Wheel of Fortune Reading Answers

Dec 13, 2022

Wheel of Fortune Reading Answers tests the reading proficiency of the candidates. It tests the candidates through comprehensive passages and related questions. There are different question types in the Reading section of IELTS. The candidates need to answer 40 questions. It will help understand the candidate’s grasp of the reading ability via different task types. This IELTS Reading sample - Wheel of Fortune contains three question types: Matching Headings and Choose One Word Answer. This topic Wheel of Fortune Reading Answers is taken from the book: A Book for IELTS – Academic Module which is administered by the British Council, the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. Candidates will find different types of topics in IELTS reading practice papers that will help them increase their scores

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Section 1

Read the passage below to answer the following questions

Wheel of Fortune Reading Answers

Emma Duncan discusses the potential effects on the entertainment industry of the digital revolution

Since moving pictures were invented a century ago, a new way of distributing entertainment to consumers has emerged about once every generation. Each such innovation has changed the industry irreversibly; each has been accompanied by a period of fear mixed with exhilaration. The arrival of digital technology, which translates music, pictures and text into the zeros and ones of computer language, marks one of those periods.
This may sound familiar, because the digital revolution, and the explosion of choice that would go with it, has been heralded for some time. In 1992, John Malone, chief executive of TCI, an American cable giant, welcomed the '500-channel universe'. Digital television was about to deliver everything except pizzas to people's living rooms. When the entertainment companies tried out the technology, it worked fine - but not at a price that people were prepared to pay.
Those 500 channels eventually arrived but via the Internet and the PC rather than through television. The digital revolution was starting to affect the entertainment business in unexpected ways. Eventually, it will change every aspect of it, from the way cartoons are made to the way films are screened to the way people buy music. That much is clear. What nobody is sure of is how it will affect the economics of the business.
New technologies always contain within them both threats and opportunities. They have the potential both to make the companies in the business a great deal richer, and to sweep them away. Old companies always fear new technology. Hollywood was hostile to television, television terrified by the VCR. Go back far enough, points out Hal Varian, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, and you find publishers complaining that 'circulating libraries' would cannibalise their sales. Yet whenever a new technology has come in, it has made more money for existing entertainment companies. The proliferation of the means of distribution results, gratifyingly, in the proliferation of dollars, pounds, pesetas and the rest to pay for it.
All the same, there is something in the old companies' fears. New technologies may not threaten their lives, but they usually change their role. Once television became widespread, film and radio stopped being the staple form of entertainment. Cable television has undermined the power of the broadcasters. And as power has shifted the movie studios, the radio companies and the television broadcasters have been swallowed up. These days, the grand old names of entertainment have more resonance than power. Paramount is part of Viacom, a cable company; Universal, part of Seagram, a drinks-and-entertainment company; MGM, once the roaring lion of Hollywood, has been reduced to a whisper because it is not part of one of the giants. And RCA, once the most important broadcasting company in the world, is now a recording label belonging to Bertelsmann, a large German entertainment company.
Part of the reason why incumbents got pushed aside was that they did not see what was coming. But they also faced a tighter regulatory environment than the present one. In America, laws preventing television broadcasters from owning programme companies were repealed earlier this decade, allowing the creation of vertically integrated businesses. Greater freedom, combined with a sense of history, prompted the smarter companies in the entertainment business to re-invent themselves. They saw what happened to those of their predecessors who were stuck with one form of distribution.

So, these days, the powers in the entertainment business are no longer movie studios, or television broadcasters, or publishers; all those businesses have become part of bigger businesses still, companies that can both create content and distribute it in a range of different ways.

Out of all this, seven huge entertainment companies have emerged - Time Warner, Walt Disney, Bertelsmann, Viacom, News Corp, Seagram and Sony. They cover pretty well every bit of the entertainment business except pornography. Three are American, one is Australian, one Canadian, one German and one Japanese. 'What you are seeing', says Christopher Dixon, managing director of media research at PaineWebber, a stockbroker, 'is the creation of a global oligopoly.

It happened to the oil and automotive businesses earlier this century; now it is happening to the entertainment business.' It remains to be seen whether the latest technology will weaken those great companies, or make them stronger than ever.

Section 2

Solution with Explanations

Questions 1-8

Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs A-G.
Which paragraph mentions the following (Questions 1-8)?
Write the appropriate letters (A-G) in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
NB Some of the paragraphs will be used more than once.

The contrasting effects that new technology can have on existing business

Answer: D

Supporting Sentence: New technologies always contain within them both threats and opportunities.

Keyword: New technologies, threats and opportunities

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 1^st statement

Explanation: The passage states that new technology has its pros and cons. The author mentions that they have the potential both to make the companies in the business a great deal richer and to sweep them away. This means that it can be a deal breaker for new businesses or can be a threat. Hence, as per the question, paragraph D is the correct answer.

The fact that a total transformation is going to take place in the future in the delivery of all forms of entertainment

Answer: C

Supporting Sentence: Eventually, it will change every aspect of it, from the way cartoons are made to the way films are screened to the way people buy music.

Keyword: change, every aspect, cartoons

Keyword Location: Paragraph C

Explanation: The supporting sentence clearly states that it will change every aspect. Here, it means forms of entertainment. Digital Transformation holds great significance in the delivery of entertainment. As indicated in Paragraph C, the ways cartoons, films, or music is purchased or made today are bound to change with the digital revolution. Hence, C is the correct answer.

The confused feelings that people are known to have experienced in response to technological innovation

Answer: A

Supporting Sentence: Each such innovation has changed the industry irreversibly; each has been accompanied by a period of fear mixed with exhilaration.

Keyword: industry irreversibly, exhilaration

Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 2^nd sentence

Explanation: As indicated in paragraph A, the means of distributing entertainment have changed every generation. It has created mixed feelings among consumers as well as the entertainment industry simultaneously.

