IELTS Secrets - EXPLANATION

READING 1: HOW WE MANAGE THE LAND ON EARTH

Q1: The height of most city buildings are now measured to be at a general level of

Answer: C. 8-storeys
Key word(s): "height," "average," "city buildings"
Cited Sentence: “In the early 1990s the tallest buildings in the city were only two storeys high, whereas now the average height is eight storeys and some are as high as 25 storeys high.”
Explanation: The question asks for the general height of city buildings. The text explicitly states that the average height is eight storeys. Other options (e.g., 25-storeys) refer to outliers, not the average.

Q2: The estimated spare land available that is considered to be good for agricultural use, such as the growing of vegetables is

Answer: B. 1.7m sq miles
Key word(s): "spare land," "agricultural use"
Cited Sentence: “...there is a reserve of 1.7 million sq miles thought to be suitable for growing crops left in the world.”
Explanation: The cited sentence directly provides the estimate of land suitable for agriculture, making 1.7 million sq miles the correct answer.

Q3: The current population figure produced by the United Nations for our planet is an estimated

Answer: C. 7.6 billion
Key word(s): "current population," "United Nations"
Cited Sentence: “The UN’s latest estimates state that there are 7.6 billion people jostling for space on Earth at present…”
Explanation: The text clearly mentions the latest UN population estimate as 7.6 billion, matching option C.

Q4: The percentage figure for the food we humans grow on Earth that is discarded as waste is approximately

Answer: D. 40%
Key word(s): "food," "discarded," "waste," "percentage"
Cited Sentence: “About 40% of the food grown in the world is also never eaten by anybody—it is thrown away.”
Explanation: The statement explicitly quantifies food waste at 40%, which aligns with option D.

Q5: From 2006 onwards, the rate of city dwellers in the Maldivian capital has grown at just under 50%.

Answer: FALSE
Key word(s): "2006," "rate of growth," "under 50%"
Cited Sentence: “The city’s population has soared by nearly 52% since 2006.”
Explanation: The text specifies that the growth rate was “nearly 52%,” which exceeds “just under 50%.” Therefore, the statement is false.

Q6: Walking single file is common on the pavement due to the crowding.

Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): "walking single file," "pavement," "crowding"
Cited Sentence: “Space is such a premium in Malé that pavements are often less than one metre wide, forcing pedestrians to walk in single file…”
Explanation: The text directly confirms that pedestrians are forced to walk single file due to narrow pavements caused by crowding.

Q7: Water shortages are an almost every day occurrence in the city mentioned.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key word(s): "water shortages," "everyday occurrence"
Cited Sentence: “...while the city frequently runs out of water.”
Explanation: The text mentions that water shortages occur "frequently," but it does not specify if this happens daily. Thus, the information required to confirm or refute the statement is not provided.

Q8: Large portions of the land on Earth are completely unsuited for human occupation.

Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): "land," "unsuited," "human occupation"
Cited Sentence: “But large tracts of land remain virtually uninhabitable due to their climate or their remote location: Enormous tracts of Siberia are too inhospitable to be lived upon…”
Explanation: The text supports the statement by explaining that significant portions of Earth's land are unsuitable for human habitation due to climate or location.

Q9: Almost 52 million sq km of land is available to handle the more than 11 billion projected populations as it is classified as being

Answer: ice-free
Key word(s): "52 million sq km," "11 billion projected populations"
Cited Sentence: “Physically, the land can easily accommodate 11 billion people—there are around 51.7 million sq miles of ice-free land on the planet.”
Explanation: The answer is derived directly from the text, which identifies “ice-free” land as the 51.7 million sq miles available for habitation.

Q10: Whereas cities account for less than 5% of land usage, just over a third of the land available on Earth is used for

Answer: agriculture
Key word(s): "less than 5%," "just over a third," "land use"
Cited Sentence: “The cities and towns we live in account for less than 3% of the Earth’s total land area, but between 35% and 40% is used for agriculture.”
Explanation: The text clearly indicates that over a third of land is used for agriculture, making it the correct answer.

