A Spark, A Flint: How Fire Leapt To Life — IELTS Reading Answers

“Unable to make flame for themselves, the earliest peoples probably stored fire by keeping slow burning logs alight or by carrying charcoal in pots”

The gap needs a verb meaning keep fire going; the text says the earliest peoples stored fire by keeping slow burning logs alight.

“Unable to make flame for themselves, the earliest peoples probably stored fire by keeping slow burning logs alight or by carrying charcoal in pots”

The gap needs an adjective for people unable to make flame; the text says the earliest peoples were unable to make flame for themselves.

“It was probably a secondary invention, accidentally made during tool-making operations with wood or stone”

The gap needs what kind of invention fire-making was; the text calls it a secondary invention, accidentally made during tool-making.

“Studies of primitive societies suggest that the earliest method of making fire was through friction”

The gap needs the earliest method of making fire; the text says studies of primitive societies suggest it was through friction.

“European peasants would insert a wooden drill in a round hole and rotate it briskly between their palms”

The gap needs the action applied to a wooden drill; European peasants rotated it briskly between their palms.

“Percussion methods of fire-lighting date back to Paleolithic times, when some Stone Age tool-makers discovered that chipping flints produced sparks. The technique became more efficient after the discovery of iron, about 5000 years ago.”

The gap needs the fire-lighting method involving chipped flints; the text names percussion methods dating back to Paleolithic times.

“In Arctic North America, the Eskimos produced a slow-burning spark by striking quartz against iron pyrites, a compound that contains sulphur. The Chinese lit their fires by striking porcelain with bamboo”

The gap needs who struck quartz against iron pyrites in Arctic North America; the text names the Eskimos.

“In Europe, the combination of steel, flint and tinder remained the main method of fire-lighting until the mid 19th century Fire-lighting was revolutionised by the discovery of phosphorus, isolated in 1669 by a German alchemist trying to transmute silver into gold”

The gap needs a contrast word: phosphorus was discovered in 1669, yet steel, flint and tinder remained Europe's main method until the mid nineteenth century.

made using a less poisonous type of phosphorus

“Lundstrom’s safety matches were safe because the red phosphorus was non-toxic”

Lundstrom's safety matches were safe because the red phosphorus was non-toxic, so they used a less poisonous type.

identical to a previous type of match

“Walker never patented his invention, and three years later it was copied by a Samuel Jones, who marketed his product as Lucifers”

Samuel Jones copied Walker's unpatented invention three years later and marketed the product as Lucifers.

caused a deadly illness

“About the same time, a French chemistry student called Charles Sauria produced the first “strike-anywhere” match by substituting white phosphorus for the potassium chlorate in the Walker formula.”

The first strike-anywhere match used white phosphorus, a deadly poison that made match-makers succumb to necrosis, a disease eating jaw-bones.

first to look like modern matches

“The first matches resembling those used today were made in 1827 by John Walker, an English pharmacist who borrowed the formula from a military rocket-maker called Congreve. Costing a shilling a box, Congreves were splints coated with sulphur and tipped with potassium chlorate”

Congreves, made by John Walker in 1827, were the first matches resembling those used today, matching the description of looking modern.

first matches used for advertising

“In 1892 the Diamond Match Company pioneered book matches. The innovation didn’t catch on until after 1896, when a brewery had the novel idea of advertising its product in match books”

The Diamond Match Company pioneered book matches in 1892, and a brewery first used them for advertising after 1896.

relied on an airtight glass container

“the Phosphoric Candle or Ethereal Match, a sealed glass tube containing a twist of paper tipped with phosphorus. When the tube was broken, air rushed in, causing the phosphorus to self-combust”

The Ethereal Match was a sealed glass tube containing phosphorus-tipped paper; breaking it let air rush in and the phosphorus self-combusted.

made with the help of an army design

“The first matches resembling those used today were made in 1827 by John Walker, an English pharmacist who borrowed the formula from a military rocket-maker called Congreve”

John Walker borrowed the formula from Congreve, a military rocket-maker, so Congreves were made with the help of an army design.