How Antibiotics Fight Bacteria: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Before the twentieth century, a simple cut or a common infection could be a death sentence. Diseases caused by bacteria spread through communities with little to stop them, and doctors could often do no more than keep a patient comfortable and hope the body would win the fight on its own.”
- Passage length: about 753 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“How Antibiotics Fight Bacteria” 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
How Antibiotics Fight Bacteria 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
Before antibiotics, doctors could often only try to make an infected patient comfortable.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Diseases caused by bacteria spread through communities with little to stop them, and doctors could often do no more than keep a patient comfortable and hope the body would win the fight on its own.”
- 2
Antibiotics are effective against illnesses caused by viruses.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “For the same reason, antibiotics have no effect on illnesses caused by viruses, such as the common cold or influenza.”
- 3
Some antibiotics work by preventing bacteria from building or repairing their outer wall.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Some antibiotics prevent bacteria from building or repairing this wall, so that the growing cell effectively bursts and dies.”
- 4
All of the bacteria living in the human gut are harmful.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Not all bacteria are enemies; the gut in particular is home to vast numbers of them that aid digestion and help keep harmful species in check.”
- 5
Stopping a course of antibiotics too early can leave the hardier bacteria alive.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “Stopping a course of treatment too early can be equally unwise, because it may leave behind the hardier bacteria that were slowest to be killed.”
- 6
The first antibiotic was discovered entirely by accident.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims the first antibiotic was discovered by accident, but the passage neither confirms nor denies this, as it focuses on the effects and mechanisms of antibiotics rather than their discovery.
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because bacteria are larger than human cells
- B. Because antibiotics target features that are unique to bacteria
- C. Because human cells have no genetic material
- D. Because antibiotics are always taken in very small doses
- 7
Why can antibiotics harm bacteria without harming the patient's own cells?
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Answer: B — Because antibiotics target features that are unique to bacteria
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Because antibiotics target features that are unique to bacteria.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Because antibiotics target features that are unique to bacteria, they can attack the invaders without harming the patient's own cells.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. One that acts against a wide range of bacteria
- B. One effective only against a single type of bacterium
- C. One that also works against viruses
- D. One that cannot cause resistance
- 8
What is a 'broad-spectrum' antibiotic?
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Answer: A — One that acts against a wide range of bacteria
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — One that acts against a wide range of bacteria.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Some drugs, described as broad-spectrum, act against a wide range of bacteria, while others are narrow-spectrum and effective only against particular types.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Antibiotics create entirely new kinds of bacteria.
- B. The immune system produces resistance to the drug.
- C. Resistant bacteria survive treatment and reproduce, passing on their resistance.
- D. Bacteria deliberately decide to change in order to survive.
- 9
How does antibiotic resistance develop in a population of bacteria?
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Answer: C — Resistant bacteria survive treatment and reproduce, passing on their resistance.
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — Resistant bacteria survive treatment and reproduce, passing on their resistance..
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “When that drug is used, the vulnerable bacteria die but the resistant ones survive and go on to reproduce, passing their resistance to the next generation.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. A world completely free of bacteria
- B. The dangerous era that existed before antibiotics were discovered
- C. A world with no viral infections
- D. A world using only broad-spectrum drugs
- 10
According to the passage, what would a world without working antibiotics resemble?
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Answer: B — The dangerous era that existed before antibiotics were discovered
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — The dangerous era that existed before antibiotics were discovered.
Evidence · Paragraph 8 “…for a world in which antibiotics no longer worked would resemble, in some respects, the dangerous era that existed before they were discovered.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What is the tough outer structure that surrounds many bacteria and holds the cell together?(max 3 words)
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Answer: wall (also accepted: outer wall)
Why: The answer “wall” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Many bacteria are surrounded by a tough outer wall that holds the cell together and protects it.”
- 12
What word describes a change in a bacterium's genetic material?(max 2 words)
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Answer: mutation (also accepted: a mutation)
Why: The answer “mutation” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…each time they divide there is a small chance of a change, or mutation, in their genetic material.”
- 13
What is described as the most serious problem facing antibiotics today?(max 2 words)
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Answer: resistance
Why: The answer “resistance” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “The most serious problem facing antibiotics today is resistance.”
- 14
Apart from broad-spectrum, what type of antibiotic is effective only against particular bacteria?(max 2 words)
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Answer: narrow-spectrum (also accepted: narrow spectrum)
Why: The answer “narrow-spectrum” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…while others are narrow-spectrum and effective only against particular types.”
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 “How Antibiotics Fight Bacteria” under exam conditions
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