Satellite launches have quadrupled, and one collision can create thousands of fragments that threaten everything else in orbit. Researchers are building better catalogues and classifications of debris, international bodies set disposal guidelines that only half of missions follow, and experts argue that knowing precisely where everything is would make space as manageable as an airport.
Section matching (27-31) needs every section except D. The summary (32-35) is all in C. The people matching (36-40) covers B to F, and Jah is the answer twice.
Matching information (sections A-F)
Questions 27-31
How to attack this block: The Iridium-Cosmos crash is in A. Efforts to classify debris by shape and size are in B, and international cooperation on guidelines is in C. The airport comparison is in E. Jah's aim of a safe, free space for future generations is at the end of F.
Question 27
Answer: CSection C, second and third sentences
Which section mentions groups working together to reduce a risk?
companies, governments and other players in space are collaborating in new ways to avoid a shared threat. International groups such as the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee have developed guidelines
Question says → Passage says
the cooperation that takes placecollaborating in new ways / International groups… Inter-Agency
to try and minimise riskto avoid a shared threat
Why: 'Collaborating' is a direct synonym of 'cooperation', and 'avoid a shared threat' is minimising risk. C then gives the example of the inter-agency committee and its guidelines.
The trap: B also describes several research teams tackling the problem, but they work on separate methods. Nothing says they cooperate.
Question 28
Answer: FSection F, near the end
Which section explains what one person is aiming for?
Jah describes himself as a space environmentalist: 'I want to make space a place that is safe to operate, that is free and useful for generations to come.'
Question says → Passage says
a person's aimsI want to make space a place
an explanationJah describes himself as a space environmentalist
Why: 'I want to' is the language of aims, and Jah spells his out: space that is safe, free and useful for the future. He also says what happens 'until that happens', which explains why the aim matters.
The trap: D gives Sorge's view that knowing where everything is would solve the problem, but that's an opinion about a method, not a personal aim.
Question 29
Answer: ASection A, fourth sentence
Which section describes a big crash between objects in space?
a US commercial Iridium satellite smashed into an inactive Russian communications satellite called Cosmos-2251, creating thousands of new pieces of space shrapnel
Question says → Passage says
a major collisionsmashed into… creating thousands of new pieces
that occurredTen years ago
Why: 'Smashed into' is a collision, and 'thousands of new pieces' shows how major it was. 'Ten years ago' shows it really happened, which matches 'occurred'.
The trap: B talks about 'uncontrolled space crashes' too, but those are possible future crashes, not one that took place.
Question 30
Answer: ESection E
Which section compares tracking space objects with how well a transport system runs?
Think about a busy day at an airport… Air-traffic controllers know the location of the planes down to one metre in accuracy. The same can't be said for space debris.
Question says → Passage says
a transportation systemmanaging traffic on the roads or in the air / a busy day at an airport
the efficiencya carefully choreographed routine
a comparisonThe same can't be said for space debris
Why: Jah sets an airport's precise, choreographed traffic against space, where objects aren't tracked consistently. 'The same can't be said' is the comparison.
The trap: D talks about avoiding unnecessary manoeuvres, which sounds like traffic, but there's no comparison with roads or air travel until E.
Question 31
Answer: BSection B, fourth sentence
Which section mentions trying to sort space junk into categories?
Others are developing taxonomies of space debris - working on measuring properties such as the shape and size of an object
Question says → Passage says
efforts to classifydeveloping taxonomies
space junkspace debris
Why: A taxonomy is a system for classifying things, and the dash explains it: measuring shape and size so operators know what to worry about.
The trap: F's catalogue of orbits sounds like classification, but a catalogue lists where objects are. It doesn't sort them into types.
Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 32-35
How to attack this block: C gives the guidelines in the same order as the summary. The first gap is an abstract noun (what the guidelines aim for), then what gets vented, what that prevents, and what happens to the operators who fail financially.
Question 32
Answer: sustainabilitySection C, third sentence
What do the committee's guidelines aim to achieve for space?
have developed guidelines on space sustainability
Question says → Passage says
gives advice onhave developed guidelines on
of spacespace sustainability
Why: The summary turns 'guidelines on space sustainability' into 'advice on how the ___ of space can be achieved'. The gap needs a noun after 'the', and 'sustainability' is what the guidelines are about.
The trap: Don't write 'sustainable' or copy 'guidelines'. The structure 'the ___ of space' needs the noun form, and the guidelines are the advice itself.
Question 33
Answer: fuelSection C, fourth sentence
Besides pressurised material, what unused thing should be removed from dead satellites?
inactivating satellites at the end of their useful life by venting pressurised materials or leftover fuel that might lead to explosions
Question says → Passage says
when satellites are no longer activeinactivating satellites at the end of their useful life
unusedleftover
should be removedventing
Why: 'Unused' paraphrases 'leftover', and the word after 'leftover' is 'fuel'. The summary has just swapped the order: 'fuel or pressurised material'.
The trap: 'Materials' is already used in the summary ('pressurised material'), so it can't be the gap.
