Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Answers

Thе Canals оf De Lesseps is a real Reading test passage that appeared in the IELTS. With diligent practice, the Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS Aspirants. To score well, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the Reading Module.

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Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Passage 

A. Two of the most spectacular engineering feats of the last 200 years were of the same type though thousands of miles apart. They were the construction of the Suez and Panama canals. The Panama Canal joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans while the Suez joins the Red Sea (Indian Ocean) and the Mediterranean (Atlantic Ocean). Both offer ships huge savings in time and mileage. For example, a nine hour trip on the Panama Canal would save a total of 18,000 miles on a trip from New York to San Francisco. Amazingly enough the same French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, played a major part in the construction of both.

B.History of the Panama Canal goes back to 16th century with a survey of the isthmus and a working plan for a canal ordered by the Spanish government in 1529. In the 18th century various companies tried and failed to construct the canal but it wasn’t until 1880 that a French company, organised by Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps, proposed a sea level canal through Panama. He believed that if a sea level canal
worked when constructing the Suez Canal, it must work for the Panama Canal. Finally the Panama Canal was constructed in two stages.

C.The first between 1881 and 1888, the work being carried out by the French company headed by de Lesseps, and secondly, the work by the Americans which eventually completed the canal’s construction between 1904 and 1914. The French company ran out of money and an attempt was unsuccessful to raise funds by applying to the French government to issue lottery bonds which had been successful during the construction of the Suez Canal when that project was at the point of failure through lack of money. The French problems stemmed from their inability to create a viable solution to the differences in tidal changes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

D. There is a tidal range of 20 feet at the Pacific whereas the Atlantic range is only about 1 foot. The Americans proposed that a tidal lock should be constructed at Panama which solved the problem and reduced excavation by an enormous amount. When construction was finally finished, the canal ran through various locks, four dams and ran the lengths of two naturally occurring lakes, the 32 mile Gatun Lake
and the 5 mile Miraflores Lake.

E. When the US took on finishing the canal they and the new state of Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla treaty, by which the United States guaranteed the independence of Panama and secured a perpetual lease on a 10 mile strip for the canal. Panama was to be compensated by an initial payment of $10 million and an annuity of $250,000, beginning in 1913. On December 31st 1999 United States
transferred the 51 mile Panama Canal, the surrounding Panama Canal Area and the income back to the Panamanian government.

F. The idea of a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea also dates back to ancient times. Unlike the modern canal, earlier ones linked the Red Sea to the Nile, therefore forcing the ships to sail along the River on their journey from Europe to India. It consisted of two parts: the first linking the Gulf of Suez to the Great Bitter Lake, and the second connecting the Lake to one of the branches in the Nile Delta
that runs into the Mediterranean. The canal remained in good condition during the Ptolemaic era, but fell into disrepair afterwards and was completely abandoned upon the discovery of the trade route around Africa.

G. It was Napoleon’s engineers who, around 1800 AD, revived the idea of a shorter trade route to India via a Suez canal. However, the calculation carried out by the French engineers showed a difference in level of 10 metres between both seas. If constructed under such circumstances, a large land area would be flooded. Later the
digging of the canal was undertaken by the Ferdinand de Lesseps, who showed the previous French sea height estimates to be incorrect and that locks or dams were not needed.

H. In 1859, Egyptian workers started working on the construction of the canal inconditions described by historians as slave labour, and the project was completed around 1867. The canal is 163 km long, and has a width of a minimum of 60 metres. The canal cuts through three lakes, Lake Manzala in the north, Lake Timsah in the middle and the Great Bitter Lake further south. The largest, the Great Bitter Lake makes up almost 30 km of the total length. The canal is extensively used by modern ships as it is the fastest crossing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

I. In July 1956 the Egyptian president Nasser announced the nationalisation of the canal in response to the British, French and American refusal for a loan aimed at building the Aswan High Dam on the Nile. The revenue from the canal, he argued, would help finance the High Dam project. Since then the Egyptians have controlled
the canal. Today, approximately 50 ships cross the canal daily and the cities and beaches along the Great Bitter Lake and the canal serve as a summer resort for tourists.

Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1-8

Use the information in the text to match the statements (1 – 8) with the canal
references (A – D). Write the appropriate letter (A – D) in boxes 1 – 8 on your
answer sheet. Write:

A. if the statement refers to the Panama Canal.
B. if the statement refers to the Suez Canal.
C. if the statement refers to both the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal.
D. If the statement refers to neither the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal.
 
1. The surface of the whole canal is at sea level.
2. The canal’s construction had financial problems.
3. Dams had to be built to construct the canal.
4. The canal generates money for the country it passes through
5. Previous labour conditions of construction workers at the canal have been criticised.
6. The canal’s construction was held up by war.
7. The canal is also a holiday destination.
8. Over half the canal is within a single lake.

Questions 9-13

Read the passage The Canals of de Lesseps again and look at the statements
below. In boxes 9 – 13 on your answer sheet write:

TRUE                          if the statement is true
FALSE                        if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN                 if the information is not given in the passage

9. De Lesseps Suez Canal construction theories were equally successful in the building of the Panama Canal as they were in building the Suez Canal.

10. The decision to use locks in the Panama Canal also saved time doing other activities.

11. The US was not happy about returning the control of the Panama Canal to Panama.

12. The current Suez Canal is the second canal that has joined the Red Sea to the
Mediterranean.

13. The British government refused to give assistance in constructing the Suez Canal.

Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Answers

Let’s now review the answers to the questions from the passage in the reading section, Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Answers, and assess your improvement for a high IELTS Reading band score.

1 Answer: B

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph B, Last 2 lines

Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “He believed that if a sea level canal worked when constructing the Suez Canal, it must work for the Panama Canal. Finally the Panama Canal was constructed in two stages.” It is mentioned that the sea level is equal to the surface of the Suez Canal.

2 Answer: C

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph C, Lines 2

Answer explanation: A line in the paragraph denotes “the French company ran out of money and an attempt was unsuccessful to raise funds by applying to the French government to issue lottery bonds which had been successful during the construction of the Suez Canal when that project was at the point of failure through lack of money.” There was a financial problem during suez canal construction which was solved. A similar problem arose during construction of Panama canal also. So financial problems arose during construction of both the canals. Hence the answer is “C”.

3 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph D, Last line

Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “when construction was finally finished, the canal ran through various locks, four dams and ran the lengths of two naturally occurring lakes, the 32 mile Gatun Lake and the 5 mile Miraflores Lake.”  In order to construct the Panama Canal, various locks and 4 dams had to be built.

4 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2

Answer explanation:  A line in the paragraph denotes “Panama was to be compensated by an initial payment of $10 million and an annuity of $250,000, beginning in 1913. On December 31st 1999 United States transferred the 51 mile Panama Canal, the surrounding Panama Canal Area and the income back to the Panamanian government.” Here, we can observe that Panama Canal generated an initial payment of $10 million for the country it passed through. Also, Panama was compensated with the amount from the surrounding Panama Canal Area.

5 Answer: B

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph H, line 1

Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, information is paraphrased from the line, “In 1859, Egyptian workers started working on the construction of the canal in conditions described by historians as slave labor, and the project was completed around 1867. The canal is 163 km long, and has a width of a minimum of 60 metres.” In the previous paragraph, it is provided that Napolean revived the trade route to India via Suez Canal. Hence, here we can observe that historians discovered that in the year 1859 Egyptian workers started working on the same canal (Suez), and laborers who worked on it were treated as slaves.

6 Answer: D

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: No references to the war can be observed in the passage. Hence, the canal’s construction was held up by war statement refers to neither the Panama Canal nor the Suez Canal.

