Book 5 Reading Test 2 · Passage 1 · Questions 1–13
This guide reviews the adapted questions on this website. Wording and answers can differ from the original paper.
The passage explains the invention, manufacture and design significance of Bakelite. It moves from categories of plastic to a sequence of production stages and then to the practical limits of moulded objects. These changes of purpose help you locate each question group.
Question types: Summary and process completion, multiple selection and True / False / Not Given
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How to approach this passage
- Mark the contrast between thermoplastic and thermosetting materials. Repeated heating and moulding describe one category; the special behaviour of Bakelite describes another.
- Follow the flow-chart as a process. Distinguish starting chemicals, intermediate resin, added ingredients and the final heat-and-pressure stage. A substance used earlier should not be copied into a later gap without checking.
- For Questions 9–10, look for manufacturing constraints on design: how material enters a mould and how an object can be taken out are different from a claim about its intended use.
- Respect the changing limits. The opening summary requires one word only, whereas the process gaps permit up to two words. A correct idea can still exceed the permitted answer length.
Worked review example
For adapted Question 8, the process ends by subjecting the material to extreme heat and pressure. The missing noun is pressure. It completes the paired conditions at the moulding stage, rather than naming another ingredient.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not mistake a modern description of plastics for evidence that Bakelite was immediately popular when first introduced.
Show the adapted answer key
This key applies to the questions on IELTS Practice Jai. It is not an independently authenticated official answer key. Attempt the questions before opening it. Alternatives separated by a slash are accepted variants.
| Question | Accepted answer in this version |
|---|---|
| 1 | candlewax |
| 2 | synthetic |
| 3 | chemistry |
| 4 | novalak |
| 5 | fillers |
| 6 | hexa |
| 7 | raw |
| 8 | pressure |
| 9–10 | B, C (any order; one mark per distinct correct answer) |
| 11 | TRUE |
| 12 | FALSE |
| 13 | FALSE |
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