Whatever happened to the Harappan Civilisation?: reading answers and analysis
The Harappan cities of ancient Pakistan and India thrived 5,000 years ago and were abandoned a thousand years later. Theories for the collapse were mostly speculation, and earlier maps of the sites turned out to be wrong. Snail shells from an ancient lake now show a 200-year drought, and researchers are studying grains and pottery to see how people adapted.
The paragraph matching (27-31) jumps around: C, H, A, B, D. The summary (32-36) covers E and then G, in order. The researcher matching (37-40) spans B to H, and Petrie is the answer twice.
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.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 27-31 · Matching information (paragraphs A-H)
How to attack this block: Look for the paragraph's function. C lists theories, H applies the research to today, A contrasts the Harappans with the Egyptians, B describes city layout, and D reports errors in published site locations. E and F are about climate and only distract here.
Question 27
Answer: CParagraph C, first sentence
Which paragraph sets out possible reasons why the Harappan Civilisation declined?
Some have claimed that major glacier-fed rivers changed their course, dramatically affecting the water supply and agriculture
Question says → Passage says
proposed explanationsSome have claimed / and yet others that
for the declinethe decline of the civilisation
Why: C is a list of theories: rivers changing course, overpopulation, exhausted resources, trade collapse, invasion, climate change. 'Some have claimed… others that' is how you introduce proposed explanations.
The trap: E gives evidence for one cause (drought), and F mentions a global climate event. Those are single findings, not the set of proposed explanations.
Question 28
Answer: HParagraph H
Which paragraph says research findings could be used today?
we can learn from the past to engage with the public, and the relevant governmental and administrative bodies, to be more proactive in issues such as the management and administration of water supply
Question says → Passage says
a present-day applicationto be more proactive in issues such as the management and administration of water supply
archaeological research findingsBy investigating responses to environmental pressures and threats
Why: H says what we learn from the Harappans can guide modern decisions on water supply, urban and rural development, and heritage. That's applying the research now.
The trap: G is about the research methods still in progress (grains, pottery). Nothing there is applied to today's problems.
Question 29
Answer: AParagraph A, last sentence
Which paragraph contrasts the Harappans with another culture of the same time?
But their lack of self-imagery … at a time when the Egyptians were carving and painting representations of themselves all over their temples
Question says → Passage says
a differencetheir lack of self-imagery… the Egyptians were carving and painting representations of themselves
of the same periodat a time when
Why: The Harappans left almost no pictures of themselves, while the Egyptians at the same time covered their temples with them. 'At a time when' is the 'same period'.
The trap: F mentions other Bronze Age civilisations that declined around the same time, but that's a similarity, not a difference.
Question 30
Answer: BParagraph B, Petrie's quote
Which paragraph describes how Harappan cities were laid out?
Houses were arranged in blocks, with wide main streets and narrow alleyways, and many had their own wells and drainage systems.
Question says → Passage says
features of Harappan urban designlaid out in distinct sectors / Houses were arranged in blocks, with wide main streets and narrow alleyways
Why: B describes the cities: buildings in sectors, houses in blocks, wide streets, narrow alleys, wells and drains. That's urban design.
The trap: A mentions 'megacities', but only the word. B is where the features are actually described.
Question 31
Answer: DParagraph D, second sentence
Which paragraph reports finding mistakes made by earlier archaeologists?
they found inaccuracies in the published geographic locations of ancient settlements ranging from several hundred metres to many kilometres
Question says → Passage says
the discovery of errorsfound inaccuracies / many of the archaeological sites were not where they were supposed to be
made by previous archaeologiststhe published geographic locations
Why: The team discovered that published site locations were wrong, sometimes by kilometres. Published data came from earlier work, so these are previous archaeologists' errors.
The trap: C says earlier debate was 'only been well-argued speculation'. That's a lack of evidence, not a discovery of specific mistakes.
Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 32-36
How to attack this block: The first paragraph of the summary is Dixit and Hodell's snail study in E, and the second is Petrie and Singh's work in G. Gap 34 reverses the passage's comparison (evaporation exceeding something), so check which side you need.
Question 32
Answer: shellsParagraph E, second sentence
What did Dixit and Hodell collect from the snails?
The researchers gathered shells of Melanoides tuberculata snails from the sediments of an ancient lake and used geochemical analysis
Question says → Passage says
By collecting thegathered
analysing themused geochemical analysis
Why: 'Collecting' matches 'gathered', and what they gathered were the 'shells'. Keep it plural: 'the shells of snails'.
The trap: 'Sediments' is in the same sentence, but the sediments are where the shells were found, not something belonging to the snails.
Question 33
Answer: lakeParagraph E, second and third sentences
Where did the water level change?
from the sediments of an ancient lake … 'As today, the major source of water into the lake is likely to have been the summer monsoon,'
Question says → Passage says
a change in water levels in athe amount of evaporation from the lake exceeded the rainfall
Why: The snails came from an ancient lake, and the change Dixit describes is evaporation from 'the lake' outrunning rainfall. The gap follows 'a', so 'lake'.
The trap: 'Plains' and 'region' are both nearby, but the summary already says 'in the region'. The water levels changed in the lake.
