: One of the earliest records of the desire to fly comes from the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus . According to legend, Daedalus crafted wings made of wax and feathers to escape prison; however, Icarus flew too close to the sun, causing the wax to melt and leading to his fatal fall.
The Wright brothers are credited with the first flight using an . 3. List of Headings (Example Matches)
To achieve stable flight, early gliders needed an essential ingredient: . : One of the earliest records of the
: In the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci produced over 100 sketches of flying machines, including a design for an ornithopter —a machine intended to fly by flapping wings like a bird—which later influenced helicopter concepts.
The passage typically follows a chronological structure, highlighting significant milestones in human aviation history: the Chinese developed kites
: In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers sent the first living creatures (a duck, a sheep, and a rooster) into the sky in a hot air balloon, followed shortly by the first manned flight in Paris. Later, pioneers like Sir George Cayley experimented with gliders, identifying that flight required a separate source of power .
Based on typical versions of this practice test, here are the likely answers for the most common question types found in The Journey of Flight and similar IELTS Reading collections : What did humans always dream of doing? Answer: Flying / To fly What materials did Daedalus use for his wings? Answer: Wax and feathers What did the Chinese use kites for (besides religion)? Answer: Testing weather conditions : One of the earliest records of the
To improve your score on this passage, use the following tips from IELTS Liz and other prep experts:
: Around 400 BC, the Chinese developed kites , which were used for religious ceremonies and early meteorological testing. This invention is often cited as a foundational step toward gliders and balloons.
Answer: Ornithopter When did the first manned flight take place? Answer: 21st November 1783 2. Sentence Completion / Summary Completion Early attempts to fly using wings were often unsuccessful.
