Short Answer Questions are one of the question types you may encounter in the IELTS General Training Reading test.
In this lesson, you’ll practise this question type using a General Training Reading Section 3 text about the Iron Bridge. You’ll learn how to find the answers in the text, follow the instructions carefully and avoid common mistakes.
If you’re looking for a complete guide to IELTS General Training Reading Section 3, including different question types and strategies, see my General Training Reading Section 3 lesson.
Listen to the podcast explanations here:
Tips for IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions
Short Answer Questions are often straightforward if you follow a clear procedure:
- Read the questions first so you know what information to look for.
- Identify the type of answer you need, such as a name, number, date or place.
- Check the word limit carefully.
- Skim the text to find the relevant information. Use Capital Letters, numbers and other distinctive words to help you.
- The answers follow the same order as the text, so once you find one answer, look further down the text for the next one.
- Copy your answer exactly from the text, including spelling. Don’t change the word or use a synonym.
- Don’t write more words than the instructions allow. If the instructions say NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER, an answer containing three words will be marked wrong, even if the information is correct.
THE IRON BRIDGE
Answer the questions below.
Choose ONE NUMBER ONLY from the text for each answer.
- When was the furnace bought by Darby originally constructed?
- When were the roads leading to the bridge completed?
- When was the bridge closed to traffic?
- When was a model of the bridge built?
The Iron Bridge was the first of its kind in Europe and is universally recognised as a symbol of the Industrial Revolution.
28. When was the furnace bought by Darby originally constructed?
(A) The Iron Bridge crosses the River Severn in Coalbrookdale, in the west of England. It was the first cast-iron bridge to be successfully erected, and the first large cast-iron structure of the industrial age in Europe, although the Chinese were expert iron-casters many centuries earlier.
(C) In 1638, Basil Brooke patented a steel-making process and built a furnace at Coalbrookdale. This later became the property of Abraham Darby (referred to as Abraham Darby I to distinguish him from his son and grandson of the same name). After serving an apprenticeship in Birmingham, Darby had started a business in Bristol, but he moved to Coalbrookdale in 1710 with an idea that coke derived from coal could provide a more economical alternative to charcoal as a fuel for ironmaking. This led to cheaper, more efficient ironmaking from the abundant supplies of coal, iron and limestone in the area.
29. When were the roads leading to the bridge completed?
30. When was the bridge closed to traffic?
(E) Sections were cast during the winter of 1778-9 for a 7-metre-wide bridge with a span of 31 metres, 12 metres above the river. Construction took three months during the summer of 1779, and remarkably, nobody was injured during the construction process – a feat almost unheard of even in modern major civil engineering projects. Work on the approach roads continued for another two years, and the bridge was opened to traffic in 1781. Abraham Darby III funded the bridge by commissioning paintings and engravings, but he lost a lot on the project, which had cost nearly double the estimate, and he died leaving massive debts in 1789, aged only 39. The district did not flourish for much longer, and during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, factories closed down. Since 1934 the bridge has been open only to pedestrians. Universally recognised as the symbol of the Industrial Revolution, the Iron Bridge now stands at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
31. When was a model of the bridge built?
(G) Up until recently, it had been assumed that the bridge had been built from both banks, with the inner supports tilted across the river. This would have allowed river traffic to continue unimpeded during construction. But the picture clearly shows sections of the bridge being raised from a barge in the river. It contradicted everything historians had assumed about the bridge, and it was even considered that the picture could have been a fake as no other had come to light. So in 2001, a half-scale model of the bridge was built, in order to see if it could have been constructed in the way depicted in the watercolour. Meanwhile, a detailed archaeological, historical and photographic survey was done by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, along with a 3D CAD (computer-aided design) model by English Heritage.
28. When was the furnace bought by Darby originally constructed? 1638
(C) In 1638, Basil Brooke patented a steel-making process and built a furnace at Coalbrookdale. This later became the property of Abraham Darby…
- When were the roads leading to the bridge completed? 1781
(E) Construction took three months during the summer of 1779, …Work on the approach roads continued for another two years, and the bridge was opened to traffic in 1781.
- When was the bridge closed to traffic? 1934
(E) Since 1934 the bridge has been open only to pedestrians.
- When was a model of the bridge built? 2001
(G) So in 2001, a half-scale model of the bridge was built,…
Other IELTS Reading Question Types
True False Not Given Questions
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
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
Let’s look now at the second set of questions.
- Underline the KEY WORDS in the statements.
There are 2 types of key words to look out for.
- Words that help you find exactly where the information is in the text.
- Words that help you decide if the answer is True, False or Not Given
- Underline specific details in the question e.g. Q32: there’s no written evidence (this will help you avoid distractors)
- Turn the statements into questions.
For example
32. There is no written evidence of how the original bridge was constructed.
Question: Is there any evidence of how they built the original bridge? What kind of evidence (is it written?)
Here’s the paragraph you need:
(Para F) It has always been a mystery how the bridge was built. Despite its pioneering technology, no eye-witness accounts are known which describe the iron bridge being erected – and certainly, no plans have survived.
TRUE
… no plans have survived.
plans = written evidence.
Now do the same for these questions.
33. The painting by Elias Martin is the only one of the bridge when it was new.
[Para F] In 1997 a small watercolour sketch by Elias Martin came to light in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Although there is a wealth of early views of the bridge by numerous artists, this is the only one which actually shows it under construction.
