Egypt's Ancient Boat Builders Reading Answers

Jun 18, 2025

Egypt's Ancient Boat Builders Reading Answers contains 14 questions and belongs to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. This reading section must be answered within 20 minutes. In this IELTS reading passage, you'll encounter question types like Write one word only and Choose the correct letter. Also, Egypt's Ancient Boat Builders Reading Answers contains detailed information about archaeological discoveries along Egypt's Red Sea coast, highlighting the seafaring skills of the ancient Egyptians and their remarkable shipbuilding technology.

The passage explores how trade expeditions to the mythical land of Punt were likely conducted by sea, backed by evidence from caves and artifacts at Mersa Gawasis. To practice reading comprehension passages like this one, candidates are encouraged to explore the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Topic:

Archaeological discoveries on Egypt's Red Sea coast indicate that the region's ancient inhabitants were a skilled seafaring people.

The scenes carved into a wall of an Egyptian temple dating from the 15th century BC, tell of a remarkable sea voyage from a mysterious land known as Punt, or Land of God. They show a fleet of ships bearing exotic cargo, navigating through high-crested waves on a journey. The exact meaning of these detailed carvings has divided Egyptologists ever since they were discovered in the mid-19th century. Some people have argued that Punt was not on the sea, or a fictitious place altogether, says Oxford University Egyptologist John Baines. However, a series of remarkable discoveries on a desolate stretch of Egypt's Red Sea coast has settled the debate. These finds remove all doubt that you reach Punt by sea. 'Baines says. The Egyptians must have had considerable seagoing experience.

The archaeologists behind these discoveries are Kathryn Bard of Boston University, USA, and Rodolfo Fattovich of Orientale University, Italy.

From 2002 they spent several weeks each year examining a dried-up lagoon known in Egypt as Mersa Gawasis, and the coastal cliffs nearby.

They were searching for signs of a harbour that might have sheltered merchant ships like those depicted in the wall carvings. Finally, in December 2004, Bard was clearing what she thought was the back wall of a rock shelter when she put her hand through the sand into an open space, and uncovered a hemispherical cave about 5 metres across and 2 metres high. The cave's entrance was carved into an exact rectangle and was clearly not a natural formation. Inside, the archaeologists found shattered storage jars, broken boxes made from cedar planks, and five grinding stones. A pottery fragment inscribed with the name of Amenemhat Ill, a pharaoh who ruled Egypt around 1800 BC, helped the team pinpoint the cave's age.

Not long afterwards, Bard and Fattovich came across a larger cave, reinforced with old wooden timbers and stone anchors, the first conclusive evidence of large scale Egyptian seafaring ever discovered. Over the next few years, they uncovered the hidden remnants of an ancient boat-building and seafaring community. Many of the artefacts found were full of holes-the work of tiny marine animals known as shipworms. In addition to eight caves, Bard and Fattovich found remains of five mud-brick ramps that might have been used to ease ships into the water. One cave contained hundreds of metres of rope, expertly coiled and stacked.

Material connecting Mersa Gawasis to Punt accumulated both inside and outside the caves. A few hundred metres from the cliffs lie piles of crumbled stone and conch shells-most probably the remains of altars. Among these are stones carved with inscriptions that specifically mention missions to Punt. As if that weren't enough, among the remnants found outside one cave were two planks marked with directions for assembling a ship. One of them bore an inscription still partly legible after 3,800 years: "Year 8 under his majesty the king of Upper and Lower Egypt...given life forever...of wonderful things of Punt."

While the Mersa Gawasis artefacts have answered some questions, they have raised others. For instance, how did the expeditions to Punt actually work, and how did the Egyptians construct vessels that could make a round-trip voyage of over 3,000 kilometres? Cheryl Ward, a maritime archaeologist at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, USA, has gone some way to answering these questions. She spent three years building a full-scale reconstruction of a ship that would have docked in the lagoon of Mersa Gawasis. Ward has determined that unlike modern vessels, the Egyptian ship was essentially one giant hull. The Egyptian ships were also unique in that they were held together with fittings that needed no metal fasteners, and could be taken apart and put back together again. "From the very beginning, the Egyptians were building boats that could be disassembled, and that makes them different from anyone else," Ward says.

For all the skill and craftsmanship evident in the Mersa Gawasis caves, ancient Egypt's ocean voyages were most likely an exception to the usual modes of trade, born out of a necessity to obtain precious materials, such as incense and aromatic resins. For most of Egypt's history these goods had moved along established routes across the eastern desert and through modern-day Sudan. But around the time Mersa Gawasis came into use, it seems a hostile new kingdom to the south cut Egypt off from its supply of exotic materials. "If they could have gone overland, it would have been much easier than bringing timbers from Lebanon, building ships on the upper Nile, taking them apart and carrying them across the desert," Bard says. "They weren't stupid-no one wants to do things the hard way. But geopolitically, they had no other choice." Fattovich suggests that there were probably only 15 to 20 expeditions over some 400 years, about one every two decades.

After that Mersa Gawasis fell out of use, probably because either there was no longer enough water in the lagoon to float ships, or overland links improved, or alternative sites were found. The last sailors to use the lagoon sealed up their equipment and shelters behind mud bricks and sand to await expeditions that never came.

Questions 14-17

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-F.

