William Henry Perkin: The man who invented synthetic dyes: reading answers and analysis
The story of William Henry Perkin, who as a teenage chemistry student tried to make the malaria drug quinine from coal tar waste and produced the first synthetic dye instead. He named it, patented it, left college to manufacture it, and royal fashion made mauve a hit. His later dyes also helped medicine, from staining bacteria to today's malaria vaccine research.
Both blocks follow the passage in order. The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (1-7) cover the first five paragraphs, from Perkin's school years to the 1856 experiment. The short answers (8-13) pick up from the paragraph on natural dyes and run to the very last sentence.
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.
How to attack this block: Three are NOT GIVEN, so be strict about what the passage actually says. Watch who does what: the teacher spots Perkin's talent, Faraday only lectures, and Perkin works for Hofmann, not the other way round. 'Native to' a place is not the same as 'grows only' there.
Question 1
Answer: FALSEParagraph 2, second sentence
Was Faraday the first to notice Perkin's talent for chemistry?
His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher, Thomas Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday
Question says → Passage says
recognise Perkin's abilityHis talent and devotion to the subject were perceived
the first personhis teacher, Thomas Hall
Why: The person who spotted Perkin's talent was his teacher, Thomas Hall. Faraday only comes in afterwards, as the lecturer Hall sent him to hear. So Faraday was not the first, and the statement is contradicted.
The trap: Faraday's lectures 'fired' Perkin's enthusiasm, which can feel like recognition. But inspiring a student is not the same as noticing his ability, and Hall had already done that.
Question 2
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 2, last sentence
Did Faraday advise Perkin to apply to the Royal College of Chemistry?
Those speeches fired the young chemist's enthusiasm further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15.
Question says → Passage says
enrol in the Royal College of Chemistrywent on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry
Why: The passage links Faraday's lectures to Perkin's growing enthusiasm, then says he went to the Royal College. It never says who suggested the college, and Faraday gives no advice anywhere.
The trap: The two ideas sit in the same sentence, so it's easy to assume Faraday sent him there. Nothing contradicts that either, which is why it's NOT GIVEN rather than FALSE.
Question 3
Answer: FALSEParagraph 3, second sentence
Did Perkin take Hofmann on as his assistant?
Perkin's scientific gifts soon caught Hofmann's attention and, within two years, he became Hofmann's youngest assistant.
Question says → Passage says
employed ... as his assistanthe became Hofmann's youngest assistant
Why: It's the other way round. Hofmann was the head of the college and Perkin became his assistant. The statement reverses the roles, so it's FALSE.
The trap: The names and the word 'assistant' all match, so a quick scan says TRUE. Always check who does what to whom.
Question 4
Answer: TRUEParagraphs 2-3
Was Perkin young when he made his big money-making discovery?
which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15… within two years, he became Hofmann's youngest assistant. Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune.
Question says → Passage says
rich and famousboth fame and fortune
still youngat the age of 15… within two years… Not long after that
Why: He entered college at 15, became an assistant within two years and made the breakthrough not long after, in 1856. Born in 1838, he was about 18. 'Fame and fortune' is the passage's version of 'rich and famous'.
The trap: No age is given for the discovery itself, so some students say NOT GIVEN. You're expected to put the dates together: 1838 birth, 1856 discovery.
Question 5
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 4, second sentence
Is South America the only place cinchona trees grow?
The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America
Question says → Passage says
The trees from which quinine is derivedderived from the bark of the cinchona tree
grow only in South Americanative to South America
Why: 'Native to' tells you where the tree comes from originally. It says nothing about whether it grows anywhere else, so 'only' can't be checked.
The trap: 'Native to South America' looks like a match, so people write TRUE. The word 'only' is the problem: the passage never limits where the tree grows.
Question 6
Answer: TRUEParagraph 5, second sentence
Was Perkin trying to make a medicine out of coal tar waste?
He was attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste product.
Question says → Passage says
hoped to manufacturewas attempting to manufacture
a drugquinine
a coal tar waste productaniline, an inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste product
Why: Quinine is the malaria drug from paragraph 4, and aniline is described as a coal tar waste product. 'Attempting to' covers 'hoped to'.
The trap: He failed and made a dye instead, so some students write FALSE. The statement is about what he hoped to do, not what he achieved.
Question 7
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 5, last sentence
Did Pasteur's discoveries inspire Perkin?
proving the truth of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur's words 'chance favours only the prepared mind', Perkin saw the potential of his unexpected find.