34. The painting shows that the bridge was constructed from the two banks.
[Para G] Up until recently, it had been assumed that the bridge had been built from both banks, with the inner supports tilted across the river. This would have allowed river traffic to continue unimpeded during construction. But the picture clearly shows sections of the bridge being raised from a barge in the river.
35.The original bridge and the model took equally long to construct.
[Para G] So in 2001, a half-scale model of the bridge was built, in order to see if it could have been constructed in the way depicted in the watercolour. Meanwhile, a detailed archaeological, historical and photographic survey was done by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, along with a 3D CAD (computer-aided design) model by English Heritage.
36. Elias Martin is thought to have made other paintings of the bridge.
[Para I] Now only one mystery remains in the Iron Bridge story. The Swedish watercolour sketch had apparently been torn from a book which would have contained similar sketches. It had been drawn by a Swedish artist who lived in London for 12 years and travelled Britain drawing what he saw. Nobody knows what has happened to the rest of the book, but perhaps the other sketches still exist somewhere.
- The painting by Elias Martin is the only one of the bridge when it was new. FALSE [There is a WEALTH of early views…by numerous artists]
- The painting shows that the bridge was constructed from the two banks. FALSE [But the picture clearly shows sections of the bridge being raised from a barge in the river]
- The original bridge and the model took equally long to construct. NOT GIVEN [There is no comparison of time in the text]
- Elias Martin is thought to have made other paintings of the bridge. TRUE [The Swedish watercolour sketch had apparently been torn from a book which would have contained similar sketches..perhaps the other sketches still exist somewhere.]
Matching Information Questions
The text has nine paragraphs, A-I.
To make this section easier for you to read, I’ve isolated the key paragraphs – can you match them?
TIPS
- underline key words
- use the Capital Letters (River Severn, Coalbrookdale) to find the paragraph quickly
Which paragraph contains the following information?
- why a bridge was required across the River Severn
- a method used to raise money for the bridge
- why Coalbrookdale became attractive to iron makers
- how the sections of the bridge were connected to each other
(C) After serving an apprenticeship in Birmingham, Darby had started a business in Bristol, but he moved to Coalbrookdale in 1710 with an idea that coke derived from coal could provide a more economical alternative to charcoal as a fuel for ironmaking. This led to cheaper, more efficient ironmaking from the abundant supplies of coal, iron and limestone in the area.
(D) His son, Abraham Darby II, pioneered the manufacture of cast iron, and had the idea of building a bridge over the Severn, as ferrying stores of all kinds across the river, particularly the large quantities of fuel for the furnaces at Coalbrookdale and other surrounding ironworks, involved considerable expense and delay.
(E) Abraham Darby III funded the bridge by commissioning paintings and engravings, but he lost a lot on the project, which had cost nearly double the estimate, and he died leaving massive debts in 1789, aged only 39.
(H) The results tell us a lot more about how the bridge was built. We now know that all the large castings were made individually as they are all slightly different. The bridge wasn’t welded or bolted together as metal bridges are these days. Instead it was fitted together using a complex system of joints normally used for wood – but this was the traditional way in which iron structures were joined at the time.
- why a bridge was required across the River Severn D
(D) Abraham Darby … had the idea of building a bridge over the Severn, as ferrying stores of all kinds across the river… involved considerable expense and delay.
(as = because)
- a method used to raise money for the bridge E
(E) Abraham Darby III funded the bridge by commissioning paintings and engravings…
- why Coalbrookdale became attractive to iron makers C
(C) Darby …moved to Coalbrookdale in 1710 with an idea that coke … could provide a more economical alternative to charcoal as a fuel for ironmaking. This led to cheaper, more efficient ironmaking from the abundant supplies of coal, iron and limestone in the area.
- how the sections of the bridge were connected to each other H
(H) The bridge wasn’t welded or bolted together as metal bridges are these days. Instead it was fitted together using a complex system of joints normally used for wood – but this was the traditional way in which iron structures were joined at the time.
Language Learning Points
1. Past Participle
Question 28 is quite confusing (though the answer is easy):
28. When was the furnace bought by Darby originally constructed?
TEXT: In 1638, Basil Brooke patented a steel-making process and built a furnace at Coalbrookdale. This later became the property of Abraham Darby.
‘The furnace bought by Darby’ = The furnace [which was] bought by Darby’.
In Academic writing, the ‘which was’ is often dropped.
This can cause some confusion.
2. PRESENT Participle (-ing verb)
Q29. When were the roads leading to the bridge completed?
‘The roads leading to the bridge’ = ‘The roads which lead to the bridge’.
TEXT: Work on the approach roads continued for another two years, and the bridge was opened to traffic in 1781.
‘approach roads‘ = roads which lead to the bridge
The Present Participle replaces the ‘which lead’ with the ‘ing’ form.
Want more IELTS Reading practice?
If Short Answer Questions are difficult for you, practising different question types can help you become faster and more confident.
Explore the IELTS Reading lessons and practice tests in the Resource Library.
About Fiona
Fiona is an IELTS trainer, ex-examiner and course creator based in the UK. She has a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Distinction) and over 35 years of teaching experience. She has helped thousands of IELTS candidates develop the language and exam skills needed to achieve their target scores.
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