Stepwells are stone structures in north-western India that let people reach groundwater through flights of steps as the water level rose and fell. They were also social and religious spaces, richly carved. Many fell into disuse, but restored examples in Gujarat and Rajasthan now draw tourists.
The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (1-5) sit in paragraphs 2 and 3. The short answers (6-8) jump from paragraph 4 to 5 and then to the very last paragraph. The table (9-13) takes one well at a time, in the passage's order, from paragraph 7 to 12.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the passage yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: All five come from the opening paragraphs, so read them closely. One FALSE hangs on a single phrase saying stepwells belong to this region only. The two NOT GIVENs add a comparison (Delhi's wells being more attractive) and a building time that the passage never gives.
Question 1
Answer: FALSEParagraph 2, first sentence
Are ancient stepwells found in many parts of the world?
Unique to this region, stepwells are often architecturally complex and vary widely in size and shape.
Question says → Passage says
all over the worldUnique to this region
Why: 'Unique to this region' means they exist only in north-western India. That flatly contradicts 'all over the world', so the answer is FALSE.
The trap: The last paragraph says tourists come from far-flung corners to see them, which can make the wells sound global. It's the visitors who travel, not the wells.
Question 2
Answer: TRUEParagraph 2, second sentence
Were stepwells used for more than just getting water?
During their heyday, they were places of gathering, of leisure and relaxation and of worship for villagers of all but the lowest classes.
Question says → Passage says
a range of functionsplaces of gathering, of leisure and relaxation and of worship
in addition to water collectiongoes beyond its utilitarian application
Why: Meeting people, relaxing and worshipping are three uses that have nothing to do with collecting water. The first paragraph prepares this with 'goes beyond its utilitarian application'. TRUE.
The trap: Drinking, bathing, watering animals and irrigation in paragraph 1 are all water uses, so on their own they don't prove the statement. Look for the social uses in paragraph 2.
Question 3
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 2, third sentence
Are the Delhi stepwells better looking than the others?
Most stepwells are found dotted round the desert areas of Gujarat (where they are called vav) and Rajasthan (where they are called baori), while a few also survive in Delhi.
Question says → Passage says
the few existing stepwells in Delhia few also survive in Delhi
Why: Delhi gets one mention, and it's only about location: a few wells survive there. The writer never compares how attractive they are with wells anywhere else, so it's NOT GIVEN.
The trap: 'The few existing' matches the passage so closely that people tick TRUE. The match is only on numbers; the comparison of beauty is invented.
Question 4
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 3, first sentence
Did building the stone steps take workers many years?
As their name suggests, stepwells comprise a series of stone steps descending from ground level to the
Question says → Passage says
the stone steps characteristic of stepwellsa series of stone steps descending from ground level
Why: The passage describes what the steps are and where they lead, and later gives building dates for single wells. It never says how long any construction took, so NOT GIVEN.
The trap: 'Down the centuries, thousands of wells were constructed' sounds like a long time, but that's the whole building period across the region, not the time taken to build one set of steps.
Question 5
Answer: TRUEParagraph 3, second sentence
Did the number of steps you had to go down change through the year?
When the water level was high, the user needed only to descend a few steps to reach it; when it was low, several levels would have to be negotiated.
Question says → Passage says
altered during the course of a yearas it recedes following the rains
the number of steps above the water leveldescend a few steps / several levels would have to be negotiated
Why: The water rises after the rains and falls in the dry season, so sometimes a few steps were above the water and sometimes several levels. That's the number of exposed steps changing over the year: TRUE.
The trap: Students sometimes think the steps themselves changed. They didn't; the water level did, which changed how many steps stood above it.
Short answers (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 6-8
How to attack this block: Each question paraphrases one sentence: shade becomes 'sheltered from the heat', a serious climatic event is named for southern Rajasthan, and 'nowadays' points you to the final paragraph. Copy the word exactly, with its plural ending.
Question 6
Answer: pavilionsParagraph 4, third sentence
Which part of some stepwells gave people shade?
they also included pavilions that sheltered visitors from the relentless heat
Question says → Passage says
provided shade for peoplesheltered visitors from the relentless heat
Why: Shelter from heat is shade, and the thing doing the sheltering is the pavilions. One word, so copy 'pavilions' with its plural s.
The trap: 'Pillars' is in the same sentence, but they support the structure. They don't shelter anyone.
