(Update 2024) Cambridge IELTS 15 Reading Test 3 Answers – Free Lesson

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Passage 1: Henry Moore (1898 – 1986 )

Questions 1-7: Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

1. Answer: TRUE

Key words: leaving school, Moore, did, father, wanted

It is mentioned in the first paragraph that “After leaving school, Moore hoped to become a sculptor, but instead he complied with his father’s wish”. To ‘comply with something’ means to ‘agree to or obey something’, so Moore agreed to do what his father wished. Thus, this statement is clearly true.

• want = wish
• Answer: TRUE.

2. Answer: FALSE

Key words: began, sculpture, first term, Leeds School of Art

By skimming the proper noun ‘Leeds School of Art’, we can find information in paragraph 2 saying that “Although he wanted to study sculpture, no teacher was appointed until his second year”. This means that he could not have studied sculpture in his first year, not to mention his first term. Thus, the answer is FALSE.

Answer: FALSE.

3. Answer: NOT GIVEN

Key words: Royal College of Art, reputation, sculpture, excellent

By skimming the proper noun ‘Royal College of Art’, we can find information in paragraphs 2 and 3 that mention his period of study there. However, there is no information on the reputation of this school. Therefore, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

Answer: NOT GIVEN.

4. Answer: TRUE

Key words: aware, ancient sculpture, visiting, London museums

In paragraph 3, it is stated that Moore visited many London museums where “he discovered the power and beauty of ancient Egyptian and African sculpture”.

• become aware = discover
• Answer: TRUE.

5. Answer: NOT GIVEN

Key words: Trocadero Museum, Mayan sculpture, public, interest

The proper noun ‘Trocadero’ can be found through skimming in paragraph 4. It was in this museum that Moore “became fascinated” with a Mayan sculpture, but there is no information on whether the public also found it fascinating. Thus, we do not know if this Mayan sculpture attracted public interest or not.

Answer: NOT GIVEN.

6. Answer: FALSE

Key words: Mayan sculpture, similar, other, stone sculptures

Still in paragraph 4, regarding the Mayan sculpture, Moore thought it “had a power and originality that no other stone sculpture possessed”. The word “originality” and the phrase “no other stone sculpture possessed” imply  that the Mayan sculpture was different and  unlike any others. Thus, it would be wrong to say that the Mayan sculpture was similar to other stone sculptures.

Answer: FALSE.

7. Answer: TRUE

Key words: artists, Unit One, modern art, architecture, popular

Unit One is mentioned in paragraph 5: “The aim of the group was to convince the English public of the merits of […] modern art and architecture”. This means that Unit One wanted to prove to the public that modern art and architecture was of good quality and excellence. In other words, they wanted to make it more popular among the public.

Answer: TRUE.

Questions 8-13: Complete the notes below.

8. Answer: resignation

Key words: urged, offer, leave, Royal College

Paragraph 6 mentions the event of Moore leaving the Royal College: “There were calls for his resignation from the Royal College, and the following year […] he left […]”. This means that people wanted Moore to leave by offering his resignation (an announcement made by Moore himself that he would leave the job). Thus, Moore was urged by his employers at the Royal College to offer his resignation.

Answer: resignation.

9. Answer: materials

Key words: turns to, drawing, sculpting, not, available

Moving on to the 1940s, paragraph 8 mentions: “A shortage of materials forced him to focus on drawing”. This means that Moore focused on drawing because materials for sculpting were not available.

• turn to = focus on

• not available = shortage

• Answer: materials.

10. Answer: miners

Key words: visiting, hometown, drawings

We know from the start of the passage that Moore’s hometown was named Castleford, so we should be looking for this proper noun. In paragraph 8 we find: “In 1942, he returned to Castleford to make a series of sketches of the miners who worked there”.

• some drawings ~ a series of sketches

• Answer: miners.

11. Answer: family

Key words: employed, produce, sculpture, of

Paragraph 9: “In 1944, Harlow, a town near London, offered Moore a commission for a sculpture depicting a family”. The phrase ‘offer someone commission’ means ‘employ someone and pay them with money’. In this case, Moore was employed to make a sculpture of a family.

• employ = offer [someone] a commission

• Answer: family.

12. Answer: collectors

Key words: start, buy, Moore’s work

Paragraph 9: “Moore’s work became available to collectors all over the world”. While this sentence alone cannot prove that Moore’s work was ‘bought’ by collectors, it is supported by the following sentence: “the boost to his income […]”. Thus, it can be inferred that Moore gained extra income thanks to collectors buying his work.

• Answer: collectors.

