Makete Integrated Rural Transport Project — IELTS Reading Answers

Section B

“Before solutions could be proposed, the problems had to be understood. Little was known about the transport demands of the rural households, so Phase I, between December 1985 and December 1987, focused on research”

Section B explains Phase I 'focused on research' because 'little was known about the transport demands of the rural households', so its heading concerns research into needs.

Section C

“During Phase II, from January to February 1991, a number of approaches were implemented in an effort to improve mobility and access to transport”

Section C describes Phase II, when 'a number of approaches were implemented in an effort to improve mobility and access to transport', a heading on putting solutions into practice.

Section E

“It would have been difficult to respond to the requests of villagers and other rural inhabitants without the support and understanding of district authorities”

Section E notes it 'would have been difficult to respond to the requests of villagers' without 'the support and understanding of district authorities', a heading on cooperation with local government.

Section F

“The experiences from Makete will help in this initiative, and Makete District will act as a reference for future work”

Section F says Makete 'will act as a reference for future work' and its experience will help similar initiatives, so its heading concerns lessons for the future.

MIRTP was divided into five phases.

“Phase I, between December 1985 and December 1987, focused on research During Phase II, from January to February 1991, a number of approaches were implemented in an effort to improve mobility and access to transport Phase III, from March 1991 to March 1993,”

Only Phase I, Phase II and Phase III are described, so the project had three phases, not five. NO.

Prior to the start of MIRTP the Makete district was almost inaccessible during the rainy season.

“When the project began, Makete District was virtually totally isolated during the rainy season”

'Virtually totally isolated during the rainy season' means almost inaccessible, confirming the statement. YES.

Phase I of MIRTP consisted of a survey of household expenditure on transport.

“The socio-economic survey of more than 400 households in the district indicated that a household in Makete spent, on average, seven hours a day on transporting themselves and their goods, a figure which seemed extreme but which has also been obtained in surveys in other rural areas in Africa”

The Phase I survey found households spent 'seven hours a day on transporting' — a time measure, not expenditure — so describing it as a survey of expenditure is wrong.

The survey concluded that one-fifth or 20% of the household transport requirement was outside the local area.

“80% was within the locality”

If '80% was within the locality', the remaining 20 per cent — one-fifth — was outside it, so YES.

MIRTP hoped to improve the movement of goods from Makete district to the country's capital.

“An improvement of the road network was considered necessary to ensure the import and export of goods to the district”

The text mentions imports and exports 'to the district' but never refers to the country's capital, so that aim is not stated.

Construction of footbridges, steps and handrails

“Most goods were transported along the paths that provide short-cuts up and down the hillsides, but the paths were a real safety risk and made the journey on foot even more arduous. It made sense to improve the paths by building steps, handrails and footbridges”

Building 'steps, handrails and footbridges' improved 'the paths that provide short-cuts up and down the hillsides', which is ending D.

Frequent breakdown of buses and trucks in Makete

“The efforts to improve the efficiency of the existing transport services were not very successful because most of the motorised vehicles in the district broke down and there were no resources to repair them”

Vehicle breakdowns meant efforts to improve 'the efficiency of the existing transport services' failed, matching ending I about hindering efficiency.

The improvement of secondary roads and paths

“Paths and secondary roads were improved only at the request of communities who were willing to participate in construction and maintenance”

'Only at the request of communities who were willing to participate in construction and maintenance' matches ending G exactly.

The isolation of Makete for part of the year

“When the project began, Makete District was virtually totally isolated during the rainy season The road improvements and accompanying maintenance system had helped make the district centre accessible throughout the year”

Road improvements made the district 'accessible throughout the year', so seasonal isolation ceased to be a problem — ending E.

Which of the following phrases best describes the main aim of Reading Passage 3?

1. Ato suggest that projects such as MIRTP are needed in other countries
2. Bto describe how MIRTP was implemented and how successful it wascorrect
3. Cto examine how MIRTP promoted the use of donkeys
4. Dto warn that projects such as MIRTP are likely to have serious problems

“At the end of Phase II, it was clear that the selected approaches to Makete's transport problems had had different degrees of success”

The passage traces the phases and judges that the approaches 'had had different degrees of success', so B — implementation and success — best describes its aim.