Carbon Fibre and Lightweight Materials: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Engineers have always wanted materials that are both strong and light. A material that can bear heavy loads without adding much weight allows aircraft to fly further on less fuel, cars to move more efficiently and sports equipment to perform better.”
- Passage length: about 796 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“Carbon Fibre and Lightweight Materials” 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
Carbon Fibre and Lightweight Materials 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
Each individual carbon fibre is thinner than a human hair.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Each individual fibre is far thinner than a human hair”
- 2
Woven carbon cloth on its own is stiff and hard to bend.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “On its own, however, this cloth is flexible and would offer little resistance to being bent or crushed.”
- 3
In the composite, the plastic provides the strength while the fibres hold it together.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…the fibres provide the strength, bearing the loads placed on the material, while the surrounding plastic holds the fibres in place”
- 4
Carbon fibre does not rust in the way that metals do.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Unlike metals, carbon fibre does not rust, and it holds its shape well as temperatures change.”
- 5
Carbon fibre is more expensive to produce than steel or aluminium.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Producing the fibres and forming them into finished parts is slow and expensive, far more so than working with ordinary steel or aluminium”
- 6
Carbon fibre is now cheaper than it was when it was first invented.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims carbon fibre is now cheaper than when first invented, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, only mentioning that carbon fibre production is slow and expensive compared to steel or aluminium.
Closest related text · Paragraph 4 “A component made of carbon fibre can be far lighter than the same component made of steel while still carrying similar loads.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because it is coated in resin
- B. Because the carbon atoms are locked into long, ordered chains running along the thread
- C. Because it is thicker than a human hair
- D. Because it is woven into cloth
- 7
Why is an individual carbon fibre so strong along its length?
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Answer: B — Because the carbon atoms are locked into long, ordered chains running along the thread
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Because the carbon atoms are locked into long, ordered chains running along the thread.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…within it the carbon atoms are locked into long, ordered chains that run along the length of the thread. Because of this arrangement, a fibre resists being pulled apart along its length with astonishing strength for its weight.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. A material made of a single pure substance
- B. A type of metal
- C. A material made of two distinct parts that together perform better than either alone
- D. A woven cloth with no plastic
- 8
What is a composite material?
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Answer: C — A material made of two distinct parts that together perform better than either alone
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — A material made of two distinct parts that together perform better than either alone.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “The result is a composite: a material made of two distinct parts that together perform far better than either could alone.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because it is the cheapest available material
- B. Because every reduction in weight saves fuel or gains speed
- C. Because it can be recycled endlessly
- D. Because it bends gradually before breaking
- 9
Why is carbon fibre especially prized in aircraft and racing cars?
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Answer: B — Because every reduction in weight saves fuel or gains speed
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Because every reduction in weight saves fuel or gains speed.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “This is why the material is prized in aircraft and racing cars, where every reduction in weight brings a direct saving in fuel or a gain in speed.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It bends and gives warning before breaking
- B. It rusts away slowly
- C. It remains rigid and then fails suddenly
- D. It melts before breaking
- 10
How does a carbon fibre part typically behave when it fails?
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Answer: C — It remains rigid and then fails suddenly
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — It remains rigid and then fails suddenly.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…a carbon fibre part tends to remain rigid and then fail suddenly, which engineers must take carefully into account.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
When thousands of carbon fibres are bundled together, what do they form?(max 2 words)
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Answer: a yarn (also accepted: yarn)
Why: The answer “a yarn” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Thousands of these fibres are bundled together to form a yarn”
- 12
What liquid plastic is the woven carbon cloth soaked in before it is hardened?(max 3 words)
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Answer: resin (also accepted: a type of resin)
Why: The answer “resin” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “The woven carbon cloth is soaked in a liquid plastic, usually a type of resin”
- 13
What quality of carbon fibre composites, relative to their weight, is their chief advantage?(max 3 words)
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Answer: exceptional strength (also accepted: strength / their exceptional strength)
Why: The answer “exceptional strength” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “The chief advantage of carbon fibre composites is their exceptional strength for their weight.”
- 14
What is the greatest obstacle to the wider use of carbon fibre?(max 2 words)
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Answer: cost (also accepted: the cost)
Why: The answer “cost” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “The greatest obstacle is cost.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 14 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 |
|---|---|
| 14 / 14 | 9.0 |
| 13 / 14 | 8.5 |
| 12 / 14 | 7.5 |
| 11 / 14 | 7.0 |
| 10 / 14 | 6.5 |
| 8–9 / 14 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 14 | 5.5 |
| 6 / 14 | 5.0 |
| 5 / 14 | 4.5 |
| 4 / 14 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 14 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 14 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 14 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 14 | 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 “Carbon Fibre and Lightweight Materials” under exam conditions
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