The fact that some companies have learnt from the mistakes of others

Answer: F

Supporting Sentence: They saw what happened to those of their predecessors who were stuck with one form of distribution.

Keyword: Greater freedom, predecessors

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, last sentence

Explanation: The author states that sticking to one form of distribution has led to stagnation of the companies. It is especially true for the predecessors of the specific companies. It leads new companies to learn from their mistakes and improve on them. The passage mentions that they saw what happened to the previous companies and learned from them.

The high cost to the consumer of new ways of distributing entertainment

Answer: B

Supporting Sentence: When the entertainment companies tried out the technology, it worked fine - but not at a price that people were prepared to pay.

Keyword: entertainment business, worked fine

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, last sentence

Explanation: The author states that evolving technology was ready to deliver everything to people in their living rooms. However, this was not expected at an upscaling price that the consumers did not expect. Hence, B is the correct answer.

The uncertainty regarding the financial impact of wider media access

Answer: C

Supporting Sentence: The digital revolution was starting to affect the entertainment business in unexpected ways. What nobody is sure of is how it will affect the economics of the business.

Keyword: digital revolution, entertainment business

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 2^nd sentence

Explanation: The author states that the digital revolution is bound to effect business in unexpected ways. However, there is still uncertainty about how it may impact the economics of a business. It may cause a major setback or skyrocket the business with no bounds. Hence, C is the correct answer.

The fact that some companies were the victims of strict government policy

Answer: F

Supporting Sentence: But they also faced a tighter regulatory environment than the present one.

Keyword: incumbents, tighter regulatory environment

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 2^nd sentence

Explanation: As per the passage, part of the reason why incumbents got pushed aside was that they did not see what was coming. In the United States of America, government laws disbarred TV broadcasters from owning program companies. Hence, F is the correct answer.

The fact that the digital revolution could undermine the giant entertainment companies

Answer: G

Supporting Sentence: It happened to the oil and automotive businesses earlier this century; now it is happening to the entertainment business.'

Keyword: oil and automotive businesses

Keyword Location: Paragraph G, last sentence

Explanation: As per the passage, there are only a few companies ruling the entertainment sector. This global oligopoly could weaken with the digital revolution or reach the brink of success. This is stated in the paragraph as well as in the statement. Hence, G is the correct answer.

Questions 9-12

The writer refers to various individuals and companies in the reading passage.
Match the people or companies (A-E) with the points made in Questions 9-12 about the introduction of new technology.
Write the appropriate letter (A-E) in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet.

A John Malone

B Hal Valarian

C MGM

D Walt Disney

E Christopher Dixon

Historically, new forms of distributing entertainment have alarmed those well-established in the business.

Answer: B

Supporting Sentence: RCA, once the most important broadcasting company in the world, is now a recording label belonging to Bertelsmann, a large German entertainment company.

Keyword: German entertainment company

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, last sentence

Explanation: As per the supporting sentence, an important broadcasting company is a recording label belonging to a large entertainment company. Hal Varian pointed out that publishers were alarmed by the circulating libraries.

The merger of entertainment companies follows a pattern evident in other industries.

Answer: E

Supporting Sentence: Three are American, one is Australian, one Canadian, one German and one Japanese. 'What you are seeing', says Christopher Dixon, managing director of media research at PaineWebber, a stockbroker, 'is the creation of a global oligopoly.

Keyword: oil and automotive businesses

Keyword Location: Paragraph G, 3^rd sentence

Explanation: Christopher Dixon stated that the few entertainment companies have formed a global oligopoly and compared the same with the oil and automotive industry. Hence, it is the correct answer.

Major entertainment bodies that have remained independent have lost their influence.

Answer: C

Supporting Sentence: MGM, once the roaring lion of Hollywood, has been reduced to a whisper because it is not part of one of the giants

Keyword: drinks-and-entertainment company

Keyword Location: paragraph E, 2^nd last sentence

Explanation: As per the passage, MGM was once a roaring company in Hollywood. However, it is now diminished as it is not a part of one of the entertainment giants. The same is the case with RCA. Hence, MGM is the correct answer.

News of the most recent technological development was published some years ago.

Answer: A

Supporting Sentence: Since moving pictures were invented a century ago, a new way of distributing entertainment to consumers has emerged about once every generation.

Keyword: entertainment to consumers

Keyword Location: paragraph A, 1^st sentence

Explanation: Digital revolution was expected back in the 90’s. John Malone welcomed the 500-channel universe. Hence, the correct answer is A.

Questions 13-14

Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 13-14 on your answer sheet.

How does the writer put across his views on the digital revolution?

by examining the forms of media that will be affected by it
by analysing the way entertainment companies have reacted to it
by giving a personal definition of technological innovation
by drawing comparisons with other periods of technological innovation

Answer: D

Supporting Sentence: The arrival of digital technology, which translates music, pictures and text into the zeros and ones of computer language, marks one of those periods.

Keyword: computer language

Keyword Location: Paragraph A, last sentence

Explanation: The author repeatedly compares the digital revolution with the media access in the past. It helps the author narrow down the advances in innovation.

Which of the following best summarises the writer’s views in Reading Passage 2?

The public should cease resisting the introduction of new technology.
Digital technology will increase profits in the entertainment business.
Entertainment companies should adapt to technological innovation.
Technological change only benefits big entertainment companies.

Answer: C

Supporting Sentence: New technologies always contain within them both threats and opportunities.

Keyword: New technologies, both threats and opportunities

Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 1^st sentence

Explanation: The author wants to put forth the idea that entertainment must not neglect technological advances and adopt the digital revolution. It might be a threat but is also a boon for the entertainment sector.

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