Tracking hurricanes reading answers

Get the Tracking Hurricane Reading Answers to practice and prepare for your IELTS reading test. This reading passage has a total of 15 questions with three different question types such as Short Answer Questions, Table Completion and Multiple Choice Questions. 

  Answer Table

1.GPS-dropwindsonde	9.data analysts
2.(weather)balloons	10.(a) computer (simulation)/hurricane researches
3.(the custom of ) naming hurricanes began in the (early)1950s	11.(a) storm surge
4.camille	12.D
5.hurricanes	13.D
6.Heat (of water)/ warm water	14.B
7.(the) atlantic conveyor	15.A
8.previously used sensors

Tracking Hurricanes

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Read the passage given below and answer the subsequent 15 questions. 

Passage

A. North American meteorologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Hurricane Research Division have recently improved the success rate in their forecasting of where hurricanes are likely to hit land by an estimated 15 to 30%. This increase in accuracy is due to the use of instruments called GPS-dropwindsondes, which can probe the atmosphere surrounding a hurricane while it is still out at sea. The atmospheric characteristics of hurricanes over land are well understood because an investigation is possible with weather balloons containing sophisticated meteorological instruments. When hurricanes are out of reach of balloons, gathering information is decidedly more difficult. Little is known of the weather conditions that guide hurricanes towards land.

B. An accurate estimation of where a hurricane will strike is essential in order to reduce the loss of life and property. Hurricane Andrew, the most costly hurricane in U.S. history, killed 15 people and caused damage of $35 billion, in today's dollars, in 1992. However, the unnamed : Category 4 2 hurricane, which struck south-east Florida in 1926 and killed 243 people would have caused an estimated $77 billion if it had struck today. The reason for this is the explosion in population growth and development along the south-east coast of the U.S. during the last half century.   

C. Hurricanes occur in cycles every few decades, the last intense period in the U.S. being from 1940 to 1969. 'Camille', a Category 5 hurricane of such catastrophic force that it caused over a billion and a half dollars worth of damage at the time and killed 256 people, struck the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in 1969 with winds over 320 km/h. Yet, for the last quarter century, hurricane activity has been relatively mild. Scientists do not know the precise reason for the cycles of hurricane activity, but they could be caused by a phenomenon called the 'Atlantic Conveyor'. This is the name given to the gigantic current of water that flows cold from the top of the globe slowly along the Atlantic ocean floor to Antarctica and resurfaces decades later before flowing back north, absorbing heat as it crosses the equator. Since hurricanes derive their energy from the heat of warm water, it is thought that an increase in the speed of the 'Conveyor', as it pulls warm water to the north, is an indicator of intensifying hurricane activity. 

D. The use of GPS-dropwindsondes began in 1997. Small sensing devices dropped from planes at very high altitudes and over a wide area, they are far more revealing than previously used sensors. Because they weigh only 0.4 kilograms, they are able to stay aloft for longer periods and broadcast more data to the ground. Each sonde carries its own global positioning satellite receiver. The GPS signals received are used to calculate the direction and speed of the wind, and data on temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure at half second intervals all the way down to the ocean surface.

E. Dropwindsonde information is fed into a special meteorological computer in Maryland which generates a global computer model of wind patterns. Data analysts have discovered a greater variability in the winds at sea level than previously believed, but many forecasting problems are beyond a solution, at least for the time being. For instance, it is not yet known why hurricanes can suddenly change in intensity; current computer models often fail to predict whether a hurricane will reach land or else cannot pinpoint where a strike will take place.

F. One surprising result of a recent computer simulation was the destruction of a large part of downtown New York. Hurricane researchers believe that the city is more likely than Miami to suffer a direct hit in the near future. Also, certain geographical features of the coastline near New York make it conceivable that a wall of water called a storm surge pushed ashore by hurricane winds would cause a devastating flooding of Manhattan. A storm surge was responsible for the more than 8000 deaths caused by the hurricane that destroyed the city of Galveston in 1900.

Questions 1-4

• Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
• The first one has been done for you as an example.

Example: what does the letter NOAA stand for?
Answer: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

1. Which instruments have recently increased the success rate of U.S hurricane forecasts?
2. What reason is given for the lack of knowledge of hurricanes at sea?
3. Why was the hurricane which struck in 1926 not given a name?
4. What is the name of the strongest hurricane mentioned in the article?

Questions 5-11

• Look at the table below, According to the reading passage, to whom or what do the phrases on the right refer?
• Write your answers in boxes 5-11 on your answer sheet. 
• The first one has been done for you as an example.
• Note- that you must give answers in No More Than Three Words.

