The Birdmen Reading Answers for IELTS General

IELTS applicants who practise consistently can earn the highest possible scores on the IELTS General Reading module, as it is easier than the IELTS Reading Academic. To do so successfully, you must be able to approach and respond to a variety of question types, such as those found in The Birdmen Reading Answers in Cambridge 9 Test B.

The IELTS General passage, The Birdmen Reading Answers, is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. If you want more passages to solve, try taking one of our IELTS reading practice tests.

There are 13 questions in total in The Birdmen Reading Answers. You must comprehend the subject, identify important terms in the IELTS reading passages, and then respond in accordance with the instructions.

The question types found in this passage are:

• Multiple-Choice Question (Q. 1-3)
• Summary Completion (Q. 4-8)
• Matching Features (Q. 9-13)

Reading Passage

The Birdmen

Will people finally be able to fly long distances without a plane? John Andres investigates

People have dreamt of flying since written history began. In the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci drew detailed plans for human flying machines. You might have thought the invention of mechanised flight would have put an end to such ideas. Far from it. For many enthusiasts, the ultimate flight fantasy is the jet pack, a small piece of equipment on your back which enables you to climb vertically into the air and fly forwards, backwards and turn. Eric Scott was a stuntman in Hollywood for about a decade and has strapped jet packs to his back more than 600 times and propelled himself hundreds of metres into the air. Now he works for an energy-drink company that pays him to travel around the world with his jet pack. As Scott says: ‘I get to do what I love and wherever I go I advertise Go Fast drinks. Existing packs work for little more than 30 seconds, but people are working on designs which let you fly around for 20 minutes. ‘That would be amazing,’ says Scott.

Paramotoring is another way of getting into the air. It combines the sort of parachute used in paragliding with a small engine and propeller and is now becoming popular. Chris Clarke has been flying a paramotor for five years. ‘Getting about is roughly comparable with driving a petrol-powered car in terms of expense. The trouble is that paramotoring is ill-suited to commuting because of the impossibility of taking off in strong winds,’ says Clarke.

Another keen paramotorist recently experienced a close call when in the air. ‘I started to get a warm feeling in my back,’ says Patrick Vandenbulcke. I thought I was just sweating. But then I started to feel burning and I realized I had to get to the ground fast. After an inspection of the engine later, I noticed that the exhaust pipe had moved during the flight and the harness had started melting.’ This hasn’t put Vandenbulcke off, however, and he is enthusiastic about persuading others to take up paramotoring. However he warns: Although it seems cheaper to try to teach yourself, you will regret it later as you won’t have a good technique.’ A training course will cost over £1,000, while the equipment costs a few thousand pounds. You may pick up cheaper equipment secondhand, however. There was one pre-used kit advertised on a website, with a bit of damage to the cage and tips of the propellers due to a rough landing. ‘Scared myself to death,’ the seller reported, ‘hence the reason for this sale.’

Fun though it is, paramotoring is not in the same league as the acrobatics demonstrated by Yves Rossy. He has always enjoyed being a daredevil showman. He once parachuted from a plane above Lake Geneva and, intentionally skimming the top of a fountain as he landed, he descended to the lake where he grabbed some water ski equipment and started waterskiing while the crowd watched open-mouthed.

Rossy, who has been labelled ‘the Birdman’, was born in 1959 in Switzerland. After flying planes for the air force from the ages of 20 to 28, he went on to do a job as a pilot with a commercial airline from 1988 to 2000. ‘The cockpit of a plane is the most beautiful office in the world,’ he says, ‘but I didn’t have any contact with the air around me. It was a bit like being in a box or a submarine under water.’ From then on, he, therefore, concentrated on becoming the first jet-powered flying man.

In May 2008, he stepped out of an aircraft at about 3000 metres. Within seconds he was soaring and diving at over 290 kph, at one point reaching 300 kph, about 104 kph faster than the typical falling skydiver. His speed was monitored by a plane flying alongside. Rossy started his flight with a free fall, then he powered four jet turbines to keep him in the air before releasing a parachute which enabled him to float to the ground. The jet turbines are attached to special wings which he can unfold. The wings were manufactured by a German firm called JCT Composites. Initially he had approached a company called Jet-Kit which specialised in miniature planes, but the wings they made for him weren’t rigid enough to support the weight of the engines. Rossy says he has become the first person to maintain a stable horizontal flight, thanks to aerodynamic carbon foldable wings.’ Without these special wings, it is doubtful he would have managed to do this.

Rossy’s ambitions include flying down the Grand Canyon. To do this, he will have to fit his wings with bigger, more powerful jets. The engines he currently uses already provide enough thrust to allow him to climb through the air, but then he needs the power to stay there. In terms of the physical strength involved, Rossy insists it’s no more difficult than riding a motorbike. ‘But even the slightest change in position can cause problems. I have to focus hard on relaxing in the air, because if you put tension in your body, you start to swing round.’ If he makes it, other fliers will want to know whether they too will someday be able to soar. The answer is yes, possibly, but it is unlikely to be more than an expensive hobby.

Check Out – IELTS General Reading Practice Test

Questions 1-3

1 What information is given about Vandenbulcke in Paragraph 3?

A He narrowly avoided a dangerous situation.

B He did not understand the equipment he was using.

C He did not react fast enough to the situation.

D He was fortunate to get the help he needed.

2 When the writer refers to some second-hand paramotoring equipment which was for sale, he is emphasising that –

A paramotoring equipment is in short supply.

B paramotoring equipment needs to be carefully tested.

C paramotoring is a very expensive hobby.

D paramotoring can be a dangerous pastime.

3 The description of what happened at Lake Geneva is given to suggest that Rossy

A frequently changes his plans.

