IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Questions

Table of Contents

1. IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Questions
2. 3 IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Questions Tips to solve them ( With Answer key)
3. IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Question 1
4. IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Question 2
5. Answers for Practice Questions
6. IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions question list for practice
7. Conclusion

In this blog, you will find IELTS general reading short answer questions practice questions to help you complete the IELTS exam within a time limit. In this task, you have to read the passages and answer the questions within 1 to 3 words. Before answering the questions, read the instructions and take note of the word limit. If you exceed the word limit, then you will lose marks.

Short answer question is regarded as one of the prominent IELTS general reading question types. To solve this question type effectively, we provided 3 IELTS general reading short answer questions practice questions. It can prepare you to achieve a good IELTS general reading score. 

3 IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Questions & Tips to solve them ( With Answer key)

The key skill that you need for answering this question type is “reading for details”. To make the process easier, highlight the keywords in the question statements. And, identify the portion of the passage where the keyword is located. Focus on that portion of the passage to answer the questions. Use these tips in following practice questions to test its effectiveness.

Also read: IELTS general reading tips

IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Question 1

Answer questions 1-6 which are based on the reading passage below

Internal and External Marketing

It is necessary for an employee to hear the same messages one sends to the marketplace. In most of the companies, however, internal and external communications are mostly in non sync. It could confuse and threaten the employees’ perceptions of the integrity of the company: Management tells them one thing but what they have observed in public is a different message. For Instance, One health insurance company advertised that the patients welfare was number one priority of the company, while employees were told that theft's main goal was to reduce the cost to increase the value of theft stock. And one prime financial services institution told customers that it shifted their focus from being a financial retailer to financial adviser. Research showed that the customer experience with the company had not even changed a bit. It was realized later that company leaders had not made an effort to do any internal changes, so employees were still doing transactions without changing the theft behaviour to match the theft’s new advisor role. 

It is important to deliver on customer expectations for an employee but it’s not the only  pressing reason for a company to match internal and external messages. Another reason is to push the company to attain the goals, otherwise it will be out of reach. IBM ignored the research, which suggested that consumers were not prepared to take IBM as a leader in e-business, when it launched its e-business campaign during 1997. Using this campaign, IBM tries to fix their employees' minds that the future of technology is the Internet. This internal campaign changed the perception of the  employees about naming the products, organising and selling. This campaign was considered successful largely because it gave good orientation to the employees, which helped IBM’s capability to predict the future and lead the technology industry. Today, research shows that people are four times more likely to associate the term “e-business” with IBM than with its nearest competitor, Microsoft. According to research, people are more likely associated with “e-business” with IBM than its competitor, Microsoft.

Questions 1-6

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

1. How does internal and external communication work in most of the companies ?
2. Who told customers that it shifted their focus from being a financial retailer to financial adviser ?
3. Who has not made an effort to do any internal changes ?
4. When IBM launched an e-business campaign ?
5. Which is claimed as the future of technology by IBM ?
6. Who is the nearest competitor of IBM ?

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Check more IELTS general reading short answer questions exercise with answers 

IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions Practice Question 2

Answer questions 1-5 which are based on the reading passage below

Crop growing skyscrapers

About 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban cities by the year of 2050. Based on current demographic trends, it is estimated that the human population will have increased about 3 billion by then. It is claimed that if traditional farming methods and practices continue as they are today, about 109 hectares of new land needed to grow enough food to feed them. 
It was estimated that in present, the lands that are suitable for raising crops is about over 80%. Historically, about 15% of land has been wasted as a result of poor management practices. What are the ways to get enough food for the world population to live on ?

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another three billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers. Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

The indoor farming concept is not new as one thinks of, it is already in use. What is now needed is to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. Most people believe that a new approach to indoor farming is needed with the help of cutting edge technologies. Vertical Farm is one of the technologies. The concept of Vertical Farm expresses that in the multi-storey buildings, the food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. It will dramatically reduce the amount of transportation required for bringing food to the consumers, since it is situated in the heat of urban centres. Vertical farms should achieve the requirements such as efficiency, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If it all implemented successfully, vertical farms could offer the promise of urban renewal, enough production of a safe and variety of food supply and the repairing of ecosystems that have been damaged by horizontal farming. 

We can now grow most of the crops, but it took ten thousand years for humans to learn how to grow. We spoiled most of the land we worked, which turned the verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts, along the way. At the same time, about 60% of the human population lives vertically in cities, which means we evolved into an urban species. Rapid climate change also affects the crops. Droughts, hurricanes and massive floods destroy millions of tons of valuable crops. 

