The Birth of Scientific English: reading answers and analysis
English is now the main language of science, but before the late 17th century original science was written in Latin. Latin reached an international, socially exclusive audience and helped keep discoveries secret, while English lacked the vocabulary and grammar. Members of the Royal Society developed scientific English, which then lost ground to German before growing again with the industrial revolution.
The summary (28-34) runs through the second half of the passage in order. The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN block (35-37) goes back to the Renaissance and early Royal Society paragraphs. The table (38-40) is answered from the paragraphs on national languages and audience.
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 28-34 · Summary completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
How to attack this block: The summary compresses the reasons for Latin, the weaknesses of English, the Royal Society, and the later history. Two gaps share a 'neither… nor' pair, so either order works. Keep within two words: watch 'technical vocabulary' and 'industrial revolution'.
Question 28
Answer: LatinParagraph 5, first sentence
Which language did scientists first keep using for their work?
There were several reasons why original science continued to be written in Latin.
Question says → Passage says
remainedcontinued to be written in
the scientific language of choiceoriginal science… in Latin
Why: 'Remained' is the summary's word for 'continued'. The next sentences in the summary (privileged readers, protecting work) follow the reasons the passage gives for sticking with Latin.
The trap: 'English' is the topic of the whole passage, but at first it was used for popular works, not original science.
Question 29
Answer: doctorsParagraph 6, last sentence
Apart from mathematicians, who cared most about keeping ideas private?
Doctors clung the most keenly to Latin as an 'insider language'.
Question says → Passage says
the desire to protect ideasan 'insider language'
mathematiciansit was common practice for mathematicians to keep their discoveries and proofs secret
Why: The secrecy paragraph names two groups: mathematicians, who wrote in cipher, and doctors, who 'clung the most keenly' to Latin. The gap needs a plural noun to pair with 'mathematicians'.
The trap: 'Scholars and gentlemen' appear in the same paragraph, but they're the social class that read Latin, not a group singled out for secrecy.
Question 30
Answer: technical vocabularyParagraph 7
Also accepted: grammatical resources
What was the first thing English lacked for scientific writing?
First, it lacked the necessary technical vocabulary. Second, it lacked the grammatical resources
Question says → Passage says
had neither the ___First, it lacked the necessary
Why: 'Neither… nor' sets up two missing things, and paragraph 7 lists exactly two. 'Technical vocabulary' fits two words. Either order is accepted for 30 and 31.
The trap: Don't write 'necessary technical vocabulary': that's three words. 'Vocabulary' alone is also too thin; keep 'technical'.
Question 31
Answer: grammatical resourcesParagraph 7, last sentence
Also accepted: technical vocabulary
What was the second thing English lacked?
Second, it lacked the grammatical resources required to represent the world in an objective and impersonal way
Question says → Passage says
nor the ___ to express their ideaslacked the grammatical resources required to represent the world
Why: The second lack is 'grammatical resources', two words. It completes the 'neither… nor' pair with question 30.
The trap: 'Objective and impersonal way' describes what the grammar was needed for. It isn't the missing thing itself.
Question 32
Answer: Royal SocietyParagraph 8, first two sentences
Which group of scientists set about developing English after 1660?
several members of the Royal Society possessed an interest in language… the society's members did a great deal to foster the publication of science in English
Question says → Passage says
scientists associated withmembers of
set about developing Englishfoster the publication of science in English and to encourage the development of a suitable writing style
Why: The Royal Society was founded in 1660 (paragraph 3), which matches the summary's date. Its members pushed science publishing in English. Two words, both capitalised.
The trap: 'Philosophical Transactions' is the journal in the next summary sentence, not the group of scientists.
Question 33
Answer: GermanParagraph 10, second sentence
Which language overtook English in science later on?
In the following century much of this momentum was lost as German established itself as the leading European language of science.
Question says → Passage says
overtaken bymomentum was lost as… established itself as the leading
Why: English lost momentum in the 18th century while German became the leading language. The journal figures (401 German, 50 English) confirm it.
The trap: 'French' is in the same paragraph with 96 journals, but it's mentioned only as a comparison. German is named as the leader.
Question 34
Answer: industrial revolutionParagraph 10, last sentence
What caused scientific English to grow again in the 19th century?
in the 19th century scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth as the industrial revolution created the need for new technical vocabulary
Question says → Passage says
developed again in the 19th centuryin the 19th century scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth
as a direct result ofas the industrial revolution created the need
Why: The industrial revolution created the need for new words, so English grew as a result. Two words, which fits the limit.
