I. REVIEW

Hi guys, for the Short Answer Questions type of exercise, what do we need to do, what is the strategy to do the test? Let’s review this exercise with IELTS-Fighter and try it out with a Mini Passage

When doing the Short Answer question type exercise, we need to pay attention to the following points:

– Limit the number of words for each answer

– The answer will appear in the correct order of the reading

– Determine what type of word the answer is (Noun/Verb/Adjective/Adverb)

– Note that the answer does not have to be grammatically correct, just correct

– Get key word in question, find synonyms or paraphrase key words key

II. MINI PASSAGE

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 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.

An accurate estimation of where a hurricane will strike is essential in order to reduce loss of life and property. Hurricane Andrew, the most expensive hurricane in US 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 Florida in 1926 and killed 243 people would have caused 243 people 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 US during the last half century.

Hurricanes occur in cycles every few decades, the last intense period in the US 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.

III. DISCUSSIONS

Now let’s think together and choose the correct answer.

Note that the questions do not limit the number of words in the answer

(1) The answer should be a noun. This noun comes close to keywords like “instruments“, “increase” and “success rate“. We need to find these words or their synonyms

–>> This increase in accuracy is due to the use of instruments called GPS-dropwindsondes

–>> Answer: GPS-dropwindsondes

(2) Need a reason. This reason comes with keywords like “lack of knowledge“, “sea“. We will look for these key words or their synonyms

–>> ……investigation is possible with weather balloons containing sophisticated meteorological instruments. When hurricanes are out of reach of balloons, gathering information is decidedly more difficult.

–>> Answer: Weather balloons

(3) Need a name hurricane. The answer to look for must go with the keyword “strongest“. However, the text does not necessarily use this exact keyword, but can be replaced with death or loss figures, or ratings.Category“

–>> Answer: Camille

Short Answer Questions Not the hard part. The most important for this type of exercise is the ability to catch the keyword in question and find the synonym/paraphrase of that keyword. So when learning words, pay attention to practice paraphrases or find synonyms of the words you just learned. Besides, we should also pay attention to the number of words allowed in an answer.

Wish everyone good study <3