Table Completion Practice 1

In the IELTS Reading table completion task, you must fill in a table using words from the reading passage that you have been provided with. To do this, you must ensure that you comprehend the details of the text, that you can locate information in the reading text and that you choose the correct words.

To be successful in these types of tasks, ensure that you firstly check how many words you can use for an answer! The questions should state to fill out the table using “no more than ___ words” so be sure to follow this when filling out answers. You must also ensure that you carefully read the column headings so that you know the type of information you are looking for. The word(s) that you provide as an answer will create a sentence in the table. It is, therefore, recommended that you try to identify the type of word required (e.g. a verb, noun or adjective) and scan the text for this word type answer.

Finally, use the information from the table to identify which part of the text the answer is relevant to. Find this part of the text and search for the missing word(s) in this section. And remember that, generally, the answers will be in order in the text, so you are unlikely to locate the answer to the final question at the start of the text!

The Titanic Was on Fire for Days Before It Sank

Most people know the story of the Titanic—a massive luxury liner deemed the “unsinkable” ship. At the time of its completion, the Titanic was the largest man-made moving object on earth. The company building the ship was so sure it wouldn’t sink, they didn’t include enough lifeboats for all the passengers. Of course the ship wasn’t what it was advertised to be and sunk after hitting an iceberg. Approximately 1,500 people were lost with the ship, including many prominent citizens from multiple nations.

It’s an event known throughout history, a real-life event with the plot of a movie. In fact, one of the biggest movies ever made revolved around this tragedy. This disaster took place over 100 years ago and the name of the ship is still part of our common vocabulary.

However, despite the century that has passed, the Titanic story is still evolving. Everyone knows the base story about the ship hitting an iceberg, but one major piece missing for years has recently come to light. The Titanic was on fire for days as it was sailing, possibly longer than that. There was a coal fire below deck for days that the crew was unable to put out. The ship sailed along anyway with a fire burning in the hull.

Source: https://medium.com/s/story/the-titanic-was-on-fire-for-days-before-the-iceberg-hit-94fa26471dfa

Question

Complete the table below with information from the passage above. Choose no more than 3 words to fill in for each answer. Write the answers in the boxes below.

Event	Cause
When Titanic sank, __________ 1,500 passengers were lost.	The Titanic was said to be _____________, so there were not enough ____________ on board for all of the passengers.
A very popular movie that _____________ around this tragedy was made.	Although the ship sank __________________, it is still an important part of history.
It is now believed that there was a __________ on board, possibly for many days.	Below deck, there was a coal fire that ___________ tried and failed to put out.

Key Vocabulary:

liner: A large ship for carrying passengers in great comfort on long journeys.

deem: To consider or judge something in a particular way.

advertise: To make something known generally or in public, especially in order to sell it

sunk: Past participle of sink.

sank: Alternative past participle of ‘sink’

iceberg: A very large mass of ice that floats in the sea.

prominent: Very well known and important.

multiple: Many

plot: The story of a book, film, play, etc.

evolving: Present participle of evolve. To develop gradually, or to cause something or someone to develop gradually.

hull: The body or frame of a ship, most of which goes under the water.

Answers

Event	Cause
When Titanic sank, approximately 1,500 passengers were lost.	The Titanic was said to be unsinkable, so there were not enough lifeboats on board for all of the passengers.
A very popular movie that revolved around this tragedy was made.	Although the ship sank over 100 years ago, it is still an important part of history.
It is now believed that there was a (coal) fire on board, possibly for many days.	Below deck, there was a coal fire that the crew tried and failed to put out.