Ancient Water Engineering: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “In dry regions of the world, where rain is scarce and rivers few, the greatest challenge facing any settlement has always been securing a reliable supply of water. Long before modern pumps and pipelines, people in some of the driest lands on Earth devised ingenious methods of finding, moving and storing water, and…”
- Passage length: about 766 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“Ancient Water Engineering” is an original IELTS-style practice passage written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Ancient Water Engineering answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees, FALSE if it contradicts, or NOT GIVEN if there is no information.
- 1
The underground channels moved water using the natural pull of gravity rather than pumps.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…leading the water from its source to the surface at a lower point by the natural pull of gravity alone, with no pumping required.”
- 2
The slope of the tunnel had to be carefully controlled for the system to work.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…a tunnel had to be dug on a very slight downward slope, shallow enough that the water would flow steadily but not so steep that it would rush and erode the channel. If the slope was wrong, the system would fail.”
- 3
The vertical shafts served no purpose once the channel was finished.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…later provided access for cleaning and repair.”
- 4
Carrying water underground reduced the amount lost to evaporation.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Because the water travelled underground, very little of it was lost to evaporation”
- 5
The technique of building underground channels was used in only one country.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “It appears to have originated in one dry region and then spread widely... across a broad band of arid lands far from where the method began.”
- 6
The ancient channels were more expensive to build than modern wells.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims ancient channels were more expensive than modern wells, but the passage neither confirms nor denies this, focusing instead on the channels' effectiveness and durability without comparing costs to modern wells.
Closest related text · Paragraph 7 “Today, many of these ancient works have fallen out of use, replaced by modern wells and pumps that can draw water from deep underground far more quickly.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. In large surface lakes
- B. Underground at the foot of distant mountains
- C. Only during the dry season
- D. In the middle of the plains
- 7
Where could water be found in many arid regions, according to the passage?
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Answer: B — Underground at the foot of distant mountains
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Underground at the foot of distant mountains.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…water can be found underground at the foot of distant mountains, where rain and melting snow have soaked into the ground.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. To store water for the dry season
- B. To remove earth, bring air to the workers and allow later repair
- C. To mark the boundaries of a town
- D. To slow down the flow of water
- 8
Why were vertical shafts sunk along the route of the channel?
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Answer: B — To remove earth, bring air to the workers and allow later repair
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — To remove earth, bring air to the workers and allow later repair.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “These shafts allowed the diggers to remove earth, brought air to the workers underground, and later provided access for cleaning and repair.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. They required constant machinery to operate
- B. They could supply a settlement for generations with only modest maintenance
- C. They worked only for a few years
- D. They needed large amounts of fuel
- 9
What made the underground channels one of the most successful pieces of ancient engineering?
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Answer: B — They could supply a settlement for generations with only modest maintenance
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — They could supply a settlement for generations with only modest maintenance.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Once built, such a system could supply a settlement for generations with only modest maintenance”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because modern pumps are too slow
- B. Because the old channels took only the water that flowed naturally and could not easily exhaust their source
- C. Because they can move water faster than pumps
- D. Because they need no water source at all
- 10
Why is there renewed interest in these traditional techniques today?
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Answer: B — Because the old channels took only the water that flowed naturally and could not easily exhaust their source
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Because the old channels took only the water that flowed naturally and could not easily exhaust their source.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…the old channels took only the water that flowed naturally, and so could not easily exhaust their source. For this reason there is renewed interest in these traditional techniques”
Questions 11–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
Under the fierce sun, what did builders want to prevent the water being lost to?(max 2 words)
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Answer: evaporation
Why: The answer “evaporation” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…without losing it to evaporation under the fierce sun.”
- 12
What did some communities build to keep stored water cool and clean?(max 3 words)
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Answer: covered reservoirs (also accepted: large covered reservoirs / reservoirs)
Why: The answer “covered reservoirs” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Some communities constructed large covered reservoirs to keep stored water cool and clean”
- 13
What can powerful modern pumps do to the underground supply by removing water too fast?(max 3 words)
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Answer: lowering it (also accepted: lower it / gradually lowering / lowering the supply)
Why: The answer “lowering it” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…powerful pumps can remove water faster than nature replaces it, gradually lowering the underground supply.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 13 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (Academic) conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single passage is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 13 / 13 | 9.0 |
| 12 / 13 | 8.5 |
| 11 / 13 | 7.5 |
| 10 / 13 | 7.0 |
| 9 / 13 | 6.5 |
| 8 / 13 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 13 | 5.5 |
| 5–6 / 13 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 13 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 13 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 13 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 13 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 13 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
True / False / Not Given
- Read the statement first and underline the key idea, especially any qualifiers like "all", "only", "never", "always", "more than" or dates and numbers.
- Because the questions follow the order of the passage, scan for the paragraph that deals with the same topic rather than re-reading everything.
Common trap: Confusing "False" with "Not Given": choose False only when the passage actively contradicts the statement; if the passage is silent, it is Not Given.
Full True / False / Not Given strategyMultiple Choice
- Read the question stem carefully before the options so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Because multiple-choice questions follow passage order, locate the relevant section and read it in full — the answer usually depends on more than one sentence.
Common trap: Distractors that use exact words from the passage but distort the meaning.
Full Multiple Choice strategyShort Answer
- Read the instructions and note the exact word limit; going over it means zero marks even if the meaning is right.
- Turn each question into a set of keywords and predict what kind of answer it needs (a person, a date, a place, a noun).
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit (writing four words when only three are allowed).
Full Short Answer strategyPractise “Ancient Water Engineering” under exam conditions
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