All answers on this page include the question number, correct answer and a brief explanation of where to find it in the passage or audio. Use these alongside the original Cambridge IELTS books for the best practice experience.
All answers on this page are verified against Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 1, Reading Passage 1. Each answer is linked to a specific paragraph in the passage so you can confirm against the original.
William Henry Perkin is the opening passage of Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 1, Academic Reading. The passage tells the story of how a 17-year-old chemistry student, while trying to make a synthetic version of the malaria drug quinine from coal tar waste, accidentally produced the world's first synthetic dye - the colour later known as mauve. The 13 questions cover True/False/Not Given (Q1-7) and short-answer questions in no more than two words (Q8-13).
Passage overview at a glance
| Source | Questions | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge 9, Test 1, Academic Reading Passage 1 | 13 total (Q1-13) | Medium | ~20 min recommended |
What the passage is about
The William Henry Perkin passage traces the life of the British chemist who, at just 18, accidentally created the world's first synthetic dye while attempting to synthesise quinine from aniline. The passage describes Perkin's early interest in chemistry, his admission to the Royal College of Chemistry at age 15, his work under the German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann, the chance discovery in 1856, the difficulty of producing purple dye historically (cinchona, snail-derived pigments, natural plant dyes), the commercial success of mauve after Empress Eugénie of France adopted it, and the broader scientific legacy - including the modern use of synthetic dyes in malaria vaccine research.
Complete answer key with explanations
Questions 1-7: True / False / Not Given
For Q1-7, mark the statement TRUE if it agrees with the information in the passage, FALSE if it contradicts the information, and NOT GIVEN if the information is not in the passage.
| Q# | Statement | Answer | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Faraday was the first person to recognise Perkin's ability as a student of chemistry. | FALSE | Paragraph 2 names Thomas Hall, Perkin's teacher at the City of London School, as the person who first perceived Perkin's talent. Hall then encouraged Perkin to attend Faraday's lectures - Faraday came later. |
| 2 | Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enrol in the Royal College of Chemistry. | NOT GIVEN | The end of Paragraph 2 says Perkin entered the Royal College of Chemistry in 1853, but the passage does not say who suggested it. |
| 3 | Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant. | FALSE | Paragraph 3 makes clear it was the other way round: Hofmann headed the Royal College of Chemistry and Perkin became Hofmann's youngest assistant within two years. |
| 4 | Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous. | TRUE | Paragraph 3 describes the discovery as the "scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune", made shortly after Perkin became Hofmann's assistant. Perkin was 18 at the time. |
| 5 | The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America. | NOT GIVEN | Paragraph 4 says the cinchona tree is "native to South America" but does not say it grows only there. "Native to" and "only in" are not the same. |
| 6 | Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product. | TRUE | Paragraph 5 states Perkin was "attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste product". |
| 7 | Perkin was inspired by the discoveries of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur. | NOT GIVEN | Paragraph 5 quotes Pasteur's line "chance favours only the prepared mind", but the passage never says Pasteur's discoveries inspired Perkin. A quoted saying is not the same as inspiration from a discovery. |
Questions 8-13: Short-answer (no more than two words)
For Q8-13, write a short answer using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage. Answers exceeding the word limit are marked wrong even if the content is correct.