Questions 1-5

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

1. How much hectares of land is needed to get enough food for the population ?
2. Why has 15% of land been wasted ?
3. What type of farming is Vertical farming ?
4. Which type of farming disturbed the ecosystem ?
5. How many years do humans learn how to grow crops ?

Check answer for this exercise

Attempt this free IELTS general reading short answer questions mock test

Answers for Practice Questions

• Answer for Practice Question 1

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1.   Non sync

Explanation: In most of the companies, however, internal and external communications are mostly in non sync. 

2.   Financial services institution

Explanation: And one prime financial services institution told customers that it shifted their focus from being a financial retailer to financial adviser. 

3.   Company leaders

Explanation: It was realized later that company leaders had not made an effort to do any internal changes, so employees were still doing transactions without changing the theft behaviour to match the theft’s new advisor role. 

4.   1997

Explanation: IBM as a leader in e-business, when it launched its e-business campaign during 1997.

5.   Internet

Explanation: Using this campaign, IBM tries to fix their employees' minds that the future of technology is the Internet.

6.   Microsoft

Explanation: Today, research shows that people are four times more likely to associate the term “e-business” with IBM than with its nearest competitor, Microsoft. 

• Answer for Practice Question 2

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1.   109

Explanation: It is claimed that if traditional farming methods and practices continue as they are today, about 109 hectares of new land needed to grow enough food to feed them.

2.   Poor management practices

Explanation: Historically, about 15% of land has been wasted as a result of poor management practices.

3.   Vertical Farm

Explanation: Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. 

4.   Horizontal farming

Explanation: If it all implemented successfully, vertical farms could offer the promise of urban renewal, enough production of a safe and variety of food supply and the repairing of ecosystems that have been damaged by horizontal farming. 

5.   Ten thousand

Explanation: We can now grow most of the crops, but it took 10,000 years for humans to learn how to grow. 

Also check IELTS general reading short answer questions tips

IELTS General Reading Short Answer Questions question list for practice

Sustainable growth at Didcot The outline of a report by South Oxfordshire District Council

In the town of Didcot, the UK Government’s South East Plan came up with the additional housing growth which has been selected as a growth area since 1979.  South Oxfordshire District Council claims that, though Didcot has the potential for further growth, it should be planned well, sustainable and should be supported by enough infrastructure and community services. 

Large greenfield development cannot be the resource for all the necessary infrastructure and low-cost housing requirements in Didcot. The compromises that will need to be made after are local transport, infrastructure and community services problems, which can’t be corrected. Cost attached to housing growth is having a greater recognition and the way is to establish sustainable communities in growth areas. 

The development of job opportunities in the railway industry until 1950’s encouraged Didcot to expand. At that time, development provided homes for the railway and depot workers, with little investment in both shopping and other services of the local population. Didcot have failed the plan of developing Broadway as a compact town centre and only done a strip of shops along one side of the main street which is in the edge of low density housing and service trade uses. 

Strategic planning policies directed important new housing development to Didcot, from the 1970s. In Didcot, the local job opportunities are in rapid growth and good rail mode of transport for those who want to work farther. The town is divided into east-west railway and the people who are living in Ladygrove, it is an urban extension to the north built since the 1980s, which is cut off from the town and its community. 

Questions 1-5

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

1. Where did the UK Government’s South East Plan propose additional housing growth ?
2. Which type of development cannot be the resource for all the necessary infrastructure and low-cost housing requirements in Didcot ?
3. In which industry didcot encouraged to expand the job opportunities ?
4. When did the strategic planning policies start to direct important new housing development to Didcot ?
5. How is Didcot town divided into ?

Answer: 

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1.   Didcot/ town of didcot

Explanation: In the town of Didcot, the UK Government’s South East Plan came up with the additional housing growth which has been selected as a growth area since 1979.

2.   Greenfield development

Explanation: Large greenfield development cannot be the resource for all the necessary infrastructure and low-cost housing requirements in Didcot. 

3.   Railway industry

Explanation: The development of job opportunities in the railway industry until 1950’s encouraged Didcot to expand.

4.   1970

Explanation: Strategic planning policies directed important new housing development to Didcot, from the 1970s. 

5.   East-west railway

Explanation: The town is divided into east-west railway and the people who are living in Ladygrove, it is an urban extension to the north built since the 1980s, which is cut off from the town and its community. 

Conclusion

These practice questions can help you to familiarize yourself with the general short answer questions and its format. To make most of the practice questions, answer them with the aim of finding your strengths and weaknesses. We wish you to perform well in the IELTS exam.