# Roman tunnels: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 16, Test 4, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 16, 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 | posts | placing posts over a hill in a straight line, to ensure that the tunnel kept to its route |
| 2 | canal | down towards a canal, which supplied water for human use |
| 3 | ventilation | which also provided ventilation during the work |
| 4 | lid | were covered with a wooden or stone lid |
| 5 | weight | made sure that the weight at the end of it hung in the center of the shaft |
| 6 | climbing | to help those climbing in and out of them |
| 7 | FALSE | It was used to cut through high mountains when the qanat method was not a practical alternative. |
| 8 | NOT GIVEN | This method required greater planning and advanced knowledge of surveying, mathematics and geometry |
| 9 | FALSE | An inscription written on the side of a 428-meter tunnel |
| 10 | TRUE | describes how the two teams of builders missed each other in the mountain |
| 11 | gold | Traces of such tunnels used to mine gold can still be found at the Dolaucothi mines in Wales. |
| 12 | architect | Most tunnels had inscriptions showing the names of patrons who ordered construction and sometimes the name of the architect. |
| 13 | harbour | built to divert the floodwater threatening the harbor of the ancient city of Seleuceia Pieria |

## Why these answers are right

**1. posts.** Paragraph A says the qanat method began with placing posts over a hill in a straight line to ensure the tunnel kept to its route. Keeping the tunnel on its route is directing the tunnelling, so the labelled upright markers are posts.

**2. canal.** The finished tunnel let water flow down the hillside towards a canal, which supplied water for human use. The label paraphrases human use as used by local people, so the place the water runs into is a canal.

**3. ventilation.** The excavated soil was carried up through the shafts, which also provided ventilation during the work. The label already says the shafts were used to remove earth, so the second function, ventilation, completes it.

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

[Practice Roman tunnels](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/roman-tunnels)