Wildfires Reading Answers

The Wildfires reading answers are given in the table below. Use it to evaluate your performance and rectify your mistakes.

1. vii	2. i	3. v	4. iv
5. air/oxygen	6. fuel load	7. in the afternoon	8. embers
9. backfire(s)	10. ratio (of fuel)	11. the wind	12. crown fires
13. uphill

There are four modules in the IELTS test, out of which IELTS reading is considered the most difficult module. The reading test has a time limit of 60 minutes and consists of three passages. For your convenience, we have provided Wildfires reading answers with explanations below.

The Wildfires reading passage consists of information about how a wildfire spreads. The author has described the factors and terms involved in this process in detail. Wind, temperature, moisture, fuel, and so on are the major factors affecting fires. In this article, there are three IELTS reading question types, namely,

• IELTS Reading Matching Headings
• IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions
• IELTS Reading Sentence Completion

Please refer to the IELTS reading tips, prepared by our experts.

Check out our YouTube Channel to Practice Full-Length IELTS Reading Tests Daily

 

IELTS Reading Passage - Wildfires

A reading test contains three passages along with a total of 40 questions. The entire test lasts for 60 minutes and you should spend around 20 minutes on one passage each. Read the passage carefully before answering the questions.

Wildfires

1. Human negligence is often the cause of wildfires. Approximately 90% of wildfires are ignited by humans, and the remaining 10% are caused by lightning. Some of the most frequent and common reasons for these fires are arson, camping fires, lit cigarettes, fireworks, playing with matchsticks, and burning garbage. Once a wildfire has been ignited, it can spread at a speed of 23 kph, and as it spreads across the landscape, it could kill one of its own or do anything that can help keep itself going, as far as starting fires miles away by chucking cinders.
   
   A fire needs three elements to ignite: fuel, oxygen, and heat. These three components create the fire triangle, and they are often spoken about by firefighters while attempting to put out the fire. According to the concept, if one of the three elements is removed, the firefighters would have control over the fire and thus, finally, extinguish the fire.
   
   
2. The fuel in the area surrounding the fires determines the speed at which they spread. Anything that is alive or dead and has the ability to burn is fuel. There are different types of fuel, which include everything — that is, houses, trees, grasslands, and underbrush. The amount of inflammable matter surrounding the fire is referred to as "the fuel load" and is based on the amount of fuel that is readily available per unit area, often tonnes per acre. The amount of dryness in the fuel will also influence how the fire behaves. When the fuel is extremely dry, it burns considerably faster and starts fires that are significantly more difficult to extinguish. Size, shape, arrangement, and moisture are the primary fuel features that affect a fire. However, since wildfire fuel generally consists of the same material, the ratio of the fuel's total surface area to its volume has a large influence on the igniting time. A twig burns quickly because its surface area is not considerably larger than its volume. However, a tree requires longer to heat up before burning since its surface area is much smaller than its volume.
   
   
3. Temperature, wind, and moisture are three aspects of the weather that influence wildfires. Since heat is one of the three components of the fire triangle, the temperature has a direct impact on how wildfires start. The sun heats and dries the ground's underbrush, trees, and sticks, which are all probable fuel sources. Hot temperatures accelerate the spread of a wildfire by allowing fuels to spark and burn very quickly. Therefore, wildfires tend to flare up in the afternoon, when temperatures are the highest.
   
   The wind is probably the most unexpected component and has the biggest impact on wildfires. Winds help wildfires grow rapidly and provide access to more dry fuel and extra oxygen. In addition, fires generate winds of their own, which can be at least ten times stronger than the ambient wind. Winds can also scatter embers capable of igniting more fires; this phenomenon is known as "spotting". Winds may also alter the course of a fire, and gusts can drive flames into trees, causing a "crown fire." Humidity and rain provide moisture that can slow down and lower the intensity of fires because high moisture levels make it difficult for materials to burn. Higher humidity levels lead to fewer wildfires.
   
   
4. The topography can also have a major impact on wildfire behavior. Since topography rarely fluctuates over time, unlike fuel and weather, it will either help or hinder the growth of a wildfire. The slope is the primary topographical feature that affects wildfires. Fires usually spread faster uphill than downhill, and the steeper the slope, the faster it spread. This is because fires travel in the same direction as the wind, which mostly blows upward. Furthermore, the fire can warm fuel more quickly when smoke and heat travel in that direction. In comparison, the fire has to work incredibly hard to go down a hill after reaching its peak.
   
   
5. Countless firefighters risk their lives while doing their jobs every year. There are two types of elite firefighters: hotshots and smokejumpers. The main duty of hotshots, who operate in 20-man groups, is to build firebreaks around fires. A land strip without any potential fuel is termed a firebreak. Smokejumpers, as their name indicates, jump from planes to smaller fires burning in inaccessible locations. They try to put out these minor fires before they escalate into big ones. In addition to creating firebreaks and spraying water and fire extinguishers on wildfires, firefighters also utilize "backfires." Firefighters initiate backfires, which burn in the direction of the central fire, consuming all potential fuel in their path. Firefighters on the ground also get a significant amount of support from the air. Tankers drop hundreds of gallons of water and extinguishers on the fire. Fire retardant, which is dumped from planes and helicopters, is a red chemical consisting of phosphate fertilizers that slow and cools the fire.

Wildfires IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1 - 4

Reading Passage has five paragraphs A - E.
From the list of headings below choose the most suitable heading for paragraphs B - E.
Write the appropriate numbers (i - viii) in boxes 1 - 4 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.

Example	Answer
Paragraph A	v

 

List of headings i. Battling the Blaze ii. Fuelling the Flames iii. The Natural Saviour - Rain iv. Climate Conditions v. Fire Starters vi. Fires and Tress vii. Help from the Air viii. The Lie of the Land

1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E

Click here to know about the IELTS Reading Matching Headings.

Questions 5 - 9

Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage, answer the following questions.
Write your answers in boxes 5 - 9 on your answer sheet.

5. When do the wildfires burn most fiercely?

6. What is the method called in which the firefighters use an additional fire to control wildfires?

7. What is calculated in tons per acre?

8. Complete the diagram of the fire triangle given below.

1. ______
   
   
2. heat source
   
   
3. fuel

9. What can be carried by the wind to ignite fires at a location away from the initial fire?

Click here to know about the IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions.

Questions 10 - 13

Complete each of the following statements (Questions 10 - 13) with words taken from the Reading Passage.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 10 - 13 on your answer sheet.

10. _________ is the weather component that has a big impact on how wildfires behave.

11. Wildfires usually travel ________ far too quickly, since it is the path that wind generally follows.

12. The surface to volume _________ is the most important factor in determining how rapidly a wildfire begins.

13. _______ refers to fires that are on the top of trees.

Click here to know more about IELTS Reading Sentence Completion

Wildfires Reading Answers with Explanations

The Wildfires reading answers with explanations along with the answer locations are given below to help you. Use them to identify the answers correctly and understand the logic behind them.

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1. ii

Answer Location: Paragraph B, Line 1.
Explanation: The fuel in the area surrounding the fires determines the speed at which they spread. Anything that is alive or dead and has the ability to burn is fuel. The writer has mentioned that the speed of a fire spreading depends on the fuel around it. Everything that is surrounding it, whether dead or living and can burn rapidly is fuel for the flames. Hence, the answer is “Fuelling the flames”.

2. iv

Answer Location: Paragraph C, Line 1.
Explanation: Temperature, wind, and moisture are three aspects of the weather that influence wildfires. According to the 1st line of paragraph C, the three weather aspects, namely, temperature, wind, and moisture have a significant impact on wildfires. The three aspects and their impact are discussed in the entire stanza; therefore, the answer is ‘climate conditions’.