NB: You may use any letter more than once.

14. possible reasons why the site of Mersa Gawasis was abandoned

Answer: F

Supporting statement: “After that Mersa Gawasis fell out of use, probably because either there was no longer enough water in the lagoon to float ships, or overland links improved, or alternative sites were found.”

Keywords: [reasons, abandoned, Mersa Gawasis]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph F, last 3 lines}

Explanation: Paragraph F explains multiple possible reasons for why Mersa Gawasis was eventually abandoned.

15. Mention of a lack of agreement about an archaeology discovery

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “The exact meaning of these detailed carvings has divided Egyptologists ever since they were discovered in the mid-19th century.”

Keywords: [lack of agreement, divided Egyptologists, discovery]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph A, Line 3}

Explanation: Paragraph A refers to the ongoing disagreement among experts regarding the meaning of the temple carvings, which qualifies as a lack of agreement about an archaeological discovery.

16. reference to a study which involved copying ancient Egyptian boat-building techniques

Answer: E

Supporting statement: “She spent three years building a full-scale reconstruction of a ship that would have docked in the lagoon of Mersa Gawasis.”

Keywords: [reconstruction, ship, Egyptian boat-building techniques]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph E, Line 4}

Explanation: Paragraph E describes a study by Cheryl Ward that involved replicating ancient Egyptian shipbuilding.

17. A reason why the ancient Egyptians needed to import goods by sea

Answer: F

Supporting statement: “...born out of a necessity to obtain precious materials, such as incense and aromatic resins... But around the time Mersa Gawasis came into use, it seems a hostile new kingdom to the south cut Egypt off...”

Keywords: [import goods, necessity, sea]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph F, Lines 1–4}

Explanation: Paragraph F explains why the Egyptians had to use sea routes—land routes were blocked.

Questions 18-19

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

18. Illustrations of merchant ships sailing from Punt were found on wall carvings in ancient __

in Egypt.

Answer: temples

Supporting statement: “The scenes carved into a wall of an Egyptian temple...”

Keywords: [illustrations, merchant ships, carvings]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph A, Line 1}

Explanation: Illustrations of merchant ships were found in ancient temples.

19. Bard and Fattovich hoped to find evidence of a ………… in the area of Mersa Gawasis.

Answer: harbour

Supporting statement: “They were searching for signs of a harbour that might have sheltered merchant ships…”

Keywords: [evidence, Mersa Gawasis, hoped to find]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph B, Line 3}

Explanation: The archaeologists were looking for a harbour used by ancient Egyptian ships.

Questions 20-21

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

20. When Bard first discovered a cave at Mersa Gawasis, the shape of its …….. indicated

that it was man-made.

Answer: entrance

Supporting statement: “The cave’s entrance was carved into an exact rectangle and was clearly not a natural formation.”

Keywords: [shape, man-made, cave]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph B, Line 7}

Explanation: The entrance shape indicated the cave was man-made.

21. Bard and Fattovich discovered a considerable number of objects that had been made by small sea creatures known as ……………..

Answer: shipworms

Supporting statement: “Many of the artefacts found were full of holes—the work of tiny marine animals known as shipworms.”

Keywords: [objects, holes, sea creatures]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph C, Line 4}

Explanation: Artefacts were damaged by shipworms, small marine creatures.

Questions 22-26

Look at the following statements and the list of archaeologists below.

Match each statement with the correct archaeologist A, B, C, or D.

NB: You may use any letter more than once.

22. Ancient Egyptian sea voyages were probably relatively infrequent

Answer: C (Rodolfo Fattovich)

Supporting statement: “Fattovich suggests that there were probably only 15 to 20 expeditions over some 400 years...”

Keywords: [sea voyages, infrequent]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph F, Line 7}

Explanation: Fattovich estimated that expeditions were infrequent, about one every 20 years.

23. It is now certain that the ancient Egyptians sailed to Punt

Answer: A (John Baines)

Supporting statement: “These finds remove all doubt that you reach Punt by sea,’ Baines says.”

Keywords: [certain, Egyptians sailed to Punt]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph A, Line 6}

Explanation: Baines confirmed that the journey to Punt was by sea.

24. During a certain period, Egyptians were forced to use sea rather than overland trade routes.

Answer: B (Kathryn Bard)

Supporting statement: “...geopolitically, they had no other choice,” Bard says.

Keywords: [forced, sea, overland blocked]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph F, Line 5–6}

Explanation: Bard suggested sea routes were used out of necessity due to geopolitical issues.

25. It has been suggested that Punt never existed.

Answer: A (John Baines)

Supporting statement: “Some people have argued that Punt was not on the sea, or a fictitious place altogether, says... John Baines.”

Keywords: [Punt, fictitious]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph A, Line 4}

Explanation: Baines noted that some doubted the existence of Punt.

26. The construction of ancient Egyptian ships was unlike any other.

Answer: D (Cheryl Ward)

Supporting statement: “...the Egyptians were building boats that could be disassembled... makes them different from anyone else,” Ward says.

Keywords: [construction, unlike any other]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph E, final line}

Explanation: Ward pointed out the uniqueness of Egyptian ship construction.

LIST OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

A. John Baines

B. Kathryn Bard

C. Rodolfo Fattovich

D. Cheryl Ward

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*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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