# Raising the Mary Rose: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 2, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 2, 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 | Accounts of what happened to the ship vary |
| 2 | NOT GIVEN | What is undisputed, however, is that the Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day |
| 3 | TRUE | nearly all of the starboard half survived intact |
| 4 | FALSE | but were as yet unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts |
| 5 | C | initiated a project called 'Solent Ships' ... what McKee really hoped for was to find the Mary Rose |
| 6 | B | Deane continued diving on the site intermittently until 1840 |
| 7 | G | the operation was not given the go-ahead until January 1982 |
| 8 | A | some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught on an underwater obstruction |
| 9 | frame | The hull was attached to a lifting frame via a network of bolts and lifting wires. |
| 10 | hydraulic jacks | The problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome by using 12 hydraulic jacks. |
| 11 | stabbing guides | This required precise positioning to locate the legs into the 'stabbing guides' of the lifting cradle. |
| 12 | cradle | and the hull was lifted completely clear of the seabed and transferred underwater into the lifting cradle. |
| 13 | air bags | and was fitted with air bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull's delicate timber framework. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. TRUE.** The statement says there is doubt about why the ship sank. Paragraph A says accounts of what happened vary: some claim she was outdated, overloaded and sailing too low, while others blame an undisciplined crew. Competing explanations mean the cause is uncertain, so the statement is true.

**2. NOT GIVEN.** Paragraph A says the Mary Rose sank in the Solent during the battle, taking at least 500 men with her, but it never says whether any other English or French ship went down that day. With no count of losses, the claim that she was the only one is not given.

**3. TRUE.** Paragraph B explains that the ship lay on her starboard side, which filled quickly with sand and mud, while the exposed port side was eroded. As a result, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact. Most of one side lying undamaged paraphrases this, so the statement is true.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/raising-the-mary-rose/answers).

[Practice Raising the Mary Rose](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/raising-the-mary-rose)