The Discovery of Antibiotics: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademiceasy
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About this passage
The passage opens: “For most of human history, a simple cut or a common infection could be a death sentence. Wounds turned poisonous, ordinary illnesses spread through the body unchecked, and doctors, however skilled, had almost no way to stop the tiny living things that caused such sickness.”
- Passage length: about 593 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Short Answer, Multiple Choice
“The Discovery of Antibiotics” 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
The Discovery of Antibiotics 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
Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacteria.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacteria, the microscopic single-celled organisms that cause a great many infections.”
- 2
Antibiotics are effective against viruses such as those that cause the common cold.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…they have no effect at all on viruses ... an antibiotic will do nothing for an ordinary cold”
- 3
Penicillin was first obtained from a type of mould.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “The mould, it turned out, was producing a substance that destroyed the bacteria, and that substance was given the name penicillin.”
- 4
Antibiotics were the first medicines ever invented by human beings.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims antibiotics were the first medicines ever invented, but the passage does not confirm or deny this; it only discusses antibiotics as a new kind of medicine in the twentieth century.
Closest related text · Paragraph 1 “All of this changed in the twentieth century with the arrival of a new kind of medicine, the antibiotic, which for the first time gave people a reliable weapon against bacterial disease.”
- 5
Using antibiotics too often can make bacteria resistant to them.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “When antibiotics are used too often, or are not used properly, most of the bacteria are killed but a few, which happen to be able to withstand the drug, survive.”
- 6
Bacteria that survive treatment can pass their resistance to later generations.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “These survivors then multiply, passing their resistance on to the next generation”
Questions 7–12: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
- 7
What kind of microscopic organism causes the infections that antibiotics can treat?(max 3 words)
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Answer: bacteria
Why: The answer “bacteria” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacteria, the microscopic single-celled organisms”
- 8
In what year did Alexander Fleming make his discovery?(max 3 words)
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Answer: 1928
Why: The answer “1928” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “In 1928 a Scottish scientist named Alexander Fleming returned from holiday”
- 9
What had contaminated the laboratory dish in which Fleming was growing bacteria?(max 3 words)
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Answer: a mould (also accepted: mould / a stray mould)
Why: The answer “a mould” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…had become contaminated by a stray mould.”
- 10
What was the name given to the first antibiotic?(max 3 words)
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Answer: penicillin
Why: The answer “penicillin” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…that substance was given the name penicillin. It was the first of the antibiotics”
- 11
What growing danger now threatens to make common infections deadly again?(max 3 words)
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Answer: antibiotic resistance (also accepted: resistance)
Why: The answer “antibiotic resistance” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “This growing danger is known as antibiotic resistance”
- 12
What are patients advised to finish even after they begin to feel better?(max 3 words)
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Answer: the full course (also accepted: full course / the course)
Why: The answer “the full course” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…to finish the full course even after they begin to feel better”
Question 13: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. because colds are too mild to treat
- B. because a cold is caused by a virus, not by bacteria
- C. because antibiotics are too expensive
- D. because colds are caused by very large bacteria
- 13
Why will an antibiotic do nothing for an ordinary cold?
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Answer: B — because a cold is caused by a virus, not by bacteria
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — because a cold is caused by a virus, not by bacteria.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…an antibiotic will do nothing for an ordinary cold or for influenza, both of which are caused by viruses rather than by bacteria.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 13 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 |
|---|---|
| 13 / 13 | 9.0 |
| 12 / 13 | 8.5 |
| 11 / 13 | 7.5 |
| 10 / 13 | 7.0 |
| 9 / 13 | 6.5 |
| 8 / 13 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 13 | 5.5 |
| 5–6 / 13 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 13 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 13 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 13 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 13 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 13 | 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 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 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 strategyPractise “The Discovery of Antibiotics” under exam conditions
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