Q11: The loss of vast expanses of healthy forests that act naturally to absorb

Answer: greenhouse gases
Key word(s): "healthy forests," "absorb"
Cited Sentence: “…wiping out large areas of rich biodiversity and trees that act as natural sinks for greenhouse gases.”
Explanation: The text explicitly identifies "greenhouse gases" as the substances absorbed by forests, matching the question perfectly.

Q12: A brand new piece of man-made land has been formed besides the current city, jumping out from the sea itself, made solely by using unwanted

Answer: garbage
Key word(s): "man-made land," "unwanted," "besides the current city"
Cited Sentence: “An entirely new island has risen next door out of the sea itself simply from the city’s garbage.”
Explanation: The cited sentence confirms that the new land was created from “garbage,” directly answering the question.

READING 2: THE MONSTER SHIPS THAT CHANGED HOW WE TRAVEL

Q13: The competition between modern day airline manufacturers is very much like the early days of ship construction.
Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): competition, modern day airline manufacturers, early ship construction
Cited Sentence: "Not unlike today's rivalries between, say, aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing, each raced to make its ocean liners the largest, fastest and most opulent."
Explanation: The phrase "Not unlike today's rivalries" explicitly compares modern-day airline competition to the rivalry between early ship manufacturers. The cited sentence directly supports the claim in the question.

Q14: Inman was fearful of using the latest available materials alongside progressive construction methods to cut crossing times.
Answer: FALSE
Key word(s): Inman, latest materials, progressive methods
Cited Sentence: "Inman established itself as a company unafraid to try new technology for faster crossings."
Explanation: The text states the opposite of the claim. It mentions that Inman was "unafraid to try new technology," contradicting the idea that they were fearful of progressive methods.

Q15: Following the invention of the radio, second class guests could reserve rooms to stay in the cities they were heading to from the ship they were on.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key word(s): radio, second class, reserve rooms
Cited Sentence: "First-class passengers could even book European hotels by wireless before reaching port."
Explanation: The text mentions that first-class passengers could book hotels, but there is no information about second-class passengers having this capability. Hence, it is "NOT GIVEN."

Q16: By borrowing a substantial amount of money, a leading British company built a couple of huge identical ships with the very first steam engine propulsion.
Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): borrowing, British company, identical ships, steam engine propulsion
Cited Sentence: "With the help of a £2.6 million government loan... Britain’s Cunard line launched the massive twins RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania. Both had the first steam turbine engines of any superliner."
Explanation: The question aligns with the cited information. The company (Cunard) borrowed money to build two identical ships (twins) with the first steam turbine engines.

Q17: Crossing the Atlantic is done by the one remaining cruise ship these days on a scheduled timetable.
Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): one remaining cruise ship, scheduled timetable
Cited Sentence: "Only Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2 makes regular transatlantic crossings now."
Explanation: The statement matches the cited text, which confirms that only one cruise ship (Queen Mary 2) continues scheduled crossings.

Q18: A German company introduced fixed and tightly controlled set-seating meal times on their newest ships.
Answer: FALSE
Key word(s): German company, fixed meal times
Cited Sentence: "SS Amerika wowed its well-heeled guests by introducing the first à la carte restaurant at sea... It allowed guests to order meals at their leisure."
Explanation: The German company introduced à la carte dining, where guests could eat at their leisure, directly contradicting the claim of fixed meal times.

Q19: Being acquired by a high-powered financier meant that the proud thoughts of a nation were at stake.
Answer: C
Key word(s): acquired, financier, national pride
Cited Sentence: "American banking tycoon JP Morgan was buying up smaller companies to create a US-based shipping-and-railroad monopoly. In 1901, White Star became his biggest acquisition."
Explanation: White Star was acquired by JP Morgan, and the text suggests that the acquisition impacted national pride due to the rivalry.