Question 7
Answer: droughtParagraph 5, last sentence
What kind of serious weather event hit southern Rajasthan?
southern Rajasthan suffered an eight-year drought between 1996 and 2004
Question says → Passage says
serious climatic eventan eight-year drought
took place in southern Rajasthansouthern Rajasthan suffered
Why: Scan for 'southern Rajasthan' and the event is right next to it. The question wants the type of event in ONE WORD, so 'drought', not 'eight-year drought'.
The trap: 'Dry spells' appears just before it, but that's two words and a general phrase. The specific event named for southern Rajasthan is the drought.
Question 8
Answer: touristsLast paragraph
Who often visits stepwells today?
Tourists flock to wells in far-flung corners of north-western India to gaze in wonder at these architectural marvels
Question says → Passage says
frequent visitorsflock to
nowadaysToday
Why: 'Flock to' means arrive in large numbers, which is what 'frequent visitors' points to. The word doing the flocking is 'tourists'.
The trap: 'Travellers' appears in paragraph 2, but they used roadside wells as resting places in the past. The question asks about now, and the last paragraph says 'Today'.
Table completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 9-13
How to attack this block: Each row is one well, and each well has its own paragraph, so scan for the name first. Watch the grammar around each gap: one needs a place on the structure (with a number), one a noun after 'a', and one an adjective describing levels.
Question 9
Answer: earthquakeParagraph 7, last sentence
What 2001 event did Rani Ki Vav survive?
Incredibly, in January 2001, this ancient structure survived an earthquake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.
Question says → Passage says
despite the … of 2001in January 2001, this ancient structure survived
excellent conditionin pristine condition
Why: The table row is in date order, so the 2001 event comes after the 1960s restoration. 'Survived' tells you it was a disaster, and the word after 'an' is 'earthquake'.
The trap: 'Flood' is in the same paragraph, but that was in the 13th century and it silted the well up. It doesn't fit 2001.
Question 10
Answer: 4 sidesParagraph 8, second sentence
Also accepted: four sides
Where are the steps that make Surya Kund's geometric pattern?
including four sides of steps that descend to the bottom in a stunning geometrical formation
Question says → Passage says
produce a geometrical patternin a stunning geometrical formation
Why: The gap follows 'Steps on the', so it needs a place: the four sides. ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER lets you write '4 sides' or 'four sides'.
The trap: Writing just 'sides' loses the number, and 'terraces' (next sentence) is where the shrines sit, not where the steps make the pattern.
Question 11
Answer: tankParagraph 8, second sentence
What does Surya Kund look more like than a well?
It actually resembles a tank (kund means reservoir or pond) rather than a well
Question says → Passage says
looks more like a … than a wellresembles a … rather than a well
Why: 'Looks more like' is 'resembles', and 'than a well' is 'rather than a well'. The word in that slot is 'tank'.
The trap: 'Reservoir' and 'pond' are in the brackets, but they explain what 'kund' means. The passage says it resembles a tank, so that's the safe answer.
Question 12
Answer: verandasParagraph 11, last sentence
Also accepted: verandahs
What does Chand Baori have that looks out over the steps?
On the fourth side, verandas which are supported by ornate pillars overlook the steps.
Question says → Passage says
provide a view of the stepsoverlook the steps
Why: 'Overlook' means look down on from above, so the verandas give you the view. The table says 'which provide', so the answer is plural: 'verandas' (or 'verandahs').
The trap: 'Pillars' sits in the same sentence, but the pillars only hold the verandas up. They don't overlook anything.
Question 13
Answer: underwaterParagraph 12, second sentence
What kind of levels does Neemrana Ki Baori have two of?
it is nine storeys deep, with the last two being underwater
Question says → Passage says
two … levelsthe last two being underwater
Why: The gap sits before 'levels', so it needs a describing word. Of its nine storeys, the last two are underwater.
The trap: 'Nine' is the total number of storeys, not a description of the two levels. The number two is already printed in the table.
TRUE. The water rose and fell with the seasons, so the number of steps above it changed through the year.
Words from this passage worth keeping
utilitarian(Paragraph 1)
practical, designed to be useful rather than beautiful
heyday(Paragraph 2)
the time when something was most popular or successful
recedes(Paragraph 3)
moves back or goes down, as water does
embellish(Paragraph 4)
decorate something to make it more attractive
derelict(Paragraph 5)
abandoned and in bad condition
pristine(Paragraph 7)
in perfect, as-new condition
hallmarks(Paragraph 8)
typical features that identify something
ingenuity(Last paragraph)
cleverness in inventing things or solving problems
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The full Cambridge 10 Test 1 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 10, Test 1, Reading Passage 1. The passage and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full text, or sit the test on Langujet.
