The Revolutionary Bridges of Robert Maillart Reading Answers

Jan 2, 2023

The Revolutionary Bridges of Robert Maillart Reading Answers topic consists of 14 questions. It is an IELTS reading answers topic. This topic has been taken from the book: IELTS on Track: Test Practice Academic. The topic: The Revolutionary Bridges of Robert Maillart Reading Answers is the last part of the reading section. The candidates must examine the IELTS reading passage for keywords. The candidates must read the passage attentively to complete all the questions within 20 minutes The topic: The Revolutionary Bridges of Robert Maillart Reading Answers mainly test the reading skills of the candidates. The candidates must go through IELTS Reading practice papers to get acquainted with more similar topics like this.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Revolutionary Bridges of Robert Maillart Reading Answers

Just as railway bridges were the great structural symbols of the 19th century, highway bridges became the engineering emblems of the 20th century. The invention of the automobile created an irresistible demand for paved roads and vehicular bridges throughout the developed world. The type of bridge needed for cars and trucks, however, is fundamentally different from that needed for locomotives. Most highway bridges carry lighter loads than railway bridges do, and their roadways can be sharply curved or steeply sloping. To meet these needs, many turn-of-the-century bridge designers began working with a new building material: reinforced concrete, which has steel bars embedded in it. And the master of this new material was Swiss structural engineer, Robert Maillart.
Early in his career, Maillart developed a unique method for designing bridges, buildings and other concrete structures. He rejected the complex mathematical analysis of loads and stresses that was being enthusiastically adopted by most of his contemporaries. At the same time, he also eschewed the decorative approach taken by many bridge builders of his time. He resisted imitating architectural styles and adding design elements solely for ornamentation. Maillart’s method was a form of creative intuition. He had a knack for conceiving new shapes to solve classic engineering problems] And because he worked in a highly competitive field, one of his goals was economy - he won design and construction contracts because his structures were reasonably priced, often less costly than all his rivals’ proposals.
Maillart’s first important bridge was built in the small Swiss town of Zuoz. The local officials had initially wanted a steel bridge to span the 30-metre wide Inn River, but Maillart argued that he could build a more elegant bridge made of reinforced concrete for about the same cost. His crucial innovation was incorporating the bridge’s arch and roadway into a form called the hollow-box arch, which would substantially reduce the bridge’s expense by minimising the amount of concrete needed. In a conventional arch bridge, the weight of the roadway is transferred by columns to the arch, which must be relatively thick. In Maillart’s design, though, the roadway and arch were connected by three vertical walls, forming two hollow boxes running under the roadway (see diagram). The big advantage of this design was that because the arch would not have to bear the load alone, it could be much thinner - as little as one-third as thick as the arch in the conventional bridge.
His first masterpiece, however, was the 1905 Tavanasa Bridge over the Rhine river in the Swiss Alps. In this design, Maillart removed the parts of the vertical walls which were not essential because they carried no load. This produced a slender, lighter-looking form, which perfectly met the bridge’s structural requirements. But the Tavanasa Bridge gained little favourable publicity in Switzerland; on the contrary, it aroused strong aesthetic objections from public officials who were more comfortable with old-fashioned stone-faced bridges. Maillart, who had founded his own construction firm in 1902, was unable to win any more bridge projects, so he shifted his focus to designing buildings, water tanks and other structures made of reinforced concrete and did not resume his work on concrete bridges until the early 1920s.
His most important breakthrough during this period was the development of the deck-stiffened arch, the first example of which was the Flienglibach Bridge, built in 1923. An arch bridge is somewhat like an inverted cable. A cable curves downward when a weight is hung from it, an arch bridge curves upward to support the roadway and the compression in the arch balances the dead load of the traffic. For aesthetic reasons, Maillart wanted a thinner arch and his solution was to connect the arch to the roadway with transverse walls. In this way, Maillart justified making the arch as thin as he could reasonably build it. His analysis accurately predicted the behaviour of the bridge but the leading authorities of Swiss engineering would argue against his methods for the next quarter of a century.
Over the next 10 years, Maillart concentrated on refining the visual appearance of the deck-stiffened arch. His best-known structure is the Salginatobel Bridge, completed in 1930. He won the competition for the contract because his design was the least expensive of the 19 submitted - the bridge and road were built for only 700,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to some $3.5 million today. Salginatobel was also Maillart’s longest span, at 90 metres and it had the most dramatic setting of all his structures, vaulting 80 metres above the ravine of the Salgina brook. In 1991 it became the first concrete bridge to be designated an international historic landmark.
Before his death in 1940, Maillart completed other remarkable bridges and continued to refine his designs. However, architects often recognised the high quality of Maillart’s structures before his fellow engineers did and in 1947 the architectural section of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City devoted a major exhibition entirely to his works. In contrast, very few American structural engineers at that time had even heard of Maillart. In the following years, however, engineers realised that Maillart’s bridges were more than just aesthetically pleasing - they were technically unsurpassed. Maillart’s hollow-box arch became the dominant design form for medium and long- span concrete bridges in the US. In Switzerland, professors finally began to teach Maillart’s ideas, which then influenced a new generation of designers.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 27-33:
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G.
From the list of headings below choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-x) in boxes 27-33 on your answer sheet.

