Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation Reading Answers

Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation Reading Answers: The “Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation”, explores how the ancient Romans developed their shipbuilding techniques and maritime strategies. The passage discusses the evolution of shipbuilding methods, the differences between warships and merchant ships, and how Roman sailors navigated using natural elements like the Sun and stars.

This guide provides a detailed passage along with answers to help IELTS aspirants improve their reading skills. The questions include Sentence Completion and Matching Sentence Endings, helping candidates practice key strategies for identifying important details and understanding complex historical texts. By working through these questions, test-takers can gain deeper insights into Roman naval advancements and enhance their IELTS 2025 exam preparation.

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Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation Reading Answers Passage

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the reading passage 1 below.

Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation

1. Shipbuilding today is based on science and ships are built using computers and sophisticated tools. Shipbuilding in ancient Rome, however, was more of an art relying on estimation, inherited techniques and personal experience. The Romans were not traditionally sailors but mostly land- based people, who learned to build ships from the people that they conquered, namely the Greeks and the Egyptians.

2. There are a few surviving written documents that give descriptions and representations of ancient Roman ships, including the sails and rigging. Excavated vessels also provide some clues about ancient shipbuilding techniques. Studies of these have taught us that ancient Roman shipbuilders built the outer hull first, then proceeded with the frame and the rest of the ship. Planks used to build the outer hull were initially sewn together. Starting from the 6th century BCE, they were fixed using a method called mortise and tenon, whereby one plank locked into another without the need for stitching. Then, in the first centuries of the current era, Mediterranean shipbuilders shifted to another shipbuilding method, which is still in use today. It consisted of building the frame first and then proceeding with the hull and the other components of the ship. This method was more systematic and dramatically shortened ship construction times. The ancient Romans built large merchant ships and warships whose size and technology were unequalled until the 16th century CE.

3. Warships were built to be lightweight and very speedy. They had to be able to sail near the coast, which is why they had no ballast or excess load and were built with a long, narrow hull. They did not sink when damaged and often would lie crippled on the sea’s surface following naval battles. They had a bronze battering ram, which was used to pierce the timber hulls or break the oars of enemy vessels. Warships used both wind (sails) and human power (oarsmen) and were, therefore, very fast. Eventually, Rome’s navy became the largest and most powerful in the Mediterranean, and the Romans had control over what they therefore called Mare Nostrum meaning ‘our sea’.

4. There were many kinds of warships. The ‘trireme’ was the dominant warship from the 7th to 4th century BCE. It had rowers in the top, middle and lower levels and approximately 50 rowers in each bank. The rowers at the bottom had the most uncomfortable position as they were under the other rowers and were exposed to the water entering through the oar holes. It is worth noting that contrary to popular perception, rowers were not slaves but mostly Roman citizens enrolled in the military. The trireme was superseded by larger ships with even more rowers.

5. Merchant ships were built to transport lots of cargo over long distances and at a reasonable cost. They had a wider hull, double planking and a solid interior for added stability. Unlike warships, their V-shaped hull was deep underwater, meaning that they could not sail too close to the coast. They usually had two huge side rudders located off the stern and controlled by a small tiller bar connected to a system of cables. They had from one to three masts with large square sails and a small triangular sail at the bow. Just like warships, merchant ships used oarsmen, but coordinating the hundreds of rowers in both types of ships was not an easy task. In order to assist them, music would be played on an instrument, and oars would then keep time with this.

6. The cargo on merchant ships included raw materials (e.g. iron bars, copper, marble and granite), and agricultural products (e.g. grain from Egypt’s Nile valley). During the Empire, Rome was a huge city by ancient standards of about one million inhabitants. Goods from all over the world would come to the city through the port of Pozzuoli, situated west of the bay of Naples in Italy and through the gigantic port of Ostia, situated at the mouth of the Tiber River. Large merchant ships would approach the destination port and, just like today, be intercepted by a number of towboats that would drag them to the quay.

7. The time of travel along the many sailing routes could vary widely. Navigation in ancient Rome did not rely on sophisticated instruments such as compasses but on experience, local knowledge and observation of natural phenomena. In conditions of good visibility, seamen in the Mediterranean often had the mainland or islands in sight, which greatly facilitated navigation. They sailed by noting their position relative to a succession of recognisable landmarks. When weather conditions were not good or where land was no longer visible, Roman mariners estimated directions from the pole star or, with less accuracy, from the Sun at noon. They also estimated directions relative to the wind and swell. Overall, shipping in ancient Roman times resembled shipping today, with large vessels regularly crossing the seas and bringing supplies from their Empire.

Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation Reading Answers Sample Questions

Questions 1-5

Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1. Ancient Roman shipbuilding was based on __________ rather than scientific methods.

