# How Much Higher? How Much Faster?: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 4, Test 4, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 4, Test 4, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | TRUE | Since the early years of the twentieth century, when the International Athletic Federation began keeping records |
| 2 | NOT GIVEN | Since the early years of the twentieth century, when the International Athletic Federation began keeping records, there has been a steady improvement |
| 3 | FALSE | times and distances have improved ten to twenty percent. In the endurance events the results have been more dramatic. |
| 4 | FALSE | No one theory can explain improvements in performance, but the most important factor has been genetics. |
| 5 | NOT GIVEN | "The athlete must choose his parents carefully," says Jesus Dapena |
| 6 | TRUE | it is more likely that individuals possessing the unique complement of genes for athletic performance can be identified early |
| 7 | genetics | are "running on their genetics". |
| 8 | power | plyometrics focuses on increasing power ... plyometrics, a technique pioneered in the former Soviet Union. |
| 9 | injuries | understand how deficiencies in trace mineral can lead to injuries. |
| 10 | training | as long as our training continues to improve. ... Focused training will also play a role in enabling records to be broken. |
| 11 | A | "we can say that this athlete's run is not fast enough; that this one is not using his arms strongly enough during take-off," |
| 12 | D | That understanding took the later analysis of biomechanists, who put their minds to comprehending something |
| 13 | B | our understanding in many cases is fundamental. We've got a long way to go. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. TRUE.** The statement dates official records to about 1900. Paragraph A says the International Athletic Federation began keeping records in the early years of the twentieth century, which is around 1900, so the statement agrees with the passage and is TRUE.

**2. NOT GIVEN.** This claims performance barely improved before 1900. Paragraph A only describes a steady improvement since the early twentieth century, when record keeping began. It says nothing about how athletes performed earlier, so the passage neither supports nor contradicts the claim, and it is NOT GIVEN.

**3. FALSE.** The statement says the biggest gains came in events needing an intense burst of energy, which the passage calls power events. Paragraph A gives them ten to twenty percent but says endurance results have been more dramatic, with the marathon almost thirty percent faster. So the statement is FALSE.

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