The Development of the London Underground Railway IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“The Development of the London Underground Railway” is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 17 Academic Reading Test 1. 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: Note Completion, True / False / Not Given.

Quick answers: Questions 1–13

Question	Answer
1	population
2	suburbs
3	businessmen
4	funding
5	press
6	soil
7	FALSE
8	NOT GIVEN
9	TRUE
10	TRUE
11	FALSE
12	FALSE
13	NOT GIVEN

Questions 1–6: Note Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
1	The ___ of London increased rapidly between 1800 and 1850	population	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
2	Building the railway would make it possible to move people to better housing in the ___	suburbs	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
3	A number of ___ agreed with Pearson’s idea	businessmen	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
4	The company initially had problems getting the ___ needed for the project	funding	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
5	Negative articles about the project appeared in the ___	press	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
6	With the completion of the brick arch, the tunnel was covered with ___	soil	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 7–13: True / False / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
7	Other countries had built underground railways before the Metropolitan line opened.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
8	More people than predicted travelled on the Metropolitan line on the first day.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
9	The use of ventilation shafts failed to prevent pollution in the tunnels.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
10	A different approach from the ‘cut and cover’ technique was required in London’s central area.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
11	The windows on City & South London trains were at eye level.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
12	The City & South London Railway was a financial success.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
13	Trains on the ‘Tuppenny Tube’ nearly always ran on time.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.

Tips for these question types

• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• 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.
• 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? The Development of the London Underground Railway covers Questions 1–13, which is 13 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 17, Academic Test 1.

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 17 Reading Test 1: all passages
Part 1: The Development of the London Underground Railway (you are here)  |  Part 2: Stadiums: Past, Present and Future  |  Part 3: To Catch a King

Next: Part 2 answers →

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