Question 34
Answer: rainfallParagraph E, Dixit's second quote
What was there less of than evaporation?
there was an abrupt change about 4,100 years ago, when the amount of evaporation from the lake exceeded the rainfall - indicative of a drought
Question says → Passage says
less… than evaporationevaporation from the lake exceeded the
suggests that there was an extended period of droughtindicative of a drought
Why: If evaporation exceeded rainfall, there was less 'rainfall' than evaporation. The summary flips the sentence round, so check which side the gap is on.
The trap: 'Monsoon' is the source of the rain, but 'less monsoon than evaporation' doesn't work. The thing measured against evaporation is rainfall.
Question 35
Answer: grainsParagraph G, second sentence
What from five millennia ago is Petrie and Singh's team looking at?
They are analysing grains cultivated at the time, and trying to work out whether they were grown under extreme conditions of water stress
Question says → Passage says
to look at… from five millennia agoanalysing grains cultivated at the time
adapted their agricultural practices to changing climatic conditionsadjusting the combinations of crops they were growing for different weather systems
Why: The team is 'analysing grains' from that time to see whether farming adapted to the weather. The thing they're looking at is 'grains'.
The trap: 'Crops' is in the same sentence, but it's part of the question they're trying to answer (did people change their crops?). What they physically analyse is the grains.
Question 36
Answer: potteryParagraph G, third and fourth sentences
Which objects are they examining to learn about links between areas?
They are also looking at whether the types of pottery used, and other aspects of their material culture, were distinctive to specific regions
Question says → Passage says
objects includingthe types of pottery used, and other aspects of their material culture
links between inhabitants of different parts of the regionthe types of interactive networks that the population was involved in
whether these changed over timeand whether those changed
Why: Pottery is the one named object, with 'other aspects of their material culture' covering the rest. If pottery is similar across areas, people were connected.
The trap: 'Culture' is too vague and isn't an object you can examine on its own. The gap wants the concrete item: 'pottery'.
Matching features (researchers A-D)
Questions 37-40
How to attack this block: Each person has a distinct line: Singh calls for more climate data, Dixit identifies the drought, Hodell estimates how long it lasted, and Petrie talks about missing evidence and learning from the past. Petrie answers twice, so don't avoid A.
Question 37
Answer: BParagraph F, Singh's quote
Who says getting more data on environmental change in the region is vital?
it is essential that we obtain more climate data from areas close to the two great cities at Mohenjodaro and Harappa and also from the Indian Punjab
Question says → Passage says
is vitalit is essential
finding further information about changes to environmental conditionsobtain more climate data
Why: B, Singh. 'Essential' is 'vital', and 'more climate data' is further information on environmental conditions.
The trap: Dixit and Hodell (C, D) provided climate data, but they report what they found. It's Singh who says more is needed.
Question 38
Answer: AParagraph H
Who says studying how past societies behaved could help in the long run?
'By investigating responses to environmental pressures and threats, we can learn from the past
Question says → Passage says
Examining previous patterns of behaviourinvestigating responses to environmental pressures and threats / learn from the past
long-term benefitsto be more proactive… in the future
Why: A, Petrie. Learning from how past societies responded can help us manage water, development and heritage 'in the future'.
The trap: Singh works with Petrie and appears in G as well, but the quote about learning from the past is Petrie's alone, in H.
Question 39
Answer: DParagraph E, last sentence
Who gives a rough estimate of how long the water shortage lasted?
We estimate that the weakening of the Indian summer monsoon climate lasted about 200 years before recovering to the previous conditions
Question says → Passage says
Rough calculationsWe estimate
the approximate lengthlasted about 200 years
a period of water shortagethe weakening of the Indian summer monsoon
Why: D, Hodell. 'We estimate… about 200 years' is a rough calculation of a length of time, and a weaker monsoon means less water.
The trap: Dixit (C) is the trap. She identifies the drought and when it started ('about 4,100 years ago'), but the length comes from Hodell.
Question 40
Answer: AParagraph B, first sentence, and Paragraph C
Who says there's been too little information about the decline?
'There is plenty of archaeological evidence to tell us about the rise of the Harappan Civilisation, but relatively little about its fall,'
Question says → Passage says
has been lackingrelatively little / we have had little solid evidence
the decline of the Harappan Civilisationits fall
Why: A, Petrie, for the second time. He says there's little evidence about the fall in B, and again in C: 'little solid evidence' and 'well-argued speculation'.
The trap: People avoid A because they've already used it. The NB says letters can repeat, and Petrie makes this point twice.
D. Published site locations were wrong by up to many kilometres. C's 'speculation' is a lack of evidence, not discovered errors.
Words from this passage worth keeping
sophisticated(A)
highly developed and complex
depictions(A)
pictures or representations
demise(B)
end or death
succumbed to(C)
were defeated by
speculation(C)
ideas formed without firm evidence
fundamentally flawed(D)
wrong at the most basic level
abrupt(E)
sudden and unexpected
proactive(H)
acting early to prevent problems
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The full Cambridge 13 Test 3 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 13, Test 3, Reading Passage 3. 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.
