# Alfred Wegener: science, exploration and the theory of continental drift: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 4, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 4, Reading Passage 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 27 | YES | was the focus of an international controversy in his lifetime |
| 28 | NOT GIVEN | rather than supposing that they remained fixed in place |
| 29 | NO | using evidence from a large number of sciences including geology, geophysics, paleontology, and climatology |
| 30 | NO | Plate tectonics is in many respects quite different from Wegener's proposal |
| 31 | I | one of the most intriguing things about him for me was that |
| 32 | F | He trained as an astronomer and pursued a career in atmospheric physics. |
| 33 | A | However, he was not an 'unknown'. |
| 34 | C | In 1906 he had set a world record (with his brother Kurt) for time aloft in a hot-air balloon: 52 hours. |
| 35 | H | a highly publicized and extremely dangerous expedition to the coast of northeast Greenland |
| 36 | E | made a name for himself amongst a small circle of meteorologists and atmospheric physicists in Germany |
| 37 | B | My own feeling, however, is that the parts do not make as much sense on their own as do all of his activities taken together. |
| 38 | A | did not seek to find influence or advance his ideas through professional contacts and politics |
| 39 | D | The more such material a scientist leaves behind, the better chance a biographer has of forming an accurate picture |
| 40 | C | but most of the time our lives 'happen to us' |

## Why these answers are right

**27. YES.** The first paragraph says Wegener's book on continental drift was the focus of an international controversy in his lifetime and for some years after. An international controversy means the ideas were widely disputed while he was alive, so the answer is YES.

**28. NOT GIVEN.** The second paragraph mentions the alternative view that continents remained fixed in place, but only to contrast it with Wegener's idea. It says nothing about any scientific publications defending that view, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.

**29. NO.** Greene writes that Wegener used evidence from a large number of sciences, including geology, geophysics, paleontology and climatology. A large number of fields is the opposite of a limited range, so the statement contradicts the writer and the answer is NO.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/alfred-wegener-science-exploration-and-the-theory-of-continental-drift/answers).

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