The Role of The Swiss Postbus Reading Answers

Dec 26, 2023

The Role of The Swiss Postbus Reading Answers contains 13 questions, and it is a topic belonging to the assessment system of IELTS general reading test. The Role of The Swiss Postbus Reading Answers has been taken from book called Official IELTS Practice Material 2 with DVD. In IELTS reading section, the nature of questions is such that candidates have to read a passage and provide answers from therein, it is to be attempted within 20 minutes. The Role of The Swiss Postbus Reading Answers contains the questions that ask the candidates to ascertain the veracity of statements, choose the correct option etc. To practice more reading papers like that the candidates can refer to IELTS Reading Practice test.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the questions that follow

The Role of The Swiss Postbus Reading Answers

Switzerland's postbuses are much more than just a means of public transportation.

The Swiss PostBus Limited is the largest of the country’s 78 coach companies. Administered by the Motor Services Department of the Post Office, it carries over 120 million passengers each year and is carefully integrated with other public transport services: trains, boats and mountain cableways. The Swiss transportation system resembles a tree, with the larger branches representing federal and private railways, the smaller branches being the coaches, and the twigs being the urban transit operators running trams, city buses, boats, chairlifts and so on. But the trunk that holds the tree together is the vast postbus network, without which the whole network would not function.

There isn’t an inhabited place in Switzerland that cannot be reached by some sort of public transport. Federal law and the Swiss Constitution stipulate that every village with a population greater than 40 is entitled to regular bus services. The frequency of these services is directly related to population density. Timetables are put together four years in advance, and seldom change. If a new route is to be introduced, the population of the area affected is invited to vote in a referendum.

At times, postbuses are the main — sometimes the only — links between settlements. These coaches, often with a trailer in tow to increase their capacity, are a common sight in high-altitude regions, and their signature sound — part of Rossini’s William Tell Overturn, played by the drivers on three-tone post horns with electrical compressors at every road turn — is one of the most familiar Swiss sounds.

The three-tone horns can still be used to ‘talk’ to post offices (and each other) from a distance. By altering the combination of the tones, a driver can announce ‘departure of post’, ‘arrival of post’, ‘arrival of special post’, and so on – so much more romantic and often more reliable than radio or mobile phones. This musical ‘language’ started in the mid-nineteenth century, when the coach drivers could also blow their horns a certain number of times on approaching the station to indicate the number of horses needing to be fed, giving the stationmaster time to prepare the fodder.

The postbus history goes back to 1849, when the Swiss postal service was made a monopoly. The role of today’s modern yellow buses was, back then, played by horse-drawn carriages (or in winter by sleighs, in order to travel on snow), which were the same colour. By 1914, eight years after the first motor coaches were introduced, there were still 2,500 horses, 2,231 coaches (or carriages) and 1,059 sleighs in service.

After the First World War, Swiss Post bought a fleet of decommissioned military trucks which were converted into postbuses, but it was not until 1961 that the last horse-drawn coach was replaced with a motorised version.

Today, the Swiss Post Office boasts one of the world's most advanced coach fleets, including fuel-cell models and the world’s first driverless bus. This was launched in 2015 in the town of Sion, the capital of the canton of Valais, one of the 26 cantons, or administrative regions, that make up the country.

Postbuses often go to places that other means of transport cannot reach. Most of the drivers therefore see themselves as educators and tour guides. Although it’s not in their job description, they’re likely to point out the sights — waterfalls, gorges, and so on — and are always ready to pull over for a photo opportunity.

Switzerland’s longest postbus journey, and one of the highest, crosses four mountain passes – an eight-hour trip undertaken by a single postbus. The route goes through several cantons; two languages (German and Italian); all four seasons – from burning sunshine to showers and heavy snowfalls; and countless places of interest, One of the passes, the Gotthard, is often described as ‘the People’s Road’, probably because it connects the German-speaking canton of Uri with Italian-speaking Ticino. Like Switzerland itself, postbuses ‘speak’ all four state languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh – and by law, their automated intercom announcements are given in the language of whichever canton the bus is currently passing through.

Irrespective of their previous driving experience, drivers undergo lots of training. During the first year, they have, to drive postbuses under the supervision of a more experienced driver. Only after two years of safe driving in the valleys can they be pronounced ready for a mountain bus.

