Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 3 Reading Answers

Cambridge Practice Series

Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Reading Test 3: Complete Explanations

⏱ 60 Minutes 🎯 40 Questions 📊 Target: Band 8.0+

Detailed answer solutions and strategic analysis for Cambridge IELTS 16 Reading Test 3. Covers Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation, glacial archaeology in Norway (Climate Change Reveals Ancient Artefacts), and molecular botany research on Plant Thermometers.

Reading Strategy & Passage Flow Map — Figure: Academic Reading Passage Structure & Question Distribution Map

Master Quick-Reference Answer Key (Questions 1–40)

Cross-reference your responses immediately using the 40-question verified answer key.

Q#	Answer Key	Q#	Answer Key	Q#	Answer Key	Q#	Answer Key
1	FALSE	11	Music	21	Reindeer	31	FALSE
2	NOT GIVEN	12	Grain	22	Insects	32	FALSE
3	FALSE	13	Towboats	23	B	33	H
4	TRUE	14	D	24	C	34	D
5	TRUE	15	C	25	A	35	G
6	Lightweight	16	F	26	C	36	C
7	Bronze	17	H	27	NOT GIVEN	37	A
8	Levels	18	G	28	TRUE	38	Warm
9	Hull	19	B	29	TRUE	39	Summer
10	Triangular	20	Microorganisms	30	NOT GIVEN	40	Mustard plants

Section 1

Topic: Maritime History & Ancient Engineering • Questions 1–13 (True/False/Not Given & Table Completion)

Questions 1–5: True / False / Not Given Rationale

Q1: The Romans' shipbuilding skills were passed on to the Greeks and the Egyptians.

Ans: FALSE

Locator: "The Romans were not traditionally sailors... they initially adopted and borrowed naval technologies developed by the Greeks and Egyptians." (Paragraph 1)

Romans learned from Greeks and Egyptians, not the reverse. Reverse chronology makes this statement FALSE.

Q2: Skilled craftsmen were needed for the mortise and tenon method of fixing planks.

Ans: NOT GIVEN

Locator: Paragraph 2 describes the technical assembly of the mortise and tenon joints but makes no statement regarding the craftsman skill level required.

Absence of any qualitative claim regarding artisan credentials requires NOT GIVEN.

Q3: The later practice used by Mediterranean shipbuilders involved building the hull before the frame.

Ans: FALSE

Locator: "In later centuries, shipwrights switched to building the internal wooden frame first, before fixing the outer hull planks." (Paragraph 3)

Frame first, then hull. The question claims the reverse sequence: FALSE.

Q4: The Romans called the Mediterranean Sea Mare Nostrum because they dominated its use.

Ans: TRUE

Locator: "Having established unchallenged naval supremacy across the entire basin, the Romans referred to the Mediterranean as 'Mare Nostrum' (Our Sea)." (Paragraph 4)

Unchallenged supremacy matches "dominated its use", confirming the statement is TRUE.

Q5: Most rowers on ships were people from the Roman army.

Ans: TRUE

Locator: "Contrary to the myth of galley slaves, the vast majority of Roman rowers were enlisted soldiers and legionaries." (Paragraph 5)

Enlisted soldiers constitute members of the Roman army. Statement is TRUE.

Questions 6–13: Ship Classification & Components Table

Q#	Vessel Type / Component	Correct Answer	Passage Keyword Matching
6	Warship characteristics	Lightweight	Built light to maximize speed and battle maneuverability
7	Battering ram material	Bronze	A heavy bronze beak mounted onto the front bow
8	Trireme rowers arrangement	Levels	Rowers positioned across three stacked tiers / levels of oars
9	Merchant vessel broad design	Hull	A wide, cavernous hull engineered to maximize cargo volume
10	Mizzen / bow sail shape	Triangular	Small triangular sails mounted to aid steering and trim
11	Rhythm synchronization	Music	Rowing pace kept uniform by flute and percussion music
12	Primary transported staple	Grain	Vital annual shipments of Egyptian and North African grain
13	Harbor maneuver assistance	Towboats	Heavy merchantmen guided into harbor basins by towboats

Section 2

Reading Passage 2: Climate Change & Norway's Glaciers

Topic: Glacial Archaeology, Ice Patches & Artifact Recovery • Questions 14–26

Questions 14–19: Paragraph Matching (Sections A–H)

Q14: Para D

Explains that hunting weapons were discarded in high passes when arrows missed targets in snow.

Q15: Para C

Recounts extreme mountaineering conditions, subzero winds, and boulder climbs endured by field teams.

Q16: Para F

Discusses regional harvest failures and the Little Ice Age curtailing food supplies.

Q17: Para H

Anticipates rapid glacial retreat revealing countless pristine Iron Age artefacts in coming decades.

Q18: Para G

Lists horseshoes, woollen tunics, and antler combs traded across mountain passes.

Q19: Para B

Highlights intense race against time: once thawed, organic relics rot within days unless recovered.

Questions 20–22: Summary Completion

20	Microorganisms	Relics rapidly decay due to exposure to microorganisms once ice melts.
21	Reindeer	Hunters frequented ice patches because reindeer gathered there to escape biting insects.
22	Insects	Cold ice patches provided herds refuge from biting insect swarms.

Questions 23–26: Classification by Historical Era

23. Peak trade in mountain passes:B (Viking Age)

24. Steep drop in archaeological artefacts:C (Medieval Period / Black Death)

25. Oldest textile shoe discovery:A (Bronze Age)

26. Abandonment of highland route networks:C (Medieval Period)

Section 3

Reading Passage 3: Plant Thermometers

Topic: Botany, Phytochrome Receptors & Phenology • Questions 27–40

Questions 27–32: Yes / No / Not Given

27. Discovery of phytochromes as thermometers astonished international botanists.NOT GIVEN

28. Global agricultural yield goals for 2050 could fall short due to global warming.TRUE

29. Cereal crops such as wheat and rice experience declining yields under heatwaves.TRUE

30. Scientists can now engineer crops that consume half as much water.NOT GIVEN

31. Seedlings accelerate vertical growth in intense direct sunlight.FALSE

32. Phytochromes undergo molecular reversal at equal rates across day and night.FALSE

Questions 33–37: Information Matching & Sentences

33	Agricultural breeders utilizing data to bioengineer heat-resilient crops	H
34	Potential agricultural boost: breeding crops tailored to changing seasons	D
35	Empirical confirmation for ancient folklore regarding oak and ash leafing	G
36	Historic farmers timing sowing schedules by observing bud burst	C
37	Initial discovery reported in Science journal	A

Questions 38–40: Short Sentence Completion

Q38: Warm (winter)

Daffodils flower prematurely when winter temperatures remain uncharacteristically mild.

Q39: Summer

If ash unfurls leaves prior to oak, folklore predicts a drenched summer.

Q40: Mustard plant

Experiments were conducted using Arabidopsis thaliana, a model species of mustard plant.

Band 8.5+ Strategy: Glacial & Scientific Data Matching

Matching Paragraph Information (A–H): This question format does not follow sequential order in the text. Scan for rare proper nouns (e.g., Arabidopsis, Mare Nostrum, Oppland) to establish reliable spatial footholds.
Cause and Effect Reversals: Notice in Question 1, the passage states Romans borrowed skills from Greeks. The question cleverly inverted the subject and object. Invert polarity checks immediately during your first reading pass.

Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 3 Reading Answers & Step-by-Step Explanations