# THE STORY OF SILK: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 3, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 3, 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 | tea | while she was sipping some tea, one of the cocoons that she had collected landed in the hot tea |
| 2 | reel | She also devised a special reel to draw the fibres from the cocoon into a single thread |
| 3 | women | Originally, silkworm farming was solely restricted to women |
| 4 | royalty | only royalty were entitled to have clothes made of silk |
| 5 | currency | silk was so prized that it was also used as a unit of currency |
| 6 | paper | The earliest indication of silk paper being used was discovered in the tomb of a noble |
| 7 | wool | taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East |
| 8 | monks | monks working for the Byzantine emperor Justinian smuggled silkworm eggs to Constantinople |
| 9 | nylon | new manmade fibres, such as nylon, started to be used |
| 10 | FALSE | It was named the Silk Road after its most precious commodity, which was considered to be worth more than gold. |
| 11 | TRUE | Few merchants travelled the entire route; goods were handled mostly by a series of middlemen. |
| 12 | FALSE | The Byzantines were as secretive as the Chinese ... Silk production thus spread through Africa, Sicily and Spain as the Arabs swept through these lands. |
| 13 | NOT GIVEN | China has gradually recaptured its position as the world's biggest producer and exporter of raw silk and silk yarn |

## Why these answers are right

**1. tea.** The note asks where the cocoon fell. Paragraph A tells the legend of Lei Tzu, the emperor's wife, who was sipping tea when one of her collected cocoons landed in the hot tea and began to unravel. The one-word answer is tea.

**2. reel.** You need what the emperor's wife invented to pull out the fibers. Paragraph A says she devised a special reel to draw the fibres from the cocoon into one thread. Devised matches invented and draw matches pull out, so the answer is reel.

**3. women.** This note asks who was allowed to produce silk at first. Paragraph B says silkworm farming was solely restricted to women, who did the growing, harvesting and weaving. Solely restricted matches only, so the answer is women.

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

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