In 1911 the American explorer Hiram Bingham set out from Cusco looking for the last Inca capital and, almost by accident, reached Machu Picchu. The passage contrasts his dramatic 1948 book with his more modest journal, describes the theory he pushed for decades, and gives the view now widely accepted: the site was an emperor's country estate.
The headings (14-20) take one paragraph each, A to G. The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (21-24) follow the passage from A to F. The two sentences (25-26) go back to B and C.
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: Each paragraph has a clear job, so read the first and last lines before the details. The pairing that confuses people is D and E: D is the vivid account in the book, E sets the book against his journal. 'Bingham gains support' is the spare heading; nothing in the passage fits it.
Question 14
Answer: ivParagraph A, second sentence
Which heading fits Paragraph A?
His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation.
Question says → Passage says
The aim of the tripHis goal was to locate
Why: A sets the scene: where Bingham was going and why. 'His goal was' is the aim of the trip, and the route plan that follows supports it. iv.
The trap: vi (a new route) is tempting because A describes the plan to follow the Urubamba down. But the new track itself is B's subject; A is about what he wanted to find.
Question 15
Answer: viParagraph B
Which heading fits Paragraph B?
a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon… Almost all previous travellers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across the mountains
Question says → Passage says
A new routea track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon
newhad an advantage over travellers who had preceded them
Why: B explains that a freshly blasted track let Bingham follow the river, unlike earlier travellers who cut over the mountains and missed Machu Picchu. The whole paragraph is about this new route: vi.
The trap: iii (a common belief) can attract you because B says what 'almost all previous travellers' did. That's a common habit, not a belief, and it's the contrast, not the main point.
Question 16
Answer: viiiParagraph C, second half
Which heading fits Paragraph C?
Bingham also seems to have been less than keen on the prospect of climbing the hill
Question says → Passage says
lack of enthusiasmless than keen / without having the least expectation that he would find anything
Why: On a dull, damp morning, nobody wants to come with him, Bingham isn't keen either, and he expects to find nothing. Everything points to low enthusiasm: viii.
The trap: His companions' lack of interest is mentioned too, but the heading is about Bingham, and the paragraph confirms he felt the same.
Question 17
Answer: vParagraph D, first sentence
Which heading fits Paragraph D?
Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book.
Question says → Passage says
A dramatic descriptionin vivid style / the sight held me spellbound
Why: D retells Bingham's own account: deadly snakes, sweeping terraces, staircases and the 'unbelievable dream'. 'Vivid style' is the dramatic description: v.
The trap: i (different accounts) is tempting because D is clearly one account. The comparison with a second account only starts in E.
Question 18
Answer: iParagraph E, first two sentences
Which heading fits Paragraph E?
Lost City of the Incas is a work of hindsight, not written until 1948, many years after his journey. His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual appreciation of his achievement.
Question says → Passage says
Different accountsa work of hindsight… His journal entries of the time
the same journeymany years after his journey
Why: E puts the dramatic 1948 book next to the journal Bingham wrote at the time, and they don't match. Two versions of one journey: i.
The trap: vii (Bingham publishes his theory) is tempting because the book is a publication. But the theory and its publication come in F.
Question 19
Answer: viiParagraph F, second and third sentences
Which heading fits Paragraph F?
When he came to write the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world in April 1913, he knew he had to produce a big idea.
Question says → Passage says
publishesthe National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world
his theorya big idea / this belief
Why: F covers the 1913 article and the 'big idea' Bingham put in it: that Machu Picchu was both the first and the last Inca city. Publishing his theory: vii.
The trap: ii (Bingham gains support) seems to follow naturally, but F says the opposite: his theory turned out to be wrong.
Question 20
Answer: iiiParagraph G, third sentence
Which heading fits Paragraph G?
An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years is that Machu Picchu was a moya, a country estate
Question says → Passage says
A common beliefAn idea which has gained wide acceptance
Why: G asks why the site was abandoned and gives the view that is now widely accepted: it was an emperor's country estate. 'Wide acceptance' is a common belief: iii.
