Lithium and the Battery Age: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
Haven't taken this test yet?
Looking at the answers first spoils the practice — you only get one honest first attempt at a passage. Take the test with the 20-minute timer, get an instant score and estimated band, then come back here to study every answer.
About this passage
The passage opens: “Lithium is the lightest of all metals, so soft that it can be cut with a knife and so reactive that it must be stored away from air and water. For most of its history it was a chemical curiosity of interest chiefly to scientists.”
- Passage length: about 771 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“Lithium and the Battery Age” 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
Lithium and the Battery Age answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 1
Lithium is a soft metal that can be cut with a knife.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Lithium is the lightest of all metals, so soft that it can be cut with a knife and so reactive that it must be stored away from air and water.”
- 2
Lithium-ion batteries lose their charge very quickly when they are not being used.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Lithium-ion batteries can also be charged and discharged many hundreds of times before their performance noticeably declines, and they lose their charge relatively slowly when not in use.”
- 3
Lithium is rare and almost entirely absent from the Earth's crust.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Although lithium itself is reasonably abundant in the Earth's crust, deposits that can be exploited profitably are concentrated in a handful of countries, and the facilities that refine the raw material into battery-grade chemicals are more concentrated still.”
- 4
The evaporation method of extracting lithium can bring mining companies into conflict with local farmers over water.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “The evaporation process consumes vast quantities of water in regions that are often already extremely dry, and this can bring mining companies into conflict with local farmers and communities who depend on the same scarce supply.”
- 5
Electric vehicles powered by lithium batteries are cheaper to buy than petrol cars.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that electric vehicles with lithium batteries are cheaper than petrol cars, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, only mentioning that battery packs are heavy and costly parts of electric vehicles.
Closest related text · Paragraph 2 “A single electric car may contain thousands of individual cells, and the battery pack is typically one of the heaviest and most costly parts of the whole vehicle, which is why even small improvements in the way lithium is packed into a cell can translate into meaningful gains in range or price.”
- 6
Recycling used lithium batteries has been limited by the difficulty of collecting them and by complex separation processes.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “In practice, recycling has been held back by the difficulty of collecting used batteries and by the complex processes required to separate their valuable components.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It allows batteries to store a large amount of energy without adding much weight
- B. It makes batteries cheaper to manufacture
- C. It prevents batteries from overheating
- D. It removes the need for recharging
- 7
Why is lithium's light weight particularly valuable in batteries?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A — It allows batteries to store a large amount of energy without adding much weight
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — It allows batteries to store a large amount of energy without adding much weight.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Being extremely light, it allows batteries to store a large amount of energy without adding much weight, a quality that matters enormously in a car or a phone.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. By heating spodumene at high temperatures
- B. By spreading the brine in ponds so the sun evaporates the water
- C. By filtering the brine through reeds
- D. By freezing the salty water
- 8
According to the passage, how is lithium obtained from underground brine?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B — By spreading the brine in ponds so the sun evaporates the water
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — By spreading the brine in ponds so the sun evaporates the water.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “There the brine is spread across enormous ponds and left for many months, so that the sun evaporates the water and gradually concentrates the lithium that remains.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. The metal is running out worldwide
- B. Exploitable deposits and refining are concentrated in a few countries
- C. No country is willing to mine it
- D. Batteries can no longer be manufactured
- 9
What concern does the passage raise about the global supply of lithium?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B — Exploitable deposits and refining are concentrated in a few countries
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Exploitable deposits and refining are concentrated in a few countries.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “This uneven distribution has raised worries about the security of supply, since a disruption in one region could ripple through the global market.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Sodium
- B. Copper
- C. Spodumene
- D. Carbon
- 10
Which alternative element is mentioned as a possible replacement for lithium in some battery designs?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: A — Sodium
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — Sodium.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “Some designs replace it with sodium, a far more common element, while others aim to squeeze more energy from each unit of lithium so that less is needed overall.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
Which hard-rock mineral is named as a source of lithium?(max 2 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: spodumene
Why: The answer “spodumene” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “The first is hard rock, chiefly a mineral called spodumene, which is mined from the ground and then processed at high temperatures to extract the lithium it contains.”
- 12
By what name is the lithium-rich region of South America sometimes known?(max 3 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: the lithium triangle (also accepted: lithium triangle)
Why: The answer “the lithium triangle” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “The second is underground brine, salty water pumped from beneath dry salt flats, most famously in a region of South America sometimes called the lithium triangle.”
- 13
Which type of vehicle is described as the leading driver of demand for lithium?(max 2 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: electric vehicles (also accepted: electric vehicle)
Why: The answer “electric vehicles” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…it lies at the heart of the rechargeable batteries that power mobile phones, laptops and, above all, electric vehicles.”
- 14
What process, involving the recovery of lithium from spent batteries, is widely seen as part of the solution?(max 2 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: recycling
Why: The answer “recycling” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Recycling is widely seen as part of the answer.”
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 “Lithium and the Battery Age” under exam conditions
Free, auto-marked, with the 20-minute timer and an instant band estimate.
Take this test first (timed)More IELTS Reading tests with answers
Greenfield Public Library Services
easy
Guided Walking Tours of the Old Town
easy
Hillcrest Leisure Centre: Notices for Members
easy
How Antibiotics Fight Bacteria
medium
How Birds Learn to Sing
medium
How Bridges Stand Up
medium