B likes to do what appears impossible.

C is an excellent overall sportsman.

D knows the area very thoroughly.

Questions 4-8

Yves Rossy

Yves Rossy was born in 1959. He worked as both a military and 4……………….. pilot before focusing on his ambition of becoming a jet-powered flying man. First he asked a firm which made 5……………….. planes to construct some 6……………….. for him, but these proved unsuitable. The second company he approached was able to help him. However., on a flight in May 2008, he managed to achieve a top speed of 7……………….. easily exceeding the speed achieved by the average 8……………….. He had engines to keep him in the air and then used a parachute when it was time to come down.

Questions 9-13

9 He acknowledges the role of his equipment in enabling him to set a flying record.
10 He explains how he uses his flying expertise to promote a product.
11 He explains what led him to experiment with different ways of flying.
12 He describes a mistake some beginners might make.
13 He mentions circumstances which prevent you from leaving the ground.

People

A Eric Scott
B Chris Clarke
C  Patrick Vandenbulcke
D  Yves Rossy

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Answers for The Birdmen Reading Answers with Location and Explanations

1 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 3, Line 1

Answer explanation: The selected line reveals, “Another keen paramotorist recently experienced a close call when in the air.” This tells us that the third paragraph explains a situation where Vandenbulcke narrowly avoided a dangerous situation (experienced a close call) as the exhaust pipe had moved and melted the harness. Hence, the answer is A (He narrowly avoided a dangerous situation.).

2 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 3, Line 9- Line 11

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph 3, it is declared, “You may pick up cheaper equipment secondhand, however. There was one pre-used kit advertised on a website, with a bit of damage to the cage and tips of the propellers due to a rough landing. ‘Scared myself to death,’ the seller reported, ‘hence the reason for this sale.’” This points to the fact that with reference to some secondhand (pre-used) paramotoring equipment that was for sale, the writer wants to emphasize that paramotoring can be dangerous and scare people to death. Hence, the answer is D (paramotoring can be a dangerous pastime.).

3 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple-Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 4, Line 2-Line 3

Answer explanation: In the highlighted lines of Paragraph 3, it is reported that “He has always enjoyed being a daredevil showman. He once parachuted from a plane above Lake Geneva and, intentionally skimming the top of a fountain…the crowd watched open-mouthed.” This proves the fact that Rossy was a daredevil, which means he liked to do what was nearly impossible and nobody dared to do. The Lake Geneva incident proved his quality. Hence, the answer is B (likes to do what appears impossible.).

4 Answer: commercial

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 5, Line 2

Answer explanation: In the quoted line of Paragraph 5, it is said that “After flying planes for the air force from the ages of 20 to 28, he went on to do a job as a pilot with a commercial airline from 1988 to 2000.” It is clear from the above-mentioned lines that Rossy worked in the military (air force)from ages 20 to 28 and then joined a job as a commercial pilot. Hence, the answer is ‘commercial’.

5 Answer: miniature

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 6, Line 7

Answer explanation: In the specified line of Paragraph 6, it is communicated that “Initially he had approached a company called Jet-Kit which specialised in miniature planes…”. In this way, it is shown that Rossy approached a firm (company) called Jet-Kit which made (specialised in) miniature planes. Hence, the answer is ‘miniature’.

6 Answer: wings

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 6, Line 7

Answer explanation: The mentioned line of Paragraph 6 says that “…but the wings they made for him weren’t rigid enough to support the weight of the engines.”. As it is clear that the wings made by the Jet-Kit, as asked by Rossy, were not suitable to support the weight of the engines, the answer is ‘wings’’.

7 Answer: 300 kph

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 6, Line 2

Answer explanation: The given line of Paragraph 6 describes, “Within seconds he was soaring and diving at over 290 kph, at one point reaching 300 kph…”. It is clear that on a flight in May 2008, Rossy managed to achieve a top speed of 300 kph while he was soaring and diving. Hence, the answer is ‘300 kph’.

8 Answer: skydiver

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 6, Line 2

Answer explanation: The given line of Paragraph 6 reads, “Within seconds he was soaring and diving at over 290 kph, at one point reaching 300 kph, about 104 kph faster than the typical falling skydiver.”. It is clear that during the flight in May 2008, Rossy soared and dived at 300 kph, which was faster than any average (typical) skydiver. Hence, the answer is ‘skydiver’.

Tips to Solve the Question Types in The Birdmen IELTS Reading Answers

Since now you know the answers to The Birdmen Reading Answers with explanation, let us check out some quick tips to answer the three types of questions in the General Reading Answers of The Birdmen.

Multiple-Choice Question:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple-choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order 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.

Summary Completion: 

Summary Completion is a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to fill in a gap in a paragraph with a word or phrase from the passage.

To answer summary completion questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the sentences carefully: This will give you an idea of the type of word or phrase that is missing.
• Scan the passage for the keywords: The keywords in the sentence can help you to identify the correct word or phrase.
• Read the sentence with the missing word or phrase: This will help you to see how the word or phrase fits into the sentence.
• Check your answer: Once you have filled in the gap, make sure that your answer makes sense in the context of the sentence.

Matching Features:

In this type of question, you will have to match a list of options with the relevant set of statements. Some tips for answering Matching Features questions and obtain a high band in the IELTS examination are given below:

• Read questions and underline or circle keywords. This will help you find out where you would have to read and find later. Also, focus on how often every detail or name is appearing in the passage.
• Scan the passage and look for information given in the features and questions.
• Skim through the areas that are surrounded by keywords and features in the passage.
• Don’t get confused in case the text has synonyms of the information that is originally present in the question.
• Keep in mind that answers will not be in an order as questions.

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• Problems With Water Reading Answers with Location

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