Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 3, Reading Passage 1: The Story of Silk, Solution With Answer Key

The Story of Silk Passage Solution with Answer Key – Cambridge IELTS 11 Test 3 Reading Passage 1. Here we will discuss detailed explanation of all the questions of the passage. Here is step by step Solution with Tips and Strategies. This post is for educational purpose only. If you find difficulties in reading passage to find the right answer in the exam, just read the post carefully. Tips and strategies will help you find the right answer.

 

The Story of Silk

IELTS Reading Passage Solution

 

IELTS Cambridge 11, Test 3  Academic Reading Module, Reading Passage 1

 

PASSAGE 1: The Story of Silk (View Full Passage Here)

Questions 1-9: (Completing notes with ONE WORD ONLY)

** Tips (link details): How To Solve Notes, Table, Form, Summary, Flow Chart, Diagram in IELTS Reading

 

Question 1: Around 3000 BC, according to legend: silkworm cocoon fell into emperor’s wife’s __________
Keywords: 3000 BC, fell into, emperor’s wife

Now, we find the mention of 3000 BC in paragraph no. 1. So, we should try to locate the answer from here. The answer to this question can be found in paragraph no. 1 lines 14-17 where, the author writes, “It just so happened that while she was sipping some tea, one of the cocoons that she had collected landed in the hot tea and started to unravel into a fine thread.”
Answer: tea

Question 2: – emperor’s wife invented a ______ to pull out silk fibres
Keywords: emperor’s wife, invented, pull out silk fibres
Now, in paragraph no. 1 lines 21-24. Here, the author writes, “She also devised a special reel to draw the fibres from the cocoon
into a single thread so that they would be strong enough to be woven into fabric.” This means that the emperor’s wife devised or invented a reel to draw out or pull out silk fibres.
Answer: reel

Question 3: Only _______ were allowed to produce silk
Keywords: only, were allowed to produce
Now, in paragraph no. 2  lines 1-2, the author says, “Originally, silkworm farming was solely restricted to women and .. .. . .”. Here, the phrase solely restricted to women means that only women were allowed to farm silk.
Answer: women

Question 4: Only _______ were allowed to wear silk
Keywords: only, allowed to wear
Now, in paragraph no. 2 lines 6-7 say, “…. . . only royalty were entitled to have clothes made of silk.” This clearly means that only royalty were allowed to wear silk clothes

Answer: royalty

Question 5: Silk used as a form of _______
– e.g. farmer’s taxes consisted partly of silk
Keywords: silk used, form of, farmer’s taxes
Now, we need to find the keywords farmer’s taxes and it can be found in lines 15-16 of paragraph no. 2. So, we need to look for the
answer a few lines ahead because ‘farmer’s taxes’ is an example here. In lines 12-16, the writer says, “… . .. .silk was so prized that it was also used as a unit of currency. Government officials were paid their salary in silk, and farmers paid their taxes in grain and silk.”
Answer: currency

Question 6: Silk used for many purposes
g. evidence found of _____ made from silk around 168 AD
Keywords: 168 AD, many purposes, evidence
Now, in paragraph 2, lines 20-23, the writer mentions, “The earliest indication of silk paper being used was discovered in the tomb of a noble who is estimated to have died around 168 AD.” So, it can be understood that paper made from silk was found around 168 AD.
Answer: paper

Question 7: Merchants use Silk Road to take silk westward and bring back _______ and precious metals.
Keywords: Merchants, Silk Road, bring back, precious metals
Now, in paragraph no. 3, the author talks about trading of silk through Silk Road. In lines 3-5 of the paragraph, the author writes, “…. now known as the Silk Road, taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East.” So, the merchants took silk westward and traded them for precious metals like gold and silver and for wool.
Answer: wool

Question 8: 550 AD: ______ hide silkworm eggs in canes and take them to Constantinople.
Keywords: 550 AD, hide, eggs, canes, Constantinople
Now, in the middle of paragraph no. 4 where we can find the reference to Constantinople. Here, in lines 10-14, the writer says, “According to another legend, monks working for the Byzantine emperor Justinian smuggled silkworm eggs to Constantinople in 550 AD, concealed inside hollow bamboo walking canes.”
Answer: monks

Question 9: 20th century: ______ and other manmade fibres cause decline in silk production.
Keywords: 20th century, manmade fibre, cause decline,
Now, we need to find the keywords ‘20th century’ and ‘decline in silk production’ which is found in the last paragraph. Here, the writer says in lines 7-8, “Then in the twentieth century, new manmade fibres, such as nylon, started to be used in what had traditionally been silk products, such as stockings and parachutes.” So, it can be understood that nylon was a man-made fibre.
Answer: nylon

 

Question 10-13 (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN):

** Tips (link details): How To Solve True, False, Not Given in IELTS Reading Module?

 

Question 10: Gold was the most valuable material transported along the Silk Road.
Keywords: gold, most valuable material
Now, in paragraph 3, lines 1-8, “Demand for this exotic fabric eventually created the lucrative trade route now known as the Silk Road, taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East. It was named the Silk Road after its most precious commodity, which was considered to be worth more than gold.” So, it can be safely guessed that gold is not the most valuable material, it’s silk.
Answer: FALSE

Question 11: Most tradesmen only went along certain sections of the Silk Road.
Keywords: tradesmen, certain sections
Now, in paragraph 3, “The Silk Road stretched over 6,000 kilometers from Eastern China to the Mediterranean Sea .. .. . . Few merchants traveled the entire route; goods were handled mostly by a series of middlemen.” This clearly means that the journey through Silk Road was long enough for merchants to travel along; therefore, they only travelled along certain sections.
Answer: TRUE

Question 12: The Byzantines spread the practice of silk production across the West.
Keywords: The Byzantines, spread
Now, in paragraph 4, from line 3, “The Byzantines were as secretive as the Chinese, however, and for many centuries the weaving
and trading of silk fabric was a strict imperial monopoly. Then in the seventh century, the Arabs conquered Persia, capturing their magnificent
silks in the process. Silk production thus spread through Africa, Sicily and Spain as the Arabs swept through these lands.” Therefore, it was the the Arabs, not the Byzantines, who spread the practice of silk production across the West.

Answer: FALSE

Question 13: Silk yarn makes up the majority of silk currently exported from China.
Keywords: silk yarn, the majority, exported, China
Now, in the last paragraph, “.. .. .in more recent decades, China has gradually recaptured its position as the world’s biggest producer
and exporter of silk and silk yarn.” So, it is unclear from the lines whether silk yarn makes up the majority of silk currently exported from China, we only make out that both silk and silk yarn are exported, but there is no information on which product makes up the majority of silk exported from China.
Answer: NOT GIVEN

 

 

View Full Passage Here

 

 

Answer Key – The Story of Silk

Cambridge IELTS 11 Test 3 Answer Key, Reading Passage 1

 

The Story of Silk Reading Passage Answers Keys

Passage 1

 

 

 

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