The Beautiful Game Reading Questions and Answers

The Blog post contains the following IELTS Reading Questions:

  • IELTS Reading multiple choice questions
  • IELTS Reading note completion
  • IELTS Reading Matching Headings

Stay informed and prepared for success – Explore our comprehensive Reading Test Info page to get valuable insights, exam format details, and expert tips for mastering the IELTS Reading section.

IELTS Reading Passage – The Beautiful Game

The Beautiful Game

A. Every country has a national sport to promote. In the U.S., there is baseball; in New Zealand, there is rugby. In the UK, football is a federal addiction. While many UK crews have achieved global acclaim, Manchester United is among those most well-known in international rankings. Yet while most people, nevertheless of their sporting selection or race, have some passing familiarity with Manchester United, fewer can claim knowledge of the heads of the team. Manchester United came into being in 1902 as an outcome of the insolvency of the team previously known as Newton Heath. Newton Heath began life as Newton Heath LYR (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) club, and as the title signifies, the original team was comprised of railway workers. Despite turning professional in 1885 and becoming a founding member of the Football Lions in 1889, Newton Heath – nicknamed the “Heathens” – was frequently bothered by monetary hardships.

B .Salvation came in the form of a provincial brewer, John Henry Davis, who acquiesced to investing in the team on the condition of being given some interest in running it. After reflection of the alternative titles of Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic, the club was christened Manchester United in April 1902. United’s first chief, though officially titled Secretary, was Ernest Mangnall, who was nominated in September 1903, but it was not until the season of 1905/1906 that United underwent its first taste of success. His side went to the quarterfinals of the F.A Cup and were runners up in the second section.

C. In 1907, United proclaimed the championship for the first time and won the first-ever Charity Shield trophy in 1908. In the subsequent year, United claimed the F.A. Cup trophy after defeating Bristol City. Manchester United advanced to its new stadium, Old Trafford, in early 1910. The move to the stadium, held by the John Henry Davis brewery (a Manchester beer-making company), was proven to be profitable as on the 17th of February, 1910, two days before the team’s first anticipated game, the prior stadium, Banks Street, was decimated in a fire. The new arena had a capacity for a crowd of 80,000. Despite failing to their first visiting crew, Liverpool, Manchester United were once again league champions at the end of the first full season playing at Old Trafford.

D.The ensuing years were to be less of a success. From 1912 to the onset of the First World War, no noteworthy achievements were earned. During the war, the football club was discontinued, and only provincial matches took place. In 1919, Manchester United was replaced by league football with only two of the original members on the team.

E. Despite the long and strong tradition of football fandom in Britain, modern football fans have gained a negative reputation for violent outbursts at opposing fans, accumulating the appellation “football hooligan.” Numerous academics and therapists have analyzed the wonders of football hooliganism and have offered hypotheses exemplifying its origins. It is generally acknowledged that a mixture of factors can lead to this kind of antagonistic behavior, and it is preposterous to claim that all of it is caused by a certain psychological cosmetic or is exclusive to a particular age group or social standing. However, experts think that raging hooligan activity can give members who feel like they can intensely identify with their group a feeling of belonging and “family,” even though the group’s manners are negative.

F. Commentators think that the causes of violent outbursts that arise in a global context are vastly more subtle. They argue that while xenophobia and drunkenness undoubtedly play a role, the level of disruption that is likely to happen is mostly determined by police methods. The idea that confrontational guarding is significantly more likely to worsen problems than to settle them is subsidized by evidence. The press’s activities have also drawn criticism since some people think that media reporting articles might make the issue of football hooliganism worse.

G. Some trashy tabloid articles, according to opponents, may celebrate violent crimes, or at least the myriad news reports that are publicized in the UK. Because of this problem, offenders get exorbitant attention and accolades for what they did. Few would deny that football hooliganism is a deep societal issue, but many experts believe that sensationalized media coverage may be contributing to the problem by making it appear worse than it actually is. Although it may take some time for the bad image British people have acquired to fade, it is also true that a huge majority of fans merely share an enthusiasm for the sport and do not engage in violent behavior. Severe incidences of hooliganism by British fans have decreased dramatically in recent years.

Unlock your full potential in the IELTS Reading section – Visit our IELTS Reading Practice Question Answer page now!

Recommended Questions:

Renewable Energy IELTS Reading Question with Answer

The Beautiful Game IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1-3

Choose three letters from the list A-G. Write your answers in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet. (NB Your answers may be given in any order.) Which THREE of the following affirmations about Newton Heath are true?

  • In 1902, the Newton Heath Football Club was founded.
  • At the time, it was the only club located in Lancashire.
  • It evolved from a group with the same name.
  • In 1885, the team ceased to be an amateur one.
  • At the time, it was the most well-known British football team.
  • The club encountered financial difficulties.
  • Before changing to Manchester United, its identity underwent one more alteration.

Ready to improve your performance in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)? Click here to access our comprehensive guide on how to tackle MCQs effectively in the IELTS Reading section.

Questions 4-7

Complete the summary with the list of words A-K below. Write the correct letters A-K in boxes 4-7 on your answer sheet. 

List of words:

  • Isolation,
  • policing
  • Anger
  • Occupation
  • Belief
  • Prove
  • class
  • Intelligence
  • Excitement
  • Unity
  • Doubt

 Experts contend that there is little 4__ that football hooliganism is caused by one particular problem and does not always have to do with age, psychological makeup, or 5__. In some circumstances, external stimuli like news stories and hostile 6__ can be blamed for the problem escalating. According to some psychologists, engaging in such activities and being a part of unruly groups might provide certain people a sense of 7__ that might otherwise be lacking in their lives. 

Boost your performance in Summary, Notes, Table, and Flowchart Completion tasks. Click here to explore our detailed guide and learn how to effectively complete summaries, notes, tables, and flowcharts in the IELTS Reading section.

Questions 8-12

The Reading Passage has 7 paragraphs A-G
Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letters A-G in boxes 8-12 on your answer sheet. NB Each paragraph may be used more than once. 

8. News on the conditions set forth in order to provide the club with monetary aid.
9. Causes of federal competition disturbances.
10. Information on the causes of why the public may inaccurately believe that the issue of brutality at football games is more serious than it actually is.
11. Discussions regarding the name Manchester United
12. A mention of the new contest 

Ready to conquer Matching Headings questions? Click here to learn essential tips and techniques for matching headings accurately to paragraphs or sections in the IELTS Reading section.

Unlock your full potential in the IELTS Reading section – Visit our IELTS Reading Practice Question Answer page now!

Recommended Questions:

Renewable Energy IELTS Reading Question with Answer

The Beautiful Game IELTS Reading Answers

1 Answer: C
2 Answer: D
3 Answer: F 
4 Answer: K
5 Answer: G
6 Answer: B
7 Answer: J
8 Answer: B
9 Answer: D 
10 Answer:  G
11 Answer: B
12 Answer: C

Purchase-IELTS-Writing-Correction-with-feedback-today

We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.

The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest. If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.

Scroll to Top