Water Power Reading Answers

Feb 6, 2023

Water Power Reading Answers comprises 9 questions that are to be answered in 20 minutes. This IELTS topic Water Power Reading Answers comprises one types of questions, namely- no more than three words. For no more than three words, candidates must read the passage and understand the statement provided and answer within a word limit of three. This topic Water Power Reading Answers has been taken from the book: IELTS 14 Academic Student's Book with Answers.

Candidates must read the IELTS Reading reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question. There are more topics available that students can get from IELTS Reading practice papers.

Check: Get 10 Free IELTS Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now

Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Water Power Reading Answers

Some of the ways in which Britain gets its energy are often dangerous and dirty. They are also unsustainable. Water power from the tides and the waves is one way to reduce pollution and create energy safely and cleanly.

More than 70% of the earth's surface is water. It is impossible to know exactly how much energy could be produced from this, although as an example 4-metre high waves in storms could produce up to 700 kilowatts per metre. While it is not practical to use stormy seas as a resource, even relatively calm seas and tidal rivers can be exploited for their energy potential.

Nowadays, machinery can be used to convert the power of moving water into electricity. In the past, a less efficient method was to use the power of the water directly in, for example, mills, where the falling water drove a wheel which simply drove the mill to convert corn to flour. Another alternative is to create a hydraulic ram, which sends water up a pipe to a higher level using only the power of the water itself.

Hydro-electricity is the most common use of water power in Britain, although even then it only accounts for 2% of all the electricity generated in Britain. A huge body of water, the reservoir, is held back by a dam so the water is fed through pipes at great speed, to a turbine which generates electricity. There are major advantages to this system. First, it is a clean source of power which uses only natural renewable resources. It is safe, too, if it is well-constructed, although there have been disasters when dams have burst. It is also possible to control how much power is generated. The major disadvantage, especially in Britain, which is comparatively small and overpopulated, is that hydro-electric power uses lots of land, which has to be flooded to make reservoirs. It also has very high start-up costs.

However, small-scale hydro-electric projects have fewer disadvantages than the huge schemes such as the Hoover Dam in the USA. They are cheaper to build and less potentially dangerous. This kind of smaller project uses turbines, which work on a similar principle to old-fashioned waterwheels, but are smaller and more efficient.

With impulse turbines, water is forced through pipes at speed. It hits specially-designed sections of a wheel, which spin. The kinetic energy thus produced is transferred to the engine. There are various kinds of impulse turbines, including the Pelton Turbine, which is a single or double width of cup- shaped devices on a narrow wheel, and the Cross-Flow Turbine, which consists of thin paddles on a long shaft, and which is suitable for wider areas.

There are also reaction turbines such as the Francis Turbine, which looks rather like a ship's propeller. They consist of a series of blades mounted inside the pipe which is carrying the water under great pressure. These blades are turned by the flow of water across them.

Small water turbines are only ever about 80% efficient, as some efficiency is inevitably lost in the transfer of energy. But this should not prevent us exploiting the power of water further. The small- scale systems described here are cheap and clean, and, once set-up costs have been met, will provide power for years to come without much maintenance and at no permanent cost to the environment.

Section 2

Solution with Explanation
Questions 16-21:
Label the diagrams below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 16-21 on your answer sheet.

Question 16:

Answer: reservoir
Supporting Sentence: A huge body of water, the reservoir, is held back by a dam so the water is fed through pipes at great speed, to a turbine which generates electricity.
Keyword: water, dam,
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The image points to the outer section of the dam and the inlet pipe. As per the supporting sentence, this is the reservoir where the water is stored. Hence, reservoir is the correct answer.

Question 17:

Answer: inlet pipe
Supporting Sentence: A huge body of water, the reservoir, is held back by a dam so the water is fed through pipes at great speed, to a turbine which generates electricity.
Keyword: water, dam, fed, pipes
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The author states that the water is fed through pipes. This means that the water comes in through a pipe. If something comes in that is called inlet pipe. As the image points to the pipe, the inlet pipe is the correct answer.

Question 18:

Answer: turbine
Supporting Sentence: A huge body of water, the reservoir, is held back by a dam so the water is fed through pipes at great speed, to a turbine which generates electricity.
Keyword: water, dam, fed, pipes
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence
Explanation: As per the passage, the water from the reservoir is fed through an inlet pipe into a turbine. The image points towards the turbine.

Question 19:

Answer: dam wall
Supporting Sentence: A huge body of water, the reservoir, is held back by a dam so the water is fed through pipes at great speed, to a turbine which generates electricity.
Keyword: water, dam, fed, pipes
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The supporting sentence clearly states that the reservoir is held back by the dam. The image points towards the outside which is the dam wall. Hence, the dam wall is the correct answer.

Question 20:

Answer: pelton turbine
Supporting Sentence: There are various kinds of impulse turbines, including the Pelton Turbine, which is a single or double width of cup- shaped devices on a narrow wheel, and the Cross-Flow Turbine, which consists of thin paddles on a long shaft, and which is suitable for wider areas.
Keyword: cup-shaped, narrow wheel
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, last sentence
Explanation: The author explains that Pelton Turbine is a cup shaped device on a narrow wheel. This matches with the image and hence, peloton turbine is the correct answer.

Question 21:

Answer: cross flow turbine
Supporting Sentence: There are various kinds of impulse turbines, including the Pelton Turbine, which is a single or double width of cup- shaped devices on a narrow wheel, and the Cross-Flow Turbine, which consists of thin paddles on a long shaft, and which is suitable for wider areas.
Keyword: paddles, long shaft
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, last sentence
Explanation: The author explains that cross-flow turbines have thin paddles with long shafts. The image is also a long turbine which means long shaft. Hence, cross-flow turbines is the correct answer.

Questions 22-24:
Complete each of the following statements with words taken from Reading Passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 22 - 25 on your answer sheet.

Using water power to move machinery is... ...than using it to generate electricity.

Answer: less efficient
Supporting Sentence: Nowadays, machinery can be used to convert the power of moving water into electricity.
Keyword: machinery, electricity, moving water
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 1st sentence
Explanation: The author states that nowadays, machinery is used to convert the power of moving water into electricity. The power of moving water is not used to move machinery because it is less efficient.

About 20% of energy ..........................with smaller water turbines.

Answer: is lost
Supporting Sentence: Small water turbines are only ever about 80% efficient, as some efficiency is inevitably lost in the transfer of energy.
Keyword: small turbines, efficient
Keyword Location: 8th paragraph, 1st sentence
Explanation: As per the passage, small turbines are only 80% efficient. This means that the remaining 20% of energy is lost in transfer. Hence, “is lost” is the correct answer.

All water turbines rely on water being.. ..at great speed.

Answer: forced through pipes
Supporting Sentence: With impulse turbines, water is forced through pipes at speed.
Keyword: water, forced, speed
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 1st sentence
Explanation: The author directly states that water is forced through pipes at high speed. This is what the turbines rely on. Hence, “forced through pipes'' is the correct answer.

Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples