# South Pole Adventurer: answers and explanations

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 4, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, 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 | FALSE | is hardly known outside his own country, even by fellow explorers |
| 2 | FALSE | in the smallest ship ever to try its luck in these dangerous waters |
| 3 | TRUE | Like Amundsen, he initially set his sights on the North Pole. |
| 4 | TRUE | For many of them, the question wasn't could he do it but why would it be worth doing? |
| 5 | NOT GIVEN | So, like the British, Shirase presented his expedition as a search for knowledge |
| 6 | FALSE | The response from the government was cool, however, and Shirase struggled to raise funds. |
| 7 | NOT GIVEN | He eventually acquired a scientist, too, called Terutaro Takeda. |
| 8 | NOT GIVEN | Bad weather delayed the expedition and they didn't reach New Zealand until 8 February |
| 9 | A | most reckoned the expedition to be ill-prepared as the Japanese had only lightweight sledges |
| 10 | B | With a remarkable piece of seamanship, the captain steered the ship out of the ice and turned north. |
| 11 | C | On 26 January, Shirase estimated there were enough provisions to continue for two more days. |
| 12 | C | For a week they struggled through one blizzard after another, holing up in their tents during the worst of the weather. |
| 13 | A | Furthermore, they did it all without the advantages of the other teams and with no previous experience. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. FALSE.** The statement claims other explorers know Shirase's trip well. The first paragraph says his part in the story "is hardly known outside his own country, even by fellow explorers." Hardly known is the opposite of well-known, so the statement contradicts the passage and is FALSE.

**2. FALSE.** This statement says smaller ships have reached Antarctica since Shirase. The writer says his team sailed in "the smallest ship ever to try its luck in these dangerous waters." If his was the smallest ever, no smaller ship has made the trip, so the answer is FALSE.

**3. TRUE.** The statement says Shirase first wanted to go to the North Pole. Paragraph two states that "he initially set his sights on the North Pole" and only changed plans after Peary claimed it in 1909. Initially matches original, so this 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/south-pole-adventurer/answers).

[Practice South Pole Adventurer](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/south-pole-adventurer)