How Bridges Stand Up: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “A bridge is a structure with a single stubborn purpose: to carry a load across a gap without falling into it. Everything about its design follows from the way it manages two opposing forces.”
- Passage length: about 803 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: Matching Sentence Endings, Table Completion, True / False / Not Given
“How Bridges Stand Up” 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 Bridges Stand Up answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Matching Sentence Endings
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-H, from the box below.
- A. mainly in compression, pushing outwards on its supports.
- B. is suited only to relatively short distances.
- C. under tension, stretched tight between tall towers.
- D. that wind alone could set a bridge dangerously swaying.
- E. both strong and light in weight.
- F. because stone was always cheaper than steel.
- G. that bridges should never be built across water.
- H. to shelter travellers from the rain.
- 1
A beam bridge is cheap and simple but
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Answer: B — is suited only to relatively short distances.
Why: The passage states that beam bridges are cheap and easy but suited only to relatively short spans because they sag and eventually break under their own weight if the gap is too wide.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “For this reason beam bridges are cheap and easy but suited only to relatively short spans.”
- 2
In an arch bridge the load is carried
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Answer: A — mainly in compression, pushing outwards on its supports.
Why: The passage states that in an arch bridge, the weight of the load is carried mainly in compression, traveling down the curve and pushing outwards on solid supports at either end.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “In an arch the weight of the load is carried mainly in compression, travelling down the curve and pushing outwards on solid supports at either end.”
- 3
In a suspension bridge the deck hangs from cables held
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Answer: C — under tension, stretched tight between tall towers.
Why: The passage states that in a suspension bridge, the deck hangs from cables that are under great tension, stretched between tall towers, which matches the description in option C.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “Here the deck hangs from cables that sweep between tall towers and are anchored firmly at each end.”
- 4
The collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge showed
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Answer: D — that wind alone could set a bridge dangerously swaying.
Why: The passage explains that the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed because the wind set it swaying, demonstrating that wind alone could dangerously affect a bridge's stability, aligning with the correct answer, D.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “In 1940 the newly built Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the United States began to twist and heave in a moderate wind, its long, slender deck rippling like a ribbon until it tore itself apart and fell into the water below.”
- 5
To span the greatest distances, engineers need materials that are
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Answer: E — both strong and light in weight.
Why: Suspension bridges, which span the greatest distances, require materials like steel cables that are strong in tension and light, as they must support the deck while being held under great tension between towers.
Where to find it · Paragraph 6 “Each new material, lighter and stronger than the last, has allowed engineers to throw their bridges across ever greater gaps, for the ambition to span the longest distances always demands materials that are at once strong and light.”
Questions 6–10: Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Complete the table using ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Feature Detail Beam bridge A flat deck on supports; good only for (6) ______ spans. Arch bridge Carries the load mainly in (7) ______ . Suspension bridge The deck hangs from cables held up by tall (8) ______ . Materials After iron, bridges were increasingly built from (9) ______ . Tacoma Narrows The bridge was destroyed by the (10) ______ .
- 6
A flat deck on supports; good only for ______ spans.(max 1 word)
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Answer: short
Why: The answer "short" is found in the passage where it explains that beam bridges are "suited only to relatively short spans.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “For this reason beam bridges are cheap and easy but suited only to relatively short spans.”
- 7
Carries the load mainly in ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: compression
Why: The passage explains that in an arch bridge, the weight of the load is carried mainly in compression, traveling down the curve and pushing outwards on solid supports at either end.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “In an arch the weight of the load is carried mainly in compression, travelling down the curve and pushing outwards on solid supports at either end.”
- 8
The deck hangs from cables held up by tall ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: towers
Why: The answer "towers" comes from the part of the passage describing suspension bridges, where it states that the deck hangs from cables that sweep between tall towers.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “Here the deck hangs from cables that sweep between tall towers and are anchored firmly at each end.”
- 9
After iron, bridges were increasingly built from ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: steel
Why: The answer "steel" comes from the part of the passage that explains how suspension bridges use cables made from many thousands of steel wires, highlighting the material's suitability for handling tension.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “The price of this reach is complexity and cost, for the towers must be sunk deep, the cables spun from many thousands of steel wires, and the anchorages built massive enough to hold the whole structure in tension for a century or more.”
- 10
The bridge was destroyed by the ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: wind
Why: The answer "wind" is supported by the passage's description of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster, where it states that the bridge began to twist and heave due to a moderate wind, leading to its collapse.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “In 1940 the newly built Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the United States began to twist and heave in a moderate wind, its long, slender deck rippling like a ribbon until it tore itself apart and fell into the water below.”
Questions 11–14: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 11
The Romans built arch bridges out of stone.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: The passage states that the Romans used stone to construct their arches, which are a type of bridge, and these structures have endured for centuries due to stone's strength in compression.
Where to find it · Paragraph 6 “The Romans had only stone and timber; the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries brought first cast iron and then wrought iron; and the modern age is built above all on steel and on reinforced concrete, in which steel bars lend tension-resisting strength to concrete that is otherwise strong only in compression.”
- 12
The suspension bridge is the best design for the longest spans.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: The passage states that for the longest spans, the suspension bridge is unrivalled, as it can cross distances that no beam or arch could manage.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “For the very longest spans, the suspension bridge is unrivalled.”
- 13
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed because too many vehicles crossed it at once.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: The passage states that the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed due to wind-induced swaying, not because of too many vehicles crossing it at once.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “In 1940 the newly built Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the United States began to twist and heave in a moderate wind, its long, slender deck rippling like a ribbon until it tore itself apart and fell into the water below.”
- 14
Reinforced concrete is stronger than every type of steel.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims reinforced concrete is stronger than every type of steel, but the passage never confirms or denies this, only discussing the strengths of stone, brick, and steel in compression and tension.
Closest related text · Paragraph 6 “The Romans had only stone and timber; the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries brought first cast iron and then wrought iron; and the modern age is built above all on steel and on reinforced concrete, in which steel bars lend tension-resisting strength to concrete that is otherwise strong only in compression.”
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
Matching Sentence Endings
- Read each beginning and predict its grammatical and logical continuation.
- Eliminate endings that cannot fit grammatically before consulting the text.
Common trap: Choosing an ending that is grammatically smooth but unsupported.
Full Matching Sentence Endings strategyTable Completion
- Read the table title, row labels and column headings aloud as a combined question.
- Predict the data type and note any units already printed outside the blank.
Common trap: Reading only the row label and ignoring the column.
Full Table Completion strategyTrue / 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 strategyPractise “How Bridges Stand Up” under exam conditions
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