William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Answers

Janice Thompson

10 min read

Updated On Sep 26, 2023

Introduction
Reading Passage
Questions 1-7
Questions 8-13
William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Answers with Explanations
Tips for Completing the William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Passage

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Introduction

The IELTS Reading Module can be a great way to score well, but it requires practice. You need to understand how to approach and answer the different question types. Practicing with sample reading questions from past IELTS papers can help you develop your skills.

The William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Answer is a helpful resource for preparing for the IELTS reading exam. It provides detailed explanations of the answers to the questions, which can help you improve your answering efficiency and learn how to answer different question types.

This William Henry Perkin IELTS reading passage discusses and provides examples of three IELTS Reading question types:

True/False/Not Given (Q. 1-7)
Short-Answer Questions (Q. 8-13)

Reading Passage

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.

William Henry Perkin

On 12 March 1838, William Henry Perkin was born in London, England.

Curiosity drives the early Perkins to the arts, sciences, photography and engineering till he gets into the laboratory of his late grandfather. It developed his enthusiasm towards chemistry.

As a student at the City of London School, Perkin was wholly involved in the study of chemistry. Perkins’ talent and devotion to the subject of chemistry is recognized by his teacher. He attended Michal Faraday’s lectures at the Royal Institution by the encouragement of Thomas Hall. His speeches developed his interest towards chemistry further. Later, at the age of 15, 1853, Perkin attended the Royal College of Chemistry.

German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann was head at the Royal college of chemistry during the time of Perkin’s enrolment. Hofmann identified the perkin’s scientific gifts and he became a youngest assistant of Hofmann. After some time, Perkin got his fame and both through his scientific breakthrough.

Quinine is the only feasible medical treatment for malaria at that time. The drug is extracted from the cinchona tree’s bark, which is situated in South America. The demand for the drug increased by 1856. Hofmann made some comments about the synthetic substitute for quinine and his star pupil takes up as a challenge.

In 1856, during his vacation, he was trying to manufacture quinine from aniline (inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste) in his laboratory at the top of his family’s house. Out of his best efforts, he didn’t get the quinine, but some mysterious dark sludge. Fortunately, Perkin’s scientific training and nature made him explore the substance further. At the various stages of the experimental process, he added the potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline which produced a deep purple solution. Louis Pasteur’s words ‘chance favours only the prepared mind’, proved to be true, he saw the unexpected potential of his find.

Usually, the textile dye was made from natural resources such as plants and animal excretions. Few of these, like glandular mucus of snails, were both expensive and difficult to get. At that time, the rich can only afford the purple colour which is extracted from the snail as this is so costly. Moreover, the tendency of the natural dyes is found to be muddy in hue and fade quickly. Perkin’s discovery was against this backdrop.

Perkin understood that his purple solution could be used for colour fabric, which is the world’s first synthetic dye. He patented it as he realised the importance of his finding. One of the fascinating reactions of Perkin quickly found that the new dye has commercial possibilities.

Originally, Perkin named his dye Tyrian Purple. Later, it became commonly known as mauve. By asking advice to the Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar, he understood that the dye manufacturing would be worthwhile if the colour remained fast (i.e. would not fade) and if it is relatively low cost. His mentor Hofmann objected to him in a fierce manner, so he left the college and gave birth to the modern chemical industry.
Perkin set up a factory, near London, with the help of his father and brother. Coal tar is cheap and plentiful as this is an almost limitless by-product of London’s street lighting. The dye works started producing the world’s first synthetically dyed material in 1857. The Empress Eugenie of France, boosted the commercial part of the company as the new colour flattered her. Mauve becomes a necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country.

In public, England’s Queen Victoria appears wearing a mauve gown which brought rage in England. The dye was both fast and bold, and the public demand was increased. Perkin returns to the drawing board.

Though Perkin’s first discovery itself brought him fortune and achievements, the chemist continued his research. He developed and introduced several other dyes including aniline red (1859) and aniline black (1863) and Perkin’s green in the late 1860s. Perkin’s synthetic dye discoveries resulted in more than just decorative purposes. The dyes also become important to medical research in many ways. For example, researchers are able to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax, which were the invisible microbes and bacteria before. Artificial dyes continue to play an important role even today. Its current use in the search for a vaccine against malaria, which could have pleased the Perkin.

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Questions 1-7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, 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 more than once.

1. Michael Faraday was the first person to recognize Perkin’s ability as a student of chemistry.
2. Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enroll in the Royal College of Chemistry.
3. Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.
4. Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous.
5. The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America.
6. Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product.
7. Perkin was inspired by the discoveries of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.

Questions 8-13

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

8. Before Perkin’s discovery, with what group in society was the colour purple associated?
9. What potential did Perkin immediately understand that his new dye had?
10. What was the name finally used to refer to the first color Perkin invented?
11. What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works?
12. In what country did Perkins’ newly invented colour first become fashionable?
13. According to the passage, which disease is now being targeted by researchers using synthetic dyes?

William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Answers with Explanations

The William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Answers with explanations help you identify errors in your understanding of the passage and find the information you need to answer questions.