Question 34
Answer: explosionsSection C, fourth sentence
What could the leftover fuel and pressurised material cause?
venting pressurised materials or leftover fuel that might lead to explosions
Question says → Passage says
that could causethat might lead to
Why: 'Might lead to' becomes 'could cause', and the thing caused is explosions. Keep the plural: the passage writes 'explosions', and 'could cause explosion' isn't natural English.
The trap: 'Debris' or 'collisions' sound right for this topic, but neither is what this sentence says the fuel leads to.
Question 35
Answer: bankruptSection C, end
Which operators does Krag think won't pay to remove their satellites?
'What happens to those that fail or go bankrupt?' he asks. 'They are probably not going to spend money to remove their satellites from space.'
Question says → Passage says
are unlikely to prioritiseare probably not going to spend money
the operators that becomethose that fail or go
Why: 'Become' needs an adjective, and Krag's adjective is 'bankrupt'. Companies with no money won't spend it on removing satellites, which is the point of the summary sentence.
The trap: 'Fail' is in the same question, but 'operators that become fail' isn't grammatical. 'Bankrupt' is the only word that fits after 'become'.
Matching statements to people
Questions 36-40
How to attack this block: Jah gets two: conflicting US and Russian orbit data, and keeping space usable for future generations. Sorge says precise locations would almost end the problem. Krag says half of missions ignore the 25-year rule. Frueh warns of a point of no return.
Question 36
Answer: CSection D, last sentence
Who says knowing exactly where space junk is would stop the danger?
'If you knew precisely where everything was, you would almost never have a problem,' says Marlon Sorge
Question says → Passage says
Knowing the exact locationIf you knew precisely where everything was
help prevent any possible dangeryou would almost never have a problem
Why: Sorge's sentence is the statement in other words: precise knowledge of location means almost no problems.
The trap: Jah (E) talks about air-traffic controllers knowing planes' locations to one metre, but he's describing what's missing in space, not claiming that precise knowledge would remove the danger.
Question 37
Answer: DSection F, near the end
Who wants space to be open to all and kept usable for the future?
'I want to make space a place that is safe to operate, that is free and useful for generations to come.'
Question says → Passage says
available to everyonefree
preserved for the futureuseful for generations to come
Why: These are Jah's words. 'Free' means open to everyone, and 'useful for generations to come' means kept for the future. His warning about polluting 'a common resource' backs it up.
The trap: Frueh (B) warns space could become unusable, which sounds similar, but she's describing a danger, not saying who space belongs to or what it should be kept for.
Question 38
Answer: BSection C, middle
Who says a satellite rule is ignored by many missions?
But so far, only about half of all missions have abided by this 25-year goal, says Holger Krag
Question says → Passage says
A recommendation regarding satellitesthis 25-year goal / advise lowering satellites
widely ignoredonly about half of all missions have abided by
Why: The 25-year rule is advice from the intergovernmental groups, and Krag reports that only about half of missions follow it. If half don't, the rule is widely ignored.
The trap: The recommendation itself comes from the committee, not a person, so some students look elsewhere. The question is who says it's ignored, and that's Krag.
Question 39
Answer: DSection F, middle
Who shows that sources disagree about where some objects are?
the US and Russian sources contain two completely different orbits for the same object
Question says → Passage says
conflicting informationtwo completely different orbits
where some satellites area Russian rocket body designated in the database as object number 32280
Why: Jah's database draws two lines for one object because the US and Russian catalogues disagree. That is conflicting information about position. Jah answers 37 too, and repeats are allowed.
The trap: E also says objects 'are not tracked consistently', but that point is the writer's summary after Jah's airport example, and the clear example of conflicting data is in F.
Question 40
Answer: ASection B, last sentence
Who warns we may reach a stage where the damage can't be reversed?
'If we go on like this, we will reach a point of no return,' says Carolin Frueh
Question says → Passage says
not be able to undo the damagea point of no return
There is a riskIf we go on like this
Why: 'A point of no return' means a stage you can't come back from, which is damage that can't be undone. The sentence before (a runaway cascade making space unusable) shows what that damage is.
The trap: Krag (C) worries that 'problems could increase', but more problems isn't the same as problems that can't be reversed.
F. 'Space environmentalist' and wanting space safe and useful for generations to come is Jah explaining his aims. It's easy to miss because it comes after the database example.
Write the plural 'explosions'. The guideline is about venting pressurised materials or leftover fuel that might lead to explosions.
Words from this passage worth keeping
shrapnel(A)
small sharp pieces thrown out by an explosion or crash
taxonomies(B)
systems for sorting things into groups
runaway(B)
happening fast and out of control
abided by(C)
followed a rule or agreement
stewards(C)
people responsible for looking after something
alleviate(D)
make a problem less serious
choreographed(E)
carefully planned so that every movement fits together
devolving(F)
gradually getting worse
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 18 Test 1 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 1, Reading Passage 3. The passage and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full text, or sit the test on Langujet.