The trap: 'Professional societies' are in the same sentence, but they were set up to promote the new disciplines; they weren't the cause the summary asks for.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 35-37
How to attack this block: Check who or what each statement is about. Competition in the Renaissance was between nation states, not scientists. For the magnetism statement, look at where 'the most important' sits in the list.
Question 35
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 2, third sentence
Was there fierce competition between scientists in the Renaissance?
The emergent nation states of Europe developed competitive interests in world exploration and the development of trade.
Question says → Passage says
strong competitioncompetitive interests
Why: NOT GIVEN. The competition in the passage is between nation states, over exploration and trade. Nothing is said about competition between scientists.
The trap: 'Competitive' is right there, so people write TRUE. Check who was competing: countries, not scientists.
Question 36
Answer: FALSEParagraph 2, last sentence
Was magnetism the most important scientific development of the Renaissance?
the discovery of magnetism (and hence the invention of the compass), improvements in cartography and - perhaps the most important scientific
Question says → Passage says
The most important scientific developmentperhaps the most important scientific
the discovery of magnetismthe discovery of magnetism
Why: FALSE. Magnetism is the first item in a list of developments. The 'most important' label is attached to the last item in the list, after cartography, not to magnetism. Paragraph 3 then picks up that item: Copernican ideas.
The trap: Magnetism is described in detail (it led to the compass), which makes it feel like the big one. Read where 'the most important' actually sits in the list.
Question 37
Answer: TRUEParagraph 3 and Paragraph 8
Did leading British thinkers of the 1600s mix science with an interest in language?
including two with interests in language - John Wallis and John Wilkins - helped found the Royal Society… several members of the Royal Society possessed an interest in language
Question says → Passage says
leading thinkersJohn Wallis and John Wilkins / several members of the Royal Society
an interest in how to express ideasinterests in language / became engaged in various linguistic projects
Why: TRUE. Wallis and Wilkins had interests in language and founded the Royal Society, and several members worked on linguistic projects and a suitable writing style.
The trap: The 1664 committee for improving English 'came to little', which can look like a reason for FALSE. The statement is only about having the interest, not about every project succeeding.
Table completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 38-40
How to attack this block: The table contrasts Latin and English. Each English cell is the opposite of the Latin one beside it (original against popular, international against local). The Latin example is Newton's first work, not his later one.
Question 38
Answer: popularParagraph 5, last sentence
What type of science was written in English in the early 17th century?
Hence, popular science was written in English.
Question says → Passage says
Type of science - Englishpopular science was written in English
Why: The table contrasts 'Original' (Latin) with the English type. The passage says popular science went into English. The gap needs an adjective like 'Original', so 'popular'.
The trap: 'Translations' and 'textbooks' are listed in paragraph 4 as kinds of publication, but they don't contrast with 'Original' as a type of science.
Question 39
Answer: PrincipiaParagraph 4, last sentence
Also accepted: the Principia / Newton's Principia / mathematical treatise
What is an example of science written in Latin?
Newton published his mathematical treatise, known as the Principia, in Latin
Question says → Passage says
Examples - Latinknown as the Principia, in Latin
Why: The Principia is the one named Latin work. 'Principia', 'the Principia' or 'mathematical treatise' are all accepted.
The trap: 'Opticks' is in the same sentence, but Newton wrote that later and in English. The table is also about the first half of the century.
Question 40
Answer: localParagraph 5, third sentence
Also accepted: more local / local audience
What kind of audience did English reach, besides a socially wider one?
Latin was suitable for an international audience of scholars, whereas English reached a socially wider, but more local, audience.
Question says → Passage says
International scholarsan international audience of scholars
___, but socially widera socially wider, but more local, audience
Why: The table copies the passage's contrast: international for Latin, local for English. 'Local' or 'more local' both fit the two-word limit.
The trap: 'Wider' is already printed in the table. The gap is the other half: local.
Principia, not Opticks. Opticks was later and in English.
Words from this passage worth keeping
prominence(Paragraph 1)
being important and well known
emergent(Paragraph 2)
newly forming or developing
empirical(Paragraph 3)
based on observation and experiment
treatise(Paragraph 4)
a long formal piece of writing on a subject
perversely(Paragraph 6)
in a way that seems the opposite of what you'd expect
inadequacy(Paragraph 7)
not being good enough for a purpose
foster(Paragraph 8)
encourage something to develop
inaugurated(Paragraph 9)
officially started
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Cambridge IELTS 5, Test 2, 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.
