The Hanseatic League and Medieval Trade: 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: “During the later Middle Ages, much of the trade of northern Europe was dominated not by a single kingdom but by an alliance of merchant towns known as the Hanseatic League. Stretching around the shores of the Baltic and North Seas, this loose association of trading cities came to exercise remarkable economic power,…”
- Passage length: about 724 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Hanseatic League and Medieval Trade” 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 Hanseatic League and Medieval Trade 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
The Hanseatic League was a kingdom ruled by a single monarch.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “It was not a country, and it had no king, army or fixed capital, yet for several centuries it shaped the commerce and politics of northern Europe.”
- 2
Merchants joined together partly to protect one another from dangers such as piracy.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…such traders faced many dangers, including piracy at sea, robbery on land and unfair treatment in foreign markets. By banding together, merchants from different towns could protect one another.”
- 3
Salt was important to the trade because it was used for preserving food.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…and salt, which was essential for preserving food.”
- 4
The League's foreign trading posts were run entirely by local officials.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…the League's merchants, who often lived apart from the local population under their own rules.”
- 5
The League's assemblies were held in the same city every year.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that the League's assemblies were held in the same city every year, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, only mentioning that representatives met from time to time at assemblies.
Closest related text · Paragraph 6 “Representatives of the member towns met from time to time at assemblies to discuss common concerns and agree on joint action, but decisions could not easily be enforced on a town that chose not to comply.”
- 6
The rise of stronger nation states weakened the League's dominance.
Show answerHide answer
Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “The rise of stronger, more centralised nation states meant that powerful kings were increasingly able to control trade within their own borders and to resist the demands of foreign merchants.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. by producing luxury goods themselves
- B. by moving goods from where they were plentiful to where they were scarce
- C. by lending money to kings
- D. by charging tolls on all roads
- 7
How did the merchants of the League earn steady profits?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B — by moving goods from where they were plentiful to where they were scarce
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — by moving goods from where they were plentiful to where they were scarce.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “By moving these goods from the places where they were plentiful to the places where they were scarce, the merchants of the League earned steady profits.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. a large standing army
- B. the trade embargo
- C. control of the seas
- D. the printing of money
- 8
What was one of the League's most effective weapons against rulers who offended it?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B — the trade embargo
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the trade embargo.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…one of their most effective weapons was the trade embargo: by collectively refusing to trade with a ruler or town that had offended them, they could inflict serious economic damage and force concessions.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. the great distances between towns
- B. the absence of a firm central authority to enforce decisions
- C. the lack of any common language
- D. the refusal of merchants to travel
- 9
What made united action within the League difficult to sustain?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: B — the absence of a firm central authority to enforce decisions
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the absence of a firm central authority to enforce decisions.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…decisions could not easily be enforced on a town that chose not to comply. This lack of firm central authority... made united action difficult to sustain over the long term.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. it was suddenly destroyed in a single war
- B. it merged with a powerful kingdom
- C. it faded away gradually rather than being destroyed
- D. it was banned by all its member towns at once
- 10
How did the League ultimately come to an end?
Show answerHide answer
Answer: C — it faded away gradually rather than being destroyed
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — it faded away gradually rather than being destroyed.
Evidence · Paragraph 8 “In the end the League faded away rather than being destroyed, overtaken by the growth of the nation states that would dominate the modern world.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What kind of towns formed the Hanseatic League?(max 3 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: merchant towns (also accepted: trading towns / merchant)
Why: The answer “merchant towns” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…much of the trade of northern Europe was dominated not by a single kingdom but by an alliance of merchant towns known as the Hanseatic League.”
- 12
Which preserved fish was among the goods traded from the northern seas?(max 2 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: herring (also accepted: preserved herring)
Why: The answer “herring” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…fish, especially preserved herring, from the northern seas.”
- 13
What did the League establish in important foreign cities to conduct its trade?(max 3 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: permanent bases (also accepted: trading posts / bases / permanent bases in important foreign cities)
Why: The answer “permanent bases” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…the League established permanent bases in important foreign cities. These trading posts served as warehouses, lodgings and meeting places.”
- 14
Representatives of the member towns met from time to time at what kind of gatherings?(max 2 words)
Show answerHide answer
Answer: assemblies
Why: The answer “assemblies” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Representatives of the member towns met from time to time at assemblies to discuss common concerns and agree on joint action.”
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 “The Hanseatic League and Medieval Trade” 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
The Nomads of the Eurasian Steppe
medium
The Origins of Jazz
medium
The Origins of Opera
medium
The Origins of Paper Money
medium
The Origins of the Alphabet
medium
The Placebo Effect
medium