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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 31

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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 White Horse of UffingtonFor over 3,000 years, people in England have cut enormous figures, known as geoglyphs, into grassy hillsides. Fifty-six hill figures are recorded across the country, and most are found on the chalk downlands of southern England. They include horses, giants, crosses and re...
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Questions 1-8
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet, 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. Most geoglyphs in England are located in a specific area of the country.

2. There are more geoglyphs in the form of a horse than any other creature.

3. A new dating of the Uffington White Horse indicates that people were mistaken about its age.

4. Historians have reached agreement about the origins of the Long Man of Wilmington.

5. Geoglyphs were created by people putting white chalk on the hillside.

6. Many geoglyphs in England are no longer seen.

7. The shape of several geoglyphs has been altered over time.

8. The renown of the Uffington White Horse is due to its size.

The answer is TRUE because the statement agrees with the passage. The key evidence is: "Fifty-six hill figures are recorded across the country, and most are found on the chalk downlands of southern England.". This evidence says the same thing as the question statement, so the statement is supported.

Associated Text:
Fifty-six hill figures are recorded across the country, and most are found on the chalk downlands of southern England.

The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not give enough information to confirm the statement. The closest relevant evidence is: "Fifty-six hill figures are recorded across the country, and most are found on the chalk downlands of southern England. They include horses, giants, crosses and regimental badges.". This may discuss a related idea, but it does not prove the statement in the question.

Associated Text:
Fifty-six hill figures are recorded across the country, and most are found on the chalk downlands of southern England. They include horses, giants, crosses and regimental badges.

The answer is TRUE because the statement agrees with the passage. The key evidence is: "Recent dating has shown that it is older than the ancient pre-Roman Iron Age date previously assigned to it.". This evidence says the same thing as the question statement, so the statement is supported.

Associated Text:
Recent dating has shown that it is older than the ancient pre-Roman Iron Age date previously assigned to it.

The answer is FALSE because the statement contradicts the passage. The key evidence is: "The Long Man of Wilmington in Sussex is more disputed.". This evidence gives a different meaning from the question statement, so the statement is not correct.

Associated Text:
The Long Man of Wilmington in Sussex is more disputed.

The answer is FALSE because the statement contradicts the passage. The key evidence is: "Many historians regard it as prehistoric, but others think it was created by an artistic monk from a nearby priory sometime between the 11th and 15th centuries.". This evidence gives a different meaning from the question statement, so the statement is not correct.

Associated Text:
Many historians regard it as prehistoric, but others think it was created by an artistic monk from a nearby priory sometime between the 11th and 15th centuries.

The answer is TRUE because the statement agrees with the passage. The key evidence is: "This is one reason why most English hill figures have vanished; once the customs linked with them weakened, people stopped clearing the turf or forgot to do so.". This evidence says the same thing as the question statement, so the statement is supported.

Associated Text:
This is one reason why most English hill figures have vanished; once the customs linked with them weakened, people stopped clearing the turf or forgot to do so.

The answer is TRUE because the statement agrees with the passage. The key evidence is: "Over centuries, the outlines could also shift because those recutting the figures did not always cut in exactly the same place, producing shapes different from the original geoglyph.". This evidence says the same thing as the question statement, so the statement is supported.

Associated Text:
Over centuries, the outlines could also shift because those recutting the figures did not always cut in exactly the same place, producing shapes different from the original geoglyph.

The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not give enough information to confirm the statement. The closest relevant evidence is: "The best-known of these figures may also be the most puzzling: the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire.". This may discuss a related idea, but it does not prove the statement in the question.

Associated Text:
The best-known of these figures may also be the most puzzling: the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire.

Questions 9-13
Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 9-13 on your answer sheet.

The ancient hill figure in Oxfordshire

Position of the Uffington figure:

Located 2.5 km away from the nearby village.

Near the ancient route called the (9).

Near an old cemetery containing several burial mounds.

Dating the hill figure:

A 1070s source is the earliest known written mention in (10).

Coin images from 100 BCE-1 BCE show horses of a similar style.

Tests on nearby (11) showed the figure belonged to a broad prehistoric period.

Possible reason for making the figure:

A sign marking tribal territory.

Part of a prehistoric ceremony.

A representation of Epona, linked with horse protection and (12).

A representation of the Welsh goddess (13).

Use "Ridgeway" because the passage places the figure below the Ridgeway.

Associated Text:
The figure lies 2.5 km from Uffington village on a steep slope near the Late Bronze Age hillfort of Uffington Castle and below the Ridgeway, a long-distance Neolithic track. Bronze Age burial mounds also surround the Uffington Horse.

Use "Documents" because the passage says White Horse Hill appears in documents from the 1070s.

Associated Text:
On a clear day it can be seen from as far as 30 km away.

Use "Soil" because OSL testing was carried out on soil from the horse and another cut.

Associated Text:
Because its style resembles horses shown on coins from the first century BCE, scholars once thought the figure probably belonged to that period.

Use "Fertility" because Epona is described as associated with fertility.

Associated Text:
Another possibility is that it was made as part of a Bronze or Iron Age ritual. Some researchers link the horse with the Celtic horse goddess Epona, worshipped as a protector of horses and associated with fertility.

Use "Rhiannon" because the passage names Rhiannon as a possible native mythological figure represented by the carving.

Associated Text:
It may represent a goddess from native mythology, such as Rhiannon, described in later Welsh stories as a beautiful woman dressed in gold and riding a white horse.

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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