In this IELTS Reading post, we are going to deal with the best solutions and detailed explanations of Cambridge IELTS Series 11 Reading Test 2 Passage 1. The title of the passage is Raising the Mary Rose. This is a post on-demand from IELTS candidates who have extreme difficulties in locating and understanding Reading Answers. This post can be the best guide for you to understand every Reading answer easily and without trouble because all the answers have easy and clear explanations. Finding IELTS Reading answers is a step-by-step process and I hope this post can help you in this respect.

Reading Passage 1:

The headline of the passage: Raising the Mary Rose

Questions 1-4 (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN):

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the account in the text- TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts with the account in the text- FALSE
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN]

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 1: There is some doubt about what caused the Mary Rose to sink.

Keywords for the question: some doubt, caused the Mary Rose to sink

To find the answer to this question, we need to locate the keyword ‘some doubt’ which can be found in paragraph no. 1, lines 10-16. Here, the author writes, “Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the French, some maintain that she was outdated, over-laden and sailing too low in the water, others that she was by undisciplined crew.” Here, Accounts ….. vary: means that the accounts on how the ship sank has some doubts.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 2: The Mary Rose was the only ship to sink in the battle of 19^th July 1545.

Keywords for the question: the only ship to sink, in the battle

As we found information about the sinking of the Mary Rose in paragraph no. 1, we look for the answer to this question in the same paragraph. But we find no reference to whether Mary Rose was the only ship that sank in the battle because this paragraph and the following paragraphs only discusses about the Mary Rose.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN                   

Question 3: Most of one side of the Mary Rose lay undamaged under the sea.

Keywords for the question: Most of one side, lay undamaged

Paragraph no. 2 talks about the undamaged part of the Mary Rose. Look carefully at lines 10-11. The lines say, “Because  of  the  way  the  ship  sank,  nearly  all  of  the starboard half survived intact.”

Here, nearly all of  the starboard half matches with Most of one side, survived intact matches with lay undamaged`       

So, the answer is: TRUE                   

Question 4: Alexander Mckee knew that the wreck would contain many valuable historical objects.

Keywords for the question: Alexander Mckee, the wreck would contain, valuable historical objects

We find the mention of Alexander Mckee in paragraph no. 4 and 5. However, paragraph no. 4 does not have any information about valuable historical objects. But take a close look at lines 5-9 of paragraph no. 5, “McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts.” So, these lines indicate that Mckee and his team were not aware that the ship would have precious artefacts or valuable historical objects.

So, the answer is: FALSE     

Questions 5-8     (Matching statements with the correct date/year)

[In these questions, the candidates need to match statements with the correct dates or years. It is somewhat similar to Matching statements with Researchers/ Writers/ Persons. You need to scan the lines with dates or years to find the match with the statements. Remember that the answers may not follow a sequence or order.]

Question 5: A search for the Mary Rose was launched.

Keywords for the question: search, launched

The first parts of paragraph no. 4 have the answer to this question. Here, in lines 1-5, the author states, “The Mary Rose then faded into obscurity for another hundred years. But in 1965, military historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with the British Sub-Aqua Club, initiated a project called ‘Solent Ships’.” Here, initiated = launched.

So, the answer is: C

Question 6: One person’s exploration of the Mary Rose site stopped.  

Keywords for the question: exploration, stopped  

We can find the reference to Diver John Deane’s search in the Mary Rose in paragraph no. 3. Then in lines 13-14, the writer explains, “…. …Deane continued diving on the site intermittently until 1840, ….. . .. ” So, this means Deane stopped his exploration in 1840.

So, the answer is: B

Question 7: It was agreed that the hull of the Mary Rose should be raised.

Keywords for the question: agreed, the hull, should be raised  

In paragraph no. 5, the author talks about the decision about raising the hull of the Mary Rose. In the last lines of the paragraph, the author writes, “While the original aim was to raise the hull if at all feasible, the operation was not given the go-ahead until January 1982, when all the necessary information was available.”

So, the answer is: G

Question 8: The site of the Mary Rose was found by chance.   

Keywords for the question: found by chance

Answer to this question can be found in the first lines of paragraph no. 3. Here, the writer says, “Then,  on  16  June  1836,  some  fishermen  in  the  Solent  found  that  their  equipment  was caught on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be the Mary Rose.”

So, the answer is: A

Questions 9-13 (Labeling the diagram with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS):

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to write only one word/ no more than two words to label the diagram on the given topic. For this type of question, first, skim the passage to find the keywords in the paragraph concerned with the answer, and then scan to find the exact word.]

[TIPS: Here scanning technique will come in handy. Target the keywords of the questions to find the answers. Remember to focus on Proper nouns, random Capital letters, numbers, special characters of text etc.]

Question 9: ________ attached to hull by wires  

Keywords for the question: attached, by wires  

In the last paragraph, the writer says in lines 6-7 “The hull was attached to a lifting frame via a network of bolts and lifting wires.”

So, the answer is: lifting frame

Question 10: ______ to prevent hull being sucked into mud

Keywords for the question: prevent, sucked into mud  

The answer lies in lines 8-10 of the last paragraph where the writer says, “The problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome by using 12 hydraulic jacks.”

So, the answer is: hydraulic jacks

Question 11: legs are placed into ________

Keywords for the question: legs, placed into

We find the answer to this question in lines 22-24 of the last paragraph. The author says, “This required precise positioning to locate the legs into the ‘stabbing guides’ of the lifting cradle.”

So, the answer is: stabbing guides

Question 12: hull is lowered into _________

Keywords for the question: hull, lowered into  

The answer is found in lines 18-21 of the last paragraph. The author says, “In this stage, the lifting frame was fixed to a hook attached to a crane, and the hull was lifted completely clear of the seabed and transferred underwater into the lifting cradle.” Here, transferred underwater into = lowered into

So the answer is: lifting cradle

Question 13: _____ used as extra protection for the hull

Keywords for the question: used as, extra protection    

The answer is found in lines 3-4 of the last paragraph, “The lifting cradle was designed to fit the hull using archaeological survey drawings, and was fitted with airbags to provide additional cushioning for the hull’s delicate timber framework.”

Here, additional cushioning = extra protection

So the answer is: airbags

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Click here for solutions to Cambridge 11 Reading Test 2 Passage 2

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 11 Reading Test 2 Passage 3