List of headings

The long-term impact
A celebrated achievement
Early brilliance passes unrecognised
Outdated methods retain popularity
The basis of a new design is born
Frustration at never getting the design right
Further refinements meet persistent objections
Different in all respects
Bridge-makers look elsewhere
Transport developments spark a major change

Paragraph A

Answer: x) Transport developments spark a major change
Supporting Sentence: The invention of the automobile created an irresistible demand for paved roads and vehicular bridges throughout the developed world.
Keyword: Innovation, Automotive, Reinforced, Demand for paved roads.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, 2nd-4th sentence
Explanation: Paragraph A suggests that the innovation of automotive in place of locomotive vehicles leads to a significant change. This transportation development came with a requirement for paved roads and vehicular bridges. The need for roads is different from what was there for locomotives. Hence, there is a consequential change in the design of buildings which embarks a major change in the civil industry. Hence, “Transport developments spark a major change” is an accurate heading for the same.

Paragraph B

Answer: viii) Different in all respects
Supporting Sentence: Early in his career, Maillart developed a unique method for designing bridges, buildings and other concrete structures.
Keyword: unique method, designing bridges, rejected the complex mathematical analysis, decorative approach, creative intuition.
Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, 1st-5th sentences.
Explanation: The paragraph discusses Maillart’s unique method for developing building and concrete structures and designing bridges. He does not accept the complex mathematical analysis of dresses and loads that was mainly embraced by most of his contemporaries. He also avoids the decorative approach that the bridge builders of his time employed in their work. His method of creating structures was a creative form of intuition. Therefore, the heading “Different in all respects” suits the theme of the paragraph perfectly.

Paragraph C

Answer: v) The basis of a new design is born
Supporting Sentence: His crucial innovation was incorporating the bridge’s arch and roadway into a form called the hollow-box arch, which would substantially reduce the bridge’s expense by minimising the amount of concrete needed.
Keyword: Innovation, hollow-box arch, substantially reduce, expense
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 3rd and 4th sentence
Explanation: Paragraph C suggests that Maillart had performed a crucial innovation in terms of designing bridges and roads into a form called hollow-box arch. This type of design can considerably minimize the cost of concrete required to build the bridge. Hence, this innovation opened a new dimension. We therefore can conclude that “The basis of a new design is born” is the correct heading for this paragraph.

Paragraph D

Answer: iii) Early brilliance passes unrecognized
Supporting Sentence: But the Tavanasa Bridge gained little favorable publicity in Switzerland; on the contrary, it aroused strong aesthetic objections from public officials who were more comfortable with old-fashioned stone-faced bridges.
Keyword: aroused strong aesthetic objections, public officials.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 3rd to 5th sentence
Explanation: The 4th paragraph suggests that though Maillart has completed the construction of the Tavanasa bridge, it acquired very little publicity in Switzerland. It has faced critical objections from public officials who were not in favor of this new design and were more agreeable with the old stone-faced bridges. Hence, this innovation was not well accepted and was unable to win any further bridge projects. It totally went unrecognized during this period.

Paragraph E

Answer: vii) Further refinements meet persistent objections
Supporting Sentence: In this way, Maillart justified making the arch as thin as he could reasonably build it.
Keyword: justified making the arch, reasonably build, accurately predicted the behaviour.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 4th- 6th sentence
Explanation: The paragraph depicts the way Maillart attaches the arch to the roadway with transverse walls. Thus Maillart reasonably built the arch as thin to make it well justified. He has made a correct prediction about the nature of the bridge. Therefore, the heading “Further refinements meet persistent objections” meets the content of the paragraph in a suitable manner.

Paragraph F

Answer: ii) A celebrated achievement
Supporting Sentence: In 1991 it became the first concrete bridge to be designated an international historic landmark.
Keyword: least expensive, won the competition, designated an international historic landmark
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 2nd - 4th sentence
Explanation: In paragraph F, the author describes that Maillart won the competition for contracts in 1930. His design was economical and the least expensive among all the submitted designs. Further, in 1991 the Salginatobel bridge became the first concrete bridge to be nominated as an international historic landmark.

Paragraph G

Answer: i) The long-term impact
Supporting Sentence: Maillart’s hollow-box arch became the dominant design form for medium and long- span concrete bridges in the US.
Keyword: aesthetically pleasing, technically unsurpassed, dominant design form, influenced a new generation.
Keyword Location: 7th paragraph, 4th-6th sentence
Explanation: The paragraph depicts the undeniable art and production of Maillart. The engineers realized that the bridges constructed by Maillart were superior to anything and aesthetically pleasing and technically unsurpassed. The hollow box arch created by maillart became the dominant structure for long-span and medium-concrete bridges in the United States. The professor in Switzerland influenced the new generation of designers with the ideas of Maillart. Therefore, “The long-term impact” is the correct heading that goes perfectly with the content of the paragraph.

Questions 34-36:
Complete the labels on the diagrams below using ONE or TWO WORDS from the reading passage.
Write your answers in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.

Question 34:

Answer: columns
Supporting Sentence: In a conventional arch bridge, the weight of the roadway is transferred by columns to the arch, which must be relatively thick.
Keyword: weight of the roadway, transferred, column, arch
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 4th sentence.
Explanation: In the 3rd paragraph, the author describes that in the conventional arch bridge, the weight of the roadway is transferred by column to the arch. Hence, it must be thick enough to hold the weight of the roadway along with the vehicles on it. Hence, “columns” is the correct answer to this question.

Question 35:

Answer: vertical walls
Supporting Sentence: In Maillart’s design, though, the roadway and arch were connected by three vertical walls, forming two hollow boxes running under the roadway.
Keyword: vertical walls, roadway, arch, hollow box
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 5th sentence.
Explanation: Maillart had designed the new arch bridges wherein, the roadway and arches were connected by three vertical walls. In this scenario, the arch does not need to bear the whole pressure of the roadway. Hence, it can be thinner than the conventional bridge.

Question 36:

Answer: hollow boxes
Supporting Sentence: In Maillart’s design, though, the roadway and arch were connected by three vertical walls, forming two hollow boxes running under the roadway.
Keyword: vertical walls, roadway, arch, hollow box
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 5th sentence.
Explanation: Maillart had designed the new arch bridges wherein, the roadway and arches were connected by three vertical walls which created two hollow-box arches. In this scenario, the arch does not need to bear the whole pressure of the roadway. Hence, it can be thinner than the conventional bridge. Also, it would substantially reduce the bridge's expense by lowering the amount of concrete required.

Questions 37-40:
Complete each of the following statements (Questions 37-40) with the best ending (A-G) from the box below.
Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.

Maillart designed the hollow-box arch in order to
Following the construction of the Tavanasa Bridge, Maillart failed to
The transverse walls of the Flienglibach Bridge allowed Maillart to
Of all his bridges, the Salginatobel enabled Maillart to

prove that local people were wrong.
find work in Switzerland.
win more building commissions.
reduce the amount of raw material required.
recognise his technical skills.
capitalise on the spectacular terrain.
improve the appearance of his bridges.

Question 37:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: His crucial innovation was incorporating the bridge’s arch and roadway into a form called the hollow-box arch, which would substantially reduce the bridge’s expense by minimising the amount of concrete needed.
Keyword: hollow-box arch, reduce the bridge’s expense, minimising the amount of concrete.
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 3rd sentence.
Explanation: Maillart's innovation in creating the hollow-box arch was a goal to reduce the expense of the bridge by diminishing the amount of raw materials required. Therefore, D is the correct answer as it satisfies the argument depicted in the 3rd paragraph of the passage.

Question 38:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Maillart, who had founded his own construction firm in 1902, was unable to win any more bridge projects.
Keyword: Tavanasa bridge, objections, unable to win
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 4th and 5th sentence.
Explanation: Maillart introduced his new design while constructing the Tavanasa bridge. He removed the vertical walls and produced a slender-looking bridge structure. This was not well accepted by public officials who were in favor of the old-fashioned conventional bridge structure. Hence, he failed to win any further bridge contracts.

Question 39:

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: Over the next 10 years, Maillart concentrated on refining the visual appearance of the deck-stiffened arch.
Keyword: refining the visual appearance.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: When Maillart developed the Flienglibach bridge, he wanted a thinner arch and opted to connect the arch to the roadway with transverse walls as a solution. However, the leading authority of the engineering team argues that this method might not work well. Hence, over the next 10 years, Maillart vigorously worked on refining the visual appearance of the arch of the bridge.

Question 40:

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: Salginatobel was also Maillart’s longest span, at 90 metres and it had the most dramatic setting of all his structures, vaulting 80 metres above the ravine of the Salgina brook.
Keyword: best-known structure, won the competition, dramatic setting
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 2nd- 4th sentence.
Explanation: In 1930, Maillart completed the construction of Salginatobel. It was also described as the longest span of Maillart with a length of 90 meters and vaulting 80 meters above the ravine of the Salgina brook. This has become the best-known structure of Maillart and won him many more projects.

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