The birth of modern plastics: reading answers and analysis
In 1907 Leo Baekeland patented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic thermosetting plastic. His real achievement was a controlled process that made it possible to produce on a commercial scale. The passage describes the three-stage production method, how moulding shaped Bakelite design, and the material's rise, fall and recent revival.
The summary (1-3) uses the second and third paragraphs. The flow-chart (4-8) follows the production paragraph in order. The choose-two question (9-10) is in the design paragraph, and the TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN block (11-13) jumps back to the patent and then to the final paragraph.
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 1-3 · Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
How to attack this block: The summary paraphrases the definitions closely. Watch the comparisons: two everyday things are used to explain two types of plastic, and only one melts. One word only, so 'synthetic' rather than 'totally synthetic'.
Question 1
Answer: candlewaxParagraph 2, fourth sentence
What everyday substance do some plastics resemble because they melt and can be reshaped?
Some are 'thermoplastic', which means that, like candlewax, they melt when heated and can then be reshaped.
Question says → Passage says
behave in a similar way tolike
melt under heat and can be moulded into new formsmelt when heated and can then be reshaped
Why: 'Similar way to' is a paraphrase of 'like', and the rest of the summary sentence repeats 'melt when heated' and 'reshaped'. The comparison word is 'candlewax', written as one word.
The trap: 'Eggs' is the comparison in the very next sentence, but eggs describe thermosetting plastics, which can't be reshaped.
Question 2
Answer: syntheticParagraph 2, last sentence
Bakelite was the first material to be entirely what in origin, as well as thermosetting?
Bakelite had the distinction of being the first totally synthetic thermosetting plastic.
Question says → Passage says
uniquehad the distinction of being the first
entirely ___ in origintotally synthetic
Why: 'Entirely' swaps for 'totally', and the word after it is 'synthetic'. The gap needs an adjective, which fits 'entirely ___ in origin'.
The trap: 'Semi-synthetic' appears earlier in the paragraph, but that's the opposite category (chemical action on a natural substance). One word only, so 'synthetic'.
Question 3
Answer: chemistryParagraph 3, second sentence
In which field had great progress driven nineteenth-century plastics research?
immense technological progress in the domain of chemistry
Question says → Passage says
several reasonsa number of factors
great advances… in the field ofimmense technological progress in the domain of
alternatives to natural resources like ivoryacceptable substitutes for dwindling supplies of 'luxury' materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory
Why: 'Field' matches 'domain', and 'great advances' matches 'immense progress'. The word after 'domain of' is 'chemistry'.
The trap: Some people write 'technology' or 'culture' from the same sentence, but those don't follow 'the domain of'. Wider cultural changes were a separate factor.
Flow-chart completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 4-8
How to attack this block: The chart follows the production paragraph sentence by sentence. Some boxes give examples and ask for the category, and one asks for a name. Copy unusual spellings exactly.
Question 4
Answer: NovalakParagraph 5, second sentence
What was the resin from the first stage called?
The result was a resin known as Novalak, which became soluble and malleable when heated.
Question says → Passage says
resin, calleda resin known as
Why: 'Called' is 'known as', and the name follows. Copy the spelling exactly: Novalak, with a capital N.
The trap: 'Bakelite' is the famous name, but it's the end product, not the stage-one resin.
Question 5
Answer: fillersParagraph 5, fourth sentence
What is the general name for added substances like cotton and asbestos?
Other substances were then introduced, including fillers, such as woodflour, asbestos or cotton, which increase strength and moisture resistance
Question says → Passage says
(e.g. cotton, asbestos)such as woodflour, asbestos or cotton
Why: The flow-chart gives you the examples and asks for the category. In the passage, 'such as… asbestos or cotton' comes right after 'fillers'.
The trap: 'Catalysts' are listed in the same sentence as another ingredient, but cotton and asbestos are examples of fillers, not catalysts.
Question 6
Answer: hexaParagraph 5, fourth sentence
What is the compound of ammonia and formaldehyde called?
hexa, a compound of ammonia and formaldehyde which supplied the additional formaldehyde
Question says → Passage says
ammonia + formaldehydea compound of ammonia and formaldehyde
Why: The flow-chart's arrow means 'makes', and the passage names the compound: hexa. It's short and easy to miss, so read the whole sentence.
The trap: 'Formaldehyde' is the obvious word, but it's already in the box. The gap needs the name of the compound.
