Tower of Strength Reading Answers

Jan 9, 2023

Tower of Strength Reading Answers contains sample answers about tensegrity, a system of creating architecture or sculptures. Tower of Strength Reading Answers has 14 different questions. IELTS Tower of Strength Reading Answers contains three types of questions: write the correct letter, write the paragraph and answer the questions. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage to choose the correct option to answer the question regarding the events. Candidates need to thoroughly go through each paragraph to answer which paragraph contains the stated information. For the last set of questions, candidates are supposed to answer the questions using no more than three words. Candidates can gain proficiency on diverse topics by undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Tower of Strength Reading Answers

Of all the Stories of art influencing science, tensegrity is one of the most far-reaching. On one level, tensegrity is a system of creating architecture or sculptures involving rods in compression and wires in tension. It was invented by sculptor Kenneth Snelson at Black Mountain College, the hotbed of international modernism, in 1948. At the time, Snelson was taking part in a summer school with the engineer Buckminster Fuller, who pioneered the idea of applying geometric forms to architectural and engineering innovation.
Using an abstract sculpture as a starting point, Snelson then added tension wires to the free-floating members. Fuller encouraged him and when they met up again in I949, Snelson had perfected a concept in which stiff rods can be supported without touching a network of wires. Although “tensegrity’ (from ‘tensional integrity`) was coined by Fuller, the idea was entirely Snelson’s, and he went on to make many more tensegrity sculptures, the most famous of which is the sixty-foot-high Needle Tower (1968), now at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC.
Basic tensegrity structures can be made from three drinking straws, six paper clips, and nine rubber bands. When the structure is wired up, you can see that none of the rods actually touch; they `re held in equilibrium by the rubber bands. Even this simplest model has very interesting properties. Although drinking straws are weak, with a tendency to buckle, the tension bands hold them in such a way that the compressive force is always directed straight down the tube and buckling doesn't happen. The first thing you notice if you make one is that it is immensely fiddly to assemble — pieces keep falling apart — but once the last band is secured, you can fling the object around, squash it, and it seems indestructible. The structure isn't symmetrical in its properties. In one direction, it squashes flat and bounces back. In the other direction, it resists the pressure. If you wanted to create versatile 3D structures out of nothing much, tensegrity would take some beating.
It is strange that architects and engineers didn't discover the principle before 1948 since the benefits of structures held in tension over traditional building techniques had been known since the invention of the suspension bridge in 1796. And the great maverick biologist D'Arcy Thompson in On Growth and Form (19l?) had extensively analysed the principles of tension and compression both in nature and engineering.Kenneth Snelson believed that tensegrity was a pure art and that it would never be really useful architecturally. It took some time to prove him wrong, but in the 1980s, tensegrity architecture began to appear. The key protagonist was David Geiger and the first important structure was his Gymnastics Hall at the Korean Olympics in 1988.
Five years later, its significance in quite a different field became apparent when scientists described the tensegrity model of cell structure, and this is where the principle is now making waves. What is it that prevents living things from collapsing to a blob of jelly on the floor? Unsurprisingly, it is likely to be tense integrity. For a long time, biologists ignored the mechanical properties of cells: they were just `elastic bags` full of interesting chemicals. But there has to be an architecture; tissue is tough, resilient stuff that keeps its shape.
The human body is certainly a tensegrity structure; it consists of 206 bones — tensegrity rods — that do not touch, held together by tendons and muscles. And the tension of living cells seems to be maintained by tensegrity structures within the cell; microfilaments play the role of the rubber bands and stiff microtubules are the rods. Donald Ingber, at the Harvard Medical School, researches how cells move and stick to each other, and he believes that tensegrity offers ‘the most unified model of cell mechanics’. It explains some basic properties of cells very well.
If cells are placed on a microscope slide, they flatten under gravity. When cells are surrounded by other cells, proteins called integrins attach one cell to another at specific locations. These act as tensegrity wires, pulling the cells taut in all directions. When the integrin network is disrupted, the cells sag. Whether or not the cell is a tensegrity structure is still controversial, but in a series of recent papers, Ingber and his team have been gradually picking off the objections with detailed studies of cell structure. For the lay observer, pictures of a cell showing triangular structures resembling a geodesic dome are highly suggestive of tensegrity.
It has been a long road since Black Mountain College in 1948, but it all comes back to Kenneth Snelson and his sculpture. Once asked what he would save from a fire in his office, Donald Ingber replied: `The tensegrity model made by Kenneth Snelson, a gift from the artist himself.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-3:

According to the information in the Reading Passage, when were the following made?

