The Great Fire of London Reading Answers

Jan 2, 2023

The Great Fire of London Reading Answers has been referenced from the book 2019 IELTS Reading Actual Test 14. The Great Fire of London Reading Answers comprises a total of 13 questions. These 13 questions in this IELTS reading topic are to be solved within a time frame of 20 minutes. The Great Fire of London Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading topic that comprises question types such as; no more than two words, no more than three words and yes/no/not given. Relevant topics like this one can be found in several IELTS Reading practice papers that are available throughout the internet.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Great Fire of London Reading Answers

Paragraph A

The Great Fire of London swept through London in September 1666, devastating many buildings, including 13,200 houses and 87 parish churches. The Royal Exchange, the Guildhall and St. Paul’s Cathedral, all built during the Middle Ages, were also all totally destroyed. Although the verified death toll was only six people, it is unknown how many people died in the Great Fire of London, because many more died through indirect causes. The financial losses caused by the fire were estimated to be £10 million, at a time when London’s annual income was only £12,000. Many people were financially ruined and debtors’ prisons became over-crowded.

Paragraph B

The Great Fire of London started on Sunday, 2 September 1666 in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane, belonging to Thomas Farynor. Although he claimed to have extinguished the fire, three hours later, at 1 a.m., his house was a blazing inferno. It is not certain how the fire actually began, but it is likely that it may have been caused by a spark from Farynor’s oven falling onto a pile of fuel nearby. In 1979, archaeologists excavated the remains of a burnt out shop on Pudding Lane that was very close to the bakery where the fire started. In the cellar, they found the charred remnants of 20 barrels of pitch. Pitch burns very easily and would have helped to spread the fire.

Paragraph C

The fire spread quickly down Pudding Lane and carried on down Fish Hill and towards the Thames. The fire continued to spread rapidly, helped by a strong wind from the east. When it reached the Thames, it hit warehouses that were stocked with combustible products, such as oil and rope. Fortunately, the fire could not spread south of the river, because a previous blaze in 1633 had already wrecked a section of London Bridge. As the fire was spreading so quickly, most Londoners concentrated on escaping rather than fighting the fire.

Paragraph D

In the 17th century, people were not as aware of the dangers of fire as they are today. Buildings were made of timber covered in pitch and tightly packed together. The design of buildings meant flames could easily spread from building to building. Following a long, dry summer, the city was suffering a drought; water was scarce and the wooden houses had dried out, making them easier to burn.

Paragraph E

Samuel Pepys, a diarist of the period and Clerk to the Royal Navy, observed the fire and recommended to the King that buildings should be pulled down, as it could be the only way to stop the fire. The Mayor made the order to pull down burning houses using fire hooks, but the fire continued to spread. Pepys then spoke to the Admiral of the Navy and they agreed that they should blow up houses in the path of the fire. The hope was that by doing this, they would create a space to stop the fire spreading from house to house. The Navy carried out the request and by the next morning, the fire has been successfully stopped.

Paragraph F

London had to be almost totally reconstructed and many people went to the fields outside London. They stayed there for many days, sheltering in tents and shacks and some people were forced to live in this way for months and even years. Throughout 1667, people cleared rubble and surveyed the burnt area. Much time was spent planning new street layouts and drawing up new building regulations. Public buildings were paid for with money from a new coal tax, but by the end of the year, only 150 new houses had been built. The new regulations were designed to prevent such a disaster happening again. Houses now had to be faced in brick instead of wood. Some streets were widened and two new streets were created. Pavements and new sewers were laid, and London’s quaysides were improved. Initially, however, only temporary buildings were erected that were ill-equipped, and this enabled the plague, which was common in London at that time, to spread easily. Many people died from this and the harsh winter that followed the fire.

Paragraph G

In 1666, there was no organised fire brigade. Fire fighting was very basic with little skill or knowledge involved. Leather buckets, axes and water squirts were used to fight the fire, but they had little effect. As a result of the Great Fire of London, early fire brigades were formed by insurance companies. Building insurance was very profitable and many more insurance companies were set up, establishing their own fire brigades. These brigades were sent to insured properties if a fire occurred to minimise damage and cost. Firemarks were used to identify - and advertise - different insurance companies. They were placed on the outside of an insured building and brigades would use them to determine whether a building was insured by them. If a building was on fire, several brigades would attend. If they did not see their specific firemark attached to the building, they would leave the property to burn. Some old firemarks can still be seen on London buildings today. Also, fire fighters wore brightly coloured uniforms to distinguish themselves from rival insurance brigades. Although this was a step in the right direction, fire fighters received little training and the equipment used remained very basic.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-7:
The text on the reading passage 217 has 7 paragraphs (A-G).
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number (i-x) in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

Vulnerable Buildings
The Effect on Trade
How it Started
A Positive from the Ashes
Food Shortages
The Movement of the Fire
The Effects of the Smoke
Extinguishing the Fire
The Costs
A New London

Paragraph A

Answer: ix
Supporting Sentence: The financial losses caused by the fire were estimated to be £10 million, at a time when London’s annual income was only £12,000.
Keywords: financial losses, £10 million, annual income, £12,000
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, lines 5-7
Explanation: When London's yearly income was barely £12,000, the fire was believed to have caused financial losses of £10 million.

Paragraph B

Answer: iii
Supporting Sentence: The Great Fire of London started on Sunday, 2 September 1666 in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane, belonging to Thomas Farynor.
Keywords: Great Fire of London, Sunday, 2 September 1666
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, lines 1-2
Explanation: On September 2, 1666, Thomas Farynor opened a bakery in Pudding Lane, where the Great Fire of London began. Even though he said that the fire was put out, three hours later, at one in the morning, his home was still ablaze.