| Q# | Question | Answer | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Before Perkin's discovery, with what group in society was the colour purple associated? | (the) rich | Paragraph 6 says the purple colour extracted from a snail was so costly that "only the rich could afford it". |
| 9 | What potential did Perkin immediately understand that his new dye had? | commercial (possibilities) | Paragraph 9 describes Perkin's "nearly instant recognition that the new dye had commercial possibilities". |
| 10 | What was the name finally used to refer to the first colour Perkin invented? | mauve | Paragraph 8 explains the colour was first called Tyrian Purple, but the name that stuck was mauve - "mauve was the necessary shade" once Empress Eugénie wore it. |
| 11 | What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works? | (Robert) Pullar | Paragraph 7 names Robert Pullar of Perth as the dye-works owner Perkin wrote to for advice before going commercial. |
| 12 | In what country did Perkin's newly invented colour first become fashionable? | France | Paragraph 8 says Empress Eugénie of France adopted the colour first, and from there it spread to fashionable circles in England. |
| 13 | According to the passage, which disease is now being targeted by researchers using synthetic dyes? | malaria | The closing paragraph notes that synthetic dyes are currently being used "in the search for a vaccine against malaria" - which would have particularly pleased Perkin given his original goal. |
Question-type strategy for this passage
True / False / Not Given (Q1-7)
This passage is a textbook case for the NOT GIVEN trap. Q2, Q5, and Q7 all describe things that sound related to what the passage says but are not actually stated. The discipline is: if you cannot point to a sentence that directly confirms or contradicts the statement, the answer is NOT GIVEN. Q5 is the classic - "native to" does not mean "only in". Q7 is the more sophisticated trap - a quoted saying from Pasteur is not the same as inspiration from Pasteur's discoveries.
Short-answer (Q8-13)
The word limit is strict. "Two words" means a maximum of two, not "around two". Answers like "the rich" (two words counting "the") and "commercial possibilities" fit. Adding articles or qualifiers can push you over. When in doubt, drop the article and submit the noun alone - "rich" is also accepted for Q8.
Spelling matters
For short-answer questions, the word must come from the passage and must be spelled correctly. "Pullar" with the unusual spelling is exactly as it appears in the text. "Mauve" not "Mauv" or "Mauveine" - mauve is the name finally used, mauveine is the chemical name.
Vocabulary worth learning from this passage
- Synthetic - made artificially rather than occurring naturally
- Aniline - an organic compound, here described as a coal tar waste product
- Cinchona - the tree from which quinine is extracted
- Quinine - the antimalarial drug Perkin was originally trying to make
- Mauve - the popular name for Perkin's first synthetic dye
- Tyrian Purple - the historical name for purple dye extracted from snails
- Patenting - registering an invention for exclusive commercial rights
- Eminent - famous, distinguished, well-respected in a field
- Enrolment - the act of joining or registering at an institution
- Breakthrough - a significant discovery or advancement
Related Cambridge Reading practice
Cambridge 9, Test 1 also contains two other Reading passages: "Is there anybody out there?" (extra-terrestrial intelligence research) as Passage 2, and "The history of the tortoise" as Passage 3. Browse our full Reading answer keys for more verified Cambridge passage solutions.
Frequently asked questions
Which Cambridge IELTS book contains the William Henry Perkin passage?
William Henry Perkin is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 9, Test 1, Academic Reading. Cambridge IELTS 9 is one of the older books in the official series but remains widely used for practice because the question patterns are still representative of current tests.
How difficult is this passage?
The passage itself is moderate - the biographical narrative is easier to follow than a dense scientific passage. The difficulty lies in the questions: Q1-7 contain three NOT GIVEN traps that test whether you can stay strictly within what the passage says rather than inferring. Candidates targeting band 6.5 to 7.5 will find this a fair challenge.
Why is Q7 NOT GIVEN and not FALSE?
Q7 asks whether Perkin was inspired by Pasteur's discoveries. The passage quotes Pasteur's saying about chance favouring the prepared mind, and notes that Perkin's discovery proved the truth of that saying. But the passage never states that Perkin was inspired by Pasteur's discoveries. A quoted saying being later proven true is not the same as the originator's discoveries inspiring you. Because the passage neither confirms nor denies the inspiration claim, NOT GIVEN is correct.
Why is Q5 NOT GIVEN and not TRUE or FALSE?
Q5 says cinchona trees grow only in South America. The passage says cinchona is "native to South America". Native to and grow only in are different claims. A plant native to one region can still grow elsewhere. The passage doesn't tell us whether cinchona grows only in South America or also elsewhere, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
Where can I find the original passage?
The full passage and official answer key are in Cambridge IELTS 9 (Cambridge University Press), available from major bookstores and online retailers. Our Cambridge IELTS guide covers the full series and where to start.