Cambridge IELTS 12 · General Training · Test 2 · Section 3
Crossing The Humber Estuary — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Crossing The Humber Estuary, Cambridge IELTS 12 General Training Reading Test 2 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Crossing The Humber Estuary answer key at a glance
Questions 28–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this section tests
This section is tested with Matching Headings (Q28–34), Summary Completion (Q35–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–34: Matching Headings
Strategy: Read the paragraph first and summarise its main idea in five words. Choose the heading that matches the whole paragraph, not a repeated keyword.
Section A
“its traffic brought prosperity to the settlements on its banks, particularly the city of Hull on its north bank, but the river itself tended to cut them off from some of their closest neighbours, as well as obstructing the progress of travellers moving north or south”
Section A matches vi: the Humber 'brought prosperity to the settlements on its banks' yet 'tended to cut them off' and obstruct travellers, a barrier and a benefit.
Section B
“To cater for these local and, as time progressed, wider needs, ferries were provided across many of the streams flowing into the Humber, and in 1315, a ferry was established across the Humber itself between Hull and Lincolnshire”
Section B matches ix: ferries crossed tributary streams and 'in 1315, a ferry was established across the Humber itself between Hull and Lincolnshire'.
Section C
“The first major crossing proposal was a tunnel scheme in 1872. This scheme was promoted by Hull merchants and businesses dissatisfied with the service provided by the New Holland ferry crossing. Over the next 100 years, a variety of proposals were put forward in an effort to bridge the Humber”
Section C matches vii: 'The first major crossing proposal was a tunnel scheme in 1872' and over the next century 'a variety of proposals were put forward'.
Section D
“The reasons why a suspension bridge was chosen were twofold. Firstly, the Humber has a shifting bed, and the navigable channel along which a craft can travel is always changing; a suspension bridge with no support piers in mid-stream would not obstruct the estuary.”
Section D matches iii: it gives 'the reasons why a suspension bridge was chosen', namely the shifting bed and the excessive cost of a tunnel.
Section E
“Work on the construction proceeded for eight years, during which time many thousands of tonnes of steel and concrete were used and upwards of one thousand workers and staff were employed at times of peak activity”
Section E matches ii: 'Work on the construction proceeded for eight years', using 'many thousands of tonnes of steel and concrete' and a thousand workers.
Section F
“Then children started visiting, and he remembers their astonishment at seeing the control room and all the lights. People who lived in towns on opposite banks a mile apart started crossing the river — a journey that previously might as well have been to the moon. The bridge brought them together”
Section F matches iv: children visited, and people from opposite banks 'started crossing the river ... The bridge brought them together', changing daily life.
Section G
“The bridge opened up, both socially and economically, two previously remote and insular areas of England, and the improvement in communication enabled the area to realise its potential in commercial, industrial and tourist development”
Section G matches viii: the bridge 'opened up, both socially and economically, two previously remote and insular areas', aiding commercial and tourist growth.
Questions 35–40: Summary Completion
Strategy: Read the summary as a paragraph first to establish the logic, then locate the missing idea in the passage. With a lettered list, confirm the grammar fits.
“By 1800, this ferry had become fully integrated into the overland transport system”
The gap is how fully the ferry was absorbed into road transport: 'By 1800, this ferry had become fully integrated into the overland transport system'.
“Increased traffic encouraged speculators to establish rival ferries between Hull and Lincolnshire”
The gap is what rival ferries created: 'Increased traffic encouraged speculators to establish rival ferries', so competition arose.
“In 1968, there was briefly a ferry service from Grimsby to Hull involving hovercrafts. This did not last long as the hovercrafts could not cope with the demands of the River Humber”
The gap is the 1968 craft: the Grimsby to Hull service 'involving hovercrafts', which could not cope with the Humber.
“the reasons why a suspension bridge was chosen were twofold. Firstly, the Humber has a shifting bed, and the navigable channel along which a craft can travel is always changing; a suspension bridge with no support piers in mid-stream would not obstruct the estuary”
The gap is what a suspension bridge avoids midstream: it would have 'no support piers in mid-stream', so it would not obstruct the estuary.
“the cost of constructing a tunnel would have been excessive”
The gap is the alternative rejected on cost: 'the cost of constructing a tunnel would have been excessive'.
“The towers were concrete rather than the usual steel, since concrete was cheaper and would blend in better with the setting”
The gap is the towers' material: 'The towers were concrete rather than the usual steel' because it was cheaper.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Crossing The Humber Estuary passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 12 General Training Reading Test 2, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in Crossing The Humber Estuary?
The section is tested with Matching Headings, Summary Completion. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.