The Blog post contains the following IELTS Reading Questions:
- IELTS reading matching sentence endings questions
- IELTS reading multiple choice questions
- IELTS reading matching headings questions
Read the following passage about 900 years the restorations of Westminster Abbey and answer the questions in 20 minutes.
A. In the summer of 1995, an exhibition showed how Westminster Abbey has changed over the last nine centuries. Both its construction and content have undergone alterations, yet the building’s individuality has never been lost. This evolution ought to be documented as a separate topic, not as an apologetic footnote explaining why some initial features were changed. Even by the 1890s, William Morris and other proponents of the Gothic Revival believed that the façade of the Abbey had been severely damaged and that nothing remained except a faint outline, a ghost. The ‘ghost’ has shown to be extraordinarily resilient over the last century, which has seen both aerial assault and careful repair. It is an interesting tale that deserves to be heard.
B. Restoration, as we understand it now as a personality process of repair and restoration of previous elements, did not come to the Abbey until the end of the seventeenth century, with the campaign of thorough repair designed and carried out by Christopher Wren and his successors. This program of work, which covered the whole building inside and out and was designed to retain the old structure’s appearance, was uncommon for its time, not just in England but throughout Europe.
C. Restoration can also be used in a broader experience to refer to a protection system in which old material is replaced with new material of exceptional design and style while preserving the meaning and spirit of the building. The alternative of the early Christian St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with the help of Bramante’s Renaissance design is then no longer visible as vandalism but as a confirmation of the importance of the building for a new era.
D. Redesigning an institution’s systems to what they are today is a better way to illustrate its enduring power than patching up the old ones. The replacement of the Romanesque abbey church of Edward the Confessor (11th century) by Henry III (13th century) with one in today’s Gothic style appears to be more of a restoration than a new build.
E. The records of Queen Elizabeth’s effigy give a clear example of the importance of the Westminster Restoration. Years ago, this statue went unnoticed as a horrific 18th-century reproduction of the original. Likewise, the exterior of the abbey was admired. However, in both image and structure, the 18th-century interpretation of mass antiquity itself is no longer effective, but the primitive cloth seems to live at the center. Elizabeth’s effigy received a new head and clothes in 1760, no longer for vandalism but to emphasize her important role in the Abbey records. Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor had redesigned the building’s exterior many years ago. It is a profoundly wrong impression of the great complexity of Westminster to try to shed the input of successive generations to find a ghost original.
F The connection between the historical inventory depicted on the canvas and the ongoing salvage paintings in neighboring Mason’s Yard becomes the central theme of the presentation. The historical background gave weight to the current works and showed that this process of organic regeneration was always a gift in the abbey, while at the same time the presentation of the evolving paintings vividly added the corporeal reality of the paintings brought to life.
900 years the restorations of Westminster Abbey Reading Ielts Question
Question 1–4
Choose one phrase (i–x) from the list of phrases to complete each key point below.
Write the appropriate letters (i–x) in boxes 1– 4 on your answer sheet.
The information in the completed sentences should be an accurate summary of the points made by the writer.
NB. There are more phrases (i–x) than sentences, so you will not need to use them akk. You may use each phrase once only.
1. There was a statue of Queen Elizabeth I.…. 2. St. Peter’s was originally constructed in Renaissance architecture.… 3. A critical analysis of the history was undertaken.… 4. A contemporary, constrained definition of restoration indicates that it is…
List of phrases
i. regarded it as an act of vandalism.
ii. completely restored in 1760O.
iii. retaining the original design .
iv. at the time considered appropriate.
v. a method of repairing and reintroducing characteristics from earlier times.
vi. a poor replica of the original.
vi. as important as the work exhibits in the Mason’s yard.
viii. the validity of the current works.
ix. respecting the original structure and ethos of a building
x. for a long time considered a poor replica of the original.
Questions 5-7
Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write them in boxes 5-7 on your answer sheet.
5. At the conclusion of the 17th century, the Abbey was…
A. thoroughly repaired. B. conscientiously repaired. C. designed by Sir Christopher Wren. D. unusual for buildings of the time.
6. Which among the following has withstood generations of change just at Abbey?
A. structure and contents. B. original features. C. identity D. outline
7. The narrator realizes it is superior.…..
A. to remove the work of later generations to expose the original features of a building.
B. not to remove the work of later generations to expose the original features of a building.
C. to reveal the mythical original architecture of a building.
D. to enhance the rich complexity of a building.
Question 8–11
Reading passage has 5 paragraphs (A–E).
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the appropriate numbers (i–xi) in boxes 8–11 on your sheet.
NB. There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use all of them.
8. Paragraph A
9. Paragraph B
10. Paragraph C
11. Paragraph D
Example Paragraph E–vii
List of headings
I. Bramante’s artistic and architectural skills
Ii. A royal example’
Iii. restoration in Europe
Iv. The importance of recording change
V. An extensive and unusual scheme
Vi. Keeping the meaning
Vii. history alongside progress
Viii. hawksmoor’s effect on the Abbey
Ix. wren and hawksmoor at the Abbey
X. A summer exhibition
Xi. An organic renewal
900 years the restorations of Westminster Abbey Reading Ielts Answers
1.X.
2. Iv.
3.Vii.
4.V.
5.B. Conscientiously repaired
6.C. Identity
7.B. not to remove the work of later generations to expose the original features of a building
8. Iv.
9.V.
10.Vi.
11.Ii.
