The Story of Platinum Reading Answers

The IELTS exam has four sections: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. The Reading test checks if you can understand a passage, find specific details, and follow how ideas develop from one paragraph to the next.

The Story of Platinum follows one metal from space to the shop window. It covers how rare platinum is, who used it first, how scientists finally learned to melt it, and why it ends up in jewellery, car parts and coins. The passage is full of dates, places and names, so it’s easy to mix them up.

This page gives you a practice version of that passage, 13 questions, and the full The Story of Platinum reading answers with explanations. The passage is reworded, and the questions are original, so they won’t match a published paper word for word.

Here’s the official The Story of Platinum reading answer key​:

Question	Answer
1	TRUE
2	FALSE
3	TRUE
4	NOT GIVEN
5	TRUE
6	NOT GIVEN
7	FALSE
8	ore
9	Sèvres
10	Colombia
11–13	A, C, E (in any order)

These are the answers for the Story of Platinum IELTS reading passage. You can now attempt the practice test below and then check your answers with the explanations to understand how each response is supported by the passage.

The Story of Platinum IELTS Reading Passage for Practice

Why would a metal that looks plain and grey-white be worth more than gold? And why did the first Europeans to see it throw it away? This passage follows platinum through three thousand years, from ancient tombs to modern car engines.

Read it carefully, then answer the questions. Aim to finish in about 15 minutes.

The Story of Platinum

A
Platinum is denser than gold and much rarer, about 30 times rarer. It takes about ten tonnes of ore to get a single ounce. Like gold, it is thought to have reached Earth in meteorites. The earliest one on record is said to have hit the planet off the coast of western Greenland about three billion years ago.

B
The earliest evidence of platinum use is in gold jewellery from Nubia, which contains traces of platinum, from about 1200 BC. A box from an Egyptian tomb in Thebes, from about 700 BC, is also famous. Platinum also appears in pre-Columbian South America, where people used it to decorate the body, in earrings and masks. The earliest known piece is a small platinum head. Evidence of its use then disappears until the time of the Incas, the most famous of the South American civilisations. The first Europeans to meet platinum were the Spanish Conquistadors, who arrived in South America in the 15th and 16th centuries. They thought it was a poor kind of silver and named it platina, Spanish for “small silver”. They did not know how to melt it, so they threw it back into the rivers.

C
Platinum was finally identified as a new metal in the 18th century, and scientists in Europe became interested. But it is very hard and has a high melting point, so it took time to find a way to melt it. In 1758, a French scientist called Macquer melted it with a concave mirror, but the method was clumsy. In 1786, Janety, a French court jeweller, used arsenic to make an alloy of platinum, which he then refined into pure platinum. Other experiments took place in Spain and England. In 1782, though, Antoine Lavoisier melted platinum with a high-temperature torch fuelled by oxygen and hydrogen. Once melting was possible, platinum was used much more in jewellery.

D
Like gold and silver before it, platinum became a store of value. In jewellery, platinum takes only about 30% of the roughly eight tonnes mined each year. Unlike gold, platinum does not wear away. Because it lasts so well, the International Prototype Kilogram, kept at Sèvres in France, is made of platinum. Platinum is also wanted for jewellery for other reasons. It is very hard, so it is hypoallergenic, meaning it does not cause allergies, unlike some other metals, such as gold. It does not reflect colour onto diamonds, and its strength and hardness let it hold them tightly.

E
Platinum is well known for industrial use. Most of it goes to the car industry, in parts such as catalytic converters, because platinum can absorb a huge amount of hydrogen, which makes it useful for cleaning up the environment. Glass makers, as in the past, along with makers of anti-cancer medicine, fibre-optic cables and LCD displays, all depend on it. It is also a key part of fuel cells, which turn hydrogen and oxygen into energy and give off water as waste.

F
Platinum is rare, so it is found in only a few places in the world. Until the early 19th century, Colombia was the only source. In 1820, deposits were found in the Ural Mountains of Russia, which is still a major source today. There are small deposits in Montana, USA, but the main supplier today is South Africa, where the world’s largest deposits were found in the 1920s.

G
Russia once minted 1.5 million platinum coins, but stopped when the metal became worth more than the coins. Today, several platinum coins are sold in sizes of one ounce or less: the Australian Koala, the Canadian Maple Leaf (1988), the Chinese Panda (1987) and the American Eagle (1997). Bars of ten ounces and smaller are also sold for investment.

The Story of Platinum Reading Practice Questions

Now test yourself. The questions ask you to decide if statements match the passage, complete sentences with words from the text, and pick the three correct options from a list.

Watch out for paraphrasing. The questions rarely use the same words as the passage.

