Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time” is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Reading Test 4. This page gives the answers for Questions 1–13 with a short explanation of why each answer is right, so you can check your work and learn from every mistake. The question types are: True / False / Not Given, Sentence Completion.

Quick answers: Questions 1–13

Question	Answer
1	FALSE
2	FALSE
3	TRUE
4	TRUE
5	FALSE
6	TRUE
7	NOT GIVEN
8	TRUE
9	wool
10	navigator
11	gale
12	training
13	fire

Questions 1–8: True / False / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
1	Clippers were originally intended to be used as passenger ships.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
2	Cutty Sark was given the name of a character in a poem.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
3	The contract between John Willis and Scott & Linton favoured Willis.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
4	John Willis wanted Cutty Sark to be the fastest tea clipper travelling between the UK and China.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
5	Despite storm damage, Cutty Sark beat Thermopylae back to London.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
6	The opening of the Suez Canal meant that steam ships could travel between Britain and China faster than clippers.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
7	Steam ships sometimes used the ocean route to travel between London and China.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
8	Captain Woodget put Cutty Sark at risk of hitting an iceberg.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.

Questions 9–13: Sentence Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
9	—	wool	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
10	—	navigator	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
11	—	gale	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
12	—	training	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
13	—	fire	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Tips for these question types

• True / False / Not Given: TRUE means the passage says the same thing, FALSE means it says the opposite, and NOT GIVEN means it does not say. Never use your own knowledge.
• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• Review every mistake. Find the exact sentence in the passage that proves the answer so you can spot the same trap next time.

FAQ

How many questions does this passage have? Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time covers Questions 1–13, which is 13 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 13, Academic Test 4.

How should I use these answers? Attempt the passage under timed conditions first, then check your answers here and read the reason for every mistake.

Cambridge IELTS 13 Reading Test 4: all passages
Part 1: Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time (you are here)  |  Part 2: Saving the Soil  |  Part 3: Book Review

Next: Part 2 answers →

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