Oymyakon The World's Coldest Town Reading Answers

Oymyakon, the world's coldest town

To go to Oymyakon, you don't need a GPS. From Yakutsk, cross the Lena River and continue virtually the entire way on the M56 until turning left at Tomtor for the last few kilometers. It takes two days of hard driving to penetrate the heart of Siberia and reach the world's coldest inhabited place; two days of glistening landscapes, frozen rivers, and untouched snow; two days of endless forest and breathtaking beauty; two days to penetrate the heart of Siberia and reach the world's coldest inhabited place. I was taken aback by the beauty. Siberia isn't famed for its attractiveness. It's always portrayed as a location of adversity. But the icy beauty was bathed in crisp, clear sunlight for hour after hour, providing a constant vision of fir trees wreathed in quiet and snow.

The road started to twist and swirl as we left the flat plain, carrying us into virgin hills and on towards the Verkhoyansk Mountains. The slopes became steeper and the valleys deeper beneath their snow-capped peaks. We came to a halt in a valley to inspect a hot spring near the road. A place enveloped in the heavy mist was readily visible against the snow. Trees appeared as ghostly outlines through the weird cloud.

Despite the wonderful atmosphere of the Siberian forest, I was reminded of its reputation for suffering every time I exited the truck. The skin on my face began to feel like it was burning in less than a minute. I quickly lost feeling in my fingertips if I didn't wear my two sets of gloves. I quickly learned not to take too deep a breath since the shock of chilly air in my lungs would always send me into a coughing fit. In the winter, Siberia is a planet that is scarcely fit for human habitation. This is an area where the cold is so intense that it pierces numerous layers of clothes as if they aren't even there.

Oymyakon is a sleepy little town of around 550 people, home to the world's coldest power station, a school, two businesses, and a small hospital. It was most likely founded as a summer village for reindeer herders on the banks of the Indigirka River.

When I arrived, the temperature was -45°C, which was described as "not particularly chilly." The record low temperatures in Oymyakon are due to a combination of causes. It's a long way from the ocean, which has a cooling influence on the air temperature. Furthermore, the town is located in a valley below the general level of the Oymyakon Plateau, which is surrounded by mountains rising to 2,000 metres. As the cold air lowers, it condenses in the valley, where it is untouched by the wind. In January, the average temperature in Oymyakon is -50°C. Antarctica has colder temperatures than the rest of the world, but there are no permanent residents there.

Questions 1 - 6 

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

Write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO, if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. You need GPS To go to Oymyakon.
2. It takes three days of hard driving to penetrate the heart of Siberia and reach the world's coldest inhabited place.
3. Oymyakon is always portrayed as a location of adversity. 
4. The slopes became steeper and the valleys deeper beneath their snow-capped peaks. 
5. Oymyakon’s two shops keep a decent stock of basic foods in tins and packets.
6. Antarctica has colder temperatures than the rest of the world, also there are permanent residents there.

1. Answer: No
Explanation: Paragraph 1 -  To go to Oymyakon, you don't need a GPS.

2. Answer: No 
Explanation: Paragraph 1 -  It takes two days of hard driving to penetrate the heart of Siberia and reach the world's coldest inhabited place.. 

3. Answer: Yes 
Explanation: Paragraph 1 - It's always portrayed as a location of adversity. 

4. Answer: Yes 
Explanation: Paragraph 2 - The slopes became steeper and the valleys deeper beneath their snow-capped peaks. 

5. Answer: Not Given 
Explanation: The particular information is not available in the passage. 

6. Answer: No 
Explanation: Paragraph 5 -  Antarctica has colder temperatures than the rest of the world, but there are no permanent residents there.