3. viii 

Answer Location: Paragraph D, Line 2.
Explanation: Since topography rarely fluctuates over time, unlike fuel and weather, it will either help or hinder the growth of a wildfire. The slope is the primary topographical feature that affects wildfires. Here the phrase “Lie of the land” refers to the characteristics of the piece of land. The topographical aspect that affects fires the most is the slope. The steeper the slope would be, the faster fire would reach the peak of the hill. Thus, the answer is “the lie of the land”.

4. i

Answer Location: Paragraph E, Line 1.
Explanation: Countless firefighters risk their lives while doing their jobs every year. This line indicates that firefighters risk their lives to extinguish these fires. They play a vital role in putting out fires every year, with hundreds of firefighters even losing their lives. This means they are fighting or battling the fire.

5. in the afternoon

Answer Location: Paragraph C, Line 5.
Explanation: Hot temperatures accelerate the spread of a wildfire by allowing fuels to spark and burn very quickly. Therefore, wildfires tend to flare up in the afternoon, when temperatures are the highest. The author has mentioned in the passage that the extremely hot temperature of afternoons is the time when the wildfires are usually very fierce as the heat is provided abundantly by the scorching sunlight.

6. backfires

Answer Location: Paragraph E, Line 7.
Explanation: In addition to creating firebreaks and spraying water and fire extinguishers on wildfires, firefighters also utilize "backfires." Firefighters initiate backfires, which burn in the direction of the central fire, consuming all potential fuel in their path. The backfires are used by the firefighters as a medium to eliminate the potential material for the fire to burn.

7. the fuel load

Answer Location: Paragraph B, Line 4.
Explanation: The amount of inflammable matter surrounding the fire is referred to as "the fuel load" and is based on the amount of fuel that is readily available per unit area, often tonnes per acre. The things that are present in the vicinity of the fire blazing are called “the fuel load”, which is measured in tons per acre.

8. air/oxygen

Answer Location: Paragraph A, Line 9.
Explanation: A fire needs three elements to ignite: fuel, oxygen, and heat. These three components create the fire triangle, and they are often spoken about by firefighters while attempting to put out the fire. A fire can not be ignited if either of the three components.

9. embers

Answer Location: Paragraph C, Line 11.
Explanation: Winds can also scatter embers capable of igniting more fires; this phenomenon is known as "spotting”. This line suggests that wind carries the embers of the fire away from the initial fire, creating more fires at a distance.

10. The wind

Answer Location: Paragraph C, Line 8.
Explanation: The wind is probably the most unexpected component and has the biggest impact on wildfires. Winds help wildfires grow rapidly and provide access to more dry fuel and extra oxygen. The wind is the most unexpected factor affecting the fires. Moreover, it is difficult to determine the route in which wind will travel.

11. uphill

Answer Location: Paragraph D, Line 4.
Explanation: Fires usually spread faster uphill than downhill, and the steeper the slope, the faster it spread. This is because fires travel in the same direction as the wind, which mostly blows upward.

12. ratio(of fuel)

Answer Location: Paragraph B, Line 10.
Explanation: However, since wildfire fuel generally consists of the same material, the ratio of the fuel's total surface area to its volume has a large influence on igniting time. Out of all the factors affecting a wildfire, the ratio of a fuel’s surface area to its volume is the most important factor.

13. Crown fire

Answer Location: Paragraph C, Line 13.
Explanation: Winds may also alter the course of a fire, and gusts can drive flames into trees, causing a "crown fire". As the wind is an unexpected factor whose route cannot be determined, can divert the fire toward the trees. Once the trees catch fire, this fire is called crown fire.

Check the other reading passages

Check the links to the other important reading passages listed below:

• The impact of wilderness tourism reading answers
• Tracking hurricanes reading answers
• Sculpture reading answers

Conclusion

The “Wildfires reading answers” consists of reading passage, three question types and a total of forty questions. You are also provided the locations and explanations for the answers. To improve and boost your skills, go through the links and practise the reading test.