The Search For Freshwater Reading Answers

Feb 13, 2023

The Search For Freshwater Reading Answers is an IELTS reading academic topic. The Search For Freshwater Reading Answers comprises 14 questions that are to be answered in 20 minutes. This IELTS reading topic- The Search For Freshwater Reading Answers is taken from Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers. This IELTS Reading passage has 3 question types- choose the correct letter, correct ending, and true/false/not given. Candidates can opt for IELTS practice papers to get topics like The Search For Freshwater Reading Answers and more.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Search For Freshwater Reading Answers

The assertion that water has always been the essence of life is nothing new. Water comes in many forms: spring water, sea and river water, rainwater, and fog and dew water. Yet water is becoming scarce and this scarcity is becoming a very real worry for governments all around the world. The reality is that one of the main obstacles to the economic development of a particular country is its lack of an adequate supply of freshwater. Current figures show that an inhabitant of a wealthy, modern town consumes 100-400 litres of water daily. In some developing countries, the amount of water consumed does not exceed 20-30 litres per day. Rich or poor, annual water consumption has continued to grow, increasing fourfold over the last 50 years.
The world’s freshwater supplies are drawn from a number of sources. The largest cache of the estimated 35 million km3 freshwater reserve is located in glaciers and snow. The amount contained in these ‘storehouses’ has been estimated to be around 24 million km3. Groundwater is also a big contributor to the world’s freshwater supplies amounting to an estimated 10.5 million km3. Considering that the total volume of water, salt and fresh, is estimated to be around 400 million km3 it can be clearly seen that the amount of freshwater available in the world is only the proverbial ‘drop in the bucket՝. Artesian wells, rivers, and lakes only account for about 0.1 and 0.5 million km3 respectively, all of which include atmospheric precipitation such as rain and snow.
Since water is such an important commodity, various attempts to acquire stores of it have been tried with varying degrees of success. The question of what are the alternative water sources available to us today is not an easy one to answer but is certainly worthy of our best efforts to find one. One such area of interest has been desalination – the turning of saltwater into drinkable water. As there is much more saltwater on the earth than dry land, the idea of using desalinated seawater seems a logical one. However, some estimates put the annual quantity of desalinated water at only around ten cubic kilometres – a tiny amount given the amount of seawater available. In parts of Senegal, for example, the greenhouse effect has been one way to desalinate seawater whereby the salt in the water is separated from the water through a process of evaporation. As part of the process, water vapour forms on large panes of glass at outside air temperature and is transported via gravity into drums. This method yields only a few cubic meters per day of freshwater but is surprisingly energy efficient. In larger-scale production, however, the energy efficiency plummets. The best systems bum at least a tonne of fossil fuel to produce approximately one hundred cubic meters of fresh water. This amounts to almost $ 1 per cubic meter – a considerable cost.
Although there are several different areas from which water can be sourced, paradoxically the most extensive are the most difficult to tap. The atmosphere, for example, contains vast amounts of freshwater composed of 2% condensed water in the form of clouds and 98% water vapour. The vastness of this water source is comparable to the renewable liquid water resources of all inhabited lands. The amounts are easy to calculate, but being able and knowing how to economically obtain this water in liquid form is most challenging. One approach in drawing water from the atmosphere is fog nets. Places such as the coastal defence of West Africa and areas of Chile and Peru have favourable condensation conditions. In these areas, ocean humidity condenses in the form of fog on the mid-range mountains (over 500m). This fog composed of droplets of suspended water can be collected in nets. In the 1960s, a University in Northern Chile conducted the first major experiments with fog nets. Drawing on the knowledge gained from these experiments, further testing was done which culminated in one village using fog nets to yield a healthy daily average of 11,000 litres of water. On a smaller scale, fog-collecting nets have recently been used in the Canary Islands and Namibia.
Unfortunately, due to its need for a combination of several factors, fog is not readily available. Dew, however, appears far more frequently and is less subject to the constraints of climate and geography. In order for dew to form there needs to be some humidity in the air and a reasonably clear sky. Many hot areas of countries that suffer from a lack of water such as the Sahel region of Northern Africa for example, experience significant quantities of dew. When the temperature is lowered over a short space of time by ten degrees or so, the water-harvesting possibilities from the air yield an amazing ten grams of water from each cubic meter of air – significant drops in air temperature make for greater yields. Unlike fog, dew formation can occur even in a relatively dry atmosphere, such as a desert. All it takes is for the right mix of temperatures between the earth and the air to combine and dew formation occurs.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-3
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D

As a method of obtaining fresh water, fog

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Unfortunately, due to its need for a combination of several factors, fog is not readily available.
Keyword: fog, not available.
Keyword Location: Last paragraph last line
Explanation: The author has discussed several methods for collecting fresh water from fog. They then use the linker, “unfortunately” and denote that it is very difficult for us to collect fresh water from fog. Hence, the correct answer is D.

