IELTS General Training Reading Task Type 1 (Multiple Choice) Activity –

Student’s Worksheet
Examples of Task Type 1 – Multiple-choice Questions
Example 1

Question 27

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answer in box 27 on your answer sheet.

27 When do the ants in Ant World need to be fed?

A daily

B every three days

C weekly

D monthly

Example 2

Question 8

Choose TWO letters, A-F.

Write your answers in box 8 on your answer sheet.

8 Which TWO refreshments are served without charge on the airport coach?

A chocolates

B coffee

C crisps

D orange juice

E sandwiches

F tea

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Example 3

Questions 5 – 7

Choose THREE letters, A-F.

Write the correct letters in boxes 5-7 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of these animals can be seen at Rushton Zoo?

A tigers
B baboons
C leopards
D raccoons
E gibbons
F cheetahs

Example 4

Question 40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

Write your answer in box 40 on your answer sheet.

Which of the following is the most suitable title for the text on pages 8 and 9?

A The life cycle of an ant

B Caring for your Ant World

C Ant species

D Insects and their prey

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom
use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
IELTS General Training Reading Task Type 1 (Multiple Choice) Activity –
Sample Task

Sample task

Questions 1 – 5

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1 The global increase in greenhouse gases has been attributed to

A industrial pollution in developing countries.

B coal mining and electricity generation.
C reduced rainfall in many parts of the world.
D trends in population and lifestyle.

2 The proportion of all greenhouse gases created by coal is approximately

A 14 per cent.
B 18 per cent.
C 27 per cent.
D 90 per cent.

3 Current research aims to increase the energy-producing efficiency of coal by

A burning it at a lower temperature.

B developing new gasification techniques.
C extracting CO2 from it.
D recycling greenhouse gases.

4 Compared with ordinary coal, new, ‘clean’ coals may generate power

A more cleanly and more efficiently.

B more cleanly but less efficiently.
C more cleanly but at higher cost.
D more cleanly but much more slowly.

5 To control dust at mine sites, mining companies often use

A chemicals which may be toxic.

B topsoil taken from the site before mining.
C fresh water from nearby dams.
D runoff water containing sediments.

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom
use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
Question 6

Choose the most suitable title for the text from the list below.

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in box 6 on your answer sheet.

A Pollution control in coal mining

B The greenhouse effect
C The coal industry and the environment
D Sustainable population growth

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom
use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions
[Note: This is an extract from a General Training Reading Section 3 text on the subject of coal. The
text preceding this extract catalogued the general belief that extracting and using coal is bad for the
environment.]

Greenhouse gases arise from a wide range of sources and their increasing concentration is largely related
to the compound effects of increased population, improved living standards and changes in lifestyle. From
a current base of 5 billion, the United Nations predicts that the global population may stabilise in the twenty-
first century between 8 and 14 billion, with more than 90 per cent of the projected increase taking place in
the world’s developing nations. The associated activities to support that growth, particularly to produce the
required energy and food, will cause further increases in greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge,
therefore, is to attain a sustainable balance between population, economic growth and the environment.

The major greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous
oxide. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the only major contributor to the greenhouse effect that does not
occur naturally, coming from such sources as refrigeration, plastics and manufacture. Coal’s total
contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is thought to be about 18 per cent, with about half of this coming
from electricity generation.

The world-wide coal industry allocates extensive resources to researching and developing new
technologies and ways of capturing greenhouse gases. Efficiencies are likely to be improved dramatically,
and hence CO2 emissions reduced, through combustion and gasification techniques which are now at pilot
and demonstration stages.

Clean coal is another avenue for improving fuel conversion efficiency. Investigations are under way into
superclean coal (3-5 per cent ash) and ultraclean coal (less than 1 per cent ash). Superclean coal has the
potential to enhance the combustion efficiency of conventional pulverised fuel power plants. Ultraclean coal
will enable coal to be used in advanced power systems such as coal-fired gas turbines which, when
operated in combined cycle, have the potential to achieve much greater efficiencies.

Defendants of mining point out that, environmentally, coal mining has two important factors in its favour. It
makes only temporary use of the land and produces no toxic chemical wastes. By carefully pre-planning
projects, implementing pollution control measures, monitoring the effects of mining and rehabilitating mined
areas, the coal industry minimises the impact on the neighbouring community, the immediate environment
and long-term land capability.

Dust levels are controlled by spraying roads and stockpiles, and water pollution is controlled by carefully
separating clean water runoff from runoff which contains sediments or salt from mine workings. The latter
is treated and re-used for dust suppression. Noise is controlled by modifying equipment and by using
insulation and sound enclosures around machinery.

Since mining activities represent only a temporary use of the land, extensive rehabilitation measures are
adopted to ensure that land capability after mining meets agreed and appropriate standards which, in some
cases, are superior to the land’s pre-mining condition. Where the mining is underground, the surface area
can be simultaneously used for forests, cattle grazing and crop raising, or even reservoirs and urban
development, with little or no disruption to the existing land use. In all cases, mining is subject to stringent
controls and approvals processes.

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom
use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms and Conditions