WHO or WHAT?

Ex:____Meteorologist___	have improved their forecasts for hurricanes.
5. __________	becomes stronger every few decades.
6. __________	energizes all hurricanes.
7. __________	is a huge current of water flowing from north to south.
8. __________	could not stay in the air for a long time.
9. __________	know more about surface winds than they knew before.
10.__________	recently predicted a catastrophe for the city of New York.
11.__________	is a huge wave of water blown on land by a hurricane.

 

Questions 12-15

• Refer to the reading passage and decide which of the answers best completes the following sentence.
• Write your answers in boxes 12-15 on your answer sheet. 

12. The intensity of U.S hurricanes.

1. Has increased by 15 to 30% recently
2. Depends on the GPS-dropwindsonde
3. Was greater from 1940 to 1969 than at any previous time.
4. Can be more accurately measured by satellite assistance.

13. The category 4 hurricanes that hit Florida in 1926

1. Was the most catastrophic to hit the U.S this century.
2. Caused $77 billion worth of damage
3. Caused an explosion in population growth
4. None of the above.

14. Hurricane ‘Camille’:

1. Caused $1.5 billion dollars damage in today’s money
2. Was the worst U.S storm this century in terms of life lost
3. Was named in the 1950s
4. Was not as intense as the hurricane of 1926

15. The writer of the passage probably believes that:

1. accurate tracking of hurricanes might be possible in the future.
2. Storm surges only occur within computer simulations
3. Computer predictions are unreliable.
4. The worst hurricanes occur in the U.S.

Answers with Explanation 

Refer to the tracking hurricanes answers with explanations given below. 

1. Answer: GPS-dropwindsonde
Explanation: The use of instruments called “GPS-dropwindsondes” has increased the accuracy of U.S hurricane forecasts. The given answer is located in paragraph A in 4-5 lines.

2. Answer: (weather) balloons
Explanation: Weather balloons with sophisticated meteorological instruments are not equipped to reach and examine hurricanes at sea. The given answer is located in paragraph  A in  6-7 lines.

3. Answer: (the custom of ) naming hurricanes began in the (early)1950s
Explanation: Hurricanes were not assigned names before the early 1950s. The custom of naming hurricanes only began in the early 1950s. The given answer is located in paragraph B in  4-5 lines

4. Answer: camille 
Explanation: ‘Camille’, a category 5 hurricane with a catastrophic force is the strongest hurricane mentioned in this article. The given answer is located in paragraph C in the 2nd line.

5. Answer: hurricanes
Explanation: Hurricanes cycles usually occur every few decades. The given answer is located in paragraph C in the 1st line.

6. Answer: Heat (of water)/ warm water
Explanation: Hurricanes derive their energy from warm water and grow stronger as a result. The given answer is located in paragraph C in the10th line

7. Answer: (the) atlantic conveyor
Explanation: ‘Atlantic Conveyor’ is a huge current of water flowing from north to south. The given answer is located in paragraph C in the 7th line.

8. Answer: previously used sensors
Explanation: Previously used sensors before 1997 were unable to stay in the air for a long time. The given answer is located in the 3rd line of paragraph  D.

9. Answer: data analysts
Explanation: Data analysts have discovered a greater variability in the winds at sea level. The given answer is located in paragraph E in the 2nd line. 

10. Answer: (a) computer (simulation)/hurricane researches
Explanation: A computer simulation designed by hurricane researchers predicted the destruction of a large part of downtown New York. The given answer is located in the 1-2 lines of paragraph F.

11. Answer: (a) storm surge
Explanation: Storm surge is a huge wave of water blown on land by a hurricane. The given answer is located in paragraph F in the 4-5 lines.

12. Answer: D 
Explanation: Small sensing devices that are currently used to read data carry their own global positioning satellite receiver which enables them to measure the intensity of hurricanes more accurately. The given answer is located in paragraph D in the last 4 lines.

13. Answer: D
Explanation: The 1929 hurricane did not cause any of the effects listed in options A,B & C. The given answer is located in paragraph B in the 5th line.

14. Answer: B
Explanation: A class 5 hurricane of such catastrophic force that it led over a billion and a half dollars worth of harm at the time and killed 256 people, hit the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in 1969 with winds over 320 kilometers per hour. The given answer is located in the 2-5 lines of paragraph C.

15. Answer: A
Explanation: An accurate tracking of hurricanes might be possible in the future considering the rapidly evolving technological advancements mentioned by the writer of the passage. The given answer is located in paragraph F at the last line.