Small-scale ‘greenhouse effect” desalination.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: This method yields only a few cubic meters per day of freshwater but is surprisingly energy efficient.
Keyword: energy efficient
Keyword Location: Third paragraph 12th line
Explanation: The author in this paragraph talks about the method of desalination to yield fresh water from seawater. After discussing the method, they offer another insight that the method is extremely energy efficient. Hence, C is the answer.

One of the largest stores of fresh water in the world is

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Groundwater is also a big contributor to the world’s freshwater supplies amounting to an estimated 10.5 million km3.
Keyword: big contributor, groundwater, 10.5 million km3.
Keyword Location: Second paragraph 3rd line.
Explanation: Both options A and D are wrong because in the second paragraph the author points out that “Artesian wells, rivers, and lakes only account for about 0.1 and 0.5 million km3 respectively” Besides, option B is also wrong since rain and snow are included when the total amount is calculated in lakes and rivers.

Questions 4-8

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-F from the box below.

Turning saltwater into drinking water

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: In parts of Senegal, for example, the greenhouse effect has been one way to desalinate seawater whereby the salt in the water is separated from the water through a process of evaporation.
Keyword: separated, evaporation, desalinate water.
Keyword Location: Third paragraph line 9th line.
Explanation: Desalinate water means turning salt water into drinking water (which is usually tasteless). In Senegal, this has been tried through the method of evaporation, as been asserted by the author. Hence, the answer is B.

Large-scale freshwater production through evaporation

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: In larger-scale production, however, the energy efficiency plummets.
Keyword: plummets, energy efficiency, large scale production
Keyword Location: Third paragraph 12th line
Explanation: The author in relation to large-scale evaporation of saltwater (desalination of saltwater) mentions that energy efficiency drops down. Hence, the answer is C.

Water available in the atmosphere

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: The atmosphere, for example, contains vast amounts of freshwater composed of 2% condensed water in the form of clouds and 98% water vapor.
Keyword: atmosphere, condensed water, water vapor, freshwater, contains
Keyword Location: Fourth paragraph 2nd line and 3rd line.
Explanation: The author clearly mentions that water in the atmosphere is there in two forms, namely clouds and water vapor. Hence, the answer is E.

The use of dew as a water source

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Dew however appears far more frequently and is less subject to the constraints of climate and geography.
Keyword: dew, frequently, less constrains, climate and geography.
Keyword Location: Last paragraph, 2nd line.
Explanation: In relation to dew, the author mentions that dew is a more frequent hence easy thing for collecting freshwater because neither climate nor geography is hindrances to it.

The amount of water collected from dew

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: When the temperature is lowered over a short space of time by ten degrees or so, the water-harvesting possibilities from the air yield an amazing ten grams of water from each cubic meter of air – significant drops in air
temperature make for greater yields.
Keyword: temperature, lowered, greater yields.
Keyword Location: Last paragraph, 7th, and 8th line.
Explanation: In this last paragraph the author with the help of numbers shows how even a slight drop in temperature accelerates the production of dew and therefore increases freshwater production. Hence, the correct answer is F.

Questions 9-14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE, if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on th

The amount of water consumed by wealthier countries is just as much as in poorer countries.

Answer: NOT GIVEN.
Explanation: Although the author mentions developing countries, at the same time it has also been mentioned that there is no difference in the growth of freshwater consumption is present in both poorer and richer countries. However, there has been no comparison made on the part of the author between richer and poorer countries. Hence, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

Glaciers, rivers, artesian wells, and groundwater are all sources of freshwater.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Entire second paragraph.
Keyword: freshwater, sources.
Keyword Location: Second paragraph 1st line.
Explanation: The second paragraph lists all the sources of freshwater including rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

Large bodies of water, such as the sea, have yielded the most freshwater.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: However, some estimates put the annual quantity of desalinated water at only around ten cubic kilometers – a tiny amount given the amount of seawater available.
Keyword: a tiny amount
Keyword Location: Third paragraph 7th line.
Explanation: The given statement clearly contradicts the assertion of the author. The author mentions that if the amount of total seawater is considered then only a small fraction of it is successfully converted into usable water.

The collection of water through the use of fog nets is becoming increasingly more popular around the world.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The author doesn’t mention anything about whether the method of collecting fog by fog nets is decreasing or increasing in popularity around the world. Hence, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

If the sky is cloudy, dew will not form.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: In order for dew to form there needs to be some humidity in the air and a reasonably clear sky.
Keyword: dew, form, clear sky.
Keyword Location: Last paragraph 3rd and 4th line.
Explanation: The author while mentioning conditions suitable for dew formation talks about clear skies (not cloudy skies). Hence, the given statement supports the assertion of the author.

Dew and fog are major sources of water in smaller villages and isolated areas.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: Although the author mentions a village, it is mentioned in the light of an experiment. There is no mention apart from this of how popular the method is in the village or isolated areas. Hence, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

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