Cutty Sark Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test with Answers

This passage covers the history of the Cutty Sark, a British clipper ship built in 1869 for the tea trade. It describes the ship's construction, its rivalry with the Thermopylae, its transition to the wool trade, its sale to a Portuguese company, and its eventual preservation as a museum ship in Greenwich, London. The passage is sourced from Cambridge IELTS 11, Academic Test 2, Passage 1.
 

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–14, which are based on the passage below.

The passage contains two question types: True/False/Not Given (Questions 1–7) and Sentence Completion (Questions 8–14).

Paragraph A 

The Cutty Sark was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the most famous sailing ships of all time. She was launched at Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1869, and was originally intended to compete in the tea trade between China and Britain. However, the opening of the Suez Canal in the same year changed the economics of the tea trade. The route through the canal was shorter for steamships, which could travel at a reliable speed regardless of wind, and they soon began to take over this trade from sailing ships. The Cutty Sark made just eight voyages in the tea trade before this cargo became unprofitable.

Paragraph B 

The Cutty Sark's designers wanted to combine speed with a large cargo capacity. The ship was constructed with a composite hull, an iron frame planked with wood, which was both strong and light. Her sail plan was also enormous: a total sail area of 2,973 square metres. She was among the first ships to be fitted with a short iron bowsprit, the spar pointing forward from the bow, and this contributed to her speed, as did the shape of the hull. She could carry 1,300 tonnes of cargo at speeds up to 17.5 knots.

Paragraph C 

In 1872, Cutty Sark shifted to carrying wool from Australia to Britain, and she set impressive records on this route. She could make the journey from Australia to England in approximately 72 days, which was considerably faster than most other ships. Her best run in a single day was 363 nautical miles. She dominated the wool-carrying trade because no other ship could match her speed in light winds, and she carried the wool in better condition than steamships.

Paragraph D 

The Cutty Sark's greatest rival was the Thermopylae, another famous clipper built in 1868. The two ships raced each other on several occasions. In 1872, both ships left Shanghai on the same day. The Cutty Sark was ahead for most of the journey, but she lost her rudder in the Indian Ocean during a storm. Despite this setback, her crew managed to make a temporary rudder and she still arrived home only a week behind the Thermopylae. This near-victory was seen as a triumph given the damage she had sustained.

Paragraph E 

In 1895, the Cutty Sark was sold to a Portuguese shipping company, J.A. Ferreira & Co., and she was renamed Ferreira. Under Portuguese ownership, she continued carrying general cargo across the Atlantic. She now had a reduced rig, her sail area was significantly cut down, because cargo mattered more than speed. By this stage, the great era of sail was over. Steamships had taken over most trade routes, and sailing ships could no longer compete except in very specific trades. The change in the shipping industry also meant that the Cutty Sark's value was no longer in her speed but purely in her capacity to carry cargo.

Paragraph F 

In 1916, a severe storm damaged the Cutty Sark so badly that she was put into a Portuguese port for repairs. A British sea captain, Wilfred Dowman, saw her there and recognised her. He bought her back in 1922, restored her to something like her original appearance, and used her as a training ship at Falmouth. The ship was moved to the Thames Nautical Training College at Greenhithe in 1938. Dowman's preservation of the ship is credited with saving her from being broken up, a fate that had befallen many other historic sailing vessels.

Paragraph G 

The Cutty Sark was moved to permanent dry dock at Greenwich in 1954, where she became a museum ship. A major restoration project began in 2006, costing £25 million. During this project, a serious fire broke out in 2007, causing significant damage. However, many of the ship's original timbers had already been removed for restoration elsewhere and were undamaged. After extensive repairs, the Cutty Sark reopened to the public in 2012. She remains one of only three 19th-century clipper ships still in existence and continues to draw visitors from around the world.

True/False/Not Given: Questions 1–7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? 

Write:

• TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
• FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
• NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. The opening of the Suez Canal had an impact on trade conditions for ships like the Cutty Sark.

2. The Cutty Sark was the first ship to be fitted with a short iron bowsprit.

3. Cutty Sark's crew were better paid than those of rival clipper ships.

4. In 1872, the Cutty Sark lost her rudder during the journey from Shanghai.

5. Under Portuguese ownership, the Cutty Sark was given a larger sail area.

6. Wilfred Dowman made a profit from selling tickets to visit the Cutty Sark.

7. A fire occurred while the Cutty Sark was undergoing restoration at Greenwich.

Sentence Completion: Questions 8–14

Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

8. After leaving the tea trade, the Cutty Sark began carrying _______ from Australia.

9. The Cutty Sark's main competitor in the tea and wool trades was the _______.

10. When sailing under the Portuguese flag, the Cutty Sark transported general _______.

11. In 2007, a serious _______ broke out during the ship's restoration.

12. Since 1954, the Cutty Sark has operated as a _______ ship at Greenwich.

13. The restoration project that started in 2006 cost _______.

14. After her sale to a Portuguese company, the ship's _______ area was significantly reduced.