How to clean a beach
Read How to clean a beach and check the IELTS Reading answers. After the oil-tanker Prestige spilt her cargo just off north-west Spain in November 2002, the beautiful beaches of the Galician coastline were a metre deep in a mixture of oil and sea water. The Prestige was only one incident in a long…
Passage preview
After the oil-tanker Prestige spilt her cargo just off north-west Spain in November 2002, the beautiful beaches of the Galician coastline were a metre deep in a mixture of oil and sea water. The Prestige was only one incident in a long series of accidents involving oil tankers. But while each new incident, including that of Prestige, brings environmental destruction and financial loss, it also improves our understanding of how to deal with oil spills. This knowledge is hard-won as people have often learned from mistakes made in dealing with oil spills. Aggressive clean-ups have sometimes caused more damage than the oil. But such difficulties apart, a rough consensus on how to deal with the issues involved in clearing up oil spills has begun to emerge.
Vocabulary from this passage
7 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- come into play phrase
To begin to be an active factor, influence, or consideration in a situation.
Psychological factors come into play when consumers make impulsive purchasing choices online.
- human intervention noun
Direct action taken by people to intentionally alter, control, or resolve a particular natural situation.
Endangered wetlands often require careful human intervention to maintain sustainable water levels.
- incur verb
To bring upon oneself something unwelcome or unpleasant, such as expenses, debts, or penalties.
Airlines incur substantial financial losses whenever extreme weather events ground international flights.
- painstaking adjective
Characterised by requiring extreme care, meticulous attention, and thorough effort to complete successfully.
Restoring historical Renaissance paintings demands months of painstaking work by trained conservation specialists.
- repercussion noun
An indirect, usually negative and unintended consequence that results from an event or action.
Introducing steep import tariffs caused severe economic repercussions across domestic consumer markets.
- rough consensus noun
A broad, general agreement among different parties, although minor disagreements or uncertainties may still remain.
Delegates reached a rough consensus regarding baseline carbon targets before finalizing the international treaty.
- tip the balance verb
To provide a decisive factor that shifts an evenly poised situation toward one specific outcome.
Endorsements from popular regional figures finally tipped the balance in favour of the moderate mayoral candidate.
Answers with explanations
- 27. NO
The statement asserts that monetary loss was prevented during the Prestige incident. Scanning the opening paragraph for the mention of the tanker identifies the sentence stating that each accident, **including that of Prestige**, inevitably results in **environmental destruction and financial loss**. The author's explicit assertion that financial loss occurred directly contradicts the claim that it was avoided. Because the writer's view unequivocally opposes the statement rather than leaving it uncertain, the correct response is **NO**.
- 28. YES
The statement claims that stopping spilled oil from hitting the coastline is the optimal response. Scanning paragraph two for offshore management reveals the author's argument that oil causes far less harm in open water, making skimming near the surface the **best option** and using floating barriers to **protect the coastline**. The phrase **best option** directly mirrors **ideal solution**. Because the writer explicitly advocates preventing shoreline contamination as the primary objective, the claim agrees with the text, confirming **YES**.
- 29. NOT GIVEN
The statement contends that wooden booms must be deployed without delay to function successfully. Scanning paragraph two for the mention of **wooden booms** shows that they were ineffective around the Prestige because the coastal waters were excessively exposed and rough. While the passage explains why the barriers failed in this specific terrain, it never discusses the **timeframe of deployment** or claims that immediate installation is essential for efficacy. Because the writer provides no opinion on this condition, the answer is **NOT GIVEN**.
- 30. NO
The statement suggests that additional measures could have kept the Prestige oil from reaching land. Scanning paragraph two for preventative efforts reveals that severe sea conditions precluded skimming and high exposure rendered booms useless, concluding that **there was little that could be done except watch the oil wash up**. This assertion confirms that further preventative action was impossible under the circumstances, directly contradicting the claim that more could have been done. Consequently, the answer is **NO**.
- 31. NOT GIVEN
The statement asserts that fauna receives greater priority than flora during clean-up operations. Scanning paragraph three for biological priorities reveals that specialists seek to save **plants and animals** collectively while minimizing overall ecosystem disruption. Although specific animals such as seals and seabirds are cited as vulnerable colonies, the text nowhere claims or implies that wildlife holds higher importance than plant life. Because the author does not compare the relative priority of the two kingdoms, the statement is **NOT GIVEN**.