13. Answer: income

Key words: increased, possible, ambitious, sculptures

This question directly follows question 12: “The boost to his income enabled him to take on ambitious projects”

• increase = boost
• make it possible for = enable

• Answer: income.

Passage 2: The Desolenator : producing clean water 

Questions 14-20: Reading Passage 2 has seven sections, A-G.

14. Answer: iii

Section A introduces Janssen’s device, which originally comes from the idea of “rooftop solar heating systems” in Southeast Asia. Two decades later, he “developed that basic idea he saw in Southeast Asia into a portable device…” Thus, the only appropriate heading for this section is iii – ‘From initial inspiration to new product’.

• Answer: iii.

15. Answer: vi

Section B starts by mentioning the function of the desolenator: it can “take water from different places, such as the sea, rivers, boreholes and rain, and purify it for human consumption”. Thus, ‘the sea, rivers, boreholes and rain’ can be regarded as different sources of water which can be purified (cleaned) by the device. So the heading is vi – ‘Cleaning water from a range of sources’.

• clean = purify

• Answer: vi.

16. Answer: v

Section C explains how the device works. It starts by emphasizing that “unlike standard desalination techniques, it (the desolenator) doesn’t require a generated power supply: just sunlight”. This is considered the feature of the desolenator which makes it different from other alternatives. Thus, the heading is v – ‘What makes the device different from alternatives’.

• different = unlike

• Answer: v.

17. Answer: x

The topic sentence of Section D is right at the beginning: “A recent analysis found that at least two-thirds of the world’s population lives with severe water scarcity for at least a month every year”. The section then continues by describing the hardships in such regions with water shortage, with different vocabulary for the same phenomenon: “water scarcity”, “water stress”. So the correct heading must be x – ‘The number of people affected by water shortages’.

• water shortage = water stress = water scarcity

• Answer: x.

18. Answer: iv

This section names “a wide variety of users” for the desolenator, both in the developing and developed world. In the developing world, customers can be “those who cannot afford the money for the device outright and pay through microfinance, and middle-income homes that can lease their own equipment”. Meanwhile, potential markets in developed countries are “niche markets where tap water is unavailable”. Therefore, the most suitable heading for Section E would be iv – ‘The range of potential customers for the device’.

• customers ~ users

• Answer: iv.

19. Answer: viii

This section discusses the price of the desolenator. Janssen said that his company has a “social mission” and that the main application would be in “the developing world and humanitarian sector”. By saying “this is the way we will proceed”, Janssen implies that the company will proceed to produce devices that can help those in need. Thus, it can be inferred that profit is not the primary goal for Janssen. The answer is viii.

• Answer: viii.

20. Answer: i

This section mentions the funding of the project (“It has raised £340,000 in funding so far”) and its future prospects (“the company aims to be selling 1,000 units a month”). Thus, the most appropriate heading is i – ‘Getting the finance for production’.

• finance = funding

• Answer: i.

Questions 21-26: Complete the summary below.

21. Answer: wheels

Key words: device, used, different locations, 

Section C explains how the desolenator works: “It measures 120 cm by 90 cm, and is easy to transport, thanks to its two wheels”. ‘easy to transport’ has been paraphrased into ‘can be used in different locations’. The feature that makes this possible is its ‘two wheels’. However, as we can only use ONE WORD, the answer must be ‘wheels’.

• Answer: wheels.

22. Answer: film

Key words: water, fed, pipe, flows, solar panel

“Water enters through a pipe, and flows as a thin film between a sheet of double glazing and the surface of a solar panel”. After water enters a pipe (or is ‘fed into’ a pipe), a thin film of water flows out, between ‘a sheet of double glazing and the surface of a solar panel’. It can be inferred that the film of water flows over the surface of a solar panel. Therefore, the blank should be filled with ‘film’.

• Answer: film.

23. Answer: filter

Key words: any, particles, water, caught in

“The device has a very simple filter to trap particles”.

• catch = trap

So this sentence can be paraphrased into the passive voice as ‘particles are trapped/caught in a very simple filter’. The answer is ‘filter’.

• Answer: filter.

24. Answer: waste

Key words: purified, water, tube, types, through another

This sentence distinguishes between two types of liquid that come out through two different tubes. In Section C: “There are two tubes for liquid coming out: one for the waste – salt from seawater, fluoride, etc. – and another for the distilled water”. The term ‘distilled water’ is synonymous to ‘purified water’, so the other type of liquid must be ‘waste’.

• purified = distilled

• Answer: waste.

25. Answer: performance

Key words: screen, displays, transmits, information, company, know, Desolenator, requires

The last sentence of section C states that: “The performance of the unit is shown on an LCD screen and transmitted to the company which provides servicing when necessary”. 

