# Motor Vehicles and Their Problems: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 3, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 3, 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 | C | Until a hundred years ago, most journeys were in the 20 km range, the distance conveniently accessible by horse. |
| 15 | F | Many people buy larger cars than they need for daily purposes or waste fuel by driving aggressively. |
| 16 | E | Yet cars easily surpass trains or buses as a flexible and convenient mode of personal transport. |
| 17 | H | A more likely scenario seems to be a combination of mass transit systems |
| 18 | A | the number is rising by more than 40 million each year |
| 19 | D | Adaptation to the motor car has involved adding ring roads, one-way systems and parking lots. |
| 20 | NOT GIVEN | Even Moscow has joined the list of capitals afflicted by congestion and traffic fumes. |
| 21 | NO | Clearly the world cannot revert to the horse-drawn wagon. |
| 22 | NOT GIVEN | Today about 90 per cent of inland freight in the United Kingdom is carried by road. |
| 23 | YES | In Europe most cities are still designed for the old modes of transport. |
| 24 | YES | global car use is increasing at a faster rate than the improvement in emissions and fuel efficiency which technology is now making possible. |
| 25 | YES | fuel consumption and exhaust emissions depend on which cars are preferred by customers and how they are driven |
| 26 | NO | the long-term solution of designing cities and neighbourhoods so that car journeys are not necessary |

## Why these answers are right

**14. C.** You need the paragraph comparing past and present transport. Paragraph C contrasts horse journeys and freight by water or rail a hundred years ago with today, when about 90 per cent of UK inland freight goes by road. That then-and-now contrast gives C.

**15. F.** The phrase driving habits points to paragraph F. It says fuel use and emissions depend on how cars are driven, and that many people waste fuel by driving aggressively or buy larger cars than they need. That links behavior behind the wheel to road problems.

**16. E.** Relative merits means weighing strengths and weaknesses. Paragraph E says car transport is seven times as costly as rail in external social costs, yet cars beat trains or buses for flexibility and convenience. Setting cars against public transport this way gives E.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/motor-vehicles-and-their-problems/answers).

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