The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers

The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers practice test and answers with explanations are given here for your reference and knowledge. The reading passage has seven paragraphs along with 13 questions. The questions are divided into two categories:  true false not given questions and short answer questions.

Table of contents:

• Solution for The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers
• The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers IELTS Reading Practice Test
• Passage
• Questions
• Answers with Explanations

Solution for The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers

For your understanding, we have given The Extraordinary Watkin Tench reading answers in the table below.

Answer Table

1. False#solution-for-the-extraordinary-watkin-tench	5. Not Given	9. Chains	13. Botany Bay
2. Not Given	6. False	10. Governor Philip
3. True	7. His Diaries	11. June 1789
4. False	8. 3/ Three years	12. China

The Extraordinary Watkin Tench IELTS Reading Practice Test - Exam Review

Check out our YouTube Channel to Practice Full-Length IELTS Reading Tests Daily

 

The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers is given here for your knowledge and practice, and it will help you improve your reading comprehension and grasping skills. To solve the questions quickly, read the passage carefully, and highlight the keywords and important dates given in the passage. You can easily crack your IELTS reading module with useful strategies.

Passage 

We have provided The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading reading passage. Read the passage carefully and answer all the questions(1-13). Check your answers with The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers with location.

The Extraordinary Watkin Tench

A. At the end of the 18th century, life for the average British citizen was changing. The population grew as health and industrialization took hold of the country. However, land and resources were limited. Families could not guarantee jobs for all of their children. People who were poor or destitute had little option. To make things worse, the rate of people who turned to crime to make a living increased. In Britain, the prisons were no longer large enough to hold the convicted people of this growing criminal class. Many towns and governments were at a loss as to what to do. However, another phenomenon that was happening in the 18th century was I exploration of other continents. There were many ships looking for crew members who would risk a month-long voyage across a vast ocean. This job was risky and dangerous, so few would willingly choose it. However, with so many citizens without jobs or with criminal convictions, they had little choice. One such member of this new lower class of British citizens was Watkin Tench. Between 1788 and 1868, approximately 161,700 convicts were transported to the Australian colonies of New South Wales, Van Diemen’s land, and Western Australia. Tench was one of these unlucky convicts to sign onto a dangerous journey. When his ship set out in 1788, he signed a three years service to the First Fleet.

B. Apart from his years in Australia, people knew little about his life back in Britain. It was said he was born on 6 October 1758 at Chester in the county of Cheshire in England. He came from a decent background. Tench was a son of Fisher Tench, a dancing master who ran a boarding school in the town, and Margaritta Tarleton of the Liverpool Tarleton. He grew up around a finer class of British citizens, and his family helped instruct the children of the wealthy in formal dance lessons. Though we don’t know for sure how Tench was educated in this small British town, we do know that he was well-educated. His diaries from his travels to Australia are written in excellent English, a skill that not everyone was lucky to possess in the 18th century. Aside from this, we know little of Tench’s beginnings. We don’t know how he ended up convicted of a crime. But after he started his voyage, his life changed dramatically.

C. During the voyage, which was harsh and took many months, Tench described the landscape of different places. While sailing to Australia, Tench saw landscapes that were unfamiliar and new to him. Arriving in Australia, the entire crew was uncertain of what was to come in their new life. When they arrived in Australia, they established a British colony. Governor Philip was vested with complete authority over the inhabitants of the colony. Though still a young man, Philip was enlightened for his age. From stories of other British colonies, Philip learned that conflict with the original peoples of the land was often a source of strife and difficulties. To avoid this, Philip’s personal intent was to establish harmonious relations with local Aboriginal people. But Philip’s job was even more difficult considering his crew. Other colonies were established with middle-class merchants and craftsmen. His crew were convicts, who had few other skills outside of their criminal histories. Along with making peace with the Aboriginal people, Philip also had to try to reform as well as discipline the convicts of the colony.

D. From the beginning, Tench stood out as different from the other convicts. During his initial time in Australia, he quickly rose in his rank and was given extra power and responsibility over the convicted crew members. However, he was also still very different from the upper-class rulers who came to rule over the crew. He showed humanity towards the convicted workers. He didn’t want to treat them as common criminals but as trained military men. Under Tench’s authority, he released the convicts’ chains which were used to control them during the voyage. Tench also showed mercy towards the Aboriginal people. Governor Philip often pursued violent solutions to conflicts with the Aboriginal peoples. Tench disagreed strongly with this method. At one point, he was unable to follow the order given by Governor Philip to punish the ten Aboriginals.

E. When they first arrived, Tench was fearful and contemptuous towards the Aboriginals, because the two cultures did not understand each other. However, gradually he got to know them individually and became close friends with them. Tench knew that the Aboriginal people would not cause them conflict if they looked for a peaceful solution. Though there continued to be conflict and violence, Tench’s efforts helped establish a more peaceful negotiation between the two groups when they settled territory and land-use issues.

