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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 58

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This reading practice simulates one part of the IELTS General Reading test. You should spend about twenty minutes on it. Read the passage and answer questions 1-13.

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The Yin dynasty or the Shang Dynasty is the earliest dynasty of traditional Chinese history supported by archaeological evidence. According to traditional historiography, The Shang Dynasty ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium, succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Zh...
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Questions 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet, write

YES   if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO   if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN   if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. 21st century archaeological discoveries have positioned Yinxu as the burial site for the queen and military general Fu Hao.

2. Within the Tomb of Fu Hao, a corpse was laid above a hole comprising of the remains of animal and human skeletons.

3. The size of the King Tutankhamen’s tomb is bigger than that of in Qin Emperor's tomb.

4. Archaeological findings of Tutankhamun’s burial site indicate that the design of shaft chariots didn’t appear in Europe until the end of the Roman Empire.

The answer is NO. The statement claims that 21st century archaeological discoveries have positioned Yinxu as the burial site for the queen and military general Fu Hao. However, the passage specifies that the Tomb of Fu Hao was discovered at Yinxu in 1976, which is the 20th century, not the 21st. Therefore, the statement contradicts the information provided in the second paragraph.

Associated Text:
Discovered in 1976, it was identified as the final resting place of the queen and military general Fu Hao.

The answer is YES. The passage in the second paragraph directly states that below the corpse in the Tomb of Fu Hao was a small pit holding the remains of six sacrificial dogs, and along the edge were skeletons of human slaves. This matches the statement and confirms its accuracy according to the claims of the writer.

Associated Text:
Below the corpse was a small pit holding the remains of six sacrificial dogs and along the edge lay the skeletons of human slaves, evidence of human sacrifice.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage compares the number and type of chariots found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb with those found in the Qin Emperor's tomb but does not mention or compare the size of the tombs themselves. Therefore, it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

Associated Text:
In contrast, the burial of Tutankhamun yielded six complete but dismantled chariots of unparalleled richness and sophistication. Experts currently place the entire number of soldiers at 8,000 — with 130 chariots (130 cm long), 530 horses and 150 cavalry horses helping to ward of any dangers in the afterlife.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage tells us the shaft chariot design did not appear in Europe until the end of the Roman Empire, but it does not state that archaeological findings at Tutankhamun’s burial site indicate this timeline. Since there is no mention of Tutankhamun's site providing evidence about the appearance of shaft chariots in Europe, nothing can be concluded about this statement from the text.

Associated Text:
This design did not make its appearance in Europe until the end of the Roman Empire.

Questions 5-10
Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 5-10 on your answer sheet.

An assortment of wood was used in the manufacture of the chariot

A wheel had eighteen to thirty-two spokes usually made from

The greatest measure of balance depended upon weighing and of the wheel.

A dish wheel was strengthened by running two from rim to rim.

Millet were used to check empty spaces in the assembly.

Bronze was protected by wrapping the edge of the wheel in .

The answer is wheels. In paragraph five, it is stated that wheels were constructed from a variety of woods, which means that different types of wood were used to manufacture the wheels of chariots.

Associated Text:
Wheels were constructed from a variety of woods, with elm providing the hub, rose-wood for the spokes and oak for the rims.

The answer is rose-wood. According to paragraph five, the text explains that, among the various woods used in constructing a chariot wheel, rose-wood was specifically selected for the spokes.

Associated Text:
rose-wood for the spokes

The answer is flotation. The passage highlights in paragraph five that flotation and weighing were regarded as the best measures of balance for the wheels, describing how engineers ensured their stability.

Associated Text:
as flotation and weighing were regarded as the best measures of balance

The answer is struts. The passage explains in paragraph five that to further strengthen a dished wheel, a pair of struts would run from rim to rim, enhancing the structural integrity of the wheels.

Associated Text:
strengthen a dished wheel with a pair of struts running from rim to rim on each of the hub

The answer is grains. According to paragraph five, the empty spaces in the wheel assembly were checked with millet grains, directly identifying what was used to check for gaps.

Associated Text:
the empty spaces in the assembly were checked with millet grains

The answer is leather. The passage declares in paragraph five that leather was wrapped up the edge of the wheel in order to help retain bronze, specifying the purpose and material used.

Associated Text:
Leather wrapped up the edge of the wheel was supposed to help retain bronze.

Questions 11-13
Complete the short answers below.

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

Write your answers in 11-13 on your answer sheet.

11. What body part of horse was released the pressure from to the shoulder?

12. A chariot warrior was able to strike down a passing charioteer wielding a halberd in which way?

13. Name the collection of armies buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang

The answer is neck. In paragraph eleven, the text mentions that the harness for shaft chariots pressed against the horse’s shoulders, not his neck, explaining the improvement in efficiency for the design.

Associated Text:
the harness pressed against a horse’s shoulders, not his neck

The answer is sideways. Paragraph twelve says the halberd usually measured well over 3 metres, which meant a chariot warrior could strike down the charioteer in a passing chariot by wielding it sideways.

Associated Text:
which meant that a chariot warrior wielding it sideways could strike down the charioteer in a passing chariot.