Q20: Claiming air travel was a short-term temporary fashionable form of travel not to be overly worried about.
Answer: A
Key word(s): air travel, short-term, fashionable
Cited Sentence: "Cunard said flying was a just fad, and that it was not a genuine concern."
Explanation: The text states that Cunard considered air travel a fad, showing a dismissive attitude toward the competition from airlines.

Q21: Using alternate newer technologies rendered older wind-powered systems obsolete, giving them the modern-day look.
Answer: B
Key word(s): newer technologies, wind-powered systems, obsolete
Cited Sentence: "In 1888, Inman introduced ships which no longer required auxiliary sails, giving ocean liners a similar look to the one they have today."
Explanation: Inman used newer technologies to remove sails, making wind power obsolete and giving ships their modern appearance.

Q22: Patiently waiting for their rivals to prove that new technologies and systems worked before implementing them themselves.
Answer: A
Key word(s): waiting, rivals, new technologies
Cited Sentence: "The Cunard way was to let competitors introduce new-fangled technology and let them deal with the setbacks. Once that technology had proved itself, only then would Cunard consider using it."
Explanation: The text directly describes Cunard’s cautious strategy of waiting for rivals to test new technologies.

Q23: Producing massive ocean-going vessels that gained them the nickname ‘hotels that float.’
Answer: C
Key word(s): massive vessels, hotels that float
Cited Sentence: "White Star line’s splashy debut included five huge ocean liners, dubbed floating hotels."
Explanation: The text attributes the nickname "floating hotels" to White Star due to their large and luxurious ocean liners.

Q24: It was a couple of times in the early 1900s that the newest ship of the day broke the ________.
Answer: speed record
Key word(s): early 1900s, ship, broke
Cited Sentence: "RMS Lusitania... would go on to break the speed record for the fastest ocean crossing not once, but twice."
Explanation: The Lusitania broke the speed record twice, as stated in the text.

Q25: As European firms excelled, it forced the U.K.-based companies to improve their ships and in particular to ________.
Answer: add amenities
Key word(s): improve ships, U.K.-based companies
Cited Sentence: "Pressure from other European lines forced the British companies to add amenities like swimming pools and restaurants."
Explanation: European competition pressured British companies to upgrade their ships with added amenities.

Q26: Due to a terrible disaster, new rules were put in place after that we can see today are ________.
Answer: still in place
Key word(s): terrible disaster, new rules
Cited Sentence: "As a result of the tragedy, safety regulations were updated to require lifeboat berths for every passenger and 24-hour radio surveillance (rules which are still in place)."
Explanation: Safety rules established after the Titanic tragedy are described as "still in place."

Q27: It was often whole families in the early part of the 20th Century, moving from Europe to America that was known to the industry as their ________.
Answer: bread and butter
Key word(s): families, Europe to America
Cited Sentence: "US anti-immigration laws reduced the number of transatlantic emigrants – the liners’ bread and butter – in the 1920s."
Explanation: The term "bread and butter" refers to emigrant families who were the main source of income for the shipping industry.

READING 3: EMERGING TOURISM TRENDS

Q28: Section B
Answer: ii (Cuisine Tourism)
Key word(s): food, beverages, travel, authentic experience
Cited Sentence: “In this, food and beverages are the main factors that motivate a person to travel to a particular destination.”
Explanation: The section describes a type of tourism where food and drinks are central to the travel experience. The focus on food as a motivator for travel aligns with the heading “Cuisine Tourism.”

Q29: Section C
Answer: i (Experimental Tourism)
Key word(s): whimsical, Monopoly-travel, unpredictable
Cited Sentence: “This is a novel approach to tourism in which visitors do not visit the ordinary tourist attractions in traditional fashion. Rather, they let their whims be their guides!”
Explanation: This section highlights unconventional and unpredictable travel experiences, such as Monopoly-travel and Counter-travel, where the journey is guided by whim or chance. This fits well with the concept of “Experimental Tourism.”

