Ahead of its Time- IELTS Reading Answers

The IELTS Reading Module offers a fantastic chance to achieve excellent scores. It assesses a candidate’s reading comprehension skills in English. You must comprehend the various question types in order to perform at your best in this area. Ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on a passage.

The Academic passage, Ahead of its Time reading answers, appeared in an IELTS Test. It contains some of the IELTS reading question types. If you are interested in familiarizing yourself with all the question types, don’t hesitate to take an IELTS reading practice test.

Now, let’s see how easy this passage is for you and if you’re able to make it in 20 minutes.

The question types found in this passage are:

• True/False/Not Given (Q.1-4)
• Flowchart Completion (Q. 5-9)
• Notes Completion (Q. 10-13)

Reading Passage

Ahead of its Time

A chance discovery in New Zealand has challenged the country’s recorded history

One October afternoon, a young New Zealander, Sam Tobin, called his dogs and went for a walk down to the nearby Ruamahanga River. Having been very high for days, the river had at last fallen, and Tobin was eager to see what changes the floods had brought. The family farm borders the river and a four-metre-high flood bank testifies to its natural tendency to flood.

Tobin stepped out onto a broad shoulder of river sand, where he noticed what he initially took to be a whitish rock, lit by the sun. Then, getting closer, he realised it was a bone. Such a thing was not uncommon in these parts-he had often come across bone fragments, or even whole skeletons, of cows and sheep. But as he scraped aside the stones he realised it was a human bone, something quite new in his experience. As he picked it up, he saw it was a skull, discoloured with age.

Tobin replaced the skull and hurried home to tell his mother what the river had delivered to their doorstep. It would prove to be a spectacular find, setting in motion an investigation by some of the country’s most respected specialists, and ultimately challenging our most firmly held assertions about the human settlement of New Zealand.

The police were immediately called, but despite a thorough search could find nothing that might shed light on the identity of the Ruamahanga skull, or the circumstances of its sudden appearance. The skull was then taken north to be examined by forensic pathologist Dr Ferris, at Auckland Hospital. Despite being hampered by its damaged and incomplete condition- the jawbone and lower left portion of the cranium were missing- Dr Ferris determined that the skull was that of a female. He then consulted with a colleague, Dr Koelmeyer, who believed that the deterioration of the bone placed the time of death before living memory’ and, most significantly as it would turn out, the skull appeared to be European in origin.

Wellington-based forensic anthropologist Dr Watt also examined the skull, and suggested it belonged to a 40-45 year-old. He believed that it could be the remains of an old farm burial, but was not certain, and proposed the use of radiocarbon dating to make sure it wasn’t a recent death. As a result, the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) in Lower Hutt was contacted, and provided with a sample of bone that had originated in the top of the skull. In a little over three weeks the seemingly astonishing results from the GNS laboratory came back. Cutting through the bewildering complexity of the scientific analysis was a single line reading: conventional radiocarbon age approximately 296 years. This was staggering, for the skull was about 200 years older than Dr Koelmeyer had believed.

Of course, a skull of this age wasn’t particularly unusual in New Zealand. The Maori people have been living in the country for at least 800 years and scientists frequently come across human remains of considerable age. The fascinating question, however, was how a skull of this race, let alone this gender, had reached these remote islands in the South Pacific at such a time, long before the arrival of the explorer Captain Cook in 1769, and perhaps even before the very first European landfall- the fleeting visit of the Dutch explorer Tasman in 1642- neither of whom had women among their crews.

The first known European women in the Pacific came with a doomed colonising venture which sailed from Peru in 1595 under the command of Spanish captain Mendana. However, it is unlikely the Ruamahanga skull originated from this expedition because no evidence of Mendana’s ships has ever been found in New Zealand, while a team of archaeologists working in the Solomon Islands in 1970 did discover the remains of European vessels dating from the 16th century.

Two centuries were to pass before the first recorded European females arrived in New Zealand, both having escaped from prison in Australia. Kathleen Hagerty and Charlotte Edgar are known to have reached the country in 1806. How do we account for the Ruamahanga skull, which appears to be about 100 years older than that? It is impossible to say with certainly, but the most likely explanation is that a Spanish or Portuguese trading-hip was washed onto these wild shores as a result of a shipwreck and a woman got ashore. Implausible, perhaps, but the Ruamahanga skull, today resting in the Wellington Museum, could be the kind of concrete evidence that demands such a re-evaluation of history.

Questions 1-4

1 The Ruamahanga River often floods.

2 When Tobin first found the object in the river, he mistook it for something else.

3 Tobin could not decide what part of the body the bone came from.

4 Tobin’s mother was surprised that the skull caused debate among specialists.

Questions 5 – 9

The events after the river flooded

Stage 1: Tobin found a human skull

Stage 2: The 5 __________   were initially involved in trying to explain the presence of the skull.

