How the Internet Sends Data Around the World: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “When you send a message, open a web page or make a video call, information travels between your device and a distant computer that may be on the other side of the planet. It is tempting to imagine this information flowing along a single unbroken thread, like water through a hose.”
- Passage length: about 809 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“How the Internet Sends Data Around the World” 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 the Internet Sends Data Around the World 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
Data sent across the internet travels as a single unbroken stream.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Almost everything you send is first chopped into many small pieces, and each piece makes its own journey across the network before the pieces are reassembled at the far end.”
- 2
Each packet carries a header that records its destination.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…every packet also carries a kind of label, sometimes called a header. The header records where the packet came from, where it is going, and which part of the whole message it represents.”
- 3
A router usually knows the entire path a packet will take to its destination.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “A router does not usually know the entire path to the far end of the journey.”
- 4
The packets of one message can travel by different routes.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…the packets of a single message need not all follow the same route.”
- 5
If a packet is lost, the receiving computer can ask for it to be sent again.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “If a packet fails to arrive, the receiving computer can notice the gap and ask for that piece to be sent again.”
- 6
Most internet cables today are made of glass fibre.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that most internet cables are made of glass fibre, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, as it only discusses how packets travel across the network.
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. So it can be made smaller
- B. So the pieces can be reassembled in the correct order
- C. So the router can delete it
- D. So it travels faster
- 7
Why does each packet record which part of the message it represents?
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Answer: B — So the pieces can be reassembled in the correct order
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — So the pieces can be reassembled in the correct order.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…it allows the pieces to be put back together in the correct order even if they arrive out of sequence.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. To translate names into numerical addresses
- B. To break messages into packets
- C. To move packets closer to their destination
- D. To store copies of every message
- 8
What is the main task of a router?
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Answer: C — To move packets closer to their destination
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — To move packets closer to their destination.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…specialised machines called routers, whose task is to move packets closer to their destination.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because every packet follows the same fixed path
- B. Because a single central office controls all traffic
- C. Because no single route is essential and traffic can flow around damage
- D. Because packets never get lost
- 9
Why is the network described as remarkably resilient?
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Answer: C — Because no single route is essential and traffic can flow around damage
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — Because no single route is essential and traffic can flow around damage.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Because no single route is essential, the network as a whole is remarkably resilient: damage to one part simply causes traffic to flow around the gap.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It reassembles the packets
- B. It looks up the numerical address that corresponds to a name
- C. It forwards packets between routers
- D. It divides a file into packets
- 10
What does the service that acts like a giant directory do?
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Answer: B — It looks up the numerical address that corresponds to a name
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — It looks up the numerical address that corresponds to a name.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…your computer first consults a service that acts like a giant directory, looking up the numerical address that corresponds to that name.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What are the small pieces into which data is divided called?(max 2 words)
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Answer: packets (also accepted: packet)
Why: The answer “packets” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The small pieces into which data is divided are called packets.”
- 12
What is the numerical label given to every device on the internet called?(max 3 words)
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Answer: an IP address (also accepted: IP address / ip address)
Why: The answer “an IP address” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…known as an IP address, which functions rather like a postal address.”
- 13
What is the name for the set of agreed rules that checks and reassembles packets?(max 2 words)
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Answer: a protocol (also accepted: protocol)
Why: The answer “a protocol” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…this is handled by a set of agreed rules known as a protocol.”
- 14
According to the final paragraph, no single what is in charge of the network?(max 2 words)
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Answer: machine (also accepted: single machine)
Why: The answer “machine” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…no single machine is in charge.”
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 the Internet Sends Data Around the World” under exam conditions
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