Write the correct letter A, B, C, or D next to questions 1-3

the 18th century
the first half of the 20th century
the second half of the 20th century
the 21st century

an advance in biology based on tensegrity principles

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Five years later, its significance in quite a different field became apparent when scientists described the tensegrity model of cell structure
Keyword : significance,tensegrity, model, cell structure
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 1-2
Explanation: The year 1988 is stated in the last sentence of paragraph D. It is stated at the start of the subsequent paragraph that five years later, its relevance in a very different subject became clear. Especially after the tensegrity concept of cell structure was introduced by scientists. This emphasises how important tensegrity principles led to a breakthrough in biology (cell structure) in 1993. Or in the second part of the 20th century. So, C is the correct answer.

a work of art based on tensegrity principles

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: “tensegrity’ (from ‘tensional integrity`) was coined by Fuller, the idea was entirely Snelson’s,
Keyword : tensegrity, coined, Fuller, Snelson’s
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 4
Explanation: The idea was solely Snelson's, despite the fact that Fuller developed the term "tensegrity" (derived from "tensional integrity"). He went on to create numerous other tensegrity sculptures, the most well-known of which is the Needle Tower. It stands at 60 feet tall (1968). It is currently housed in Washington, DC's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. It is evident that Snelson produced a large number of sculptures. The tensegrity principle was used to build the well-known Needle Tower. In 1948, which is the first half of the 20th century, he originally developed the idea. So, B is the correct answer.

a building based on tensegrity principles

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: protagonist was David Geiger and the first important structure was his Gymnastics Hall at the Korean Olympics in 1988
Keyword : protagonist, David Geiger, important structure, Gymnastic Hall
Keyword Location: paragraph D, last line
Explanation: Tensegrity architecture started to emerge in the 1980s, as stated explicitly in paragraph D. David Geiger was the main character, and his gymnastics hall from the 1988 Korean Olympics was the first significant building. The answer is C since 1988 marks the start of the second half of the 20th century.

Questions 4-10:

The Reading Passage has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Which paragraph contains the Following information? NB You may use any letter more than once.

an error made by the inventor of tensegrity

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: believed that tensegrity was a pure art and that it would never be really useful architecturally
Keyword : tensegrity, architecturally, pure art
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 6
Explanation: The creator of tensegrity, Kenneth Snelson, thought it was a pure art and would never be truly useful in architecture, as stated in paragraph D. It took a while to disprove him. So, Snelson misspoke about tensegrity in this passage and that he ultimately lost his argument. The answer is therefore D.

the branch of science on which tensegrity is currently having the greatest impact

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: its significance in quite a different field became apparent when scientists described the tensegrity model of cell structure
Keyword : significance, different field, scientists, described, model
Keyword Location: paragraph E
Explanation: In paragraph E, it is stated that when scientists defined the tensegrity model of cell structure, its significance in a quite different field became clear. The principle is currently creating a stir in this area. Thus, the scientific field of biology is where the tensegrity principle is currently having the biggest impact. The answer is therefore E.

the writer’s surprise that tensegrity remained unknown in engineering

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: architects and engineers didn't discover the principle before 1948 since the benefits of structures held in tension over traditional building
Keyword : architects, engineers, principle
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 1-2
Explanation: It is noted in paragraph D that it is odd that architects and engineers had not discovered the concept prior to 1948. Since the advent of the suspension bridge in 1796, buildings maintained in tension have been preferred to conventional building methods. The word "strange" is used to express the author's amazement that engineers and architects were unaware of tensegrity. The answer is therefore D.

