Steam Across the Water Reading Answers

Jul 14, 2025

Steam Across the Water Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Steam Across the Water Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. It includes questions such as Choose one word only for each answer. Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading passage I? Write true, false, or not given in boxes 7–13 on your answer sheet.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through several IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

Steam Across the Water

A look at the early history of boats powered by steam

During the 1600s, very early in the development of steam engines, inventive spirits like the Frenchman Denis Papin dreamed of — and experimented with — boats driven by steam, rather than by the wind or human effort, but many decades passed before those visions became reality. Englishman Jonathan Hulls took out patents on a steamboat in 1736, but it was to be driven by a Newcomen engine, which was heavy and therefore inefficient, and would never be a success. In 1763, William Henry, an American, put a Watt steam engine in a boat, but it sank. Nearly 20 years later, in the 1780s, a steam-powered paddle-wheeler managed to last fifteen minutes against the current on the River Saone in France but lacked the endurance for longer trips. Developments elsewhere included a boat driven by a steam-powered water jet and able to do six kilometers per hour. However, all these steamboats were either too slow or too expensive to run. For example, American John Fitch successfully trialled his first steamboat in 1787, but although he tried a number of designs and solved many technical challenges — one of his boats could even travel at 13 km/h: he could never convince skeptics that steamboats would pay.

The 19th century came before real success could be claimed, In Scotland in 1802, Lord Dundas launched the steamboat Charlotte Dundas, which was driven by a paddle wheel and had an improved engine designed by William Symington. Barges, some weighing as much as 70 tonnes, were towed by this steamboat 30 kilometers along the Forth and Clyde Canal to Glasgow, Scotland's second City. Soon after, success came to American Robert Fulton, whose countrymen called him 'the father of the steamboat'. Inspired by news of the Charlotte Dundas, Fulton ran steamboat trials on the River Scinc, in an attempt to attract French support for his submarine Nautilus. He later imported a Boulton-Watt steam engine and built a boat to use it in. In 1807, the Clermont began a scheduled passenger steamboat service between New York and Albany, 250 kilometers up the Hudson River, taking 30 hours for the trip, Within a few years, steamers were running on the St Lawrence River in Canada and would soon appear on other

rivers and lakes, including the Mississippi River, a most famous venue for the paddle-wheelers.

Back in Scotland, Fulton's ideas inspired Henry Bell, who launched his Comet in 1812 on the Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock. Inside a decade, dozens of steamboats were to be seen on the rivers, lochs, and canals of Scotland, carrying cargo and occasionally passengers.

The age of steamboats had come.

Once steamboats were carrying passengers and industrial goods along the inland waterways and sheltered coastlines of Europe, North America, and elsewhere, the challenge became to send steamboats onto the open ocean, such as across the Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and the US. Travelling under steam power alone would require engines to use less coal so the ship could stay at sea for several weeks. In order to provide a reliable service, it was also necessary to replace paddle wheels as a source of power with something less affected by the rolling of the ship. Without waiting for such breakthroughs, crossings under a combination of steam and sail got underway in 1819 with the American ship Savannah. A regular service took another two decades and introduced the famous name of Cunard. Securing the British government contract for the mail service across the Atlantic, Samuel Cunard established a shipping line in 1840, soon carrying passengers as well, and offering guaranteed sailing dates. Cunard's first ships used a sail-steam combination, but the era of the passenger liner, using steam alone, was getting close.

When it came to building the ships, the versatile British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel set the pace. Brunel, brilliant and daring, had already built the Great Western Railway. He created ever bigger ships — faster, more luxurious, and comfortable for passengers. The Great Western, launched in 1838, was 70 meters long and crossed from Bristol to New York in just fifteen days. The largest paddle steamer ever built was Brunel's Great Eastern. Ultimately too expensive to run as a passenger ship, it was leased to lay the first submarine telegraph cable from Europe to America. His 1853 Great Britain, nearly 100 meters long and luxuriously appointed, was the first ocean-going steamship made of iron, and the first to use the underwater screw propeller for powering movement in place of paddle wheels. The idea of the screw had been around since the experiments of the American John Stevens in 1803, but only in 1838 did a large steamer use one, the riverboat Archimedes built by Francis Pettit Smith. Later ships

had twin screws for reliability.

In many modern ships, steam turbines have replaced engines with pistons, with fuel oil instead of coal to fire the boilers. Diesel engines keep others moving. The largest ships afloat now would dwarf Brunel's Great Eastern (launched in 1860); the Atlantic can be crossed in only four days. But in whatever form, the ever-evolving descendants of the original visions of Denis Papin and Robert Fulton continue to travel the seas in vast numbers.

Questions 1-6

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

The engine of Jonathan Hulls' steamboat was 1……….. due to its weight.