7 Answer: B

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph I, Last lines

Answer explanation: You can note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it states that “Since then the Egyptians have controlled the canal. Today, approximately 50 ships cross the canal daily and the cities and beaches along the Great Bitter Lake and the canal serve as a summer resort for tourists.” From the earlier information, we can infer that this passage is referring to Suez Canal as in the year 1859 Egyptians worked on it and this canal also serves as a summer resort for tourists, as a holiday destination.

8 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph D, Last 2 lines

Answer explanation: In paragraph D, the author mentions that “the Americans proposed that a tidal lock should be constructed at Panama which solved the problem and reduced excavation by an enormous amount. When construction was finally finished, the canal ran through various locks, four dams and ran the lengths of two naturally occurring lakes, the 32 mile Gatun Lake and the 5 mile Miraflores Lake.” Here, the Americans proposed to construct the Panama Canal, which would run through various locks, four dams, and run the lengths of two naturally occurring lakes, the 32 mile Gatun Lake and the 5 mile Miraflores Lake. Since it is running through a 32 mile Gatun lake, we can state that the Panama canal over half the canal is running through a single lake.

9 Answer: FALSE

Question Type: True/False/Not Given Question

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2

Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph the author said, “the Americans proposed that a tidal lock should be constructed at Panama which solved the problem and reduced excavation by an enormous amount. When construction was finally finished, the canal ran through various locks, four dams and ran the lengths of two naturally occurring lakes, the 32 mile Gatun Lake and the 5 mile Miraflores Lake.” During the construction of the Panama Canal, when that project was at the point of failure through lack of money, Americans took charge to complete the work of the canal. Hence, De Lesseps Suez Canal construction theories did not work well with the building of the Panama Canal. Therefore, when the American company took charge, they proposed to complete the project with some alternations in the original construction theory of Lesseps.

10 Answer: TRUE

Question Type: True/False/Not Given Question

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2

Answer explanation: Few lines in the said paragraph convey that “the Americans proposed that a tidal lock should be constructed at Panama which solved the problem and reduced excavation by an enormous amount.” Since Americans proposed a tidal lock, they made a decision to use them in the Panama Canal which ultimately solved the problem and reduced/saved time doing other activities.

11 Answer: NOT GIVEN

Question Type: True/False/Not Given Question

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that the US were not happy about returning the control of the Panama Canal to Panama.

12 Answer: TRUE

Question Type: True/False/Not Given Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1

Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “the idea of a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea also dates back to ancient times. Unlike the modern canal, earlier ones linked the Red Sea to the Nile, therefore forcing the ships to sail along the River on their journey from Europe to India.” From the term unlike the earlier one ( linked the Red Sea to the Nile), we can state that the current Suez Canal is the second canal that has joined the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

13 Answer: NOT GIVEN

Question Type: True/False/Not Given Question

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that the British government refused to give assistance in constructing the Suez Canal.

Tips to Ace Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Answers

Let us check out some quick IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ to answer the types of questions in the Reading Answers. 

Matching Information Questions

The matching information type of question, is a list which contains information taken from the paragraphs. You are asked to find out the paragraph from which the information is taken. Sometimes the question may be tricky because the information given might not be in exact words as given in the paragraph instead it will be paraphrased so you need to read the paragraph to understand the meaning/idea behind it to answer these questions.

True/False/Not Given Questions

The true/false/not-given questions are very tricky. This question consists of several statements – If the statement is present in the article as it is then you need to mark it as true. If the statement is found to be the opposite of the sentence which is there then it should be marked as false. If the statement given in the question is not at all present in the article then it should be marked as not given. Do not spend a lot of time finding the sentence which is not there.

Practising passages like “Thе Canals оf De Lesseps IELTS Reading Answers” helps you strengthen key reading skills, manage time effectively, and tackle different question types with confidence. Regular practice with answers and explanations will improve your accuracy and boost your IELTS Reading score. Keep practising with more IELTS Reading Recent Actual Tests  and answers on IELTSMaterial.com to improve your speed, accuracy, and overall performance.

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