IELTS exam is an internationally praised English language ability quiz that the British Council conducts in federation with other agencies in several countries. The full form of the IELTS is the International English Language Test System. Students and beginners who wish to move to a country where English is the native language like Australia, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and so on look forward to this test.
More than 1000 universities, academic and otherwise, approve the records of this quiz as proof of English language skills. The procedure of the examination involves four primary stages: writing, reading, listening and speaking test. The pupil needs to appear for all four sessions to accomplish the exam.
The IELTS reading, writing and listening sessions are obtained on the same day without halts. The IELTS speaking session is either planned on the same day or a week before or after the test date.
IELTS Reading Passage Answers
In the reading section of the IELTS, a passage is given which needs to be read carefully and then the candidate is expected to answer the questions asked related to the passage given. The reading passage can be of any topic.
To understand it better, look out for the example given below. A reading passage is provided with questions and answers for the students to get an idea of the type of questions asked in the examination. Read the article till the end to help you understand everything about the reading session of the IELTS.
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Whatever Happened to the Harappan Civilisation? IELTS Reading Passage
Section A
The Harappan Civilisation of ancient Pakistan and India flourished 5,000 years ago, but a thousand years later their cities were abandoned. The Harappan Civilisation was a sophisticated Bronze Age society that built ‘megacities’ and traded internationally in luxury craft products and yet seemed to have left almost no depictions of themselves. But their lack of self-imagery – at a time when the Egyptians were carving and painting representations of themselves all over their temples – is only part of the mystery.
Section B
There is plenty of archaeological evidence to tell us about the rise of the Harappan Civilisation, but relatively little about its fall,’ explains archaeologist Dr. Cameron Petrie of the University of Cambridge. ‘As populations increased, cities were built that had great baths, craft workshops, palaces and halls laid out in distinct sectors. Houses were arranged in blocks, with wide main streets and narrow alleyways, and many had their own wells and drainage systems.
It was very much a “thriving” civilization.’ Then around 2100 BC, a transformation began. Streets went uncleaned, buildings started to be abandoned, and ritual structures fell out of use. After their final demise, a millennium passed before really large-scale cities appeared once more in South Asia.
Section C
Some have claimed that major glacier-fed rivers changed their course, dramatically affecting the water supply and agriculture; or that the cities could not cope with an increasing population, they exhausted their resource base, the trading economy broke down or they succumbed to invasion and conflict; and yet others that climate change caused an environmental change that affected food and water provision.
‘It is unlikely that there was a single cause for the decline of civilization. But the fact is, until now, we have had little solid evidence from the area for most of the key elements,’ said Petrie. ‘A lot of the archaeological debate has really only been well-argued speculation.’
Section D
A research team led by Petrie, together with Dr. Ravindanath Singh of Banaras Hindu University in India, found early in their investigations that many of the archaeological sites were not where they were supposed to be, completely altering understanding of the way that this region was inhabited in the past.
When they carried out a survey of how the larger area was settled in relation to sources of water, they found inaccuracies in the published geographic locations of ancient settlements ranging from several hundred meters to many kilometres.
They realized that any attempts to use the existing data were likely to be fundamentally flawed. Over the course of several seasons of fieldwork, they carried out new surveys, finding an astonishing 198 settlement sites that were previously unknown
Section E
Now, research published by Dr. Yama Dixit and Professor David Hodell, both from Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences, has provided the first definitive evidence for climate change affecting the plains of north-western India, where hundreds of Harappan sites are known to have been situated.
The researchers gathered shells of Melanoides tuberculate snails from the sediments of an ancient lake and used geochemical analysis as a means of tracing the climate history of the region. ‘Like today, the major source of water into the lake is likely to have been the summer monsoon,’ says Dixit. ‘But we have observed that there was an abrupt change about 4,100 years ago when the amount of evaporation from the lake exceeded the rainfall – indicative of a drought.’
Hodell adds: ‘We estimate that the weakening of the Indian summer monsoon climate lasted about 200 years before recovering to the previous conditions, which we still see today.’
Section F
It has long been thought that other great Bronze Age civilizations also declined at a similar time, with a global-scale climate event being seen as the cause. While it is possible that these local-scale processes were linked, the real archaeological interest lies in understanding the impact of these larger-scale events on different environments and different populations.
‘Considering the vast area of the Harappan Civilisation with its variable weather systems,’ explains Singh, ‘it is essential that we obtain more climate data from areas close to the two great cities at Mohenjodaro and Harappa and also from the Indian Punjab.’
Section G
Petrie and Singh’s team is now examining archaeological records and trying to understand details of how people led their lives in the region five millennia ago. They are analyzing grains cultivated at the time, and trying to work out whether they were grown under extreme conditions of water stress, and whether they were adjusting the combinations of crops they were growing for different weather systems.
