Cambridge IELTS 21 · Academic · Test 1 · Passage 1
The Davies Sisters — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for The Davies Sisters, Cambridge IELTS 21 Academic Reading Test 1 Passage 1, with the passage evidence and a short explanation for each.
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The Davies Sisters answer key at a glance
Questions 1–13. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage follows Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, two Welsh sisters who turned an industrial inheritance into one of Britain's great French Impressionist collections. Questions 1-7 are note completion, so the answers must be copied exactly. Questions 8-13 are True/False/Not Given, where the line between 'not stated' and 'contradicted' decides the mark.
Questions 1–7: 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.
“Gwendoline (1882-1951) and Margaret (1884-1963) Davies were the granddaughters of David Davies, a Welshman who amassed a fortune in the shipping and mining industries”
The passage names the 'shipping and mining industries'. 'Transportation' paraphrases shipping, so 'mining' is the missing word.
“While there was no real family history of art collecting, the sisters' education was rigorously geared toward such pursuits”
'Their education was rigorously geared toward such pursuits' means their schooling was designed to build an interest in art collecting.
“Their London school focused on cultural rather than academic study, and they travelled extensively with their governess, Jane Blaker, visiting art galleries and making extensive notes on the collections there”
'Making extensive notes' answers 'took lengthy ___': extensive = lengthy, and notes are what they took.
“The sisters' journals reveal their preference for Old Master paintings Quite simply, high quality Old Master works were, if not beyond their means, then beyond what they were willing to pay for them”
'The sisters' journals reveal their preference for Old Master paintings.' Journals is the only noun that fits the note.
“Whatever the precise reason for this change, their first purchases of Impressionist art, made in October 1912, were scenes of Venice by the French artist Claude Monet”
Their first Impressionist purchases were 'scenes of Venice' by Claude Monet.
“Later in the conflict, both sisters decided to volunteer at a canteen for troops at Troyes, in northern France; Gwendoline in 1916, followed by Margaret in 1917”
They volunteered at 'a canteen for troops' in Troyes, northern France.
“Much is made of their isolation in rural Wales and the fact that they didn't make friends with artists or gallery owners”
They 'didn't make friends with artists or gallery owners', so 'friends' completes the note.
Questions 8–13: 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.
The Davies sisters' childhood influenced the way they decided to use their wealth.
“Their religious upbringing in rural Wales gave them a deep sense of social responsibility and they chose to use their inheritance for cultural and philanthropic purposes”
TRUE: their 'religious upbringing' gave them 'a deep sense of social responsibility', which shaped how they used the inheritance.
The Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot paintings in the Davies sisters' collection were purchased from a gallery in France.
“Instead, their early purchases were of the fashionable, safe variety, and included, for example, paintings by the French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot”
NOT GIVEN: the passage confirms they bought Corot paintings but never says where they purchased them.
Hugh Blaker opposed the Davies sisters' decision to buy art by French Impressionists.
“We know that Hugh Blaker, as a champion of contemporary French art, had a hand in the decision, and we know also that they would have seen examples on their various trips to Paris”
FALSE: Hugh Blaker was a 'champion' of contemporary French art and 'had a hand in the decision', the opposite of opposing it.
The exhibition of Cézanne paintings at the Bath gallery was very popular with the public.
“The paintings were shipped directly to Bath, England, where they became the first works by Cézanne to go on display in a public gallery in Britain”
NOT GIVEN: the text says these were the first Cezanne works shown in a British public gallery, not that the exhibition was popular.
The impact of the First World War encouraged Gwendoline to reconsider her interest in collecting art.
“By the early 1920s, Gwendoline felt increasingly uncomfortable buying art works when faced with the poverty and social upheaval created by the First World War”
TRUE: Gwendoline felt 'increasingly uncomfortable' buying art because of wartime poverty and 'social upheaval'.
The Davies sisters bought French Impressionist art during a period when very few people were doing so.
“The sisters collected French Impressionist paintings at a time when such art was routinely ignored by individuals and institutions alike”
TRUE: such art was 'routinely ignored by individuals and institutions alike', meaning very few people were buying it.
Learn the question types in this passage
Traps in this passage
- 'Transportation' in the notes paraphrases 'shipping' in the passage, so the missing word is the other industry: 'mining', not 'shipping'.
- Questions 9 and 11 both plant a real detail (the Corot paintings, the Bath gallery) that never supports the exact claim being made. A real detail plus a missing link is NOT GIVEN, not FALSE.
- 'Champion' in Question 10 is an antonym signal: Hugh Blaker supported the move, so a statement saying he opposed it must be FALSE.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the The Davies Sisters passage come from?
It is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 21 Academic Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 1–13.
What question types appear in The Davies Sisters?
The passage is tested with Note Completion, True / False / Not Given. 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.