an account of how a sculpture was made

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Basic tensegrity structures can be made from three drinking straws, six paper clips, and nine rubber bands
Keyword : basic tensegrity, drinking straws, paper clips, rubber bands
Keyword Location: paragraph C, line 1
Explanation: The creation of simple tensegrity structures is explained in paragraph C. It claims that you only need three straws, six paper clips, and nine rubber bands to make it. You can see that none of the rods actually touch when the construction is wired. The rubber bands maintain their balance. It goes on to describe a tensegrity-based structure in further detail. So, C is the correct answer.

an unresolved issue concerning the nature of individual cell structure

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: Ingber and his team have been gradually picking off the objections with detailed studies of cell structure.
Keyword : Ingber, objections, detailed studies, cell structure
Keyword Location: paragraph G , line 5
Explanation: It is claimed that there is still debate over whether or not the cell is a tensegrity structure. Although research is being done to address the issues, it is obvious from paragraph G that there is still a problem with the nature of individual cell structure. The answer is therefore G.

an explanation of why a basic tensegrity structure keeps its shape

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: the tension bands hold them in such a way that the compressive force is always directed straight down the tube
Keyword : tension bands, compressive force, tube
Keyword Location: paragraph C, line 5
Explanation: This explains how the compression force is always applied to hold them in a straight line down the tube by the tension bands. Therefore, buckling is prevented. Furthermore, the structure's asymmetry allows it to maintain its properties. So, C is the correct answer.

an analogy between components of a tensegrity model and a skeleton

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: The human body is certainly a tensegrity structure; it consists of 206 bones — tensegrity rods
Keyword : human body, tensegrity, 206 bones
Keyword Location: paragraph F, line 1
Explanation: The human body is acknowledged to be a tensegrity structure. It is made up of 206 separate bones, or "tensegrity rods," that are connected by tendons and muscles. As a result, the human body's 206-bone skeleton might be compared to a tensegrity structure. The answer is therefore F.

Questions 11-14:

Answer the questions with words from the Reading Passage.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Who first used the word ‘tensegrity’?

Answer: (Buckminster) Fuller
Supporting Sentence: tensegrity’ (from ‘tensional integrity`) was coined by Fuller, the idea was entirely Snelson’s
Keyword : tensegrity, coined, Fuller, Snelson’s
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 4
Explanation: The passage states that Fuller coined the term "tensegrity" (from "tensional integrity"). The answer is Buckminster Fuller because he is credited with coining the phrase.

Which parts of the tensegrity model prevent the straws losing their shape?

Answer: Tension Band/Rubber Bands
Supporting Sentence: structure is wired up, you can see that none of the rods actually touch; they’re held in equilibrium by the rubber bands
Keyword : structure, rods, equilibrium, rubber band
Keyword Location: paragraph C, line 2-3
Explanation: When the construction is connected up, it is claimed that you can see that none of the rods truly contact. The rubber bands maintain their balance. In order to maintain the structure of a tensegrity model, tension bands are used. Tension bands are the answer, therefore.

Which parts of a cell hold its microtubules in place?

Answer: Microfilaments
Supporting Sentence: microfilaments play the role of the rubber bands and stiff microtubules are the rods
Keyword : role, rubber band, microtubules
Keyword Location: paragraph F, line 4
Explanation: It is said that tensegrity structures within the cell appear to maintain the tension of living cells. Microtubules that are stiff serve as the rods, while microfilaments act as rubber bands. The rubber bands keep the structure's shape, as mentioned in paragraph C. So it is established that microfilaments behave as rubber bands to secure microtubules. Microfilaments are the answer as a result.

What substances join cells to each other?

Answer: Integrins
Supporting Sentence: When cells are surrounded by other cells, proteins called integrins attach one cell to another at specific locations
Keyword : cells, proteins, cell, specific location
Keyword Location: paragraph G, line 2
Explanation: It is obvious that integrin-containing proteins bind cells to one another at particular sites. Integrins are the answer, therefore.

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