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Question Number	Answer	Explanation
1	FALSE	In the beginning of paragraph B, it is mentioned that as a student at the City of London School, ‘Perkin became ‘immersed in the study of chemistry’. His ‘talent and devotion to the subject’ were ‘perceived by his teacher, Thomas Hall’, who ‘encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday’ at the Royal Institution. As the statement contradicts the information given in the passage, the answer is ‘FALSE’.
2.	NOT GIVEN	In Paragraph B, it is stated that as a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of chemistry. His teacher, Thomas Hall encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches tired the young chemist’s enthusiasm further, and he (Perkin) later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15. There is no mention of the person who suggested him to join the Royal College of Chemistry. Hence, the answer is ‘NOT GIVEN’.
3	FALSE	In Paragraph C, it is mentioned that at the time of Perkin’s enrollment, the ‘Royal College of Chemistry was headed by the noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann’. ‘Perkin’s scientific gifts’ soon ‘caught Hofmann’s attention’ and within two years, ‘he became Hofmann’s youngest assistant’. As the statement contradicts the information given in the passage, the answer is ‘FALSE’.
4	TRUE	Paragraph C informs that at the time of Perkin’s enrollment in the Royal College of Chemistry (1853), the institution was headed by the noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann. Perkin’s scientific gifts soon caught Hofmann’s attention and within two years, he became Hofmann’s youngest assistant. Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune (It is mentioned in paragraph B that this breakthrough happened when he was about 15 to 16 years old, which is a very young age). As the statement agrees with the information, the answer is ‘TRUE’.
5	NOT GIVEN	In the beginning of Paragraph D, it is stated that quinine was the only viable medical treatment for malaria at that time. The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America and by 1856, demand for the drug was surpassing the available supply. It is said that it is native to South America, but there is no reference that it is grown only in this part of the world. Hence, the answer is ‘NOT GIVEN’.
6	TRUE	Paragraph E informs that during his vacation in 1856, Perkin spent his time in the laboratory on the top floor of his family’s house. He was ‘attempting’ (hoped) to manufacture ‘quinine’ (a drug) from ‘aniline’, an inexpensive and readily available ‘coal tar waste product’. As the statement agrees with the information, the answer is ‘TRUE’.
7	NOT GIVEN	In Paragraph E, it is stated that Perkin’s scientific training and nature prompted him to investigate the substance further. Incorporating potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline at various stages of the experimental process, he finally produced a deep purple solution. And proving the truth of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur’s words ‘chance favors only the prepared mind’, Perkin saw the potential of his unexpected find. There is no reference that Pasteur inspired Perkins. Hence, the answer is ‘NOT GIVEN’.
8	the rich	Paragraph F refers to the fact that historically, textile dyes were made from such natural sources as plants and animal excretions. Some of these, such as the glandular mucus of snails, were difficult to obtain and outrageously expensive. Indeed, the purple colour extracted from a snail was once so costly that in society at the time only the rich could afford it. Hence, the answer is ‘the rich’ which was the group associated with the colour purple before Perkin’s discovery.
9	commercial (possibilities)	Paragraph G brings out the fact that Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to colour fabric, thus making it the world’s first synthetic dye. Realising the importance of this breakthrough, he lost no time in patenting it. But perhaps the most ‘fascinating of all Perkin`s reactions’ to his find was ‘his nearly instant recognition’ that the ‘new dye had commercial possibilities’. Hence, the answer is ‘commercial (possibilities)’.
10	mauve	Paragraph H states that Perkin originally named his dye Tyrian Purple, but it ‘later’ became ‘commonly known as mauve’ (from the French for the plant used to make the colour violet). Hence, the answer is ‘mauve’.
11	Robert Pullar	In Paragraph H, it is made known that Perkin asked ‘advice of Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar’, who assured him that manufacturing the dye would be well worth it if the colour remained fast (i.e. would not fade) and the cost was relatively low. So, over the fierce objections of his mentor Hofmann, ‘he left college to give birth to the modern chemical industry’. Hence, the answer is ‘Robert Pullar’.
12	France	Paragraph I points out that Perkin set up a factory not far from London with the help of his father and brother. The company received a commercial boost from the ‘Empress Eugenio of France’, when she ‘decided the new color flattered her’. Very soon, ‘mauve was the necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country’. Hence, the answer is ‘France’.
13	malaria	Paragraph K specifies that ‘Perkin’s synthetic dye’ discoveries had outcomes far beyond the merely decorative. They were ‘used to stain previously invisible microbes and bacteria’, allowing ‘researchers to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis. cholera, and anthrax’. The dye’s ‘current use is in the search for a vaccine against malaria’. Hence, the answer is ‘malaria’.

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Tips for Completing the William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Passage

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the three types of questions in the William Henry Perkin IELTS Reading Answers passage.

True/False/Not Given:

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

True statements are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
False statements are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
Not Given statements are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

Short-Answer Questions

Short-Answer Questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to write a brief, concise answer in the space provided. To answer short-answer questions effectively, you need to be able to: