A Significant Development in Mining Safety – IELTS reading answers

With consistent practice, you can score highest on the Reading module of IELTS General. All you need to do is to solve different kinds of questions regularly with a good strategy.
The IELTS General Passage, ‘A Significant Development in Mining Safety’ is a part of Cambridge General Training Reading Test 17 and ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on this passage.
There are 13 questions in total in ‘A Significant Development in Mining Safety’. You must understand the subject, look up key terms in the IELTS reading passages, and then respond in line as per the given instructions. Also, start practicing IELTS General practice exams regularly if your goal is to become proficient in these passages and obtain a high reading band score.

The question types found in these passages are:

• Matching Heading  (Questions 1-5 )
• Summary completion (Questions 6-9 )
• Multiple Choice Questions ( Questions 10-13 )

Reading Passage

Significant Development in Mining Safety

A Coal has been used as a source of fuel for over 5,000 years, but for most of that time it was probably gathered from places where it was exposed on the surface of the ground, It is possible that the Romans undertook some mining, but coal mines across Europe largely, date from the 13th century. Thereafter coal production increased steadily and it gradually replaced charcoal and wood as a source of heat and energy. Initially, coal mines were fairly shallow, but they quickly reached the point where artificial lighting was necessary. At first, the lights used would have been no different from those used domestically — candles and simple oil lamps.
But as coal mines became deeper, miners encountered a new and terrible problem –firedamp. This was a natural gas, principally consisting of methane, that exploded on contact with a naked flame.The first known major firedamp explosion, which killed 99 people, took place in Belgium in 1514 and as new technology was used to mine at increasingly deep levels, the problem got worse.

B The simplest solution was to improve the ventilation of the mine. Many mines had only one shaft leading from the surface down to the working area below. Ventilation could be improved to some extent by dividing this into a downcast (bringing in fresh air) and an upcast (returning foul air and firedamp to the surface).But what was really needed was a safe lamp that could not ignite firedamp. The earliest forms of safety lighting sought to produce light without using a naked flame.One early method tried to utilise the fact that skins removed from decaying fish contain the element phosphorus, which emits light in the form of phosphorescence. Unfortunately, this phosphorus is highly toxic, flammable and can self-ignite -hardly desirable properties in a safety light.An alternative was a device invented in about 1750, consisting of a flint which struck against a piece of iron when a handle was turned, creating a shower of sparks which lit up the surrounding area. These were believed to be too cool to ignite firedamp.This device had major drawbacks – extra manpower had to be used to operate it continuously, and it also required regular maintenance and replacement.But worst of all, it was not in fact safe, and numerous accidents were caused when the sparks ignited firedamp. Nonetheless, it was considered to be the least dangerous form of lighting at the time.

C By about 1810 the problem was becoming acute, and in some cases there was no alternative to working in the dark. Some mines were being forced to stop production, with serious economic consequences for the mine owners and local communities.
The general response, however, was to keep going and reluctantly accept the inevitable deaths from ignition of firedamp as a regrettable but not especially remarkable, consequence of coal mining.The miners themselves could do little — they were largely illiterate, and depended on the mine owners for a livelihood. However, the clerical, medical and legal professions were beginning to take notice.After 92 men and boys were killed in 1812 by an explosion at Felling Colliery in northern England, several professional people took action and a society was set up to raise funds for the discovery of new methods of lighting and ventilating mines.The first report of the society stated, ‘It is to scientific men only that we must look up for assistance in providing a cheap and effectual remedy.’

D As the leading chemist of the day, and an expert on gases, Sir Humphrey Davy was a natural choice from whom to seek help, and he was approached by the society in 1815.The general belief nowadays is that he was the inventor of the first miners’ safety lamp, in which the flame was enclosed by a mesh screen containing very small holes.Air could enter the lamp through the holes, but they were too small to allow the flame of the lamp to pass through them and ignite any firedamp present in the mine tunnelsDavy presented a paper describing the lamp in November 1815, and it was trialled in January 1816. However, a few weeks prior to Davy’s presentation, an engineer called George Stephenson had independently designed and demonstrated a lamp based on the same scientific principles. After much discussion and argument, he was eventually recognised as deserving equal credit for the discovery, but the time needed for this recognition to be given meant that the miners’ safety lamp had already been called the ‘Davy lamp’, and it is still called that today.

E But in fact, the real inventor of the safety lamp was a man called Dr William Reid Clanny, who in 1813 had been awarded a silver medal by the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce for his own version of a safety lamp. Clanny’s first lamp did not fulfill the needs of the ordinary working miner as it was rather heavy and cumbersome. But rather than seeking to glory in his achievement, he recognised its deficiencies and continued to work to improve it, as well as sharing his knowledge with others.George Stephenson acknowledged a debt to Clanny’s research, and Humphrey Davy visited him in 1815 shortly before completing the design for his own safety lamp but to this day Dr Clanny remains a forgotten hero.

Question 1-5 

The text has five sections A-E (1-5).

Headings

i. A controversy over two versions of an invention.

ii. The need to mine deeper for good-quality coal.

iii.Growing awareness of the need to improve conditioners for miners.

iv.A new danger caused by developments in mining.

v.The impact of poor air quality in mines on miner’s health.

vi.Early attempts to provide lighting without flames.

vii. A demand by miners for new technology.

viii.A person whose work never received full recognition.

1 Section A
2 Section B
3 Section C
4 Section D
5 Section E

Question 6-9

The problem of providing artificial lighting in coal mines

Coal mines in Europe only really developed from the 13th century. As they became deeper, the methods used for lighting them created a risk of 6………………… due to the presence of firedamp. One solution was to improve ventilation by separating the7……….. into two parts. However, better lighting was also needed. One suggestion was to use a chemical found in the skins of fish, but this was found to be unsafe. Another possibility was a device which created 8…………. as it was believed these would not ignite the gas. However, this required additional 9………….. as well as maintenance and replacement and it was also unsafe.

Questions 10-13

10 What does the writer say about mine owners in 1810?

A Most of them disregarded safety issues
B They were criticized for conditions in the mines
C Most of them used unfair pressure to keep mines open
D They were unaware of how dangerous the mines were

11 According to the writer, what was the significance of the explosion at Felling Colliery in 1812?

A It led to increased legal protection for miners
B It led to a change in public attitudes to mining safety
C It demonstrated the lack of concern of certain groups towards the miners
D It started a movement to give miners proper training in safety procedures

12 The lamp presented by Davy was safer than previous methods of lighting because of its flame

A Could not remain alight for long time
B Did not get large enough to ignite the firedamp
C Did not have any contact with the air
D Could not pass beyond the mesh screen

13 What does the writer say about Davy and Stephenson?

A Davy refused to accept Stephenson’s work as it had not been fully trialed
B Davy insisted on the safety lamp being named after him rather than Stephenson
C Stephenson claimed Davy’s work was based on false principles
D Stephenson produced a working example of a safety lamp before Davy

Answers for A Significant Development in Mining Safety- IELTS General Reading Passages with Explanation

1 Answer: 4
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph A, Line 8
Answer explanation: Take a look on this line from Paragraph A, ““….. But as coal mines became deeper, miners encountered a new and terrible problem – firedamp. This was a natural gas, principally consisting of methane, that exploded on contact with a naked flame. ….” It is given there in line 8th that it was a big problem regarding mining. That it could lead to the release of a natural gas that can explode from flame. Hence, the answer is 4 ( A new danger caused by developments in mining).

2 Answer: 6
Question type:  Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph B, Line 5
Answer explanation: Take a look on line 5 “….The earliest forms of safety lighting sought to produce light without using a naked flame…..”. It is stated that people were struggling to develop a light that could be used without any naked flame.
Hence, the answer is 6 ( Early attempts to provide lighting without flames)

3 Answer : 3
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph C, Line 7
Answer explanation: You can check this line 7 from paragraph C “….The miners themselves could do little when they were largely illiterate, and depended on the mine owners for a livelihood…..” It is stated in this line that minors were illiterate and they were dependent on the mine owners, hence needed awareness. So, the answer is 3 ( Growing awareness of the need to improve conditioners for miners)

4 Answer: 1
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph D, Line 10
Answer explanation: It is stated in line 10 on Paragraph D that “….After much discussion and argument, he was eventually recognized as deserving equal credit for the discovery…..” It is clear here that there was a conflict between two inventors Sir Humphrey Davy and Reid so they both invented the lamp on the same scientific principles. Hence, the answer is 1 ( controversy over two versions of an invention)

5 Answer: 8
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph D, Line 10
Answer explanation: Take a look on this line “….But rather than seeking glory in his achievement, he recognized its deficiencies and continued to work to improve it, as well as sharing his knowledge with others……” It is stated here that he did not get full recognition for his lamp because of its design and people forgot him after some time. So, the answer is 8 ( A person whose work never received full recognition ).