They are also looking at whether the types of pottery used, and other aspects of their material culture were distinctive to specific regions or were more similar across larger areas. This gives us insight into the types of interactive networks that the population was involved in, and whether those changed.
Section H
Petrie believes that archaeologists are in a unique position to investigate how past societies responded to environmental and climatic change. ‘By investigating responses to environmental pressures and threats, we can learn from the past to engage with the public, and the relevant governmental and administrative bodies, to be more proactive in issues such as the management and administration of water supply, the balance of urban and rural development, and the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the future.’
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Whatever Happened to the Harappan Civilisation? IELTS Reading Passage Questions and Answers
Questions (1 to 4)
The first four questions are of these types. Information of two to three is given and the candidate is required to identify from which section the information belongs. There are overall 8 sections in the above reading passage, sections A to H.
1) The researchers gathered shells of Melanoides tuberculate snails from the sediments of an ancient lake and used geochemical analysis as a means of tracing the climate history of the region.
Answer: Section E
2) By investigating responses to environmental pressures and threats, we can learn from the past to engage with the public, and the relevant governmental and administrative bodies.
Answer: Section H
3) When they carried out a survey of how the larger area was settled in relation to sources of water.
Answer: Section D
4) Relatively little about its fall,’ explains archaeologist Dr. Cameron Petrie, University of Cambridge.
Answer: Section B
Whatever Happened to the Harappan Civilisation? IELTS Reading Passage Questions and Answers
Questions (5 to 8)
The next set of questions has a summary with blank spaces. The candidate needs to fill the blank spaces with suitable words from the passage.
Fill the summary with appropriate words from the reading passage.
5) Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences provided the first definitive evidence for climate change which affect _________. The research was published by _______ and Professor David Hodell.
Answer: the plains of north-western India, Dr. Yama Dixit
6) The archaeologists are in a unique position to investigate how past societies responded to environmental and climatic change was believed by _____. We can learn from the past to engage with the public by investigating responses to ________ and threats.
Answer: Petrie, environmental pressures
7) The types of pottery used and other aspects of their material culture were distinctive to specific regions or were more similar across larger areas.
Answer: Pottery
8) The ______ economy broke down or they succumbed to invasion and conflict and yet others that climate change caused an environmental change that affected food and water provision.
Answer: Trading
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Whatever Happened to the Harappan Civilisation? IELTS Reading Passage Questions and Answers
Questions (9 to 12)
Match the statements with the correct alphabet of the passage.
9) Petrie and Singh’s team is now examining archaeological records and trying to?
- understand management issues being more proactive b. understand details of how people led their lives in the region five millennia ago.
- know the relevant governmental and administrative bodies
- provided the first definitive evidence for climate change influencing the plains of north-western India
Answer: B
10) Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences, has provided the first definitive evidence for climate change affecting the plains of north-western India………
- the event of global-scale climate as the cause.
- the combinations of crops they were growing for various weather systems.
- larger-scale events on different populations and different environments.
- where hundreds of Harappan sites are known to have been situated.
Answer: D
11) The rise of the Harappan Civilisation, but relatively little about its fall, explain?
- explains archaeologist Dr. Cameron Petrie, University of Cambridge
- explains hundreds of Harappan sites
- tries to understand details of how people led their spirits in the region five millennia ago.
- unusual position to investigate how past societies reacted to environmental and climatic change.
Answer: A
12) The Harappan Civilisation of ancient India and Pakistan flourished
- 6000 years ago
- 10000 years ago
- 5000 years ago
- 2000 years ago
Sample Questions and Answers
The above sample questions with ” whatever happened to the Harappan civilisation?” reading answers will assist you to develop an understanding of what to predict in the IELTS reading exam. The most important thing is to read the passage carefully. Prefer reading it two to three times for a better understanding. However, know how to inscribe your answers in the given answer sheet, if space is allotted in the question paper.
There are many kinds of questions aspirants can determine in the IELTS Reading Test, such as short-answer questions, multiple-choice questions, labelling a diagram and classification.
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Conclusion
Hoping that the above article was beneficial for you to know everything about the reading passage of the IELTS examination. Review the questions above to know the pattern of answering them. Always begin your IELTS Reading practice by reading as many passages and context as you can from several reliable sources. Analyse and understand what the author composes through their article rather than just reading through.
Also, remember to glance at the previous year’s IELTS reading passages and brush through their answers to better comprehend what can be required and how to answer the same.
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Any particular book that we can refer to for the exam? Thanks for the info
This article was very helpful for the reading section, the questions and answers were very well explained, what do you guys think about it?