# THE FALKIRK WHEEL: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 1, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 1, 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 | FALSE | Historically, the two canals had been joined near the town of Falkirk by a sequence of 11 locks |
| 15 | NOT GIVEN | Numerous ideas were submitted for the Project, including concepts ranging from rolling eggs to tilting tanks |
| 16 | TRUE | were all constructed and assembled, like one giant toy building set, at Butterley Engineering's Steelworks in Derbyshire |
| 17 | NOT GIVEN | Over 45,000 bolt holes were matched with their bolts, and each bolt was hand-tightened. |
| 18 | FALSE | These gondolas always weigh the same, whether or not they are carrying boats. |
| 19 | TRUE | owing to the presence of the historically important Antonine Wall, which was built by the Romans in the second century AD. |
| 20 | gates | Two hydraulic steel gates are raised, so as to seal the gondola off from the water in the canal basin. |
| 21 | clamp | A hydraulic clamp, which prevents the arms of the Wheel moving while the gondola is docked, is removed, allowing the Wheel to turn. |
| 22 | axle | In the central machine room an array of ten hydraulic motors then begins to rotate the central axle. |
| 23 | cogs | Two eight-metre-wide cogs orbit a fixed inner cog of the same width, connected by two smaller cogs |
| 24 | aqueduct | the boat passes straight onto the aqueduct situated 24 metres above the canal basin. |
| 25 | wall | Boats travel under this wall via a tunnel |
| 26 | locks | The remaining 11 metres of lift needed to reach the Union Canal is achieved by means of a pair of locks. |

## Why these answers are right

**14. FALSE.** The statement says the Wheel joined the two canals for the first time. Paragraph B says they had historically been joined near Falkirk by a sequence of 11 locks, which was dismantled in 1933. The Wheel restored an old link, so the statement is FALSE.

**15. NOT GIVEN.** Paragraph C describes the many ideas submitted, the winning plan and what inspired its shape, but it never mentions anyone objecting to the design at any stage. With no information about opposition, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

**16. TRUE.** Paragraph D says the parts were all constructed and assembled at Butterley Engineering's steelworks in Derbyshire, then taken apart and moved to Falkirk. Being made and first put together at the same site matches the statement, so it is TRUE.

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

[Practice THE FALKIRK WHEEL](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-falkirk-wheel)