6 Answer: EXPLOSION
Question type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph A, Line 10
Answer Explanation: Have a look at line 10 of paragraph A, “…The first known major firedamp explosion, which killed 99 people ….” It is stated that the explosion took place in Belgium due to the release of natural gas and its inflammability. Hence, the answer is EXPLOSION.

7 Answer: SHAFT
Question type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, Line 1
Answer Explanation: Take a look at line 1 of paragraph B, it is clearly stated that, “….The simplest solution was to improve the ventilation of the mine. Many mines had only one shaft leading from the surface down to the working area below….”. The solution that was provided was to increase the number of shafts for more air ventilation. Hence, the answer is SHAFT.

8 Answer: SPARKS
Question type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, Line 11
Answer Explanation: In this specified line of Paragraph B, it is stated that“….An alternative was a device invented in about 1750, consisting of a flint which struck against a piece of iron when a handle was turned, creating a shower of sparks which lit up the surrounding area…..”. They thought of creating a lamp that would continuously spark. Hence, the answer is SPARKS.

9 Answer: MANPOWER
Question type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, Line 13
Answer Explanation: In the specified line of Paragraph 13 it is written that “….This device had major drawbacks – extra manpower had to be used to operate it continuously, and it also required regular maintenance and replacement…..”. It is clear in this line that manpower was required for regular maintenance. Hence, the answer is Manpower.

10 Answer: A
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph C, Line 7
Answer Explanation: In the specified line it is stated that “….The miners themselves could do little when they were largely illiterate, and depended on the mine owners for a livelihood….”. That means that the miners were not very educated and they had very little idea of safety. Hence, the answer is A ( Most of them disregarded safety issues).

11 Answer: B
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph C, Line 13
Answer Explanation: Take a look at this line, “….After 92 men and boys were killed in 1812 by an explosion at Felling Colliery in northern England, several professional people took action and a society was set up to raise funds….”. It explains that after this tragedy the safety measures were increased. Hence, the answer is B( It led to increased legal protection for miners. ).

12 Answer : D
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph D, Line 3
Answer Explanation: In this specified line, “….The general belief nowadays is that he was the inventor of the first miners’ safety lamp, in which the flame was enclosed by a mesh screen containing very small holes….”. It is clearly stated that they were concerned about the safety of miners so they made a mesh screen with very small holes and flames were not going out from that. Hence, the answer is D ( Could not pass beyond the mesh screen).

13 Answer : D
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph D, Line 3
Answer Explanation: Take a look at this line: “…However, a few weeks prior to Davy’s presentation, an engineer called George Stephenson had independently designed and demonstrated a lamp based on the same scientific principles…..”It is stated here that Stephenson produced an example of a safety lamp before Davy’s lamp. Hence, the answer is D ( Stephenson produced a working example of a safety lamp before Davy).

Tips to Solve the Question Types in the A Significant Development in Mining Safety Skills Reading Answers 

Since now you know the answers to the Urban Farming Reading Answers with an explanation, let us check out some quick tips to answer the three types of questions in the Reading Answers of A Significant Development in Mining Safety Skills.

Matching Heading questions 

• Before going through the passage, quickly scan headings for keywords related to your Matching Heading questions. This will save time and help you target relevant sections.
• First, tackle headings that match the keywords in your questions. Leave less relevant headings for later.
• Don’t get hung up on exact matches. Look for synonyms or paraphrases of your keywords in the passage. The meaning should be the same but words could be different.
• To save your time read the test instructions carefully to check if you can reuse information from the previous headings in other questions. 
• As you read each paragraph, try to understand the main idea behind it. This provides context for the specific details of the target of your question.

Summary Completion 

Some tips to answer the questions and obtain a high band in the IELTS examination are given below:

• Try predicting the answers even before you glance at the given options. This will assist you to find the correct answer.
• Find out whether the gap has to be filled with an adverb, adjective, noun or verb. If your sentence is grammatically wrong, you would have selected the wrong answer.
• Find synonyms as well as paraphrases in the text instead of words that seem to directly match.
• Don’t spend a lot of time looking for an answer to just one question. If you are unable to find it, move on to the next. Focus more on the easy answers.
  Normally, the answers would come in the similar order as that of the questions.
• If you have received a list of words, try to think about those that cannot be correct as per their grammar or meaning. Then, you can remove these words.

Multiple Choice Questions

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions. Your task is to understand the question and to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

• Before reading the passage, read the question and select the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the question statement is short on information.
• Then, using the keywords, read the passage to find the relevant information.
• To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant words and match them with each option.
• You will find several options with keywords that do not correspond to the information.
• Try opting for the elimination method mostly.
• Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than just the keywords.

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