2. The Romans learned shipbuilding techniques from the Greeks and __________.

3. The hull planks of early Roman ships were initially __________ together before new methods were developed.

4. Roman warships were designed to be __________ and fast, allowing them to maneuver easily near the coast.

5. A warship’s __________ was used to damage enemy ships by piercing their wooden structure.

Questions 6-13

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-L, below.
Write the correct letter, A-L, in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.

6. Roman shipbuilders first constructed the hull before...

7. The mortise and tenon technique involved...

8. The change in shipbuilding methods helped to...

9. The Roman navy was able to dominate the Mediterranean because...

10. The rowers in a trireme were mostly...

11. Merchant ships were unsuitable for coastal navigation because...

12. Music was played on ships in order to...

13. Roman sailors used the pole star to...

A. speed up ship construction times.
B. locking one plank into another without stitching.
C. determine their direction while sailing.
D. help rowers synchronize their movements.
E. their hulls were deep underwater.
F. it relied on wind and human power for propulsion.
G. ensure that they could transport large amounts of cargo efficiently.
H. adding the frame and other ship components.
I. they had a strong and powerful fleet.
J. the bottom rowers had a very uncomfortable position.
K. people captured in naval battles.
L. citizens who were part of the military.

Roman Shipbuilding and Navigation Reading Answers with Explanations 

1. Art

• Reference: Paragraph A – "Shipbuilding in ancient Rome, however, was more of an art relying on estimation, inherited techniques and personal experience."

• Explanation: The passage states that Roman shipbuilding was not based on science but rather considered an art that depended on experience and estimation.

2. Egyptians

• Reference: Paragraph A – "The Romans were not traditionally sailors but mostly land-based people, who learned to build ships from the people that they conquered, namely the Greeks and the Egyptians."

• Explanation: The Romans acquired shipbuilding knowledge from the Greeks and Egyptians.

3. Sewn

• Reference: Paragraph B – "Planks used to build the outer hull were initially sewn together."

• Explanation: The passage mentions that early shipbuilders sewed planks together before switching to the mortise and tenon technique.

4. Lightweight

• Reference: Paragraph C – "Warships were built to be lightweight and very speedy."

• Explanation: The passage states that Roman warships were designed to be light and fast for coastal maneuverability.

5. Ram

• Reference: Paragraph C – "They had a bronze battering ram, which was used to pierce the timber hulls or break the oars of enemy vessels."

• Explanation: The warships used a bronze battering ram to attack enemy ships by piercing their hulls.

6. H. adding the frame and other ship components.

• Reference: Paragraph B – "Ancient Roman shipbuilders built the outer hull first, then proceeded with the frame and the rest of the ship."

• Explanation: The passage explains that Roman shipbuilders initially constructed the hull before adding other parts.

7. B. locking one plank into another without stitching.

• Reference: Paragraph B – "Starting from the 6th century BCE, they were fixed using a method called mortise and tenon, whereby one plank locked into another without the need for stitching."

• Explanation: The mortise and tenon method allowed planks to be joined without sewing.

8. A. speed up ship construction times.

• Reference: Paragraph B – "Then, in the first centuries of the current era, Mediterranean shipbuilders shifted to another shipbuilding method, which is still in use today. It consisted of building the frame first and then proceeding with the hull and the other components of the ship. This method was more systematic and dramatically shortened ship construction times."

• Explanation: The new shipbuilding technique helped reduce the time required to build ships.

9. I. they had a strong and powerful fleet.

• Reference: Paragraph C – "Eventually, Rome’s navy became the largest and most powerful in the Mediterranean, and the Romans had control over what they therefore called Mare Nostrum meaning ‘our sea’."

• Explanation: Rome's dominance over the Mediterranean was due to its powerful navy.

10. L. citizens who were part of the military.

• • Reference: Paragraph D – "It is worth noting that contrary to popular perception, rowers were not slaves but mostly Roman citizens enrolled in the military."

  • Explanation: The passage clarifies that rowers were not slaves but Roman citizens serving in the military.

11. E. their hulls were deep underwater.

• • Reference: Paragraph E – "Unlike warships, their V-shaped hull was deep underwater, meaning that they could not sail too close to the coast."

  • Explanation: Merchant ships could not navigate near the coast because their deep hulls prevented it.

12. D. help rowers synchronize their movements.

• • Reference: Paragraph E – "In order to assist them, music would be played on an instrument, and oars would then keep time with this."

  • Explanation: Music helped rowers maintain rhythm and coordination.

13. C. determine their direction while sailing.

• • Reference: Paragraph F – "When weather conditions were not good or where land was no longer visible, Roman mariners estimated directions from the pole star or, with less accuracy, from the Sun at noon."

  • Explanation: The pole star was used by Roman sailors to determine directions when land was not visible.

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