Cambridge IELTS Academic 19 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation

Reading Passage 1

How tennis rackets have changed

True/ False/ Not Given
  1. People had expected Andy Murray to become the world’s top tennis player for at least five years before 2016.

False:- First paragraph’s last two line. “Yet five years previously, he had been regarded as a talented outsider who entered but never won the major tournaments”.

Explanation:- It is clear from these lines that Andy Murray was not expected to become the world’s top tennis player five years before 2016, as he was regarded as a talented player who had never won major tournaments. Therefore, the answer is false.

  1. The change that Andy Murray made to his rackets attracted a lot of attention.

False:- Second paragraph’s 3rd line & 4th line. “Another change was so subtle as to pass more or less unnoticed

Explanation:- The change he made to his racket was switching to synthetic strings for the mains (the vertical strings of a racket). As mentioned in the third line of this paragraph, the change was so subtle (small/fine) that it passed more or less unnoticed (did not attract much attention). Therefore, the answer is false.

  1. Most of the world’s top players take a professional racket stringer on the tour with them.

Not Given

Explanation:- It is not mentioned anywhere in the passage that players take a professional racket stringer with them on tour. In the third paragraph, a professional racket stringer, Colin Triplow, talks about some facts regarding racket customization.

  1. Mike and Bob Bryan use racket that are light in comparison to the majority of rackets.

False:- Third paragraph’s last three lines. “The rackets they use now weigh more than the average model and also have a denser string pattern (i.e. more crosses and mains)”.

Explanation:- Mike and Bob Bryan’s rackets were heavier, not lighter, than average racket models. The information in the paragraph contradicts what is stated in the question. Therefore, the answer is false.

  1. Warner Fischer played with a spaghetti-strung racket that he designed himself.

Not Given

Explanation:- Fifth paragraph has information about Warner Fischer who played with a spaghetti-strung racket but no information about that he made this racket by himself. So the answer is not given.

  1. The weather can affect how professional players adjust the strings on their rackets.

True:- 6th paragraph’s last two lines. “They will continually change it depending on various factors including the court surface, climatic conditions, and game styles.”

Explanation:- These lines indicate that professional players adjust their rackets’ strings according to climate conditions, meaning they adapt to the weather. Therefore, the weather affects the string adjustments, and the answer is true.

  1. It was believed that the change Pete Sampras made to his rackets contributed to his strong serve.

True:- 9th paragraph’s second and third line. “much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights onto his rackets,”

Explanation:- Pete Sampras added four to five lead weights to his rackets, which contributed to his strong serve. Therefore, the answer is true.

The tennis racket and how it has changed

    8. Mike and Bob Bryan made changes to the type of ……………………… used on their racket frames.

Paint:- Third paragraph’s 9th and 10th line. “They explain how they have adjusted not only racket length, but even experimented with different kinds of paint”

    9. Players were not allowed to use the spaghetti-strung racket because of the amount of ……………………… it created.

topspin:-  Fifth paragraph’s second and third line.” It (spaghetti-strung racket) created a string bed that generated so much topspin that it was quickly banned by the International Tennis Federation.”

Explanation:-Spaghetti-strung racket could generate too much topspin, so players were not allowed to use it.

    10. Changes to rackets can be regarded as being as important as players’ diets or the ……………………… they do.

training:- Fifth paragraph’s last two lines. “However, within a decade or two, racket modification became a regularity. Today it is, in many ways, an aspect of the game that is equal in significance to nutrition or training.”

    11. All rackets used to have natural strings made from the ……………………… of animals.

intestines/gut:- Seventh paragraph’s first two lines. “At one time, all tennis rackets were strung with natural gut made from the outer layer of sheep or cow intestines.”

    12. Pete Sampras had metal ……………………… put into the frames of his rackets.

weights:- Ninth paragraph’s second and third line. “much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights onto his rackets,”

    13. Goncalo Oliveira changed the ……………………… on his racket handles.

Grips:- Tenth paragraph, 3rd to 5th line. “ The professional Portuguese player Goncalo Oliveira replaced the original grips of his rackets with something thinner because they had previously felt uncomfortable to hold.”

Reading Passage 2

The pirates of the ancient Mediterranean

Which paragraph contains the following information?

    14. a reference to a denial of involvement in piracy

D:- D paragraph from 6th line to last line. “In the letters the king of Alashiya (modern Cyprus) rejected Akhenaten’s claims of a connection with the Lukka (based in modern-day Turkey). The king assured Akhenaten he was prepared to punish any of his subjects involved in piracy.”

Explanation:- Reading the entire D paragraph reveals that Lukka was a pirate group, and the king of Alashiya refused any connection with Lukka, meaning piracy.

    15. details of how a campaign to eradicate piracy was carried out

G:- G paragraph from the first line to sixth line. “The time had come for concerted actions…….……..to…………the process continued until the entire Mediterranean was free of pirates.”

