The Standardisation of Time Zones: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Today we take for granted that the time shown on a clock in one city bears a fixed and predictable relationship to the time in another. Yet for most of human history there was no such system.”
- Passage length: about 733 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Standardisation of Time Zones” 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 Standardisation of Time Zones 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
For most of history, towns set their clocks according to the position of the sun.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Each town simply set its clocks by the sun, so that noon was the moment the sun stood highest in the local sky.”
- 2
The differences between local times caused serious problems for travellers on foot or on horseback.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “A traveller journeying by horse or on foot moved so gradually that the small differences between one town and the next were of no consequence.”
- 3
Railway companies needed a standard time in order to publish timetables and run trains safely.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…which needed to publish timetables and to run trains safely on shared tracks... railway operators began to adopt a single standard time along their lines.”
- 4
Every country accepted the Greenwich meridian as soon as the conference had agreed on it.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Not every country accepted the decision immediately, and some continued to use their own arrangements for years afterwards.”
- 5
The introduction of standard time zones was welcomed by absolutely everyone.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “The adoption of standard time zones did not please everyone. Some people objected that clocks would no longer tell the 'true' time given by the sun.”
- 6
The first railway to adopt a standard time was located in Britain.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims the first railway to adopt a standard time was in Britain, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, only mentioning that railway operators began adopting a single standard time along their lines.
Closest related text · Paragraph 3 “In response, railway operators began to adopt a single standard time along their lines, regardless of the varying local times of the towns they served.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. the telegraph
- B. the railway
- C. the mechanical clock
- D. the printing press
- 7
What invention mainly created the need for standard time?
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Answer: B — the railway
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the railway.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The situation began to change dramatically with the coming of the railway. Trains could carry people across long distances at speeds that had never before been possible.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. as bands running roughly north to south
- B. as circles centred on major cities
- C. as regions following the coastlines
- D. as squares of equal area
- 8
How were the time zones conceived?
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Answer: A — as bands running roughly north to south
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — as bands running roughly north to south.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “These zones were conceived as bands running roughly north to south, spaced so that the time changed by one hour from one zone to the next.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. a single world clock kept in one city
- B. the meridian through Greenwich as the prime meridian
- C. the abolition of all local times immediately
- D. a system based on the position of the moon
- 9
What did the international conference of the 1880s decide to adopt?
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Answer: B — the meridian through Greenwich as the prime meridian
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the meridian through Greenwich as the prime meridian.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…the delegates agreed to adopt the meridian passing through the observatory at Greenwich, near London, as the prime meridian, the line of zero longitude from which the zones would be counted.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. because the sun's position had become impossible to observe
- B. because clocks had become more accurate
- C. because coordinating activities across great distances had become indispensable
- D. because people no longer travelled by railway
- 10
Why did the practical advantages of standard time outweigh the objections?
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Answer: C — because coordinating activities across great distances had become indispensable
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — because coordinating activities across great distances had become indispensable.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…the ability to coordinate activities across great distances became indispensable, and this depended on everyone agreeing what time it was.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
By how much does the time change from one zone to the next?(max 2 words)
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Answer: one hour (also accepted: an hour)
Why: The answer “one hour” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…spaced so that the time changed by one hour from one zone to the next.”
- 12
Near which city is the observatory whose meridian was chosen as zero longitude?(max 2 words)
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Answer: London
Why: The answer “London” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…the meridian passing through the observatory at Greenwich, near London, as the prime meridian.”
- 13
What is the line of zero longitude called?(max 3 words)
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Answer: the prime meridian (also accepted: prime meridian)
Why: The answer “the prime meridian” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…as the prime meridian, the line of zero longitude from which the zones would be counted.”
- 14
What seasonal practice, introduced in many countries, has added complications to the system?(max 3 words)
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Answer: seasonal clock changes (also accepted: clock changes / seasonal clock change)
Why: The answer “seasonal clock changes” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 8 “…the introduction of seasonal clock changes in many countries, have added complications.”
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 Standardisation of Time Zones” under exam conditions
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