Cambridge IELTS Academic 21 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: Cambridge 21 Test 1 Answer / Cambridge IELTS 21 Reading Test 1 Answers /কেমব্রিজ ২১ টেস্ট ১-এর উত্তর

Cambridge 21 Test 1 Answer

Reading Passage 1: The Davies Sisters

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Analytical Explanation
1	mining	grandfather, wealth, transportation businesses	Passage 1, Paragraph 1, lines 1–2	The passage says David Davies built his fortune through the shipping and mining industries. Here: shipping = transportation business. The other industry was mining.
2	education	designed, interest, collecting art, early life	Passage 1, Paragraph 2, lines 1–2	The passage says the sisters’ education was carefully directed towards cultural pursuits such as art appreciation and collecting. Here: rigorously geared towards such pursuits = designed to encourage those interests.
3	notes	lengthy, art galleries, things they saw, governess	Passage 1, Paragraph 2, lines 2–4	The sisters travelled with their governess, visited galleries and made extensive notes about the collections. Here: extensive = lengthy; made = took.
4	journals	showed, liked, Old Master paintings	Passage 1, Paragraph 4, lines 1–2	The passage says the sisters’ journals reveal their preference for Old Master paintings. Here: reveal their preference = showed what they liked.
5	Venice	first Impressionist paintings, showed places, bought	Passage 1, Paragraph 5, lines 4–6	The sisters’ first Impressionist purchases were paintings by Claude Monet showing scenes of Venice. Here: scenes of Venice = places in Venice.
6	canteen	worked, soldiers, France, First World War	Passage 1, Paragraph 6, lines 4–5	During the war, both sisters volunteered at a canteen for troops in Troyes, northern France. Here: troops = soldiers.
7	friends	did not have, artists, isolation, typical collectors	Passage 1, Paragraph 8, lines 1–2	The passage says the sisters lived in rural isolation and did not make friends with artists or gallery owners. Here: did not make friends with artists = did not have friends who were artists.
8	TRUE	childhood, influenced, use their wealth	Passage 1, Paragraph 1, lines 3–6	The sisters received a religious upbringing in rural Wales, giving them a strong sense of social responsibility. They chose to use their inheritance (decided how to use wealth) for cultural and charitable purposes.
9	NOT GIVEN	Corot paintings, purchased, gallery, France	Passage 1, Paragraph 4, lines 6–7	The passage notes early purchases included paintings by French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, but does not state where they were purchased, if it was from a gallery, or if the gallery was in France.
10	FALSE	Hugh Blaker, opposed, French Impressionists	Passage 1, Paragraph 5, lines 1–4	The passage describes Hugh Blaker as a champion (supporter) of contemporary French art who had a hand in (helped influence) the sisters’ decision to collect Impressionist paintings, contradicting the claim that he opposed it.
11	NOT GIVEN	Cézanne paintings, Bath gallery, popular, public	Passage 1, Paragraph 7, lines 3–5	The passage states the paintings were sent to Bath and became the first works by Cézanne displayed in a British public gallery, but gives no information on visitor numbers or if it was popular.
12	TRUE	First World War, Gwendoline, reconsider, collecting art	Passage 1, Paragraph 9, lines 1–4	After the war, Gwendoline felt increasingly uncomfortable buying artworks (reconsidered collecting) because of the poverty and social upheaval created by the conflict (impact of the First World War).
13	TRUE	French Impressionist art, very few people, period	Passage 1, Paragraph 10, lines 1–3	The sisters collected French Impressionist paintings when this type of art was routinely ignored (attracted little interest) by individuals and institutions, meaning very few people were purchasing it.

