To catch a king: reading answers and analysis
A review of Charles Spencer's book on the six-week hunt for Charles II after his defeat at Worcester in 1651. The reviewer loves its close, detailed retelling (hair cut with shears, a day hiding in an oak tree) and its even-handedness, notes how Charles later celebrated the episode, but wishes the book had asked how those weeks shaped him.
Questions 27-40 · 14 marks · 3 question blocks
Where the answers sit
The summary (27-31) is all in A. YES / NO / NOT GIVEN (32-35) covers B and C. The multiple choice (36-40) takes one paragraph each, A and C to F.
Questions 27-31
Translate A's story into the list's abstract phrases. The deal with the Scots is a strategic alliance, the principle he gave up was religious, the battle was a decisive Parliamentarian victory, the 'huge sum' was a large reward, and France offered relative safety.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | H | — |
| 28 | J | — |
| 29 | F | — |
| 30 | B | — |
| 31 | D | — |
Questions 32-35
The account was 'in great detail', so the second statement is NO. Charles told Pepys he only began to think about saving himself once the battle was hopelessly lost, so he hadn't planned his escape beforehand (NO). Why he chose Pepys is never explained (NOT GIVEN), and using Charles's own narrative is praised as one of the book's joys (YES).
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | NOT GIVEN | — |
| 33 | NO | — |
| 34 | NO | — |
| 35 | YES | — |
Questions 36-40
Each question names its paragraph. A sets up the escape, C's shears and walnut leaves show how the book brings events to life, and D shows Charles celebrating what was really a defeat. E praises Spencer's even-handed sympathy for both sides. F's complaint is that the book never asks if the six weeks changed him.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | B | — |
| 37 | C | — |
| 38 | A | — |
| 39 | B | — |
| 40 | D | — |
The questions most people get wrong
NO, not NOT GIVEN. At the end of paragraph B, Charles says that only after the battle was lost beyond hope did he begin to think of the best way of saving himself. So the escape wasn't planned before the battle.
B. 'Even-handed sympathy' for both the king and the regime means unbiased. D tempts because he avoids modern idioms, but that isn't the same as writing for a modern audience.
J (religious conviction). He accepted Presbyterianism to become King of Scots, giving up a principle his father had died for.
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Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 1, Reading Passage 3. The passage name belongs to Cambridge University Press. No passage text or question wording is reproduced on this page. The answers are published for self-marking, and the analysis is our own.