The Engineering of the Suspension Bridge: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademichard
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Of all the structures built by engineers, few are as graceful, or as daring, as the great suspension bridge. Where an ordinary bridge rests its roadway on a row of solid columns, a suspension bridge does something that at first seems almost impossible: it hangs its roadway in the air from slender cables, allowing it…”
- Passage length: about 766 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: Matching Features, True / False / Not Given, Table Completion
“The Engineering of the Suspension Bridge” 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 Engineering of the Suspension Bridge answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Matching Features
Look at the following statements and the list of bridge parts below. Match each statement with the correct part, A-D. You may use any letter more than once.
- A. the deck
- B. the main cables
- C. the towers
- D. the anchorages
- 1
It carries the traffic and is held up from above.
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Answer: A — the deck
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — the deck.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The roadway on which the traffic runs is called the deck ... in a suspension bridge it is supported from above”
- 2
It is squeezed by the weight pressing down and carries it to the ground.
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Answer: C — the towers
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — the towers.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “A tower is therefore held under compression, the squeezing force ... must be carried down to the solid ground or riverbed on which they stand.”
- 3
It is draped in a sweeping curve between the tops of the towers.
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Answer: B — the main cables
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the main cables.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “These main cables are draped in a long, sweeping curve between the tops of the towers”
- 4
It holds the ends of the cables and stops them being dragged inward.
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Answer: D — the anchorages
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports D — the anchorages.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “The anchorages hold the ends of the cables fast and resist this steady, powerful pull”
- 5
The vertical hangers drop down from it to hold up the deck.
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Answer: B — the main cables
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the main cables.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…vertical steel ropes called hangers, which drop down from the sweeping main cables at regular intervals and hold the deck up”
Questions 6–9: 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.
- 6
In a suspension bridge the deck hangs from cables rather than resting on columns.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…in a suspension bridge it is supported from above, hanging from the cables that soar overhead.”
- 7
The main cables of a suspension bridge are held under tension.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…the main cables are stretched with tremendous force; they are held constantly under tension”
- 8
Suspension bridges can cross greater distances than most other kinds of bridge.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “The world's longest bridges are almost all of this type, striding in a single bound across wide rivers and deep straits where piers could never be built.”
- 9
Suspension bridges are cheaper to build than any other type of bridge.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims suspension bridges are cheaper to build, but the passage never confirms or denies this, focusing instead on their design, structure, and the balance of forces involved in their construction.
Closest related text · Paragraph 2 “In most bridges the deck is supported from below, but in a suspension bridge it is supported from above, hanging from the cables that soar overhead.”
Questions 10–14: Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Complete the table using ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Part of the bridge What it does Main cables Hang in a sweeping curve from the towers and are held under (10) ______ because the whole deck hangs from them. Towers Carry the weight straight downward and are held under (11) ______ . (12) ______ Fasten the ends of the cables into the ground and resist their inward pull. (13) ______ Vertical steel ropes that pass the deck's load up to the main cables. The whole design Its chief advantage is being able to cross a very long (14) ______ .
- 10
Hang in a sweeping curve from the towers and are held under ______ because the whole deck hangs from them.(max 1 word)
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Answer: tension
Why: The answer “tension” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…they are held constantly under tension, which is the pulling force”
- 11
Carry the weight straight downward and are held under ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: compression
Why: The answer “compression” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “A tower is therefore held under compression, the squeezing force”
- 12
______(max 1 word)
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Answer: anchorages (also accepted: anchorage)
Why: The answer “anchorages” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “The anchorages hold the ends of the cables fast”
- 13
______(max 1 word)
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Answer: hangers (also accepted: hanger)
Why: The answer “hangers” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…the deck is joined to the cables above it by a great many vertical steel ropes called hangers”
- 14
Its chief advantage is being able to cross a very long ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: span
Why: The answer “span” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “The suspension design allows engineers to build across a very long span”
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 Features
- Read the list of options (the features) and locate each one in the passage, underlining every place it appears — names and dates are easy to spot.
- Read the statements and identify the claim or characteristic each one describes.
Common trap: Assuming each option is used exactly once — some are reused and some are distractors.
Full Matching Features 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 strategyTable Completion
- Read the table title, row labels and column headings aloud as a combined question.
- Predict the data type and note any units already printed outside the blank.
Common trap: Reading only the row label and ignoring the column.
Full Table Completion strategyPractise “The Engineering of the Suspension Bridge” under exam conditions
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