The Monster Ships That Changed How We Travel Reading Answers

Jan 11, 2023

The Monster Ships That Changed How We Travel Reading Answers contains sample answers about the first transatlantic voyage in September 1907 and ships that changed the way we travel. The Monster Ships That Changed How We Travel Reading Answers has 14 different questions. IELTS The Monster Ships That Changed How We Travel Reading Answers contains three types of questions: true/false/not given, match the correct letter with statements and complete the sentences. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage to answer whether the given assertion is true, false or not given in the passage. Candidates need to thoroughly go through each paragraph to match the statement with the correct company with which it resonates. For the last set of questions, candidates are supposed Complete the sentences by choosing no more than two to three words from the passage for each answer. Candidates can gain proficiency on diverse topics by undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Monster Ships That Changed How We Travel Reading Answers

When the world’s then-largest ocean liner embarked on its first transatlantic voyage in September 1907, thousands of spectators gathered at the docks of Liverpool to watch. Cunard’s RMS Lusitania had been outfitted with a new type of engine that differed from that of its rivals – and it would go on to break the speed record for the fastest ocean crossing not once, but twice.

Between 1850 and 1900, three British passenger lines – Cunard, Inman and White Star -dominated transatlantic travel. Toward the end of the century, as increasing numbers of emigrants sought passage to the US and a growing class of Gilded Age travellers demanded speed and luxury, corporate rivalry intensified. Pressure from other European lines forced the British companies to add amenities like swimming pools and restaurants.

Not unlike today’s rivalries between, say, aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing, each raced to make its ocean liners the largest, fastest and most opulent. In the process, they launched the modern age of leisure cruising – and developed innovations and technologies that continue to be used on cruise ships today.

In the mid-19th Century, there were two main players. Inman’s inaugural steamship, launched in 1850, made it the first major British line to replace traditional side-mounted paddlewheels with a screw propeller – an apparatus with fixed blades turning on a central axis. With the added speed and fuel efficiency this brought, plus a sleek iron hull that was more durable than wood, Inman established itself as a company unafraid to try new technology for faster crossings.

Inman’s main rival, Cunard, focused on safety instead. The Cunard way was to let competitors introduce new-fangled technology and let them deal with the setbacks, once that technology had proved itself, only then would Cunard consider using it.

But Cunard risked being left behind both by Inman and by a new rival which burst onto the scene in 1870 – the White Star line’s splashy debut included five huge ocean liners, dubbed floating hotels. Their flagship, RMS Oceanic, launched in 1871 and the contrast with Cunard was stark, for example where Oceanic had bathtubs, Cunard offered a sink.

In 1888, Inman introduced ships which no longer required auxiliary sails, giving ocean liners a similar look to the one they have today.

Cunard, meanwhile, ventured into the new world of telecommunications by installing the first Marconi wireless stations, which allowed radio operators to transmit messages at sea, on its sister ships RMS Lucania and RMS Campania. First-class passengers could even book European hotels by wireless before reaching port.

In 1897, Germany entered the fray with the SS Amerika, wowed its well-heeled guests by introducing the first à la carte restaurant at sea: the Ritz-Carlton, brainchild of Paris hotelier Cesar Ritz and renowned chef Auguste Escoffier. It allowed guests to order meals at their leisure and dine with their friends rather than attend rigidly scheduled seatings – a forerunner of the kind of freestyle dining seen on today’s cruise ships.

To complicate matters, American banking tycoon JP Morgan was buying up smaller companies to create a US-based shipping-and-railroad monopoly. In 1901, White Star became his biggest acquisition. Suddenly, the battles weren’t only in the boardrooms: building the world’s top ocean liners was now a point of national pride.

With the help of a £2.6 million government loan (equivalent to more than £261 million today), Britain’s Cunard line launched the massive twins RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania. Both had the first steam turbine engines of any superliner.

White Star fought back with RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic that would feature double hulls and watertight bulkheads. With standard reciprocating engines, they were slower than the Cunarders, but surpassed them in size and elegance, even debuted the first indoor swimming pools at sea.

History changed course when Titanic hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912 and sank on her first transatlantic voyage. As a result of the tragedy, safety regulations were updated to require lifeboat berths for every passenger and 24-hour radio surveillance (rules which are still in place).

