Raising the Mary Rose: reading answers and analysis
Henry VIII's warship the Mary Rose sank off Portsmouth in 1545 for reasons still argued over. Fishermen snagged the wreck by chance in 1836, then it was forgotten until Alexander McKee's search in the 1960s and 70s found it again. In 1982 the hull was raised in three careful stages using a lifting frame, jacks and a cushioned cradle.
The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (1-4) move from the first paragraph to the fifth. The dates (5-8) are not in passage order. The diagram labels (9-13) are all in the last paragraph, in order.
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: Two of these hang on a single contrast word: 'vary' versus 'undisputed', and 'knew' versus 'unaware'. Read the full sentence each time, because the opening half of each sentence points the wrong way.
Question 1
Answer: TRUEParagraph 1, fourth sentence
Is it uncertain why the Mary Rose sank?
Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she was mishandled
Question says → Passage says
some doubtAccounts of what happened to the ship vary
what caused the Mary Rose to sinkoutdated, overladen… mishandled by undisciplined crew
Why: The witnesses give different explanations: an old, overloaded ship, or a badly run crew. When the accounts 'vary', the cause is in doubt. TRUE.
The trap: The next sentence says 'What is undisputed' and people grab that. It's the sinking itself that's undisputed, not the reason for it.
Question 2
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 1
Was the Mary Rose the only ship that sank in that battle?
Among the English vessels was a warship by the name of Mary Rose.
Question says → Passage says
the only ship to sinkthe Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day
Why: The passage only tells you about the Mary Rose. It never says whether other English or French ships went down that day, so NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Because she's the only ship described as sinking, it's easy to assume she was the only one. Silence about other ships isn't a statement either way.
Question 3
Answer: TRUEParagraph 2, fourth sentence
Did most of one side of the ship survive undamaged on the seabed?
Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact.
Question says → Passage says
Most of one sidenearly all of the starboard half
lay undamagedsurvived intact
Why: 'Most' = 'nearly all', 'one side' = 'the starboard half' and 'undamaged' = 'intact'. TRUE.
The trap: The port side was eroded, which makes some people answer FALSE. The statement only says one side was undamaged, and that's the starboard side.
Question 4
Answer: FALSEParagraph 5, second sentence
Did McKee know beforehand that the wreck held lots of valuable objects?
McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts.
Question says → Passage says
knewwere as yet unaware
many valuable historical objectsa treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts
Why: The passage says the team did not yet know about the artefacts. 'Knew' against 'unaware' is a direct contradiction, so FALSE.
The trap: The sentence starts with 'now knew for certain', so a quick reader sees 'knew' and says TRUE. What they knew was that it was the wreck, not what was inside.
Matching features (dates A-G)
Questions 5-8
How to attack this block: Several dates mark a start and an end of the same activity, so decide whether the statement is about beginning, stopping, finding or deciding. Scan for the numbers, then read the verbs around them.
Question 5
Answer: CParagraph 4, second and third sentences
When did a search for the ship begin?
But in 1965, military historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with the British Sub-Aqua Club, initiated a project called 'Solent Ships'.
Question says → Passage says
was launchedinitiated a project
A search for the Mary Rosewhat McKee really hoped for was to find the Mary Rose
Why: McKee's 1965 project was officially about several wrecks, but its real goal was finding the Mary Rose. Starting a project = launching a search, so C (1965).
The trap: 1967 (D) is when sonar found the likely wreck. That's a result of the search, not its start.
Question 6
Answer: BParagraph 3, last sentence
When did one man stop exploring the site?
Deane continued diving on the site intermittently until 1840
Question says → Passage says
One person's explorationDeane continued diving on the site
stoppeduntil 1840
Why: 'Continued… until 1840' tells you Deane's dives ended in 1840. He's the 'one person', so B.
The trap: 1836 (A) is when Deane started, not when he stopped.
Question 7
Answer: GParagraph 5, last sentence
When was the decision made to lift the hull?
the operation was not given the go-ahead until January 1982, when all the necessary information was available
Question says → Passage says
It was agreedgiven the go-ahead
the hull… should be raisedto raise the hull if at all feasible
Why: 'Given the go-ahead' means officially approved, and that happened in January 1982. G.