Reading Passage 2: Why We Need Silence

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Analytical Explanation
14	C	strategies, decrease noise, public exposure	Passage 2, Section C, lines 1–8	Section C lists noise-reduction measures (quieter buses, noise-reducing surfaces, sound-absorbing greenery, bans on leaf blowers, vehicle fines), all of which are strategies to reduce public exposure.
15	B	data, extent, problem, excessive noise	Passage 2, Section B, lines 1–5	The section provides numerical data showing people in cities are exposed to more than 40 decibels at night, and one in five Europeans experiences harmful noise levels, demonstrating the problem's scale.
16	A	physiological changes, bodies, sudden noises	Passage 2, Section A, lines 2–5	The passage details how loud sounds change internal chemistry, listing physical responses like increased blood pressure, tense muscles, and hormone release.
17	G	relatively quiet, more beneficial, totally silent	Passage 2, Section G, lines 6–8	Participants in a study felt more relaxed and less bored sitting in an outdoor garden (relatively quiet) compared to a completely silent room (total silence).
18	breath	concentrate, own, relax, meditate, flotation tanks	Passage 2, Section D, lines 7–8	Justin Feinstein notes that focusing on (concentrating on) the breath helps people enter a relaxed or meditative state.
19	questionnaire	50 people, complete, before and after, experiment	Passage 2, Section E, lines 1–2	Feinstein and colleagues asked 50 people to answer (complete) a questionnaire before and after a flotation session.
20	wellbeing	relaxation, improved general, participants	Passage 2, Section E, lines 2–4	After an hour, participants reported less pain and tension, and experienced increased relaxation and overall (general) wellbeing.
21	depression	decreased brain activity, brain regions, associated with	Passage 2, Section E, lines 8–10	Scans showed reduced activity in the default mode network. The passage explicitly links (associates) this group of brain regions with depression.
22	C	unpleasant, upsetting, silent environment, against their will	Passage 2, Section F, lines 4–6	Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan states that when people do not voluntarily want silence (against their will), the experience can be very distressing (unpleasant/upsetting).
23	A	trend, quieter cities, increase, future	Passage 2, Section C, lines 8–9	Nick Antonio predicts cities will introduce more noise-reduction measures in the future, meaning we will "see much more of this" (the trend will increase).
24	B	no sensory input, brain compensates, images, sounds	Passage 2, Section D, lines 3–6	Justin Feinstein explains the brain tries to "fill the void" (compensates) when external sensory information is absent, producing humming sounds and visual effects.
25	D	short amount, silence, positive impact	Passage 2, Section G, lines 8–10	Eric Pfeifer says "a few minutes at a time" (short amount) of regular silence can "make a big difference" (positive impact).
26	C	external quietness, internal quietness, aware, appropriate response	Passage 2, Section F, lines 1–3	Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan states quietness in our environment and inner selves makes us more conscious of our surroundings (aware) and helps provide an adequate (appropriate) response.

Reading Passage 3: Book Review: The World of Sugar by Ulbe Bosma

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Analytical Explanation
27	B	cultivation, trading, sugar, first paragraph	Passage 3, Paragraph 1, lines 4–6	The reviewer states beet sugar received subsidies and sold at artificially low prices, making it more competitive and threatening cane sugar producers.
28	A	Britain, sugar market, second paragraph, stress	Passage 3, Paragraph 2, lines 1–6	The paragraph traces how British sugar sources changed over time, from colonial plantations to Cuba/Brazil, then European beet, and finally domestic beet.
29	C	third paragraph, popular belief, sugar cane, plantations	Passage 3, Paragraph 3, lines 1–5	The reviewer corrects a misconception ("contrary to popular belief") that cane sugar was grown only on large wealthy plantations, noting small farmers in Java also grew it.
30	A	overall message, final paragraph, sugar	Passage 3, Paragraph 8, lines 1–5	The reviewer concludes humans could have lived without sugar and highlights the book's examination of tragedies and damaging consequences, presenting the product as harmful and unnecessary.
31	H	Germany, US, depended on, large industries	Passage 3, Paragraph 4, lines 1–3	German and US fields utilized Polish, Mexican, Sicilian, and other foreign workers. "Imported labour" directly paraphrases "migrant workers".
32	E	South Asia, Latin America, continued, traditional methods	Passage 3, Paragraph 4, lines 4–7	Traditional methods continued on small farms in South Asia and Latin America, equating to small-scale cultivation.
33	I	sugar production, protect markets, capitalists, corporations	Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 1–4	The text references capitalists, dynasties, and corporations (powerful individuals and businesses) that remained influential to defend their economic interests.
34	A	Cuba, sugar industry, major influence	Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 2–5	Powerful sugar interests played a major role in politics and influenced the "policies of states" (national governments).
35	G	protect interests, producers, established	Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 4–5	Producers' interests were protected using trade barriers and subsidies, both of which serve as financial controls.
36	C	as a result, penalised, poor countries	Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 5–6	The passage states poorer countries "came off worse" in the industry struggle, meaning less wealthy nations were penalised.
37	YES	large quantities, agricultural developments, now available	Passage 3, Paragraph 7, lines 1–3	The passage notes sugar went from tiny amounts to being widely available due to techniques, plant varieties, fertilisers, and irrigation (agricultural developments).
38	NOT GIVEN	advertisers, initially marketed, luxury product	Passage 3, Paragraph 7, lines 3–4	While sugar was once "regarded as a luxury", the text does not state that advertisers were the ones who originally marketed it that way.
39	NO	invention, high-fructose corn syrup, positive development	Passage 3, Paragraph 7, lines 10–14	The reviewer explicitly calls high-fructose corn syrup a "worrying new development" and a leading cause of obesity, contradicting the idea that it is positive.
40	YES	high-fructose corn syrup, ingredient, processed foods	Passage 3, Paragraph 7, lines 12–14	High-fructose corn syrup has been "adopted in the making of" (used as an ingredient) soft drinks and a large number of (many) processed foods.