Cambridge IELTS 19 · Academic · Test 1 · Passage 1
How tennis rackets have changed — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for How tennis rackets have changed, Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Reading Test 1 Passage 1, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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How tennis rackets have changed answer key at a glance
Questions 1–13. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with True / False / Not Given (Q1–7), Note Completion (Q8–13). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 1–7: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
People had expected Andy Murray to become the world’s top tennis player for at least five years before 2016.
“Yet five years previously, he had been regarded as a talented outsider who entered but never won the major tournaments.”
Five years before 2016 Murray was 'a talented outsider who entered but never won the major tournaments', so nobody expected him to become world number one.
The change that Andy Murray made to his rackets attracted a lot of attention.
“Another change was so subtle as to pass more or less unnoticed.”
The racket change 'was so subtle as to pass more or less unnoticed', the exact opposite of attracting a lot of attention.
Most of the world’s top players take a professional racket stringer on tour with them.
“‘Touring professionals have their rackets customised to their specific needs,’ says Colin Triplow, a UK-based professional racket stringer.”
The text says touring professionals have rackets customised, but never states whether most top players travel with their own stringer.
Mike and Bob Bryan use rackets that are light in comparison to the majority of rackets.
“The rackets they use now weigh more than the average model and also have a denser string pattern (i.e. more crosses and mains).”
The Bryans' rackets 'weigh more than the average model', so they are heavier than most rackets, not lighter.
Werner Fischer played with a spaghetti-strung racket that he designed himself.
“Racket modifications mainly date back to the 1970s, when the amateur German tennis player Werner Fischer started playing with the so-called spaghetti-strung racket.”
Werner Fischer is only said to have played with the spaghetti-strung racket; the passage never claims he designed it himself.
The weather can affect how professional players adjust the strings on their rackets.
“The former is far more common than the latter: the choice of the strings and the tension with which they are installed is something that nearly all professional players experiment with. They will continually change it depending on various factors including the court surface, climatic conditions, and game styles.”
String tension is continually changed 'depending on various factors including the court surface, climatic conditions', so weather does affect the adjustment.
It was believed that the change Pete Sampras made to his rackets contributed to his strong serve.
“For example, much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights onto his rackets, and today many professionals have the weight adjusted during the manufacturing process.”
Sampras's serving power 'was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights', so the change was believed to strengthen his serve.
Questions 8–13: Note Completion
Strategy: Predict the word class from the note, find the paraphrase of the note's keyword in the passage, then copy the answer exactly within the word limit.
“They explain how they have adjusted not only racket length, but even experimented with different kinds of paint.”
After racket length the note needs another thing players experimented with, and the text lists 'different kinds of paint'.
“It created a string bed that generated so much topspin that it was quickly banned by the International Tennis Federation.”
The gap names what the string bed generated, and the text says it 'generated so much topspin' that the ITF banned it.
“However, within a decade or two, racket modification became a regularity. Today it is, in many ways, an aspect of the game that is equal in significance to nutrition or training.”
The gap needs something ranked alongside nutrition, and modification is now 'equal in significance to nutrition or training'.
“At one time, all tennis rackets were strung with natural gut made from the outer layer of sheep or cow intestines. This all changed in the early 1990s with the development of synthetic strings that were cheaper and more durable.”
Natural gut came from the outer layer of 'sheep or cow intestines', so the plural noun 'intestines' fills the gap.
“For example, much of the serving power of US professional player Pete Sampras was attributed to the addition of four to five lead weights onto his rackets, and today many professionals have the weight adjusted during the manufacturing process.”
Sampras added 'four to five lead weights', so the plural 'weights' is the alteration the note records.
“The professional Portuguese player Gonçalo Oliveira replaced the original grips of his rackets with something thinner because they had previously felt uncomfortable to hold.”
Oliveira 'replaced the original grips' with thinner ones because they felt uncomfortable, so the gap is 'grips'.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the How tennis rackets have changed passage come from?
It is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 1–13.
What question types appear in How tennis rackets have changed?
The passage is tested with True / False / Not Given, Note 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.