming

Question 22:

Answer: E
Supporting sentence :It is an integral part of the Earth's heat balance.
Keyword : integral, part, Earth's, heat balance
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph 7 says that the processes that shape the world's climate heavily involve the Antarctic region. It is crucial to the Earth's overall thermal balance. The quantity of solar heat received by Earth's atmosphere. SIde by side, the amount reflected back into space make up this balance, also known as the energy balance. Hence, option E is the right option here.

Question 23:

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: As a result, the massive Antarctic Ice Sheet reflects a large amount of solar radiation away from Earth's surface.
Keyword : massive, Antarctic Ice Sheet, reflects, solar radiation
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 5-6
Explanation: Lines 5-6 of paragraph 7 explains that large amounts of solar radiation are reflected away from the surface of Earth by the huge Antarctic Ice Sheet. The amount of reflection off the Earth's surface reduces as the amount of global ice cover (ice sheets and glaciers) decreases. This enables the Earth's surface to absorb more solar energy. This leads to an imbalanced heat balance that contributes to the current phase of climate change, global warming. Hence, option C will be the correct choice.

Question 24:

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: As global ice cover (ice sheets and glaciers) decreases, the reflectivity of Earth's surface also diminishes.
Keyword : global, ice cover, decreases, reflectivity of Earth's surface
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph 7 explains that the huge Antarctic Ice Sheet reflects a large amount of solar radiation away from the Earth's surface. The amount of reflection off the Earth's surface reduces as the amount of global ice cover (ice sheets and glaciers) decreases. This enables the Earth's surface to absorb more solar energy. It then leads to an imbalanced heat balance that contributes to the current phase of climate change, global warming. Thus, option A is the correct answer.

Question 25:

Answer: G
Supporting sentence: This allows more incoming solar radiation to be absorbed by the Earth's surface, causing an unequal heat balance linked to global warming, the current period of climate change.
Keyword : allows, incoming solar radiation, unequal heat balance, global warming
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 8-9
Explanation: The concluding two lines of paragraph 7 suggests that the reflectance of the Earth's surface reduces when global ice cover (ice sheets and glaciers) declines. This enables the Earth's surface to absorb more solar energy. It then leads the Earth surface to an imbalanced heat balance that contributes to the current phase of climate change, global warming.

Question 26:

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: They say this is happening because of new climate patterns caused by this change, which in turn create a strong wind pattern called the 'polar vortex.'
Keyword : new climate patterns, change, strong wind pattern, 'polar vortex.'
Keyword location: paragraph 8, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 8 suggests that the formation of extra ice has been observed in some areas of Antarctica as a result of climate change. It is according to NASA scientists. They claim that this is taking place as a result of the altered climate patterns brought on by this change. This, in turn produce the powerful wind pattern known as the "polar vortex." These polar winds, which reduce Antarctic temperatures by as much as 15% since 1980, have grown stronger in recent decades. However, not all of the Antarctic is having this effect, as some areas are seeing ice melt.