Q30: Section D
Answer: vii (Agritourism)
Key word(s): farm, rural, activities
Cited Sentence: “This involves any crop-based or animal-based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch.”
Explanation: The text focuses on tourism centered around farming and rural activities, which aligns directly with the term “Agritourism.”

Q31: Section E
Answer: vi (Set-jetting)
Key word(s): movies, film locations
Cited Sentence: “This is the trend of traveling to destinations that are first seen in movies...”
Explanation: The section discusses the trend of visiting film locations as inspired by movies, which corresponds precisely with the term “Set-jetting.”

Q32: Putting together and enjoying culinary delights ensures the trip is more ________.
Answer: authentic
Key word(s): culinary delights, authentic experience
Cited Sentence: “Combining food, drink and culture, this type of travel provides for an authentic experience...”
Explanation: The cited sentence explicitly links food tourism to providing an “authentic experience,” making “authentic” the correct answer.

Q33: Moving quickly between more mundane public service facilities and malls that are more ________.
Answer: elegant
Key word(s): mundane, malls, elegant
Cited Sentence: “...shuttling between elegant shopping areas and the local water plant...”
Explanation: The sentence contrasts “elegant shopping areas” with “the local water plant,” highlighting the disparity between mundane and sophisticated destinations. The correct term is “elegant.”

Q34: Film sets for hugely popular blockbuster movies are attracting couples to go there for their ________.
Answer: honeymoon
Key word(s): couples, blockbuster movies, attracting
Cited Sentence: “...its media exposure makes it a compelling choice for a family vacation or honeymoon.”
Explanation: The term “honeymoon” is explicitly mentioned as one of the reasons for choosing film-based travel destinations, making it the correct answer.

Q35: In the USA, visiting a strawberry picking field or listening to lectures on producing good wine is becoming increasingly ________.
Answer: widespread
Key word(s): USA, strawberry picking, popular
Cited Sentence: “It has recently become widespread in America...”
Explanation: The sentence directly states that agritourism has become “widespread” in America, making this the correct answer.

Q36: Enjoying good foods is the most critical part of any good holiday for the majority of travellers.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key word(s): critical, good holiday, majority
Cited Sentence: “Studies conducted into this travel phenomenon have shown that food plays, consciously or unconsciously, an important part in the vacations of a good number of travelers.”
Explanation: While the text mentions food as an important factor, it does not state that it is the most critical part for the majority of travelers. Hence, the answer is “NOT GIVEN.”

Q37: Taking photos facing directly opposite from and facing away from a popular tourist site is a need for Counter-travel.
Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): Counter-travel, photos, facing away
Cited Sentence: “Another example is Counter-travel, which requires you to take snapshots with your back turned to landmarks like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben.”
Explanation: The text explicitly describes this requirement for Counter-travel, confirming the statement as “TRUE.”

Q38: People are gaining appreciation for the need to back those producing local grown vegetables and other crops.
Answer: TRUE
Key word(s): appreciation, local growers
Cited Sentence: “As people are becoming more interested in the ecological importance of local food production, related projects reinforce the need to support local growers...”
Explanation: The sentence directly affirms that people are appreciating and supporting local food producers, making the statement “TRUE.”

Q39: The term for promoting travel related to the film industry was first used in the British media.
Answer: FALSE
Key word(s): promoting, film industry, British media
Cited Sentence: “The term was first coined in the US press in the New York Post by journalist Gretchen Kelly...”
Explanation: The term originated in the US, not British media. The statement contradicts the text, so the answer is “FALSE.”

Q40: For people who are bored of doing the usual activities such as looking at the common tourist attractions, they need to reconsider things from a different perspective. This means to think in a way that is …
Answer: C (creative)
Key word(s): different perspective, creative
Cited Sentence: “...then think outside the box.”
Explanation: The phrase “think outside the box” implies creativity, making “C (creative)” the correct choice.