The Marathon and the Limits of Endurance: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “The marathon is measured today at exactly 42.195 kilometres, an oddly precise figure with a curious history. Its name comes from an ancient Greek legend.”
- Passage length: about 737 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: Table Completion, Note Completion, Short Answer
“The Marathon and the Limits of Endurance” 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 Marathon and the Limits of Endurance answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Complete the table using ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Topic Detail Origin legend In 490 BC the Athenians defeated an army of (1) ______ at Marathon. First modern race The marathon was revived at the 1896 Olympic Games in (2) ______ . Standard distance The distance was fixed at the 1908 Olympics in (3) ______ . The 'wall' Runners tire suddenly when the body's store of (4) ______ runs low. Fuel During the race, runners take in (5) ______ to keep going.
- 1
In 490 BC the Athenians defeated an army of ______ at Marathon.(max 1 word)
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Answer: Persians
Why: The answer "Persians" is found in the passage's second sentence, which mentions that the Athenians defeated an invading army of Persians on the plain of Marathon in 490 BC.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “After the Athenians defeated an invading army of Persians on the plain of Marathon in 490 BC, a messenger, traditionally named Pheidippides, is said to have run all the way to Athens to gasp out news of the victory before collapsing and dying on the spot.”
- 2
The marathon was revived at the 1896 Olympic Games in ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: Athens
Why: The answer "Athens" is found in the passage where it states that the first modern marathon was run at the 1896 Games in Athens over a rough version of the legendary route.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “When the modern Olympic Games were founded, the organisers revived the story as a sporting event, and the first marathon was run at the 1896 Games in Athens over a rough version of the legendary route.”
- 3
The distance was fixed at the 1908 Olympics in ______ .(max 1 word)
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Answer: London
Why: The answer "London" is found in the passage where it explains that the marathon's standard distance of 42.195 kilometers was established at the 1908 Olympics held in London.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “The now-standard 42.195 kilometres was settled only at the 1908 Olympics in London, where, according to the usual account, the course was lengthened so that it could start beneath the walls of Windsor Castle and finish directly in front of the royal box inside the stadium.”
- 4
Runners tire suddenly when the body's store of ______ runs low.(max 1 word)
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Answer: glycogen
Why: The answer "glycogen" is found in the passage where it explains that runners experience sudden fatigue, known as "the wall," when their body's glycogen stores, the most readily available fuel, begin to deplete.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “Somewhere after about thirty kilometres many runners meet what they call the wall, a sudden and crushing fatigue that strikes when the body's store of glycogen, its most readily available fuel, begins to run out.”
- 5
During the race, runners take in ______ to keep going.(max 1 word)
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Answer: carbohydrates (also accepted: carbohydrate)
Why: The answer "carbohydrates" is derived from the passage section stating that runners experience fatigue when their glycogen, a readily available fuel, depletes, indicating glycogen is a form of carbohydrate.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “To hold it off, runners train their bodies to burn fuel efficiently and take in carbohydrates, in the form of drinks or gels, throughout the race.”
Questions 6–10: Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Complete the notes using ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Why humans are good long-distance runners Unlike most mammals, humans cool themselves by (6) ______ rather than panting. Human skin is almost (7) ______ , which helps the body lose heat. Elastic tendons, especially the (8) ______ tendon, store and return energy. A large (9) ______ muscle steadies the body while running. Early humans may have used running to (10) ______ animals over long distances.
- 6
Unlike most mammals, humans cool themselves by ______ rather than panting.(max 1 word)
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Answer: sweating (also accepted: sweat)
Why: The answer "sweating" is found in the passage where it explains that humans cool themselves by sweating over nearly hairless skin, unlike most mammals that pant to shed heat.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “Most mammals shed heat by panting, which cannot be sustained at full speed for long, whereas humans sweat over a nearly hairless skin, allowing the body to lose heat continuously even while running hard.”
- 7
Human skin is almost ______ , which helps the body lose heat.(max 1 word)
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Answer: hairless
Why: The answer "hairless" is found in the passage where it explains that humans have nearly hairless skin, which allows them to lose heat continuously while running, unlike most mammals that rely on panting.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “Most mammals shed heat by panting, which cannot be sustained at full speed for long, whereas humans sweat over a nearly hairless skin, allowing the body to lose heat continuously even while running hard.”
- 8
Elastic tendons, especially the ______ tendon, store and return energy.(max 1 word)
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Answer: Achilles
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it explains that the Achilles tendon, located at the heel, stores energy with each footfall and releases it like a catapult, contributing to efficient running.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “Springy tendons, above all the Achilles tendon at the heel, store energy at each footfall and return it like a catapult, and the large gluteus muscle of the buttock, unusually big in humans, braces the trunk with every stride.”
- 9
A large ______ muscle steadies the body while running.(max 1 word)
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Answer: gluteus
Why: The answer "gluteus" is found in the passage where it mentions that the large gluteus muscle of the buttock stabilizes the trunk with every stride during running.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “Springy tendons, above all the Achilles tendon at the heel, store energy at each footfall and return it like a catapult, and the large gluteus muscle of the buttock, unusually big in humans, braces the trunk with every stride.”
- 10
Early humans may have used running to ______ animals over long distances.(max 1 word)
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Answer: hunt (also accepted: chase)
Why: The answer "hunt" comes from the passage section discussing the endurance running hypothesis, which suggests that early humans evolved to run long distances possibly to hunt by chasing animals until they overheated.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “According to what is known as the endurance running hypothesis, our ancestors evolved bodies suited to covering great distances on foot, quite possibly in order to hunt.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- 11
What is the standard length of a marathon in kilometres?(max 3 words)
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Answer: 42.195 (also accepted: 42.195 km / 42.195 kilometres)
Why: The passage states that the marathon is currently measured at exactly 42.195 kilometres, a standard set during the 1908 Olympics in London.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “The now-standard 42.195 kilometres was settled only at the 1908 Olympics in London, where, according to the usual account, the course was lengthened so that it could start beneath the walls of Windsor Castle and finish directly in front of the royal box inside the stadium.”
- 12
According to legend, who ran to Athens to announce the victory?(max 3 words)
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Answer: Pheidippides
Why: The answer is found in the second sentence of the passage, which states that a messenger named Pheidippides is traditionally said to have run to Athens to deliver news of the victory.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “After the Athenians defeated an invading army of Persians on the plain of Marathon in 490 BC, a messenger, traditionally named Pheidippides, is said to have run all the way to Athens to gasp out news of the victory before collapsing and dying on the spot.”
- 13
Which runner covered the marathon distance in under two hours in 2019?(max 3 words)
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Answer: Eliud Kipchoge (also accepted: Kipchoge)
Why: The passage does not provide information about any runner covering the marathon distance in under two hours in 2019.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “Even elite athletes must ration their effort with great care, and the very fastest have pushed the limits astonishingly far: in a specially arranged event in 2019, the Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge covered the marathon distance in under two hours, a time so remarkable that it was not accepted as an official record but which showed just how far human endurance can be stretched.”
- 14
What name do runners give to the sudden fatigue caused by low glycogen?(max 3 words)
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Answer: the wall (also accepted: wall / hitting the wall)
Why: The answer is found in the last paragraph, where it describes that many runners experience a sudden and intense fatigue, referred to as "the wall," when their glycogen stores are depleted.
Where to find it · Paragraph 5 “Somewhere after about thirty kilometres many runners meet what they call the wall, a sudden and crushing fatigue that strikes when the body's store of glycogen, its most readily available fuel, begins to run out.”
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
Table 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 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 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 Marathon and the Limits of Endurance” under exam conditions
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