The answer is the terra-cotta warriors. The last paragraph directly states that a collection of terracotta armies called Terra-Cotta Warriors was buried with Qin Shi Huang.

Associated Text:
Even a collection of terracotta armies called Terra-Cotta Warriors was buried in it.

Answer Sheet
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
N/A
15
N/A
16
N/A
17
N/A
18
N/A
19
N/A
20
N/A
21
N/A
22
N/A
23
N/A
24
N/A
25
N/A
26
N/A
27
N/A
28
N/A
29
N/A
30
N/A
31
N/A
32
N/A
33
N/A
34
N/A
35
N/A
36
N/A
37
N/A
38
N/A
39
N/A
40
N/A
Score Summary
0 / 1
Multiple Choice
Matching Sentence Endings
Note Completion
Table Completion
Flow Chart Completion
Summary Completion
Multiple Selection
Short Answer
Matching Headings
Matching Features
Matching Information
Identifying Information
Identifying Viewer Claims
Sentence Completion
Diagram Labelling
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Tips to improve your reading speed
To get a high score on the IELTS reading section, you need to have a fast reading speed. To have a fast reading speed, you need to improve your vocabulary and practice dissecting sentences. One strategy to dissect a sentence is to look for the subject and verb of the sentence. Finding the subject and verb will help you better understand the main idea of said sentence. Keep in mind, a common feature of a IELTS reading passage is to join strings of ideas to form long compound sentences. This produces large chunks that students have a hard time absorbing. Do not get overwhelmed by its length, just look for the subject and verb, the rest of the ideas will flow.

Keep in mind, having a slow reading speed makes skimming or scanning a reading passage more difficult. The process of quickly skimming through a reading passage for specific keywords or main ideas is a requirement for you to employ successful reading strategies to improve your IELTS reading score. In other words, skimming and scanning are critical skills to ensure you complete all questions in the allotted time frame.
IELTS Reading Strategies
Once you can read and comprehend a passage with a rate of, at least, 220 words per minute, you'll be ready to start implementing our strategies. All too often, students spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time answering the questions. Here is a step by step guide for tackling the reading section.

  1. Step 1: Read questions first

    One of the most common mistakes that candidates make when approaching the reading exam is reading every single word of the passages. Although you can practice for the exam by reading for pleasure, "reading blindly" (reading without any sense of what the questions will ask) will not do you any favors in the exam. Instead, it will hurt your chances for effectively managing your time and getting the best score.

    The main reason to read the questions first is because the type of question may determine what you read in the passage or how you read it. For example, some question types will call for the "skimming" technique, while others may call for the "scanning" technique.

    It is important to answer a set of questions that are of the same question type. You'll need to determine which question type you want to tackle first. A good strategy would be to start with the easier question type and move on to more difficult question types later. The Easiest question types are the ones where you spend less time reading. For example, the Matching Heading question type is an easier one because you only need to find the heading that best describes the main idea of a paragraph. An example of a difficult question type would be Identifying Information. For this question type, you'll need to read each paragraph to find out if each statement is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN according to the passage.

    Here is a table that lists the difficulty levels for each question type. Use this table as a reference when choosing which question type you want to tackle first.

    Difficulty level Question Type
    Easy Sentence Completion
    Short answer
    Medium Matching Features
    Multiple choice
    Matching Headings
    Summary, Table, Flow-Chart Completion
    Difficult Matching Sentence Endings
    Matching Information
    Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
    Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

  2. Step 2: Read for an objective

    After you've read the questions for the passage, you will be able to read for an objective. What does this mean? For example, if you come across a question that includes the year "1896", you can make a note of when this year comes up in the text, using it to answer the question later on. There are two reading techniques that will help you stay on track with reading for an objective. The first one, skimming, is best defined as reading fast in order to get the "gist", or general idea, or a passage. With this technique, you are not stopping for any unfamiliar words or looking for specific details. The second technique, scanning, is best defined as reading for specific information. With this technique, you are not reading for the overall gist, but rather, specific information. Notice how each of these techniques has a specific objective in mind. This will help you find information more quickly.

  3. Step 3: Take notes

    As you're reading for an objective, you should also be making notes on the margins of the passage, placing stars next to key information, or underlining things that you believe will help you answer the various questions. This will make it easier for you to check back when you are asked certain things in the questions. Choose whichever note-taking system is right for you - just make sure you do it!

  4. Step 4: Answer wisely

    After you've read the questions, read the passage, and have taken any appropriate notes, you you should have located the part of the text where you where you need to read carefully. Then just read carefully and think critically to determine the correct answer.

IELTS Reading Question Types

The IELTS reading test contains many different question types:

Matching HeadingsIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Headings
Matching InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Information
Matching FeaturesIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Features
Summary CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Summary Completion
Identifying InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Information
Identifying Writer's claimsIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Writer's claims
Multiple ChoiceIELTS Reading Lesson: Multiple Choice
Short AnswerIELTS Reading Lesson: Short Answer
Match Sentence EndingIELTS Reading Lesson: Match Sentence Ending
Sentence CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Sentence Completion
Table CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Table Completion
 
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