Cambridge IELTS 17 · General Training · Test 2 · Section 3
The Story Of The Fosbury Flop — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for The Story Of The Fosbury Flop, Cambridge IELTS 17 General Training Reading Test 2 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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The Story Of The Fosbury Flop 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 Information (Q28–32), One Choice (Q33–36), Summary Completion (Q37–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–32: Matching Information
Strategy: Scan for the idea, not the exact words. The answer is a paragraph letter, and one paragraph may be used more than once unless the instructions say otherwise.
A suggestion that Fosbury should change his way of jumping.
“He said, "I used that style until I went into high school where my coach explained that I was never going to get anywhere with that technique. He started me with the belly roll technique.”
Paragraph C: Fosbury's coach 'explained that I was never going to get anywhere with that technique', urging a change.
A reference to an opportunity offered to Fosbury that made him feel honored.
“Fosbury explains how he came to name the Flop. "I am very proud that I received the naming rights.”
Paragraph G: he says 'I am very proud that I received the naming rights', an honour he valued.
A reference to the fact that Fosbury was a very influential high jumper.
“On October 20, 1968 a 21 year old university student from the USA called Dick Fosbury completely transformed the sport of high jumping with a gold medal and Olympic record jump of 2.24 mts at the Mexico City games”
Paragraph A states he 'completely transformed the sport of high jumping' with his gold medal and record jump.
Conflicting explanations given by Fosbury for the way the idea for the Fosbury Flop began.
“At first when asked about how this unorthodox manoeuvre originated, Fosbury would joke with sportswriters, informing some that because of this university background in physics and engineering he had initially designed the Flop on paper and telling others that he had accidentally discovered this technique when he once...”
Paragraph B: he 'would joke with sportswriters', telling some he designed it on paper and others he discovered it by tripping.
A reference to a time when Fosbury was dissatisfied with his athletic performance.
“I expressed my frustration to coach and he said that if I really wanted I could still use the scissors”
Paragraph C: 'I expressed my frustration to coach', showing dissatisfaction with his jumping results.
Questions 33–36: One Choice
Strategy: Read the question stem and predict the answer before looking at the options. Wrong options often repeat passage words while the correct one paraphrases them.
When interviewed about his development of the Fosbury Flop, Dick Fosbury
- Aalways insisted that he had carefully designed it on scientific principles
- Bsaid he wanted to develop a technique by an injury he suffered while making a jump
- Cclaimed it was inspired by an injury he suffered while making a jump
- Dstated that it had been done gradually without any overall paincorrect
“It was simply a natural technique that evolved.”
Option D: he insisted 'it was simply a natural technique that evolved', rejecting both the physics story and the tripping story.
Fosbury achieved a sudden improvement in the height he could jump when he
- Astarted to adapt the scissors techniquecorrect
- Bbecame much more determined to win competitions
- Cdecided to abandon the scissors technique
- Dfound a new way of using the belly roll style
“As the bar was raised each time, I began to lift my hips up and my shoulders went back in reaction to that”
Option A: 'as the bar was raised each time, I began to lift my hips up', adapting the scissors jump into the flop.
When describing the way that Fosbury’s jump evolved, Richard Hoffer stressed that
- AFosbury’s height slowed down his progress
- Bthe process was more controlled that it appearedcorrect
- CForbury was not really aware of his own technique
- Dthe process included specialist input from engineers
“Hoffer explained that although Fosbury's arms and legs seemed to be all over the place, those movements that served to get him a centimeter higher were retained, while the others were gradually eliminated as the technique evolved”
Option B: Hoffer noted useful movements 'were retained, while the others were gradually eliminated', a controlled process despite appearances.
Fosbury defended his idea that his style of jumping was natural by pointing out that
- Ait was achievable by younger jumpers
- Bit was copied successfully by other athletes
- Cit was achievable without any special training
- Dit was independently discovered by other athletescorrect
“I can say that because the Canadian jumper Debbie Brill was a few years younger than I was and also developed the same technique only a few years after me and without ever having seen me”
Option D: Debbie Brill 'developed the same technique... without ever having seen me', independently discovering it.
Questions 37–40: 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.
“I referred to it as a back layout”
The gap names his first label for the jump; 'I referred to it as a back layout'.
“To tell the truth the first time was that I was interviewed and asked 'What do you call this?' I used my engineering analytical side and I referred to it as a back layout. It was not interesting and the journalist didn't even write it down”
A noun for the interviewer fits; 'the journalist didn't even write it down' when he said back layout.
“the context was that our town was on a river, very popular for fishing”
The gap names a local feature; 'the context was that our town was on a river, very popular for fishing'.
“The context was that our town was on a river, very popular for fishing an hour from the Pacific Ocean. And when you land a fish on the bank it's flopping”
The gap names what flops on the bank; 'when you land a fish on the bank it's flopping', giving the name.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the The Story Of The Fosbury Flop passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 17 General Training Reading Test 2, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in The Story Of The Fosbury Flop?
The section is tested with Matching Information, One Choice, 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.