The trap: 1979 (F) is when the Trust was formed, and 1978 is when a test dig showed raising might be possible. Neither is the decision.
Question 8
Answer: AParagraph 3, first sentence
When was the wreck discovered by accident?
some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be the Mary Rose
Question says → Passage says
found by chancetheir equipment was caught on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be
Why: The fishermen weren't looking for the ship; their gear snagged on it. 'Turned out to be' signals the surprise. That was 1836, so A.
The trap: 1967 (D) is a find too, but it came from a deliberate sonar search, not chance. Deane also 'happened to be' nearby in 1836, which confirms A.
Diagram labelling (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 9-13
How to attack this block: Stages one and two of the lift are described step by step in the last paragraph. Leave out numbers ('12') and keep plurals ('guides', 'bags'). A few answers also accept the shorter one-word form.
Question 9
Answer: lifting frameParagraph 6, third sentence
Also accepted: frame
What was connected to the hull by wires?
The hull was attached to a lifting frame via a network of bolts and lifting wires.
Question says → Passage says
attached to hull by wiresThe hull was attached to a lifting frame via… lifting wires
Why: The passage says the hull was attached to the lifting frame; the label flips it round. 'Lifting frame' is two words, and 'frame' alone is also accepted.
The trap: 'Bolts' are also in the sentence, but they're part of the connection, not the structure on the diagram.
What stopped the hull being pulled down into the mud?
The problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome by using 12 hydraulic jacks.
Question says → Passage says
to prevent hull being sucked into mudThe problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome
Why: The problem was overcome by the hydraulic jacks. Leave out the number: '12 hydraulic jacks' is a number plus two words, and the label needs just the thing.
The trap: 'Lifting frame' also rises in the next sentence, and people put it here. It was the jacks that dealt with the suction.
Question 11
Answer: stabbing guidesParagraph 6, near the end
What were the legs placed into?
This required precise positioning to locate the legs into the 'stabbing guides' of the lifting cradle.
Question says → Passage says
legs are placed intolocate the legs into
Why: 'Placed into' = 'locate… into'. The legs go into the 'stabbing guides'. Two words, and keep the plural.
The trap: 'Lifting cradle' is the next phrase. The guides belong to the cradle, but the legs go into the guides specifically. The cradle is the next answer.
Question 12
Answer: lifting cradleParagraph 6, second stage
Also accepted: cradle
What was the hull lowered into?
the hull was lifted completely clear of the seabed and transferred underwater into the lifting cradle
Question says → Passage says
hull is lowered intotransferred underwater into
Why: In stage two the hull was moved underwater into the lifting cradle. 'Lifting cradle' fits the two-word limit, and 'cradle' alone is also accepted.
The trap: 'Seabed' is in the same sentence, but the hull is being lifted away from it, not into it.
Question 13
Answer: air bagsParagraph 6, near the end
What gave the hull extra protection?
was fitted with air bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull's delicate timber framework
Question says → Passage says
extra protectionadditional cushioning
for the hullfor the hull's delicate timber framework
Why: 'Extra' = 'additional' and 'protection' paraphrases 'cushioning'. The things that cushion are air bags. Two words, plural.
The trap: 'Timber framework' is in the same phrase, but that's what is being protected, not what protects it.
The legs fit into the 'stabbing guides', which belong to the lifting cradle. Keep the two separate, because the cradle is the next label.
Words from this passage worth keeping
overladen(Paragraph 1)
carrying too heavy a load
undisputed(Paragraph 1)
accepted by everyone as true
degradation(Paragraph 2)
gradual damage or breaking down
intermittently(Paragraph 3)
on and off, not continuously
faded into obscurity(Paragraph 4)
was forgotten about
treasure trove(Paragraph 5)
a valuable collection of things
salvage(Paragraph 5)
rescue a wrecked ship or its contents
feasible(Paragraph 5)
possible and practical to do
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The full Cambridge 11 Test 2 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 11, Test 2, 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.
The rest of Cambridge 11 Test 2
Passage 1 · Questions 1-13 · You're hereRaising the Mary Rose