Question says → Passage says
the famous scientist Louis Pasteurthe famous scientist Louis Pasteur's words
Why: Pasteur is quoted by the writer to describe Perkin's luck. The passage doesn't say Perkin knew of Pasteur's work or was inspired by any discovery of his.
The trap: The phrase 'the famous scientist Louis Pasteur' is copied straight into the statement, which makes it feel TRUE. It's the writer using Pasteur's words, not Perkin.
Short answers (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 8-13
How to attack this block: Each question has a time or order clue ('before', 'immediately', 'finally', 'first', 'now') that tells you which of two nearby options to pick. Copy names exactly, and keep within two words.
Question 8
Answer: richParagraph 6, third sentence
Also accepted: the rich / only rich / the only rich
Which social group was purple linked with before Perkin?
the purple colour extracted from a snail was once so costly that in society at the time only the rich
Question says → Passage says
what group in societyin society at the time
associated with the colour purpleonly the rich
Why: Snail purple was so expensive that only one group could afford it. That group is the answer: 'rich' (or 'the rich'), which stays within two words.
The trap: 'Snails' is the source of the colour, not a group in society. Read the question word 'group' carefully.
Question 9
Answer: commercialParagraph 7, last sentence
Also accepted: commercial possibilities
What kind of potential did Perkin see in his dye almost at once?
his nearly instant recognition that the new dye had commercial possibilities
Question says → Passage says
immediately understandnearly instant recognition
potentialpossibilities
Why: 'Immediately understand' matches 'nearly instant recognition', and 'potential' matches 'possibilities'. So the answer is the word that describes those possibilities: 'commercial'.
The trap: 'Synthetic dye' or 'colour fabric' appear just before, but those are what the dye is or does. The question asks about the potential he saw, which was money.
Question 10
Answer: mauveParagraph 8, first sentence
What name did Perkin's first colour end up being known by?
Perkin originally named his dye Tyrian Purple, but it later became commonly known as mauve
Question says → Passage says
the name finally usedlater became commonly known as
Why: The sentence gives two names in time order. 'Finally' points to the later one, 'mauve'.
The trap: 'Tyrian Purple' is the first name and fits the two-word limit, so it gets written a lot. It's the original name, not the final one.
Question 11
Answer: PullarParagraph 8, second sentence
Also accepted: Robert Pullar
Who did Perkin ask for advice before starting his dye business?
He asked advice of Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar
Question says → Passage says
consultedasked advice of
before setting up his own dye worksdye works owner
Why: 'Consulted' is 'asked advice of'. 'Pullar' or 'Robert Pullar' both fit the two-word limit. Check the spelling: double 'l'.
The trap: Hofmann is mentioned in the same paragraph, but he objected to Perkin leaving. He wasn't consulted.
Question 12
Answer: FranceParagraph 9, last two sentences
Also accepted: in France
Which country first made mauve fashionable?
The company received a commercial boost from the Empress Eugénie of France… Very soon, mauve was the necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country.
Question says → Passage says
first become fashionablethe necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies
what countryin that country
Why: 'That country' refers back to France, the Empress Eugénie's country. England follows only in the next paragraph.
The trap: 'England' is tempting because Perkin was English and Queen Victoria wore mauve too. But 'Not to be outdone' tells you England came second.
Question 13
Answer: malariaParagraph 11, last sentence
Which disease are researchers using synthetic dyes to fight today?
their current use is in the search for a vaccine against malaria.
Question says → Passage says
now being targetedcurrent use is in the search for a vaccine against
Why: 'Now' matches 'current use', and the vaccine is against malaria. It also ties the story back to quinine, the malaria drug Perkin was trying to make.
The trap: Tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax come just before, but those bacteria were identified in the past. The question asks about now.
TRUE, but no age is given for the discovery. You have to add it up: entered college at 15, an assistant within two years, the breakthrough not long after.
Mauve became fashionable in France first. England followed only after Queen Victoria wore it.
Words from this passage worth keeping
eminent(Paragraph 2)
famous and respected in a particular field
viable(Paragraph 4)
able to work successfully
derived from(Paragraph 4)
made from or taken from
readily available(Paragraph 5)
easy to get hold of
backdrop(Paragraph 6)
the general situation in which something happens
fast(Paragraph 8)
(of a colour) not fading or washing out
byproduct(Paragraph 9)
something produced as a side effect of making something else
clamoured for(Paragraph 10)
demanded loudly and eagerly
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The full Cambridge 9 Test 1 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 9, Test 1, 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 9 Test 1
Passage 1 · Questions 1-13 · You're hereWilliam Henry Perkin: The man who invented synthetic dyes