The trap: G opens with a question that has 'perplexed' people, which can make it look like a paragraph about mystery. The main content is the accepted answer.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 21-24
How to attack this block: Two statements are FALSE because the passage says the reverse: his route was the new, unusual one, and he didn't grasp the site's importance at first. The NOT GIVEN mentions a return trip, which the passage never describes, even though he spent years trying to prove his idea.
Question 21
Answer: TRUEParagraph A, second sentence
Was Bingham looking for an Inca city when he went to South America?
His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation.
Question says → Passage says
in search ofHis goal was to locate
an Inca citya city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation
Why: His stated goal was to find Vitcos, an Inca capital. That's searching for an Inca city, so TRUE.
The trap: He found Machu Picchu, not Vitcos, so some people write FALSE. The statement is about why he went, not what he found.
Question 22
Answer: FALSEParagraph B
Did Bingham take his route because most travellers used it?
Almost all previous travellers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across the mountains
Question says → Passage says
the most common route used by travellersAlmost all previous travellers had left the river
a particular route down the Urubamba valleya track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon
Why: Most earlier travellers left the river and crossed the mountains. Bingham followed the new track along the valley instead, so his route was the uncommon one. FALSE.
The trap: Some students choose NOT GIVEN because the passage doesn't state his reason. But it does say his route was different from what nearly everyone did, which contradicts 'most common'.
Question 23
Answer: FALSEParagraph E, last sentence
Did Bingham grasp how important Machu Picchu was the moment he saw it?
At this stage, Bingham didn't realise the extent or the importance of the site
Question says → Passage says
understood the significancedidn't realise the extent or the importance
as soon as he saw itAt this stage / a much more gradual appreciation
Why: His journal shows a 'gradual appreciation', and the passage says that at this stage he didn't realise how important the site was. That contradicts the statement: FALSE.
The trap: D's 'unbelievable dream… held me spellbound' suggests he was amazed at once. E warns you that this was written in hindsight, decades later.
Question 24
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph F
Did Bingham go back to Machu Picchu to find proof for his theory?
Bingham made desperate attempts to prove this belief for nearly 40 years.
Question says → Passage says
to find evidence to support his theoryattempts to prove this belief
Why: He spent nearly 40 years trying to prove his idea, but the passage never says how, and never mentions a return visit to the site. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: It feels likely that he went back, which pushes people to TRUE. The passage only tells you he tried to prove it.
Sentence completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 25-26
How to attack this block: Both answers are single nouns in B and C. For the first, read why the track was blasted, not what carried the load. For the second, the person who told Bingham is named, but the gap wants the job, not the name.
Question 25
Answer: rubberParagraph B, first sentence
What was the track built to carry?
a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle
Question says → Passage says
had been created forhad recently been blasted… to enable
the transportation ofto be brought up
Why: The track was blasted so rubber could be brought up from the jungle. The thing being transported is rubber, a single uncountable noun.
The trap: 'Mules' is the most common wrong answer. The mules did the carrying; the cargo was rubber.
Question 26
Answer: farmerParagraph C, third sentence
Who told Bingham about the ruins?
some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, had told them about the night before
Question says → Passage says
found out about the ruinsruins that… had told them about
a ___ in the Urubamba valleya local farmer
Why: The ruins were described to them by a local farmer. The sentence has 'a ___', so it wants the job, 'farmer', not the name.
The trap: 'Melchor Arteaga' is two words and a name, so it doesn't fit 'a ___'. 'Local' is an adjective and leaves the gap without a noun.
E compares the 1948 book with his journal from the time, which are two accounts of the same journey. People who read only 'work of hindsight' sometimes look for a heading about publishing.
'Mules' is the tempting answer, but mules did the carrying. The track was made so rubber could be brought up.
Words from this passage worth keeping
hinterland(A)
a remote area far from the coast or main towns
circuitous(A)
long and winding, not direct
preceded(B)
came before in time
spellbound(D)
so amazed that you can't look away
hindsight(E)
understanding something only after it has happened
perplexed(G)
confused and unable to explain
gained wide acceptance(G)
come to be believed by many people
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The full Cambridge 12 Test 6 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 12, Test 6, Reading Passage 2. 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.
