# How tennis rackets have changed: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 1, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 1, 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 | FALSE | Yet five years previously, he had been regarded as a talented outsider who entered but never won the major tournaments. |
| 2 | FALSE | Another change was so subtle as to pass more or less unnoticed. |
| 3 | NOT GIVEN | says Colin Triplow, a UK-based professional racket stringer |
| 4 | FALSE | The rackets they use now weigh more than the average model |
| 5 | NOT GIVEN | the amateur German tennis player Werner Fischer started playing with the so-called spaghetti-strung racket |
| 6 | TRUE | They will continually change it depending on various factors including the court surface, climatic conditions, and game styles. |
| 7 | TRUE | much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to |
| 8 | paint | but even experimented with different kinds of paint. |
| 9 | topspin | It created a string bed that generated so much topspin that it was quickly banned by the International Tennis Federation. |
| 10 | training | an aspect of the game that is equal in significance to nutrition or training. |
| 11 | intestines | all tennis rackets were strung with natural gut made from the outer layer of sheep or cow intestines. |
| 12 | weights | much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights onto his rackets |
| 13 | grips | The professional Portuguese player Gonçalo Oliveira replaced the original grips of his rackets with something thinner because they had previously felt uncomfortable to hold. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. FALSE.** The statement claims people had long expected Murray to reach the top. Paragraph A says that five years before 2016 he was seen as 'a talented outsider' who never won the major tournaments, which is the opposite of being the favorite, so the answer is FALSE.

**2. FALSE.** Paragraph B contrasts two changes. Hiring Lendl was 'widely publicised', but the string change was 'so subtle as to pass more or less unnoticed'. Passing unnoticed is the reverse of attracting a lot of attention, so the statement is FALSE.

**3. NOT GIVEN.** Paragraph C quotes Colin Triplow, a professional racket stringer, about how touring players customize their rackets, but nothing says whether top players bring a stringer with them on tour. The passage is silent on that, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/how-tennis-rackets-have-changed/answers).

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