But there were more challenges to come. World War One broke out in 1914 and European governments requisitioned liners for war service. Despite a post-war liner-building boom, US anti-immigration laws reduced the number of transatlantic emigrants – the liners’ bread and butter – in the 1920s.

In 1957, more people crossed the Atlantic by ship than ever before, but by the following year, jet passengers outnumbered them. Cunard said flying was a just fad, and that it was not a genuine concern.

Despite Cunard’s best efforts, by the late 1950s more people were flying than taking ships to their destinations. Air travel and high operating costs doomed most transatlantic liners by the 1970s – only Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2 makes regular transatlantic crossings now.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 13-18

Label as true, false, or not given (T / F / NG)

Do the following statements agree with the information given in passage 2?

Write your answers in the boxes for questions 13-18 as:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

The competition between modern day airline manufacturers is very much like the early days of ship construction.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing, each raced to make its ocean liners the largest, fastest and most opulent
Keyword : manufacturers, raced, ocean liners, opulent, largest, fastest
Keyword Location: paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: The competition to build the biggest, fastest, and most opulent ocean liners is mentioned in paragraph 3. It seemed as being similar to the competition between aircraft makers like Airbus and Boeing today. They did this by ushering in the current era of recreational cruising. They created new ideas and technology that are still applied on cruise ships today. Hence, the correct answer is true.

Inman was fearful of using the latest available materials alongside progressive construction methods to cut crossing times.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: Inman established itself as a company unafraid to try new technology for faster crossings.
Keyword : Inman, company, unafraid, technology, faster crossings
Keyword Location: paragraph 4, last line
Explanation: The first steamship built by Inman was launched in 1850, as stated in paragraph 4. It was the first significant British line to use a screw propeller in favour of the more conventional side-mounted paddlewheels. Added speed and fuel efficiency, as well as a stylish iron hull that was more resilient than wood, were all advantages. Inman made a name for itself as a business that was not hesitant to experiment with new technology. Therefore, the answer is false.

Following the invention of the radio, second class guests could reserve rooms to stay in the cities they were heading to from the ship they were on.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The relevant information regarding the statement is not given in the passage.

By borrowing a substantial amount of money, a leading British company built a couple of huge identical ships with the very first steam engine propulsion.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: Britain’s Cunard line launched the massive twins RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania. Both had the first steam turbine engines of any superliner.
Keyword : British Cunard, steam turbine, superliner
Keyword Location: paragraph 11
Explanation: In paragraph 11, it is mentioned that the enormous twin ships RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania were launched by the British Cunard Line. It was started with the aid of a government loan for £2.6 million, or
more than £261 million in today's dollars. Both superliners were equipped with the very first steam turbine engines. Thus, the given statement is true.

Crossing the Atlantic is done by the one remaining cruise ship these days on a scheduled timetable.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: only Cunard’s RMS Queen Mary 2 makes regular transatlantic crossings now.
Keyword : only, regular, transatlantic, crossings
Keyword Location: last paragraph, last line
Explanation: According to the last sentence, despite Cunard's best efforts, by the late 1950s, more passengers were travelling by air than by ship. By the 1970s, the majority of transatlantic liners were doomed by air travel and high operational expenses. Currently, only the RMS Queen Mary 2 of Cunard performs regular crossings of the Atlantic. Hence, the above stated assertion is true.

A German company introduced fixed and tightly controlled set-seating meal times on their newest ships.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: It allowed guests to order meals at their leisure and dine with their friends rather than attend rigidly scheduled seatings
Keyword : guests, leisure, dine, scheduled seating
Keyword Location: paragraph 9, line 3-4
Explanation: According to paragraph 9, Germany joined the competition in 1897 with the SS Amerika. Instead of having to show up at set times, it allowed customers to order food whenever they wanted and eat with their friends. a precursor to the freestyle dining options found on modern cruise ships. Hence, the above mentioned statement is false.

Questions 19–23

Match letters A-C, to the statements numbered below 19-23

Which company does each of the following statements refer to?

Cunard

Inman

White Star

Being acquired by a high-powered financier meant that the proud thoughts of a nation were at stake.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: In 1901, White Star became his biggest acquisition. Suddenly, the battles weren’t only in the boardrooms: building the world’s top ocean liners was now a point of national pride.
Keyword : acquisition, battles, boardrooms, top ocean liners, national pride
Keyword Location: paragraph 10, last 3 lines
Explanation: The American financial tycoon JP Morgan is mentioned in paragraph 10 as acquiring lesser businesses to establish a monopoly in US shipping and railroad. His most significant acquisition in 1901 was White Star. The conflicts started to spread outside of the boardrooms. It was now a source of national pride to construct the best ocean liners in the world.