Some routes are not at all busy, with the bus often carrying just two or three passengers at a time. But for most people living in small mountain villages, the postbus is of the utmost importance. It not only carries the villagers to town and back, it takes village children to and from school, delivers mail, transports milk from the village farms down to the valley, collects rubbish from the village (Swiss laws do not allow dumping anywhere in the mountains), and brings building materials to households. It takes elderly villagers to shops and carries their shopping up the hill to their homes. More a friend than just a means of transportation, for the dwellers of mountain villages the postbus is an essential part of life.

Questions 28-32

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D

When comparing the Swiss transportation system to a tree. The write emphasises
A. The size of the postbus system
B. How competitive the postbus system is
C. How important the postbus system is
D. The threat to the postbus system

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: The Swiss transportation system resembles a tree, with the larger branches representing federal and private railways, the smaller branches being the coaches, and the twigs being the urban transit operators running trams, city buses, boats, chairlifts and so on. But the trunk that holds the tree together is the vast postbus network, without which the whole network would not function.
Keyword: Swiss transportation system, tree
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, 4th line
Explanation: The writer has emphasized on the importance of the postbus system while comparing the transportation system to a tree. This is evident from the supporting system as it says the postbus network is the trunk without which the whole network wouldn’t function. This makes the postbus system important because its necessary for the network to function.

What is said about bus services in the second Paragraph?
A. Villages have the chance to request more buses every four years
B. New routes are often introduced to reflect an increase in population
C. Bus timetables tend to change every four years
D. The number of buses that call at a village depend on how many people live there

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Federal law and the Swiss Constitution stipulate that every village with a population greater than 40 is entitled to regular bus services. The frequency of these services is directly related to population density.
Keyword: bus service, population density
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 3rd & 4th line
Explanation: The expression these services are related to bus services. The comment made about bus service in the second paragraph is – number of buses that call at a village depending on its population. This is evident from the supporting sentence which says that villages with a population greater than 40 are entitled to bus service. Also, it says that the frequency of these services, which means the number of buses depends on population density.

According to the fourth paragraph, what were three-tone horns first used to indicate?
A. How many coach horses required food
B. How long the bus would stay at the station
C. How many passengers wanted a meal
D. How soon the bus would arrive at the station

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: The three-tone horns can still be used to ‘talk’ to post offices (and each other) from a distance. By altering the combination of the tones, a driver can announce ‘departure of post’, ‘arrival of post’, ‘arrival of special post’, and so on – so much more romantic and often more reliable than radio or mobile phones. This musical ‘language’ started in the mid-nineteenth century, when the coach drivers could also blow their horns a certain number of times on approaching the station to indicate the number of horses needing to be fed, giving the stationmaster time to prepare the fodder.
Keyword: three-tone horns
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, 1st line
Explanation: The supporting sentence begins with the description of a three-tone horn. So, the expression ‘musical language’ refers to these horns. Since they started in the 19th century which means that was their first use as well. Thus, they were first used to indicate the number of horses needing to be fed or how many coach horses required food.

What point does the writer make about postbus drivers?
A. Many choose to give passengers information about the surroundings
B. Most are proud of driving buses to places without other forms of transport
C. They are required to inform passengers about the sights seen from the bus
D. They are not allowed to stop for passengers to take photographs

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Most of the drivers therefore see themselves as educators and tour guides.
Keyword: drivers
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, 1st line
Explanation: The writer says and as mentioned in a supporting sentence that drivers see themselves as tour guides. This means these drivers choose to give passengers information about their surroundings which is what tour guides do.

What is said about the buses’ automated announcements?
A. They are given in the language of the bus’s starting point
B. The language they are given depends on where the bus is at the time
C. They are always given in all four languages of Switzerland
D. The language they are given in depends on the bus’s destination

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Like Switzerland itself, postbuses ‘speak’ all four state languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh – and by law, their automated intercom announcements are given in the language of whichever canton the bus is currently passing through.
Keyword: automated, announcements
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, 7th & 8th line
Explanation: The supporting sentence mentions the automated announcements and says that they are required by law to be in the language of current canton. This means the language of the automated announcements depend on the current location of the bus.