Answer: INEFFICIENT

Supporting statement: Englishman Jonathan Hulls took out patents on a steamboat in 1736, but it was to be driven by a Newcomen engine, which was heavy and therefore inefficient, and would never be a success.

Keywords: Englishman Jonathan, steamboat, 1736, heavy

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 4-5

Explanation: Due to its weight, Jonathan Hulls' steamboat was inefficient and did not see much success.

A French paddle steamer did not have the 2………….. to keep going for more than a quarter of an hour.

Answer: ENDURANCE

Supporting statement: a steam-powered paddle-wheeler managed to last fifteen minutes against the current on the River Saone in France but lacked the endurance for longer trips.

Keywords: steam-powered, fifteen minutes, endurance

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 7-8

Explanation: According to the text, while a steam-powered paddle-wheeler on the French River Saone was able to withstand the current for fifteen minutes, it was not able to endure longer journeys.

John Fitch overcame a number of 3………… problems with his steamboat designs.

Answer: TECHNICAL

Supporting statement: Although he tried a number of designs and solved many technical challenges — one of his boats could even travel at 13 km/h - he could never convince skeptics that steamboats would pay.

Keywords: technical challenges, 13 km/h

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 12-13

Explanation: Although John Fitch tried a lot of designs for his steamboat, he overcame many technical challenges.

The Charlotte Dundas pulled barges to Glasgow.

In France, Fulton used a steamboat to try to raise interest in a 4……………

Answer: SUBMARINE

Supporting statement: Inspired by news of the Charlotte Dundas, Fulton ran steamboat trials on the River Scinc, in an attempt to attract French support for his submarine Nautilus.

Keywords: Charlotte Dundas, Fulton, French, submarine Nautilus

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 6-7

Explanation: To attract French support for his submarine Nautilus, Fulton ran steamboat trials on the River Scinc.

Passengers in the US began to be carried regularly by a steamboat called the 5…………

Answer: CLERMONT

Supporting statement: In 1807, the Clermont began a scheduled passenger steamboat service between New York and Albany, 250 kilometers up the Hudson River, taking 30 hours for the trip,

Keywords: Clermont, New York, Hudson River

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 9-10

Explanation: Passengers were carried between New York and Albany, 250 kilometres up the Hudson River, taking 30 hours for the trip on a steamboat called Clermont.

In Scotland, steamboats transported some passengers, but mostly 6………….

Answer: CARGO

Supporting statement: Inside a decade, dozens of steamboats were to be seen on the rivers, lochs, and canals of Scotland, carrying cargo and occasionally passengers.

Keywords: rivers, cargo, passengers

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 14-15

Explanation: Cargo was mostly transported by the steamboats through the canals of Scotland.

Questions 7-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading passage I?

Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN in boxes 7–13 on your answer sheet.

7. For steamboats to cross the Atlantic Ocean, engines which used fuel economically were needed.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: Travelling under steam power alone would require engines to use less coal so the ship could stay at sea for several weeks

Keywords: engines, less coal

Keyword Location: Para 3, Line 4

Explanation: The passage shows that the use of economical fuel was required by steamboats for Atlantic Ocean crossings.

8. Using paddle wheels guaranteed reliability on ocean crossings.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: In order to provide a reliable service, it was also necessary to replace paddle wheels as a source of power with something less affected by the rolling of the ship.

Keywords: reliable service, replace paddle

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 5-6

Explanation: According to the text, the movement of the ship harmed the paddle wheels, making them unreliable.

9. The Savannah was much faster than a regular paddle steamer.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: Although the Savannah was the first ship to use both sail and steam to cross the Atlantic, the passage does not compare its pace to that of standard paddle steamers.

10. Brunel preferred designing railways to steamships.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: Brunel, brilliant and daring, had already built the Great Western Railway. He created ever bigger ships — faster, more luxurious, and comfortable for passengers.

Keywords: Brunel, Great Western Railway, bigger

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 2-3

Explanation: The text states that Brunel had an intense interest in steamship design and a lack of enthusiasm for railways.

11. The Great Britain had more than one innovative feature.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: was the first ocean-going steamship made of iron, and the first to use the underwater screw propeller for powering movement in place of paddle wheels.

Keywords: ocean-going, underwater, screw propeller

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 8-9

Explanation: The ship was the first to employ a screw propeller and was the first iron steamship. Thus, it possessed two innovative features.

12. The design of the riverboat Archimedes was widely admired.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The Archimedes was the first major steamer to employ a screw propeller, as stated in the passage. However, it does not specify whether its design was widely admired.

13. Modern ships that cross the Atlantic use the same energy source as the early steamships.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: In many modern ships, steam turbines have replaced engines with pistons, with fuel oil instead of coal to fire the boilers. Diesel engines keep others moving.

Keywords: modern ships, turbines, Diesel

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 1-2

Explanation: The coal-fired steam engines employed by early steamships are no longer employed by modern ships.

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