F. Meanwhile, many changes were made to the new colony. The Hawkesbury River was named by Governor Philip in June 1789. Many native bird species to the river were hunted by traveling colonists. The colonists were having a great impact on the land and natural resources. Though the colonists had made a lot of progress in the untamed lands of Australia, there were still limits. The convicts were notoriously ill-informed about Australian geography, as was evident in the attempt by twenty absconders to walk from Sydney to China in 1791, believing: “China might be easily reached, being not more than a hundred miles distant, and separated only by a river.” In reality, miles of ocean separated the two.

G. Much of Australia was unexplored by the convicts. Even Tench had little understanding of what existed beyond the established lines of their colony. Slowly, but surely, the colonists expanded into the surrounding area. A few days after arrival at Botany Bay, their original location, the fleet moved to the more suitable Port Jackson where a settlement was established at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. This second location was strange and unfamiliar, and the fleet was on alert for any kind of suspicious behaviors. Though Tench had made friends in Botany Bay with Aboriginal peoples, he could not be sure this new land would be uninhabited. He recalled the first time he stepped into this unfamiliar ground with a boy who helped Tench navigate. In these new lands, he met an old Aboriginal.

Questions

Questions 1-6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet, write

• TRUE                 if the statement is true
• FALSE                if the statement is false
• NOT GIVEN      if the information is not given in the passage

1. There was a great deal of information available about the life of Tench before he arrived in Australia.

2. Tench drew pictures to illustrate different places during the voyage.

3. Other military personnel in New South Wales did not treat convicts in the same way as Tench did.

4. Tench’s view towards the Aboriginals remained unchanged during his time in Australia.

5. An Aboriginal gave him gifts of food the first time they met.

6. The convicts had a good knowledge of Australian geography.

Questions 7-13

Answer the questions below.

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

Write your answers in boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet.

7. What could be concrete proof of Tench’s good education?

8. How many years did Tench sign the contract to the First Fleet?

9. What was used to control convicts during the voyage?

10. Who gave the order to punish the Aboriginals?

11. When did the name Hawkesbury River come into being?

12. Where did the escaped convicts plan to go?

13. In which place did Tench feel unaccustomed?

Answers for The Extraordinary Watkin Tench with Explanations

The Extraordinary Watkin Tench Reading Answers with explanations are provided below to assess your answering skills.

(Note: The text in Bold mentions the location. The lines in italics show the referring lines in the reading passage.)

1. Answer: False

Explanation: 1st and 8th line of paragraph B states that Apart from his years in Australia, people knew little about his life back in Britain. Aside from this, we know little of Tench’s beginnings.

2. Answer: Not given

Explanation: There is no information available referring to this in the passage.

3. Answer: True

Explanation: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line of paragraph D justifies that During his initial time in Australia, he quickly rose in his rank and was given extra power and responsibility over the convicted crew members. However, he was also still very different from the upper-class rulers who came to rule over the crew. He showed humanity towards the convicted workers. He didn’t want to treat them as common criminals but as trained military men. 

4. Answer: False

Explanation: 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th line of paragraph D narrates that Tench also showed mercy towards the Aboriginal people. Governor Philip often pursued violent solutions to conflicts with the Aboriginal peoples. Tench disagreed strongly with this method. At one point, he was unable to follow the order given by Governor Philip to punish the ten Aboriginals.

5. Answer: Not given

Explanation: There is no information available referring to this in the passage.

6. Answer: False

Explanation: 6th line of paragraph F explains that The convicts were notoriously ill-informed about Australian geography, as was evident in the attempt by twenty absconders to walk from Sydney to China in 1791, believing: “China might be easily reached, being not more than a hundred miles distant, and separated only by a river.” In reality, miles of ocean separated the two.

7. Answer: His diaries

Explanation: 7th line of paragraph B cites that His diaries from his travels to Australia are written in excellent English, a skill that not everyone was lucky to possess in the 18th century.

8. Answer: 3/Three years

Explanation: The second last and last line of paragraph A describes that Tench was one of these unlucky convicts to sign onto a dangerous journey. When his ship set out in 1788, he signed a three years service to the First Fleet.

9. Answer: Chains

Explanation: 6th line of paragraph D notifies that Under Tench’s authority, he released the convicts’ chains which were used to control them during the voyage. 

10. Answer: Governor Philip

Explanation: 8th, 9th, and 10th line of paragraph D says that Governor Philip often pursued violent solutions to conflicts with the Aboriginal peoples. Tench disagreed strongly with this method. At one point, he was unable to follow the order given by Governor Philip to punish the ten Aboriginals.

11. Answer: June 1789

Explanation: 2nd line of paragraph F indicates that The Hawkesbury River was named by Governor Philip in June 1789. 

12. Answer: China

Explanation: 6th line of paragraph F depicts that The convicts were notoriously ill-informed about Australian geography, as was evident in the attempt by twenty absconders to walk from Sydney to China in 1791, believing: “China might be easily reached, being not more than a hundred miles distant, and separated only by a river.” In reality, miles of ocean separated the two.

13. Answer: Botany Bay

Explanation: 6th line of paragraph G tells that Though Tench had made friends in Botany Bay with Aboriginal peoples, he could not be sure this new land would be uninhabited.

Other Reading Tests

• Compliance or noncompliance reading answers
• Cosmetics in ancient past reading answers