# Back to the future of skyscraper design: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 2, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | F | Foul air, rather than germs, was believed to be the main driver of 'hospital fever', leading to disease and frequent death. The prosperous steered clear of hospitals. |
| 15 | C | Short regards glass, steel and air-conditioned skyscrapers as symbols of status, rather than practical ways of meeting our requirements. |
| 16 | E | could generate up to 24 air changes an hour - that's similar to the performance of a modern-day, computer-controlled operating theatre. |
| 17 | D | "We spent three years digitally modelling Billings' final designs," ... We put pathogens* in the airstreams |
| 18 | B | before the widespread introduction of air conditioning systems, which were 'relentlessly and aggressively marketed' by their inventors. |
| 19 | design | Of particular interest were those built to the designs of John Shaw Billings |
| 20 | pathogens | We put pathogens* in the airstreams |
| 21 | tuberculosis | modelled for someone with tuberculosis (TB) coughing in the wards |
| 22 | wards | "We discovered that 19th-century hospital wards could generate up to 24 air changes an hour |
| 23 | communal | Communal wards appropriate for certain patients - older people with dementia, for example - would work just as well in today's hospitals, at a fraction of the energy cost. |
| 24 | public | was driven by a panicked public clamouring for buildings that could protect against |
| 25 | miasmas | the lethal threat of miasmas - toxic air that spread disease. |
| 26 | cholera | right through to the cholera outbreaks in London and Paris during the 1850s. |

## Why these answers are right

**14. F.** You need the section explaining why some people kept away from 19th-century hospitals. Section F says foul air was thought to cause hospital fever, which often led to death, and that the prosperous steered clear of hospitals. Steering clear means avoiding them, so the answer is F.

**15. C.** This item looks for the idea that tall buildings are popular because of prestige. Section C ends by saying Short sees glass, steel, air-conditioned skyscrapers as symbols of status rather than practical answers to our needs. Status is a paraphrase of prestige, which points to C.

**16. E.** The item wants a comparison between airflow in an old building and today's standards. Section E says 19th-century wards could reach 24 air changes an hour, similar to a modern computer-controlled operating theatre. Setting old wards against a modern benchmark is the comparison, so E is correct.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/back-to-the-future-of-skyscraper-design/answers).

[Practice Back to the future of skyscraper design](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/back-to-the-future-of-skyscraper-design)