Mapungubwe: reading answers and analysis
The story of an early southern African kingdom. It got rich on cattle and trade, put its king on a hilltop, made pottery and gold work good enough to need specialists, and faded in the 13th century, probably from overpopulation, drought and shifting trade routes.
Questions 14-26 · 13 marks · 3 question blocks
Where the answers sit
The paragraph matching (14-19) jumps around A to G. The choose-two question (20-21) is all paragraph F. The summary (22-26) is all paragraph E, in order.
Questions 14-19
Six statements, seven paragraphs, not in order. Each statement describes a type of information, like an estimate, a doubt or a cause, rather than a topic. Look for the signal words: 'around' and 'at its peak' for an estimate, 'not known' for uncertainty, 'probably' and 'may' for causes.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | E | — |
| 15 | G | — |
| 16 | C | — |
| 17 | D | — |
| 18 | B | — |
| 19 | A | — |
Questions 20-21
Everything sits in paragraph F. Three options take something real from F and push it too far. A sceptre is mentioned, but only as something an object 'may have been', and nothing is ranked most valuable. The two right answers are plain restatements.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 20-21 | B and D(in either order) | — |
Questions 22-26
All five answers come from paragraph E, in order. The summary uses synonyms, so 'stretched' points you to the passage's 'elongated'. Take the noun that follows it.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | prosperity | — |
| 23 | whistles | — |
| 24 | bodies | — |
| 25 | ancestors | — |
| 26 | jewellery | jewelry |
The questions most people get wrong
The king lived on the hill (B), but the question asks about his family. Paragraph C says the grander houses around Babandyanalo probably belonged to the king's male relatives. The answer is C, not B.
C is the classic over-reach. F says one object 'may have been' a sceptre and never calls anything the most valuable. The answers are B (gold found at the royal burial site) and D (the same decoration appears at Great Zimbabwe).
Paragraph A says farming produced a surplus that could be traded for needed goods. That's agricultural produce exchanged for other items, even though no 'market' word appears.
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The full Cambridge 21 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 21, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. 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.