Questions 1–7: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
 FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
 NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Platinum is about 30 times rarer than gold.
2. The Spanish Conquistadors were the first people to use platinum.
3. The Spanish arrivals threw platinum back into rivers because they could not melt it.
4. Macquer was the first scientist to try to melt platinum.
5. Lavoisier melted platinum with a torch fuelled by oxygen and hydrogen.
6. Platinum jewellery costs more than gold jewellery.
7. Platinum is more likely than gold to cause an allergic reaction.

Questions 8–10: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8–10.

1. It takes about ten tonnes of ______ to produce one ounce of platinum.
2. The International Prototype Kilogram, kept at ______ in France, is made of platinum.
3. Until the early 19th century, ______ was the only source of platinum.

Questions 11–13: Choose Three Letters

Choose THREE letters, A–G.

Which THREE of the following are given in the passage as reasons why platinum is used in jewellery?

Write your answers in boxes 11–13 in any order.

A. It does not wear away easily.
B. It is cheaper than silver.
C. It does not cause allergies.
D. It melts at a low temperature.
E. It holds diamonds tightly.
F. It changes colour over time.
G. It reflects colour onto diamonds.

The Story of Platinum Reading Answers with Explanation

Done with the questions? Use the The Story of Platinum reading answers with location below to check each response. You’ll see where each answer sits in the passage, and where the common traps are.

Answers 1–7: True/False/Not Given

Answer 1: TRUE
Paragraph A says platinum is much rarer than gold, about 30 times rarer. The statement uses the same figure. It agrees with the passage.
 Answer location: Paragraph A, sentence 1

Answer 2: FALSE
Paragraph B shows platinum in Nubian jewellery from about 1200 BC, in an Egyptian box and in South American artefacts, long before the Spanish arrived. The Spanish were only the first Europeans to meet it. The words “first people” are the trap.
 Answer location: Paragraph B, sentences 1 to 6

Answer 3: TRUE
Paragraph B says the Spanish did not know how to melt platinum, so they threw it back into the rivers. The statement gives the same cause and result in the same order.
 Answer location: Paragraph B, last sentence

Answer 4: NOT GIVEN
Paragraph C says Macquer melted platinum with a concave mirror in 1758. It never says he was the first to try, and it mentions other experiments in Spain and England without dates. Be careful with “first”. The passage names a person, but it doesn’t rank him.
 Answer location: Paragraph C, sentences 3 and 5, no information on this

Answer 5: TRUE
Paragraph C says Lavoisier melted platinum in 1782 with a high-temperature torch fuelled by oxygen and hydrogen. The statement is a short version of the same sentence.
 Answer location: Paragraph C, sentence 6

Answer 6: NOT GIVEN
Paragraph D talks about platinum as a store of value, but it never compares the price of platinum jewellery with gold jewellery. Don’t use what you know about prices. The question is about the passage.
 Answer location: Paragraph D; no information on this

Answer 7: FALSE
Paragraph D says platinum is hypoallergenic, unlike some other metals such as gold. So platinum is less likely to cause an allergy, not more. The statement reverses this.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, sentence 6

Answers 8–10: Sentence Completion

Answer 8: ore
Paragraph A says it takes about ten tonnes of ore to get a single ounce. The sentence in the question has the same structure. One word, so it fits the limit.
 Answer location: Paragraph A, sentence 2

Answer 9: Sèvres
Paragraph D says the International Prototype Kilogram is kept at Sèvres in France. Copy the word as it appears, with the accent. The question already has “in France”, which helps you find the right sentence.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, sentence 4

Answer 10: Colombia
Paragraph F says that until the early 19th century, Colombia was the only source. Paragraph F also names Russia and South Africa, but the question asks about the time before 1820, so those are wrong.
 Answer location: Paragraph F, sentence 2

Answers 11–13: Choose Three Letters

Answers 11–13: A, C and E (in any order)

A. It does not wear away easily. Paragraph D says that, unlike gold, platinum does not wear away. This is a reason for using it, because jewellery lasts.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, sentence 3

C. It does not cause allergies. Paragraph D says platinum is hypoallergenic, so it does not cause allergies. “Hypoallergenic” is the word the passage uses, and the option puts it in simple words.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, sentence 6

E. It holds diamonds tightly. Paragraph D says its strength and hardness let it hold diamonds tightly.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, sentence 7

The other options are traps. B, the price compared with silver, is never mentioned. D is the opposite of what Paragraph C says, because platinum has a high melting point. F isn’t mentioned at all. G is the reverse of Paragraph D, which says platinum does not reflect colour onto diamonds.