Stage 3: Dr Ferris believed the skull belonged to a female

Stage 4: Dr Koelmeyer suggested it was a 6 __________   skull

Stage 5: Dr Watt recommended 7 __________   to establish the skull’s age.

Stage 6: A bone 8__________  was sent to the GNS

Stage 7: The age of the skull was about 9 __________   years

Questions 10 – 13

The problem of the skull’s origins

– Old bones common in NZ-  Maori living there for 800 years

– Ruahahanga skull surprising because of its:

+ age

+ 10___________

+ gender

Mendana expedition

– Possible source of skull

– But probably did not visit NZ

– Evidence of this expedition found elsewhere by 11___________

New Zealand

– First European explorer arrived in 1642

– Hagerty and Edgar arrived in 1806 from 12___________  where they had been imprisoned

Possible solution

– Ruamahange skull may have reached NZ in 17th century after a 13___________

Answers of The World’s Expanding Waistline Reading Answers with Location and Explanations

1 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: First paragraph, 2-3 lines

Answer explanation: The paragraph mentions that the river had been high for days, which implies that the Ruamahanga River often experiences flooding.

2 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Second paragraph, 1-2 lines

Answer explanation:  The paragraph confirms that Tobin initially mistook the object (the skull) for something else.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in ‘Ahead of its Time Reading Answers’

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in ‘Ahead of its Time’ Reading Passage.

True/False/Not Given

In the IELTS Reading module, the ‘True, False, Not Given’ questions are grounded in factual information. You’ll be presented with a series of statements, and your task is to determine their accuracy based on the text provided. To approach these questions effectively, you can employ the following strategies:

• Analyze the Question and Identify Key Terms: Before delving into the reading material, take a moment to review your list of ‘True, False, and Not Given’ questions. This will help you understand what you need to look for.

• Scan the Passage for Synonyms or Paraphrases: Once you’ve pinpointed the keywords, conduct a quick scan of the text to identify synonyms or phrases that convey similar meanings.

• Match the Highlighted Terms: After identifying the relevant keywords, compare them with their corresponding synonyms or paraphrases in the passage. This step helps you find the answer.
• Determine the Answer: If the statements align with the information in the text, the answer is ‘TRUE.’ If there’s a contradiction, it’s ‘FALSE.’ If you can’t locate the answer or are uncertain, mark it as ‘NOT GIVEN.’

These strategies will enhance your ability to effectively navigate ‘True, False, Not Given’ questions on the IELTS Reading test.

Flowchart Completion:

Flowchart completion questions in the IELTS Reading test can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can tackle them effectively. Here are some tips to help you answer flowchart completion questions:

• Read the Instructions Carefully: Before you start filling in the flowchart, carefully read the instructions provided. Pay attention to details such as word limits and any specific requirements related to using words from the text. Adhering to these instructions is crucial.
• Scan for Keywords and Synonyms: Scan the text quickly to identify keywords and their synonyms or paraphrased terms. These keywords will guide you to the relevant information in the passage. Look for terms that match the blanks in the flowchart.
• Focus on the Sequence: Remember that the answers in the text usually follow the same order as the questions on the flowchart. Stay attentive to the sequence and context to correctly place the missing information.
• Check for Paraphrasing: Often, the answers may not be identical to the words in the flowchart. Look for paraphrased versions or synonyms of the keywords in the flowchart. These variations may lead you to the correct answers.

Notes Completion:

In the IELTS Reading test’s notes completion section, you’ll encounter tasks that require you to fill in the gaps in incomplete phrases with the appropriate words or numbers.

• Take a careful look at the provided instructions; they play a crucial role in determining specifics like word limits (e.g., no more than two words, one word, etc.) and essential terms such as ‘using words from the text’ or ‘from the text.’ It’s imperative to adhere to these guidelines strictly.

• Begin by reviewing the incomplete sentences. Additionally, consider the keywords and contemplate how they might be expressed through synonyms or paraphrased terms.

• Efficiently locate the relevant information by swiftly scanning the text. If you can’t immediately find it, don’t dwell—move on.

• Master the reading material through skimming and scanning techniques, as these methods facilitate the speedy identification of answers. While scanning for your response, keep in mind the use of paraphrasing and synonyms.
• It’s worth noting that the answers follow the same order as the questions. Furthermore, be attentive to your spelling and ensure that your answers are grammatically correct.

Also, check:

• How to complete IELTS Reading in less than 1 hour
• Useful IELTS Reading Website Resources & material for both Academic & General Training Module
• 101 IELTS Reading Past Papers With Answers PDF Download
• 15 Days’ Practice for IELTS Reading (PDF) with Answers (General And Academic)
• IELTS Reading Tips & Practice Test: Matching Headings to Paragraphs