Claiming air travel was a short-term temporary fashionable form of travel not to be overly worried about.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Cunard said flying was a just fad, and that it was not a genuine concern.
Keyword : flying, fad, genuine, concern
Keyword Location: 2nd last paragraph, last line
Explanation: According to the second-to-last line, 1957 had the highest number of ship-to-ship transatlantic travels. However, the number of jet passengers surpassed them the next year. Flying, according to Cunard, is only a trend and not a real problem.

Using alternate newer technologies rendered older wind powered systems obsolete giving them the modern-day look.

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: In 1888, Inman introduced ships which no longer required auxiliary sails, giving ocean liners a similar look to the one they have today.
Keyword : ships, auxiliary sails, ocean liners
Keyword Location: paragraph 7
Explanation: According to paragraph 7, Inman introduced ships in 1888 that did not require auxiliary sails. Ocean liners would then have a similar appearance to how they do today.

Patiently waiting for their rivals to prove that new technologies and systems worked before implementing them themselves.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: competitors introduce new-fangled technology and let them deal with the setbacks
Keyword : competitors, fangled, setback
Keyword Location: paragraph 5
Explanation: According to paragraph 5, Inman's principal opponent, Cunard, prioritised safety. The Cunard strategy was to let rivals use cutting-edge technology and handle any problems that came up. Only until that technology had demonstrated its worth would Cunard contemplate employing it.

Producing massive ocean going vessels that gained them the nickname ‘hotels that float’.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: in 1870 – the White Star line’s splashy debut included five huge ocean liners, dubbed floating hotels.
Keyword : White Star, debut, ocean liners, floating hotels
Keyword Location: paragraph 6, line 2
Explanation: The splashy 1870 inauguration of the White Star line had five enormous ocean vessels, also known as floating hotels, as per paragraph 6. RMS Oceanic, their flagship ship, sailed in 1871. And the difference between Cunard and Oceanic was glaring; for instance, Cunard provided a sink when Oceanic offered bathtubs.

Questions 24–27

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO TO THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

It was a couple of times in the early 1900s that the newest ship of the day broke the 24……………………

Answer: speed records
Supporting Sentence: it would go on to break the speed record for the fastest ocean crossing not once, but twice.
Keyword: break, fastest ocean, crossing, twice
Keyword Location: paragraph 1, last line
Explanation: According to paragraph 1, a new type of engine was installed on Cunard's RMS Lusitania in September 1907. It wasn't like that of its competitors. And not once, but twice, it would shatter the record for the fastest ocean voyage.

As European firms excelled, it forced the U.K.-based companies to improve their ships and in particular to 25……………………

Answer: add amenities
Supporting Sentence: Pressure from other European lines forced the British companies to add amenities
Keyword: pressure, european, british companies
Keyword Location: paragraph 2, 2nd last line
Explanation: According to paragraph 2, corporate rivalry grew more ferocious towards the century's close. The British companies were compelled to offer amenities by pressure from rival European lines. Swimming pools and restaurants, for example.

Due to a terrible disaster, new rules were put in place after that we can see today are 26…………………….

Answer: still in place
Supporting Sentence: safety regulations were updated to require lifeboat berths for every passenger and 24-hour radio surveillance
Keyword: safety regulations, lifeboat, passenger
Keyword Location: paragraph 13, last lines
Explanation: There is a mention of improved safety measures as a result of the disaster. Every passenger was to have a lifeboat berth, and there was to be round-the-clock radio surveillance. These regulations continue to apply.

It was often whole families in the early part of the 20th Century, moving from Europe to America that was known to the industry as their 27…………………….

Answer: bread and butter
Supporting Sentence: US anti-immigration laws reduced the number of transatlantic emigrants – the liners’ bread and butter – in the 1920s.
Keyword: reduced, transatlantic, emigrants
Keyword Location: paragraph 14, last lines
Explanation: According to paragraph 14, when World War One started in 1914, the governments of Europe requisitioned liners for military use. Anti-immigration policies in the US decreased the number of transatlantic emigrants in the 1920s, despite a surge in liner creation post - World War ii.

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