Question 7
Answer: rawParagraph 5, sixth sentence
What kind of Bakelite is the granular powder at this stage?
The resulting granular powder was raw Bakelite, ready to be made into a vast range of manufactured objects.
Question says → Passage says
___ Bakeliteraw Bakelite
Why: The gap sits right in front of 'Bakelite', so you need the adjective the passage uses there: 'raw', meaning not yet moulded.
The trap: 'Powder' or 'granular' look like good answers, but the chart already has 'Bakelite' after the gap, and the passage's word in that exact position is 'raw'.
Question 8
Answer: pressureParagraph 5, last sentence
Along with heat, what is applied in the final moulding stage?
subjected to extreme heat and pressure, thereby 'setting' its form for life
Question says → Passage says
apply intense heat andsubjected to extreme heat and
Why: 'Intense' is a synonym for 'extreme', and the noun after 'heat and' is 'pressure'.
The trap: 'Mould' is in the same sentence, but the chart wants what was applied, not where it was poured.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 9-10
How to attack this block: The design paragraph lists several technical rules. Match two of them to the options, and be careful with the one that mentions style: the passage gives it as a result of the rules, not a cause.
Question 9-10
Answer: B and C (in either order)Paragraph 6
Which two design factors for Bakelite objects does the text mention?
The object could not be designed so that it was locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract… so that the molten Bakelite would flow evenly and completely into the mould
Question says → Passage says
the ease with which the resin could fill the mould (B)the molten Bakelite would flow evenly and completely into the mould
the facility with which the object could be removed (C)locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract
Why: Paragraph 6 is a list of moulding rules. B matches the need for molten Bakelite to flow evenly and completely into the mould. C matches the rule that an object must not get locked in and be hard to extract.
The trap: E is the most tempting: the streamlined 1930s style is mentioned. But the passage says avoiding sharp corners gave rise to that style, so fashion was a result of the design limits, not a factor shaping them.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 11-13
How to attack this block: One TRUE comes from the end of the patent paragraph. The two FALSEs are in the final paragraph, where a single word or phrase contradicts each statement: early disdain, and a dazzling range of shades.
Question 11
Answer: TRUEParagraph 4, last sentence
Is today's plastic preparation based on the 1907 patent's principles?
Baekeland took out his famous patent describing this preparation, the essential features of which are still in use today.
Question says → Passage says
Modern-daytoday
based on the same principlesthe essential features of which are still in use
Why: TRUE. 'Essential features still in use today' means the modern method rests on the same principles as the 1907 patent.
Question 12
Answer: FALSEParagraph 7, first sentence
Was Bakelite welcomed straight away as a useful material?
Baekeland's invention, although treated with disdain in its early years, went on to enjoy an unparalleled popularity
Question says → Passage says
immediately welcomedtreated with disdain in its early years
Why: FALSE. 'Disdain' means contempt, and it was in the early years. Popularity came later ('went on to'), so the welcome wasn't immediate.
The trap: 'The material of a thousand uses' looks like proof it was seen as versatile. It was, but only after the early period of disdain.
Question 13
Answer: FALSEParagraph 7, fourth sentence
Did Bakelite come in only a few colours?
consumers everywhere relished its dazzling array of shades, delighted that they were now, at last, no longer restricted to the wood tones and drab browns
Question says → Passage says
only available in a limited range of coloursdazzling array of shades
Why: FALSE. A 'dazzling array of shades' is a wide range of colours. The limited colours belonged to the pre-plastic era.
The trap: 'Restricted' appears in the sentence, which can make it look like TRUE. Read the 'no longer' in front of it.
FALSE. 'Treated with disdain in its early years' contradicts 'immediately welcomed'. The popularity came later.
Words from this passage worth keeping
patented(Paragraph 1)
officially registered an invention so others can't copy it
revert(Paragraph 2)
go back to an earlier state
impetus(Paragraph 3)
the force or reason that drives something forward
dwindling(Paragraph 3)
becoming gradually smaller in amount
malleable(Paragraph 5)
easily shaped or bent
taper(Paragraph 6)
become gradually narrower towards one end
disdain(Paragraph 7)
the feeling that something isn't worth respect
renaissance(Paragraph 7)
a revival of interest after a period of neglect
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The full Cambridge 5 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 5, 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 5 Test 2
Passage 1 · Questions 1-13 · You're hereThe birth of modern plastics
