FAA Plans to Phase Out Floppy Disks in Air Traffic Control

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which statement best captures the article’s overall purpose?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To explain how floppy disks were manufactured for offices
   2. To report a planned phaseout and explain general transition considerations
   3. To compare the costs of several storage systems
   4. To argue that air traffic control should use network connections
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To report a planned phaseout and explain general transition considerations

   It reports the plan and contextualizes the challenges of replacing older technology.

   In general, replacing an older technology can involve more than exchanging one physical object for another.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about the article’s treatment of the FAA plan?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The change has already been completed at every center.
   2. The article identifies the affected setting but gives few implementation details.
   3. The article explains which replacement system the FAA selected.
   4. The plan applies only to personal computers in homes.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The article identifies the affected setting but gives few implementation details.

   It describes the plan but supplies no schedule or technical specifics.

   The Federal Aviation Administration’s planned change concerns equipment used at the nation’s air traffic control centers.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “Both forms” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Magnetic material and digital information
   2. Air traffic centers and towers
   3. Earlier sleeve-enclosed disks and later cased designs
   4. Flash drives and network connections
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Earlier sleeve-enclosed disks and later cased designs

   The preceding sentence describes flexible sleeves and rigid casings.

   Earlier versions were enclosed in flexible sleeves, while later designs offered a more protective casing.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article contrast air traffic control with everyday office computing?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To distinguish operational work from familiar consumer uses
   2. To claim that office computers are no longer used
   3. To show that controllers store personal files on disks
   4. To establish that air traffic control uses flash drives
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To distinguish operational work from familiar consumer uses

   The contrast frames air traffic control as a distinct operational setting.

   Air traffic control has a different purpose from the everyday office computing with which many people associate older disks.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which relationship does the article draw between compatibility and transition?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Compatibility matters because systems may need to exchange information.
   2. Compatibility matters only when disks are physically flexible.
   3. Compatibility eliminates the need to preserve stored information.
   4. Compatibility determines how widely personal computers spread.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Compatibility matters because systems may need to exchange information.

   The transition may depend on systems continuing to work together.

   A transition can therefore require attention to compatibility: whether different devices or programs can work together as intended.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What contrast is made between floppy disks and flash drives?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Flash drives need flexible sleeves, whereas floppy disks do not.
   2. Flash drives store data without floppy drives’ moving magnetic disks.
   3. Flash drives transfer files only when physically carried.
   4. Flash drives were familiar before personal computers spread.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Flash drives store data without floppy drives’ moving magnetic disks.

   The comparison concerns how each technology stores data.

   Flash drives, for example, can hold data without the moving magnetic disks used in floppy drives.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized after introducing the planned change?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It presents a chronology of FAA leadership before describing disks.
   2. It explains disk features, discusses newer methods, then considers transition issues.
   3. It lists replacement vendors before defining air traffic control.
   4. It begins with an argument against preserving older information.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It explains disk features, discusses newer methods, then considers transition issues.

   It moves from disk features to broader transition issues and the plan’s context.

   Since then, the ways people store and move information have changed considerably.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.