The first part of the sentence can be paraphrased using the passive voice into ‘an LCD screen shows the performance of the unit’.

• display = show
• device = unit

So the answer for Q25 is ‘performance’.

The second part of the sentence means that the information lets the company know when it is necessary to do servicing, i.e. when the device requires servicing. So the answer for Q26 is ‘servicing’.

• require = necessitate (necessary)

• Answer: performance; servicing.

26. Answer: servicing

Key words: screen, displays, transmits, information, company, know, Desolenator, requires

The last sentence of section C states that: “The performance of the unit is shown on an LCD screen and transmitted to the company which provides servicing when necessary”. 

The first part of the sentence can be paraphrased using the passive voice into ‘an LCD screen shows the performance of the unit’.

• display = show
• device = unit

So the answer for Q25 is ‘performance’.

The second part of the sentence means that the information lets the company know when it is necessary to do servicing, i.e. when the device requires servicing. So the answer for Q26 is ‘servicing’.

• require = necessitate (necessary)

• Answer: performance; servicing.

Passage 3: Why fairy tales are really scary tales

Questions 27-31: Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.

27. Answer: C

Key words: fairy tales, details, plot

The very first sentence of the passage mentions that: “[…] the same story often takes a variety of forms in different parts of the world”.

Thus, the matching answer is C, and the complete sentence is “In fairy tales, details of the plot show considerable global variation.”

• global = world
• variation = variety = different

• Answer: C.

28. Answer: B

Key words: Tehrani, rejects, useful, lessons, life

Paragraph 2 mentions: “the idea that they contain cautionary messages”. Here, ‘cautionary messages’ refer to the warnings or lessons for life, such as listening to your mother and avoid talking to strangers. This idea may be “what we find interesting” about fairy tales, and why it has survived till this day. However, Tehrani’s research suggests otherwise. Therefore, it can be understood that : Tehrani rejects the idea that the useful, survival-relevant lessons in fairy tales are the reason for their survival.

• Answer: B.

29. Answer: F

Key words: theories, social, significance, fairy tales

Still in paragraph 2: “That hasn’t stopped anthropologists, folklorists and other academics devising theories to explain the importance of fairy tales in human society”.

Thus, there are various theories about the social significance of fairy tales devised by various academics. However, according to Tehrani, “’We have this huge gap in our knowledge about the history and prehistory of storytelling”, which implies that such theories are developed without full knowledge on the topic, i.e. without factual basis.  So, the complete sentence is:  Various theories about the social significance of fairy tales have been developed without factual basis.

• develop = devise

• significance = importance
• social = in society

• factual basis = knowledge

• Answer: F.

30. Answer: A

Key words: insights, development, fairy tales

It is stated in the last sentence of paragraph 2 that: “Now Tehrani has found a way to test these ideas, borrowing a technique from evolutionary biologists”. What Tehrani wants to discover is how fairy tales have “evolved” and “survived”, using the same methods of ‘phylogenetic analysis’ used by biologists (paragraph 3). Therefore, it can be understood that the development or evolution of fairy tales can be studied through methods used by biologists.  This gives the correct sentence:  Insights into the development of fairy tales may be provided through methods used in biological research.

• development = evolution (evolve)
• biological research = biologist

• Answer: A.

31. Answer: E

Key words: analysed, Tehrani

Paragraph 4 mentions that Tehrani focused on analysing variants of two fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf and The Kids, and “he ended up with 58 stories recorded from oral traditions”. Thus, it can be inferred that these fairy tales were traditionally spoken rather than written.  The complete sentence is:  All the fairy tales analysed by Tehrani were originally spoken rather than written.

• analyse = analysis
• spoken = oral
• originally = tradition (traditionally)

• Answer: E.

Questions 32-36: Complete the summary using the list of words, A-l, below.

32. Answer: D

Key words: techniques, evolutionary biologists, existed, 58 stories

Tehrani’s use of ‘phylogenetic analysis’ can be found from paragraph 3 onwards.  This process is used by biologists to “work out the evolutionary history, development and relationships among groups of organisms…”

Paragraph 4: “Once his phylogenetic analysis had established that they (the stories) were indeed related, he used the same methods to explore how they have developed and altered over time”, meaning that the phylogenetic analysis was aimed at testing the relations, or links, among these 58 stories. Thus, the answer for this question is D – ‘links’.

• links = relationships

• Answer: D.

