CELPIP Reading Part 3 · Reading for Information · set 1 of 10

Ice Roads of the Far North

A CELPIP Reading Part 3 practice set (Reading for Information): the full text, 9 questions and the answer key with an explanation for each answer. No sign-up needed. For real practice, answer every question before you look at the key.

The task

ROADS MADE OF WINTER: CANADA'S ICE HIGHWAYS A. Each winter, when lakes and rivers in the northern parts of the country freeze solid, a temporary network of roads appears across the landscape. These seasonal routes, often called ice roads or winter roads, link remote communities and mining sites that have no year-round highway connection. For much of the year, people in these places depend on aircraft to bring in food, fuel and building materials, which makes everyday goods far more expensive than they are in the south. When the ice road opens, trucks can deliver large loads at a fraction of the cost, so many households and businesses plan their entire year around the few weeks of road access. A family might order a new appliance, a winter's supply of heating oil and a season's worth of canned goods all at once. B. Building an ice road is a careful process that begins long before the first truck arrives. Crews wait until the natural ice reaches a safe thickness, then use light vehicles to clear snow from the surface, because snow acts like a blanket and slows freezing. In some places, workers pump lake water onto the ice so that it freezes in layers and becomes stronger more quickly. Engineers drill holes at regular intervals to measure thickness, and the weight a road can carry is increased gradually as the ice grows. Early in the season, only small vehicles may be permitted, and fully loaded transport trucks must wait until the ice has been declared ready. C. Driving on these routes follows rules that would seem strange on an ordinary highway. Trucks must keep to low speeds, because a heavy vehicle moving too fast pushes a wave through the water beneath the ice, and this wave can crack the surface ahead or near the shoreline. Drivers are also told to leave long gaps between vehicles so that the ice is not overloaded in one spot. Many travel in small convoys, and they carry survival gear in case of a breakdown far from help, since temperatures can drop well below minus thirty degrees and the nearest settlement may be hours away. D. The future of these roads is uncertain. Milder winters in some regions have delayed opening dates and shortened the season, leaving communities with less time to stock up. In response, some governments have begun to replace the most vulnerable sections with permanent all-season roads built on land. Supporters say such roads offer reliable access and lower prices throughout the year, while some residents worry about the effects on wildlife and on traditional ways of life. For now, the ice road remains a lifeline, but planners increasingly treat it as one part of a larger transportation system rather than a guarantee.

Read the following passage.
Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

Questions: 9
Time: 10 minutes
Practice set: 1 of 10

Questions and answer key

For each statement, choose the paragraph (A to D) that has the information, or E if no paragraph gives it.

1A covering of snow can slow down how quickly the ice gets thicker.
Answer: Paragraph B
Paragraph B says crews clear snow "because snow acts like a blanket and slows freezing." Paragraph D mentions milder winters, but not snow's effect on the ice.
2Flying supplies into isolated places makes ordinary products costly.
Answer: Paragraph A
Paragraph A says people "depend on aircraft to bring in food, fuel and building materials, which makes everyday goods far more expensive." Paragraph D talks about lower prices from all-season roads, not air transport.
3Travelling too quickly with a heavy load can damage the frozen surface.
Answer: Paragraph C
Paragraph C explains that "a heavy vehicle moving too fast pushes a wave through the water beneath the ice" which "can crack the surface." Paragraph B discusses weight limits, but not speed.
4Some parts of the winter routes are being swapped for roads that can be used in every season.
Answer: Paragraph D
Paragraph D states that governments "have begun to replace the most vulnerable sections with permanent all-season roads built on land." Paragraph A mentions places with no "year-round highway connection" but does not describe any replacement.
5Truck drivers need a special licence before they are allowed to work on ice roads.
Answer: E (not given in any paragraph)
Paragraph C lists rules such as "Trucks must keep to low speeds," but no paragraph mentions any licence or special qualification for drivers.
6The weight permitted on a road rises as the season goes on.
Answer: Paragraph B
Paragraph B says "the weight a road can carry is increased gradually as the ice grows." Paragraph C mentions the ice being "overloaded in one spot," which concerns spacing, not the seasonal limit.
7Not every northern resident supports replacing ice roads with permanent ones.
Answer: Paragraph D
Paragraph D notes that "some residents worry about the effects on wildlife and on traditional ways of life." Paragraph A describes how residents use the road, not their opinion of new roads.
8People in remote areas often time their large purchases to the period when the road is open.
Answer: Paragraph A
Paragraph A says "many households and businesses plan their entire year around the few weeks of road access." Paragraph D mentions having "less time to stock up," but it is about shorter seasons, not how people plan.
9Vehicles commonly make the journey together in groups.
Answer: Paragraph C
Paragraph C states "Many travel in small convoys." Paragraph B mentions vehicles only in relation to clearing snow and weight limits.

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