Questions 33-40

Do the following Statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet, 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

Some postbuses after the First World War were originally army vehicles

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: After the First World War, Swiss Post bought a fleet of decommissioned military trucks which were converted into postbuses, but it was not until 1961 that the last horse-drawn coach was replaced with a motorised version.
Keyword: First World War, military trucks
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, 1st line
Explanation: The supporting sentence says that after the First World War swiss post bought a fleet of decommissioned military trucks. Since military means army and trucks are vehicles, it was a purchase of army vehicles. Now, these army vehicles were converted into postbuses. So, some postbuses after the First World War were indeed army vehicles to begin with.

The number of driverless buses has increased steadily since 2015

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Supporting Sentence: Today, the Swiss Post Office boasts one of the world's most advanced coach fleets, including fuel-cell models and the world’s first driverless bus. This was launched in 2015 in the town of Sion, the capital of the canton of Valais, one of the 26 cantons, or administrative regions, that make up the country.
Keyword: driverless, 2015
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, 2nd line
Explanation: The only point where the passage talks about driverless buses and mentions the year 2015 is given in the supporting sentence. Nowhere in the supporting any such claim is made that driverless buses have increased since 2015. In fact, there is no mention of increase or decrease of such buses at all.

On the longest postbus route in Switzerland, passengers have to change buses

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Switzerland’s longest postbus journey, and one of the highest, crosses four mountain passes – an eight-hour trip undertaken by a single postbus.
Keyword: longest, postbus, journey
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, 1st line
Explanation: The supporting sentence directly says that the longest postbus journey is undertaken by a single bus. If this is the longest journey that means it’s the longest route. The fact that it is undertaken by a single bus means no change of bus is required.

The weather on the longest postbus route is likely to include extreme weather conditions

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: The route goes through several cantons; two languages (German and Italian); all four seasons – from burning sunshine to showers and heavy snowfalls; and countless places of interest.
Keyword: seasons, sunshine, snowfalls
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, 2nd & 3rd line
Explanation: The route being talked about here is the longest route. The supporting sentence says it passes through burning sunshine and heavy snowfalls which indicates extreme weather conditions.

There is widely used nickname for part of the longest route used by postbuses

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Switzerland’s longest postbus journey, and one of the highest, crosses four mountain passes – an eight-hour trip undertaken by a single postbus. The route goes through several cantons; two languages (German and Italian); all four seasons – from burning sunshine to showers and heavy snowfalls; and countless places of interest, One of the passes, the Gotthard, is often described as ‘the People’s Road’, probably because it connects the German-speaking canton of Uri with Italian-speaking Ticino.
Keyword: longest, postbus
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, 1st line
Explanation: The supporting sentence begins with a description of the longest postbus journey. So, the expression one of these passes refers to a part of the route in this longest postbus journey. Now, one of these passes is called Gotthard and often described as “People’s Road”. Thus, Gotthard has a nickname and that is “people’s road”. The nickname is widely known used because supporting sentence says Gotthard is often described, where often denotes wide usage

Bus drivers’ training can be shortened if they have driven buses before joining PostBus.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Irrespective of their previous driving experience, drivers undergo lots of training. During the first year, they have, to drive postbuses under the supervision of a more experienced driver.
Keyword: previous, experience, drivers, training
Keyword Location: Paragraph 10, 1st line
Explanation: The supporting sentence says that drivers undergo lots of training irrespective of their previous experience. So, even if a driver has driven buses in the past, for Postbus service they will be duly trained.

In some villages most passengers are school children

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Supporting Sentence: It not only carries the villagers to town and back, it takes village children to and from school, delivers mail, transports milk from the village farms down to the valley, collects rubbish from the village (Swiss laws do not allow dumping anywhere in the mountains), and brings building materials to households.
Keyword: villages, children, school
Keyword Location: Paragraph 11, 3rd & 4th line
Explanation: The passage through this supporting sentence makes one comprehensive reference to passengers from the village. Although children use postbus to come and go from school but no specific reference has been made that says they form the most of the passengers.

Buses carry only rubbish that can be recycled

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Supporting Sentence: It not only carries the villagers to town and back, it takes village children to and from school, delivers mail, transports milk from the village farms down to the valley, collects rubbish from the village (Swiss laws do not allow dumping anywhere in the mountains), and brings building materials to households.
Keyword: carries, rubbish
Keyword Location: Paragraph 11, 3rd & 5th line
Explanation: The passage refers to buses transporting rubbish only because dumping isn’t allowed in mountains. There is no information whether this rubbish is recyclable or not. No information has been provided regarding the nature of rubbish being transported by the bus.