How Skyscrapers Are Built to Stand Tall: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “A tall building is, from an engineer's point of view, a remarkable balancing act between the forces that push a structure up and the forces that try to bring it down. The most obvious of these forces is gravity, which pulls the enormous weight of concrete, steel and glass towards the ground.”
- Passage length: about 796 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“How Skyscrapers Are Built to Stand Tall” 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 Skyscrapers Are Built to Stand Tall 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 dead load of a building refers to the weight of the structure itself.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “This downward load, known as the dead load, is the constant weight of the building itself.”
- 2
Stone and brick are weak when they are compressed.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Stone and brick are strong when squeezed but weak when stretched or bent, so walls had to be made thicker and thicker to support the floors above.”
- 3
In a modern skyscraper the outer wall supports the weight of the building.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The outer wall no longer holds the building up; it merely keeps out the weather.”
- 4
Engineers design tall towers to be completely rigid so that they cannot move at all.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Engineers therefore design towers to sway, because a structure that is completely rigid would be far more likely to crack than one that can bend a little and recover.”
- 5
Scale models of very tall towers are tested in wind tunnels before construction.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Very tall towers are tested in wind tunnels, where scale models are exposed to carefully controlled currents of air so that engineers can study how the design behaves before it is built.”
- 6
Steel frames are more expensive than reinforced concrete frames.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that steel frames are more expensive than reinforced concrete frames, but the passage never confirms or denies this, only discussing their structural roles in supporting tall buildings.
Closest related text · Paragraph 2 “The breakthrough that made the modern skyscraper possible was the development of a strong internal skeleton, usually made of steel or reinforced concrete.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Making the outer stone walls even thicker
- B. The development of a strong internal skeleton of steel or reinforced concrete
- C. Removing the live load from the building
- D. Building foundations directly on soft soil
- 7
What made the modern skyscraper possible, according to the passage?
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Answer: B — The development of a strong internal skeleton of steel or reinforced concrete
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — The development of a strong internal skeleton of steel or reinforced concrete.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The breakthrough that made the modern skyscraper possible was the development of a strong internal skeleton, usually made of steel or reinforced concrete.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. To make the concrete lighter
- B. To help the concrete resist compression
- C. To add tensile strength that concrete lacks
- D. To prevent the building from swaying in the wind
- 8
Why are steel bars embedded inside concrete?
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Answer: C — To add tensile strength that concrete lacks
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — To add tensile strength that concrete lacks.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “By embedding steel bars inside it, engineers combine the compressive strength of the concrete with the tensile strength of the steel, producing a material that can cope with both kinds of stress.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. To increase the total weight the foundations must carry
- B. To swing opposite to the building and cancel out much of the sway
- C. To make the outer wall waterproof
- D. To transfer the dead load into the columns
- 9
What is the purpose of a tuned mass damper?
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Answer: B — To swing opposite to the building and cancel out much of the sway
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — To swing opposite to the building and cancel out much of the sway.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…engineers may place a heavy weight near the top of the tower, held by springs or fluid, which swings in the opposite direction to the building and cancels out much of the sway.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. The height of neighbouring buildings
- B. The type of ground at the site
- C. The colour of the outer covering
- D. The number of people who will use the building
- 10
According to the passage, what determines the design of a skyscraper's foundation?
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Answer: B — The type of ground at the site
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — The type of ground at the site.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “The design of the foundation depends heavily on the type of ground at the site, which is why engineers study the soil and rock carefully before construction begins.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What term describes the changing weight of the people and furniture a building carries?(max 3 words)
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Answer: live load (also accepted: the live load)
Why: The answer “live load” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Added to it is the live load, the changing weight of the people, furniture and equipment that a building must carry as it is used.”
- 12
What kind of concrete combines the strengths of concrete and steel?(max 2 words)
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Answer: reinforced concrete
Why: The answer “reinforced concrete” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Reinforced concrete is central to this achievement.”
- 13
Which force does the passage say is often a more difficult problem for a tall tower than weight?(max 2 words)
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Answer: wind
Why: The answer “wind” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Wind is often the more difficult problem.”
- 14
What deep columns are sunk into soft ground until they reach firm rock?(max 2 words)
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Answer: piles
Why: The answer “piles” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…engineers sink deep columns called piles far down until they reach firm rock or dense soil that can bear the load.”
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 Skyscrapers Are Built to Stand Tall” under exam conditions
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