Check out: How to Register for the IELTS Exam 2026 in India?

Important Vocabulary for The Story of Platinum IELTS Reading Passage

This passage uses some science and history words, and the questions often swap them for simpler ones. Learn the main ones before you try again.

Word	Meaning
Ore	Rock that contains a metal, which can be taken out of it
Meteorite	A piece of rock from space that lands on Earth
Dense	Heavy for its size
Pre-Columbian	From the Americas before Columbus arrived
Conquistador	A Spanish soldier who conquered parts of the Americas
Inferior	Lower in quality or value
Concave	Curved inwards, like the inside of a bowl
Alloy	A mixture of two or more metals
Refine	To clean a metal and make it pure
Store of value	Something that keeps its worth over time
Hypoallergenic	Not likely to cause an allergic reaction
Catalytic converter	A part in a car exhaust that makes harmful gases less harmful
Fuel cell	A device that makes electricity from hydrogen and oxygen
Deposit	A natural store of a metal or mineral in the ground

Try using three or four of these words in your own sentences. It helps you remember them, and you’ll recognise their paraphrases faster in the test.

How to Approach The Story of Platinum IELTS Reading Questions?

This passage is packed with dates, places and names, so it can feel like a lot to hold in your head. The good news is that each paragraph has one clear job. Give each one a short label before you start: A is rarity, B is early history, C is melting, D is jewellery, E is industry, F is sources, and G is coins. Then work out what each question wants, find the right paragraph, and read that part carefully.

Here are a few simple ways to approach The Story of Platinum IELTS reading answers:

1. Identify Keywords and Their Synonyms

Underline the main words in the question and think of other words with the same meaning. The passage will probably use those.

In the question	In the passage
could not melt it	did not know how to melt it
much rarer than gold	about 30 times rarer
does not wear away easily	unlike gold, does not wear away
does not cause allergies	hypoallergenic
holds diamonds tightly	secure them tightly

So don’t search for the exact words. Search for the idea.

2. Distinguish Between True, False, and Not Given

If the passage says the same thing, it’s True. If it says the opposite, it’s False. If it doesn’t say anything about the point, it’s Not Given.

Take Questions 4 and 6. In Question 4, the passage names Macquer and a date, but never says he was first. In Question 6, the passage talks about value, but never compares jewellery prices. Both are Not Given, even though the topic appears. Ask yourself, “Can I point to a sentence that supports or contradicts this?” If you can’t, it’s Not Given. Also watch for words like “first”, “only” and “more than”, because they often change the answer.

3. Follow the Word Limit in Sentence Completion

NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS means one or two words, never three. Copy the words exactly as they appear in the passage, including accents, as in “Sèvres”.

Look at the words around the gap, too. Question 9 already says “in France”, so you only need the name of the place. Then read the sentence back with your answer in the gap, and check that it makes sense. In this passage, a date or a place name can also be tempting, so make sure your answer is the one the sentence asks for.

4. Eliminate Incorrect Options

For “Choose THREE letters” questions, don’t look for the right answers first. Go through each option and cross out the wrong ones.

Start with options the passage never mentions, like B and F in Question 11. Then look for options that say the opposite of the passage, like D (the passage says platinum has a high melting point) and G (the passage says it doesn’t reflect colour onto diamonds). What’s left should be your three answers. Check that each one is true for the reason the question asks about. The answers can be written in any order.

5. Verify Answers Using the Passage

Before you move on, go back to the sentence that gave you the answer. Does it really say what you chose?

When you finish, check each answer once more. Did you copy the word correctly? Did you pick True when the passage didn’t say it? With this passage, check each date and number against the paragraph, because they’re easy to swap. And spend about 15 minutes on this set. If you get stuck, mark the question and come back.

Looking for more IELTS Reading practice? Read these answer guides to practise different passage topics and question types: The Origin of Writing Reading Answers Animal Camouflage Reading Answers High School Students in Part-Time Employment Reading Answers Eco Tourism Reading Answers IELTS Reading Answers for Coinage in Ancient Greece

Conclusion

The Story of Platinum follows one metal through thousands of years of history. It starts with ancient jewellery, moves through the Spanish who threw it away and the scientists who learned to melt it, and ends with cars, fuel cells and coins. The ideas are easy to follow, but there are many dates and places, so it’s easy to mix them up. Short labels for each paragraph keep you on track.

When you check the Story of Platinum reading answers, don’t only look at what you got wrong. Look at how you got there. Did you pick True when the answer was Not Given? Did you choose an option that sounded right but wasn’t in the passage? Spotting that is what improves your score. For more practice, try a few more The Story of Platinum IELTS reading answer sets, and time yourself each time.

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