- 32. local knowledge
The summary requires a **compound noun** denoting community input balanced against expert judgment. Scanning paragraph four for the formal term **net environmental benefit analysis** reveals that specialists blended their professional expertise with **local knowledge**. The phrase **local knowledge** acts as the subject of the passive clause "is also taken into account", fits the summary's syntax smoothly, is extracted verbatim from the text, and remains well within the two-word limit.
- 33. socio-economic
The gap requires an **adjective** or noun modifier describing long-term community impacts like tourism. Scanning paragraph four for economic factors leads to the phrase where **less immediate** repercussions are assessed. The text specifies these as **socio-economic** repercussions, citing shellfish harvesting and tourist beaches. The hyphenated term **socio-economic** functions as a single word in IELTS, precedes "aspects" appropriately, is lifted verbatim from the passage, and satisfies the word limit.
- 34. ["cost","costs"]
The completion requires a **noun** representing a practical consideration evaluated during clean-up planning. Scanning paragraph four for pragmatic factors locates the sentence weighing **practical realities** such as the **cost** incurred by a given technique and its ease of execution. The term **cost** fits grammatically into the prepositional phrase "linked to the...", is lifted directly from the source text, and complies with the limit of no more than two words.
- 35. hot water
The gap requires a **noun phrase** identifying a specific cleaning agent employed in the Alaskan operation. Scanning paragraph five for the historical reference to Alaska and the **Exxon Valdez** disaster reveals that **hot water** was applied under high pressure to scrub oiled shores. The two-word phrase **hot water** fits the sentence structure "use of...", is taken verbatim from the text, and adheres to the two-word limit.
- 36. chemical sprays
The summary requires a **noun phrase** specifying the substance deployed in England. Scanning paragraph six for the English spill involving the **Torrey Canyon** locates the description of response efforts, which notes that beaches were treated with 10,000 tonnes of **chemical sprays**. The term **chemical sprays** fits smoothly after "and of...", is copied verbatim from the passage, and strictly observes the requirement of no more than two words.
- 37. D
Scanning paragraph seven for the localized use of earthmovers in Galicia reveals that bulldozers were deployed specifically because oil threatened a water intake pipe serving a major aquaculture enterprise. The text explains that the decision was driven by the desire to **safeguard the farm**, which directly supports the option about **protecting the local farming industry**. The option regarding domestic water is a distractor because the pipe supplied fish farming, not household drinking supplies. The option about landscape appearance is contradicted since heavy machinery was expected to damage the terrain.
- 38. A
Scanning paragraph eight for the Amoco Cadiz incident highlights the comparison between treated and untreated salt-marshes. Twelve years after machinery scraped away sediment, the heavily cleaned areas had **still not recovered**, whereas the **uncleaned marshes** were in good condition. This proves that aggressive remediation can hinder natural ecological restoration, supporting the option stating that clean-up attempts may **prevent effective recovery**. The option mentioning twenty years is factually inaccurate because the text specifies twelve years. The option urging thorough treatment is contradicted by the thriving uncleaned marshes.
- 39. B
Scanning paragraph ten for Carnota and nearby rocky coastlines identifies the discussion of remaining oil patches. The passage explains that stubborn residues in crevices could be treated by pushing rocks into the surf or pumping seawater across the shore, a technique known as **flushing**. This directly corroborates the option stating that **sea water can be used to remove patches of oil on the rocks**. The option claiming complete clearance is contradicted because **stubborn patches** remained, while the option requiring machinery is false as manual work was prioritized.
- 40. B
Throughout the article, the author evaluates a broad array of response strategies, showing that every intensive method—from high-pressure washing to dispersants and mechanical excavation—carries **severe ecological drawbacks** or escalating financial costs. Because no single technique is universally safe or effective, managers must perform **site-specific trade-offs** and eventually decide when remediation does more harm than good. This overarching argument supports the option stating **there is no single or complete solution to oil spills**. The option about funding is unsupported, while minimizing environmental priorities is directly contradicted.