Paragraph C

Answer: vi
Supporting Sentence: The fire spread quickly down Pudding Lane and carried on down Fish Hill and towards the Thames. The fire continued to spread rapidly, helped by a strong wind from the east.
Keywords: Pudding Lane, Fish Hill, Thames, strong wind
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, lines 1-3
Explanation: Pudding Lane, Fish Hill, and the Thames were all soon affected by the fire as it swiftly swept over these areas. With the aid of a strong east wind, the fire proceeded to grow quickly.

Paragraph D

Answer: i
Supporting Sentence: Buildings were made of timber covered in pitch and tightly packed together. The design of buildings meant flames could easily spread from building to building.
Keywords: timber, pitch, tightly, flames
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, lines 1-3
Explanation: Pitch-covered wood was closely packed together to form the structures. Flames might readily spread from building to building due to the architecture.

Paragraph E

Answer: viii
Supporting Sentence: The Mayor made the order to pull down burning houses using fire hooks, but the fire continued to spread. Pepys then spoke to the Admiral of the Navy and they agreed that they should blow up houses in the path of the fire.
Keywords: Mayor, burning houses, Pepys, Admiral, Navy
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, lines 3-5
Explanation: The fire was spreading despite the mayor's order to employ fire hooks to pull burning houses down. The Navy Admiral and Pepys decided to detonate homes in the fire's path after speaking with each other.

Paragraph F

Answer: x
Supporting Sentence: Public buildings were paid for with money from a new coal tax, but by the end of the year, only 150 new houses had been built. The new regulations were designed to prevent such a disaster happening again. Houses now had to be faced in brick instead of wood.
Keywords: coal tax, 150 new houses, regulations, brick
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 5-8
Explanation: A new coal tax was used to pay for public structures, but by the end of the year, just 150 new homes had been constructed. The new rules were created to stop a similar catastrophe from occurring again. In place of wood, houses are now required to have brick facades.

Paragraph G

Answer: iv
Supporting Sentence: Building insurance was very profitable and many more insurance companies were set up, establishing their own fire brigades. These brigades were sent to insured properties if a fire occurred to minimise damage and cost.
Keywords: insurance, profitable, fire brigades
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 4-6
Explanation: Due to the high profitability of building insurance, several more insurance firms were founded, each with their own fire departments. If a fire broke out, these brigades were dispatched to insured houses to reduce damage and expense.

Questions 8-11:
Choose FOUR letters, A-G.
What FOUR of the following were effects of the Great Fire of London?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in any order in boxes A-G on your answer sheet.

Officially, only six people died.
The French economy benefitted from the destruction of businesses in London.
Some people had to live rough in fields for years following the fire.
The English royal family were forced to live outside London for 18 months.
Disease spread more easily.
An enquiry was completed by the government into why the damage was so bad.
Fire fighting services were launched.

Question 8:

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Although the verified death toll was only six people, it is unknown how many people died in the Great Fire of London, because many more died through indirect causes.
Keywords: verified death, six people,
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, lines 4-5
Explanation: The Great Fire of London claimed six confirmed lives. But there were likely many more who perished due to indirect reasons, making it impossible to tell exactly how many people perished.

Question 9:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: London had to be almost totally reconstructed and many people went to the fields outside London. They stayed there for many days, sheltering in tents and shacks and some people were forced to live in this way for months and even years.
Keywords: reconstructed, sheltering, shacks
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, lines 1-3
Explanation: Nearly all of London had to be rebuilt, so many people relocated to the countryside outside of the city. Some were compelled to live in this manner for months or even years as they camped out for several days in tents and shacks.

Question 10:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Initially, however, only temporary buildings were erected that were ill-equipped, and this enabled the plague, which was common in London at that time, to spread easily.
Keywords: temporary buildings, ill-equipped, plague
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, lines 9-11
Explanation: The plague, which was widespread in London at the time, was able to spread quickly since at first, only flimsy, inadequate structures were constructed.

Question 11:

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: In 1666, there was no organised fire brigade. Fire fighting was very basic with little skill or knowledge involved. Leather buckets, axes and water squirts were used to fight the fire, but they had little effect.
Keywords: 1666, fire brigade, Leather buckets, axes, water squirts
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 1-3
Explanation: There was no formal fire brigade in 1666. There was very little expertise or knowledge required for fire fighting. The fire was fought with leather buckets, axes, and water squirters, but they were ineffective.

Questions 12-13:
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.

One measure to prevent further fires was to ensure that London houses would have ................................ facades in the future.

Answer: brick
Supporting Sentence: Public buildings were paid for with money from a new coal tax, but by the end of the year, only 150 new houses had been built. The new regulations were designed to prevent such a disaster happening again. Houses now had to be faced in brick instead of wood.
Keywords: coal tax, 150 new houses, regulations, brick
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 5-8
Explanation: A new coal tax was used to pay for public structures, but by the end of the year, just 150 new homes had been constructed. The new rules were created to stop a similar catastrophe from occurring again. In place of wood, houses are now required to have brick facades.

People could differentiate the fire brigades from different insurance companies by their ................................

Answer: (brightly) (coloured) uniforms
Supporting Sentence: Some old firemarks can still be seen on London buildings today. Also, fire fighters wore brightly coloured uniforms to distinguish themselves from rival insurance brigades.
Keywords: firemarks, uniforms, insurance
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 9-11
Explanation: On several London buildings, historical firemarks may still be visible. Firefighters also donned vividly coloured clothes to set themselves out from competing insurance brigades.

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