Magy's English Edu. Club
Cambridge 13 Academic Reading Test Three Passage One
Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
1. The Romans’ shipbuilding skills were passed on to the Greeks and the Egyptians.
The answer is FALSE.
In paragraph one, the Romans were not traditionally sailors but mostly land-based people, who learned to build ships from the people that they conquered, namely the Greeks and the Egyptians.
2. Skilled craftsmen were needed for the mortise and tenon method of fixing planks.
The answer is NOT GIVEN.
In paragraph two, starting from the 6th century BCE, they were fixed using a method called mortise and tenon, whereby one plank locked into another without the need for stitching.
3. The later practice used by Mediterranean shipbuilders involved building the hull before the frame.
The answer is FALSE.
In paragraph two, then in the first centuries of the current era, Mediterranean shipbuilders shifted to another shipbuilding method, still in use today, which consisted of building the frame first and then proceeding with the hull and the other components of the ship.
4. The Romans called the Mediterranean Sea Mare Nostrum because they dominated its use.
The answer is TRUE.
In paragraph three, eventually, Rome’s navy became the largest and most powerful in the Mediterranean, and the Romans had control over what they therefore called Mare Nostrum meaning ‘our sea’.
5. Most rowers on ships were people from the Roman army.
The answer is TRUE.
In paragraph four, it is worth noting that contrary to popular perception, rowers were not slaves but mostly Roman citizens enrolled in the military.
Complete the summary.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Warships and merchant ships
6. Warchips were designed so that they were ….. and moved quickly.
The answer is LIGHTWEIGHT.
In paragraph three, warships were to be lightweight and very speedy.
7. A battering ram made of …… was included in the design for attacking and damaging the timber and oars of enemy ships.
The answer is BRONZE.
In paragraph three, they had a bronze battering ram, which they used to pierce the timber hulls or break the oars of enemy vessels.
8. Warships, such as the ‘trim’, had rowers on three different ….
The answer is LEVELS.
In paragraph four, it had rowers in the top, middle, and lower levels, and approximately 50 rowers in each bank.
9. Unlike warships, merchant ships had a broad …. that lay far below the surface of the sea.
The answer is HULL.
In paragraph five, they had a wider hull, double planking, and a solid interior for added stability. Unlike warships, their V-shaped hull was deep underwater, meaning they could not sail too close to the coast.
10. They had both square and …. sails.
The answer is TRIANGULAR.
In paragraph five, they had from one to three masts with large square sails and a small triangular sail at the bow.
11. On merchant ships and warships, …… was used to ensure rowers moved their oars in and out of the water at the same time.
The answer is MUSIC.
In paragraph five, in order to assist them, music would be played on an instrument, and oars would keep time with it.
12. Quantities of agricultural goods such as ….. were transported by merchant ships to two main ports in Italy.
The answer is GRAIN.
In paragraph six, the grace on merchant ships included raw materials (e.g. iron bars, copper, marble, and granite) and agricultural products (e.g. grain from Egypt’s Nile valley).
13. The ships were pulled to the shore by ….. .
The answer is TOWBOATS.
In paragraph six, large merchant ships would approach the destination port and, just like today, be intercepted by a number of rowboats that would drag them to the quay.