33. Answer: F

Key words: aspects, fewest, believed, these, most important

Paragraph 5: “First he tested some assumptions about which aspects of the story alter least as it evolves, indicating their importance”. This sentence can be paraphrased into “he tested some assumptions about which aspects of the story had fewest alterations/variations, as this would indicate the most important aspects”.

• variation = alter (alteration)

Therefore, the answer is F – ‘variations’.

• Answer: F.

34. Answer: B

Key words: contrary, beliefs, some, included, change,

There is a contrast between what folklorists believe and what Tehrani found. Still in paragraph 5, it is stated: “Folklorists believe that what happens in a story is more central to the story than the characters in it”, while we find in paragraph 6 that “Tehrani found no significant difference in the rate of evolution of incidents compared with that of characters”. This means that he found both incidents (what happens) and characters in a story change over time, not just the characters as suggested by folklorists. Thus, the answer should be something synonymous to ‘incidents’, which can only be B – ‘events’.

• change over time = evolve (rate of evolution)
• events = incidents

• Answer: B.

35. Answer: C

Key words: surprised, parts, story, provide, unimportant

In paragraph 7, what was a “really big surprise” for Tehrani was that he found cautionary elements to be “just as flexible as seemingly trivial details” in “hunter-gatherer folk tales”.

This means that the elements which seem to provide cautionary, survival-relevant information may also be trivial, or unimportant, because they are not always fixed in the story.  Although they may warn of “possible dangers” that may be faced in the environment, these parts of a story have surprisingly changed over time.  Thus, the answer should be synonymous to ‘caution’ or ‘survival’. The most appropriate would be C – ‘warning’.

• story = tale

• unimportant = trivial

• Answer: C.

36. Answer: G

Key words: aspect, most important, story’s survival

The end of paragraph 7 features a rhetorical question: “What, then, is important enough to be reproduced from generation to generation?”. If a story is “reproduced from generation to generation, this means that the story survives for a long time. The answer, which was previously thought to be cautionary information/warnings, is actually “fear” (paragraph 8). The stories which survive are usually “blood-thirsty and gruesome”, adjectives that we associate with horror and fear. Thus, the answer must be G – ‘horror’ because it has a similar meaning.

• horror = fear

• Answer: G.

37. Answer: B He looked at many different forms of the same basic story.

Key words:  method, Tehrani, test, ideas, fairy tales

As mentioned in paragraph 4, Tehrani analysed 58 variants of two fairy tales in their oral form: “he ended up with 58 stories recorded from oral traditions”. Thus, the answer is clearly B, because these stories are variants of the same basic story.  A is incorrect because he only examined oral stories; C is also incorrect as the stories are clearly related; D is not discussed in the passage.

• Answer: B.

Questions 37-40: Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

38. Answer: D features of stories only survive if they have a deeper significance

Key words:  Tehrani’s views, Jack Zipes, suggests

By skimming the proper noun ‘Jack Zipes’, we can find his opinion in paragraph 9: “’Even if they’re gruesome, they won’t stick unless they matter”. Here, ‘gruesome’ is synonymous to ‘fearful, horrific’. Zipes argues that such gruesome features/details of fairy tales will not last long unless they have some meaning or significance in the story.

• stick = survive 

• have significance = matter 

Thus, the answer must be D.

• Answer: D.

39. Answer: A to indicate that Jack Zipes’ theory is incorrect

Key words: Tehrani, Chinese, Japanese, fairy tales

Still in paragraph 9, Tehrani defends his idea against the view of Jack Zipes. Tehrani “points out that although this is often the case in Western versions, it is not always true elsewhere”. The case here refers to the opinion of Jack Zipes that all fairy tales have “the perennial theme of women as victims”. Tehrani shows that this theme is not present in Chinese and Japanese fairy tales, in which the woman is often actually the villain, instead of victim. Thus, Tehrani refers to these fairy tales to argue that Jack Zipes’ theory is incorrect.

• Answer: A.

40. Answer: A They are a safe way of learning to deal with fear.

Key words: Mathias Clasen, believe

The last paragraph mentions Mathias Clasen’s belief: “scary stories teach us what it feels like to be afraid without having to experience real danger”. In other words, fairy tales let us learn about fear in a safer way (rather than experiencing real danger). The answer is therefore A.

The other answers are incorrect for the following reasons:

B is incorrect because “we seek out entertainment that’s designed to scare us”. This means humans seek out, not avoid, fairy tales with fearful details.

C is irrelevant. While it is mentioned that “’Habits and morals change”, Mathias Clasen does not say these are reflected in fairy tales.

D is incorrect because fairy tales with fearful features help us to “build up resistance to negative emotions”, thereby INCREASING (not REDUCING) our ability to deal with real-world problems.

• Answer: A.

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