Explanation:- In 67 BCE, Pompey, a Roman general and statesman, was granted authority to eliminate piracy in the Mediterranean. He divided the region into 13 districts, assigning troops and commanders to each area. After clearing one district of pirates, the soldiers moved to the next, continuing this process until the entire region was free of pirates.

    16. a mention of the circumstances in which states in the ancient world would make use of pirates

C:- The whole C paragraph.”One should also add that………………to………………………. boosted the local economy.”

Explanation:- Governments (states) often used pirates in wars against their enemies. Pirates would attack opponents first, paving the way for the government’s navy. In some regions, pirates lived safely as they contributed to the state’s economic growth.

    17. a reference to how people today commonly view pirates

A:- A paragraph’s first two lines.” When one mentions pirates, an image springs to most people’s minds of a crew of misfits, daredevils and adventures in command of a tall sailing ship in the Caribbean Sea.”

Explanation:- The meaning of these lines is that people today view pirates as a group of misfits (individuals whose behavior or attitude sets them apart in an uncomfortable or conspicuous way), daredevils (reckless individuals who enjoy taking dangerous risks), and adventurers commanding tall sailing ships in the Caribbean Sea.

    18. an explanation of how some people were encouraged not to return to piracy

G:- G paragraph’s last four lines.”Although thousands of pirates died at the hands of……………to……………………… farmers that further boosted its economy.”

Explanation:- According to this paragraph, people were discouraged from returning to piracy by offering them fertile land for farming, located away from the sea.

    19. a mention of the need for many sailing vessels to stay relatively close to land

B:- B paragraph tenth line to thirteenth line.” Before the invention of ocean going caravels ( a small, highly manoeuvrable sailing ship developed by Portuguese) in 15th century,………to……………….routes that followed the coastline.“

Explanation:- Before the 15th century, sailing vessels had to stay close to the coastline (near land) because they could not easily travel long distances over open water.

Questions 20 and 21

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Which TWO of the following statements does the writer make about inhabitants of the Mediterranean region in the ancient world?

B (They managed to escape capture by the authorities because they knew the area so well), B paragraph’s last two lines. “The knowledge of the local area helped the pirates to avoid retaliation once a state fleet arrived.”

Explanation:- Authorities refer to the government and the state. Due to their knowledge of the local area, pirates could easily hide or escape capture by the government.

D (They depended more on the sea for their livelihood than on farming), B paragraph’s 5th and 6th line. “In ancient times, the inhabitants of this area relied heavily on marine resources including fish and salt.”

Explanation:- Relied means depended. The dwellers of Mediterranean were highly depended on sea (marine) resources for livelihood than anything else.   

Questions 22 and 23

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Which TWO of the following statements does the writer make about piracy and ancient Greece?

C (Important officials were known to occasionally take part in piracy), E paragraph’s 7th and 8th line. “For Greeks, piracy was a part of everyday life. Even high-ranking members of the state were not beyond engaging in such activities.”

Explanation:- High ranking members of the state means important officials of Greek, who sometimes also took part in piracy.  

E (A favourable view of piracy is evident in certain ancient Greek texts), E paragraph, third to fifth line. “Interestingly, in this works the Iliad and the Odyssey, the ancient Greek writer Homer not only condones, but praises the lifestyle and actions of pirates.”

Explanation:- Homer was a Greek poet who wrote the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey. In his works, he favors piracy by condoning pirates and praising their actions and way of life.

Ancient Rome and piracy

Complete the summary below
  1. However, attacks on vessels transporting ……………………… to Rome

grain:- F paragraph’s 5th line. “Pirates attacks on grain ships, which were essential to Roman citizens.”

  1. resulted in calls for ……………………… for the pirates responsible.

punishment:- F paragraph’s 6th line. “led to angry voices in the Senate, demanding punishment of the culprits.”

Explanation:-Senate means the state council of the ancient Rome. Culprit means criminal (here pirates)

  1. Nevertheless, piracy continued, with some pirates demanding a ……………………… for the return

of the Roman officials they captured.

ransom:- F paragraph’s 7th & 8th line. “By the 1st century BCE, emboldened pirates kidnapped prominent Roman dignitaries, asking for large ransom to be paid”

Explanation:-Ransom means a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner.

Reading Passage 3

The persistence and peril of misinformation

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
  1. What point does the writer make about misinformation in the first paragraph?

D (There may be a number of reasons for the spread of misinformation), full first paragraph.

Explanation:- According to the first paragraph, misinformation spreads both knowingly and unknowingly. People lie or spread misinformation to gain an advantage, motivate others to take action, or protect interpersonal bonds.

  1. What does the writer say about the role of technology?

A (It may at some point provide us with a solution to misinformation), second paragraph’s 3rd to 5th line. “ Yet the means to correct misinformation might, over time, be found in those same patterns of mass communication and of the facilitated spread of information.”

