# The Lost City: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 2, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 2, 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 | iv | His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos |
| 15 | vi | a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon |
| 16 | viii | he made the ascent without having the least expectation that he would find anything at the top |
| 17 | v | Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book. |
| 18 | i | His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual appreciation of his achievement. |
| 19 | vii | the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world in April 1913 |
| 20 | iii | An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years |
| 21 | TRUE | His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation. |
| 22 | FALSE | Almost all previous travellers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across the mountains |
| 23 | FALSE | Bingham didn't realise the extent or the importance of the site |
| 24 | NOT GIVEN | Bingham made desperate attempts to prove this belief for nearly 40 years. |
| 25 | rubber | a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle. |
| 26 | farmer | some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, had told them about the night before |

## Why these answers are right

**14. iv.** Paragraph A sets out why Bingham traveled to Peru in 1911. It says his goal was to locate the remains of Vitcos, the last Inca capital, and explains his planned descent from the plateau. A stated goal is the purpose of the journey, so heading iv fits.

**15. vi.** Paragraph B explains that a track had recently been blasted down the canyon, letting Bingham follow the river where earlier travelers had crossed a high pass and missed Machu Picchu. A recently made track that others never used is a new route, so vi.

**16. viii.** Paragraph C describes a slow, damp morning when Bingham seemed less than keen to climb the hill, and he admits he went up without the least expectation of finding anything. Both details show little enthusiasm, so heading viii matches this paragraph.

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

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