How the World Agreed on the Time: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “For most of human history, every town kept its own time, and no one thought this strange. Noon was simply the moment when the sun stood highest in that particular sky, and the town clocks were set to match.”
- Passage length: about 757 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: Matching Sentence Endings, Note Completion, Multiple Choice — Multiple Answers, True / False / Not Given
“How the World Agreed on the Time” 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 World Agreed on the Time answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Matching Sentence Endings
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-H, from the box below.
- A. by the position of the sun in its own sky.
- B. began to cause confusion and even accidents.
- C. adopted a single standard time for all their trains.
- D. divided the continent into a set of time zones.
- E. as the starting point for the world's time zones.
- F. because sundials were more accurate than clocks.
- G. so that farmers could plan their harvests.
- H. in order to reduce the cost of building track.
- 1
Before the railways, each town set its clocks
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Answer: A — by the position of the sun in its own sky.
Why: The passage states that before the railways, each town kept its own time by setting clocks to noon when the sun stood highest in that particular sky, indicating time was determined by the sun's position.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “Noon was simply the moment when the sun stood highest in that particular sky, and the town clocks were set to match.”
- 2
As trains grew faster, differences between local times
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Answer: B — began to cause confusion and even accidents.
Why: As trains increased in speed, the passage explains that differences in local times led to confusion and accidents because trains running on clocks that disagreed could end up on the same track simultaneously.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “If every station along a line kept its own local time, a timetable became a nightmare to read and, worse, a danger: two trains running on clocks that disagreed could find themselves on the same stretch of track at the same moment.”
- 3
To make their timetables work, the railway companies
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Answer: C — adopted a single standard time for all their trains.
Why: The passage states that railway companies adopted a uniform standard time from the Greenwich observatory to ensure that timetables were consistent and to prevent accidents and confusion caused by differing local times.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “In Britain they adopted one uniform standard, taken from the Greenwich observatory in London, and spread it along their lines, a system that became known as railway time.”
- 4
In 1883 the railroads of North America
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Answer: D — divided the continent into a set of time zones.
Why: The passage states that in 1883, the railroads of the United States and Canada agreed to divide the continent into broad time zones, where all clocks within each zone would read the same.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “In 1883 the railroads of the United States and Canada agreed to divide the continent into a handful of broad time zones, within each of which all clocks would read the same, jumping by a whole hour at the boundaries between them.”
- 5
The 1884 conference chose the Greenwich meridian
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Answer: E — as the starting point for the world's time zones.
Why: The passage states that the 1884 conference agreed to measure the world's time from the Greenwich meridian, making it the starting point for all longitude and time zones.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “In 1884 delegates from many nations gathered at a conference in Washington and agreed to measure the world's time from a single line, the meridian passing through Greenwich, which was chosen as the prime meridian from which all longitude and all time zones would be counted.”
Questions 6–10: Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Complete the notes using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. The standardisation of time Traditionally, noon was the moment the (6) ______ was highest in the sky. Faster travel by (7) ______ made local time differences a serious problem. In Britain, the correct time was distributed using the (8) ______ . In 1883 North American railroads created several (9) ______ . In 1884 a conference chose (10) ______ as the world's prime meridian.
- 6
Traditionally, noon was the moment the ______ was highest in the sky.(max 2 words)
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Answer: sun
Why: The answer "sun" comes from the beginning of the passage, where it explains that traditionally, noon was defined as the moment when the sun was at its highest point in the sky.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “Noon was simply the moment when the sun stood highest in that particular sky, and the town clocks were set to match.”
- 7
Faster travel by ______ made local time differences a serious problem.(max 2 words)
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Answer: railway (also accepted: rail / train / trains / the railway)
Why: The answer "railway" is supported by the passage section stating that trains, which moved much faster than previous modes of transport, necessitated a standardized time to prevent accidents and confusion.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “As accidents and confusion multiplied, it became clear that the growing railway networks needed a single, shared time.”
- 8
In Britain, the correct time was distributed using the ______ .(max 2 words)
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Answer: telegraph (also accepted: electric telegraph / the telegraph)
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it mentions that the electric telegraph was used to quickly send the correct time from a central clock to distant stations in Britain.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “The electric telegraph, which could carry a signal down the wires almost instantly, made it possible to distribute the correct time from a central clock to distant stations, so that for the first time places hundreds of kilometres apart could be made to agree on the hour.”
- 9
In 1883 North American railroads created several ______ .(max 2 words)
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Answer: time zones
Why: The answer "time zones" is found in the passage where it describes how North American railroads solved the time standardization problem by dividing the continent into broad areas where all clocks would read the same.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “In 1883 the railroads of the United States and Canada agreed to divide the continent into a handful of broad time zones, within each of which all clocks would read the same, jumping by a whole hour at the boundaries between them.”
- 10
In 1884 a conference chose ______ as the world's prime meridian.(max 2 words)
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Answer: Greenwich
Why: The answer "Greenwich" is found in the passage where it mentions that delegates at a conference in Washington agreed to measure the world's time from the meridian passing through Greenwich, establishing it as the prime meridian.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “In 1884 delegates from many nations gathered at a conference in Washington and agreed to measure the world's time from a single line, the meridian passing through Greenwich, which was chosen as the prime meridian from which all longitude and all time zones would be counted.”
Question 11: Multiple Choice — Multiple Answers
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
- A. the railway companies
- B. makers of sundials
- C. an international conference held in 1884
- D. individual farmers
- E. ship captains alone
- 11
Which TWO groups introduced or agreed on standard time, according to the passage? Choose TWO letters.
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Answer: A — the railway companies; C — an international conference held in 1884
Why: The passage states that railway companies adopted a uniform standard time and an international conference in 1884 agreed to measure the world's time from the Greenwich meridian.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “In 1884 delegates from many nations gathered at a conference in Washington and agreed to measure the world's time from a single line, the meridian passing through Greenwich, which was chosen as the prime meridian from which all longitude and all time zones would be counted.”
Questions 12–14: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 12
Before the railways, towns set their clocks by the position of the sun.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: Before the railways, towns set their clocks according to the sun's highest point in the sky, which varied slightly between neighboring towns.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “Noon was simply the moment when the sun stood highest in that particular sky, and the town clocks were set to match.”
- 13
The North American time zones were introduced in 1900.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: The passage states that the North American time zones were introduced in 1883, not 1900.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “In 1883 the railroads of the United States and Canada agreed to divide the continent into a handful of broad time zones, within each of which all clocks would read the same, jumping by a whole hour at the boundaries between them.”
- 14
Standard time was adopted in Asia before it was adopted in Europe.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims standard time was adopted in Asia before Europe, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, only discussing the adoption of standard time in Britain and North America.
Closest related text · Paragraph 3 “In Britain they adopted one uniform standard, taken from the Greenwich observatory in London, and spread it along their lines, a system that became known as railway time.”
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 strategyNote Completion
- Use headings and indentation to identify the topic of each blank.
- Predict the answer type and mark the word limit.
Common trap: Treating bullets as unrelated when they belong to one passage section.
Full Note Completion strategyMultiple Choice — Multiple Answers
- Underline exactly how many answers are required.
- Locate the relevant passage section and read its full scope.
Common trap: Choosing too many or too few answers.
Full Multiple Choice — Multiple Answers 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 the World Agreed on the Time” under exam conditions
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