Explanation:- Although technology spreads information and misinformation quickly around the world, it may also offer ways to correct misinformation over time in the future.

  1. What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?

C (outlining which issues connected with misinformation are significant today), read the whole 4th paragraph.

Explanation:- The fourth paragraph discusses important issues related to misinformation today. These include the fact that misinformation is often believed by people, even for a short time; electronic and print media fail to stop much of the misinformation before it reaches a large audience; and if misinformation spreads widely, correcting it requires significant resources.

    30. What point does the writer make about regulation in the USA?

D (Regulation fails to prevent misinformation from appearing in the media), read the whole seventh paragraph.

Explanation:- In this paragraph, the writer points out that in the United States, regulatory agencies focus on post hoc (after the event) detection of broadcast information rather than preventing misinformation before it is spread in the media. For example, the Food and Drug Administration does not engage in preemptive (proactive) censoring but instead acts on misleading advertisements only after they are broadcast to the public. As a result, regulation fails to prevent misinformation from appearing in the media. 

What happens when people encounter misinformation?

  1. Although people have ……………………….. to misinformation

G (frequent exposure), fifth paragraph’s first two lines. “Although it is fairly routine for individuals to come across information that is false”

Explanation:- Here, the synonym of frequent exposure is fairly routine.

  1. The philosophers Descartes and Spinoza had……………………….. about people engage with information.

J (different ideas), fifth paragraph, fourth to seventh line. “The dilemma is neatly summarised by a contrast between how the 17th century philosophers Rene Descartes and Baruch Spinoza described human information engagement,”

Explanation:- Descartes and Spinoza described people’s engagement with information in different (contrast) ways.

  1. Moreover, Spinoza believed that a distinct ……………………….. is involved in these stages.

H (mental operation) fifth paragraph from line 8 to 10.”Spinoza argued that people accept all encountered information (or misinformation) by default and then subsequently verify or reject it through a separate cognitive process.”

Explanation:- According to Spinoza, the verification and rejection of information involve a separate mental operation (cognitive process), whereas accepting information happens by default..

  1. Recent research has provided ……………………….. for Spinoza’s theory and it would appear that

B (additional evidence), fifth paragraph from line 10 to 12.”In recent decades, empirical evidence from the research team of Erik Asp of the University of Chicago and Daniel Gilbert at Harvard University, among others, has supported the Spinoza’s account.”

Explanation:- Recent research conducted by Erik Asp of the University of Chicago and Daniel Gilbert of Harvard University supports Spinoza’s findings by providing empirical evidence based on observations and experiences.

  1. accept all encountered information as if it were true, even if this is for an extremely ……………………….. and do not label the information as true or false until later.

E (Short Period), fifth paragraph’s line 12 & 13.”people appear to encode all new information as if it were true, even if only momentarily, and later tag the information as being either true or false.”

Explanation:- Here, short period is the synonym of momentarily. Rest of the information is almost the same.

  1. This is consistent with the fact that the resources for scepticism and the resources for perceiving and encoding are in ……………………….. in the brain.

C (different locations) fifth paragraph’s last two lines. “a pattern that seems consistent with the observation that mental resources for skepticism physically reside in the different part of the brain than the resources used in perceiving and encoding.”

Different part = different locations

Yes/ No/ Not Give

    37. Campaigns designed to correct misinformation will fail to achieve their purpose if people are unable to understand them.

Yes:- Seventh paragraph,2nd & 3rd line. “For corrective campaigns to be persuasive, audiences need to be able to comprehend them,”

Explanation:- Campaigns designed to correct misinformation must be understandable to people; otherwise, they will fail to convince the audience of their intended message.

    38. Attempts to teach elementary school students about misinformation have been opposed.

Not Given:- The seventh passage, specifically lines five to seven, provides some information but does not mention any opposition to teaching elementary school students about misinformation. Instead, those lines suggest that people’s unawareness of the potential for misinformation highlights the need for media literacy education about misinformation, starting from elementary school.

    39. It may be possible to overcome the problem of misinformation in a relatively short period.

No:- Last paragraph, line 1 to 3. “Yet at this time many people also are passionately developing potential solutions and remedies. They journey forward undoubtedly will be a long and arduous one. ”

Explanation:- According to these lines, it may be possible to overcome the problem of misinformation, as many people are working on solutions. However, the journey will be long, not short. Therefore, the answer is no.

    40. The need to keep up with new information is hugely exaggerated in today’s world.

Not Given:- No such information is given the entire passage.

If there is any confusion in any question, feel free to let us know in the comment section.

8 thoughts on “Cambridge 19 reading test 1 answers with explanation”

  2. Amir

    Hey there, could you please provide analyzing for the rest of the tests in Cambridge 19.
    My test is so close and these times getting stressful for me.

    Reply

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