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BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 517
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 517 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 517
READING PASSAGE – 3
Evolution of Human Society
A. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, human society was mostly centred on small, rural settlements which were largely dependent on local resources for their survival. While cities did exist, most people lived outside urban settings in rural communities. These communities supported the cities, but overall, these communities were self-sufficient. In these communities, economic production was generally limited to the amount of labour a person could provide. Furthermore, there were very few specialised occupations. The very first occupations were that of the hunter and gatherer. These occupations also define the very first human society.
B. A hunter-gatherer society was the most dependent on its environment in many ancient societies. These types of societies served as the basic structure for all of human society until about 10,000-12,000 years ago and were based on tribal units, through familial lines. They relied exclusively on their environments for survival, hunting animals and gathering plants for food. Whenever a group was faced with scant resources, they would move to a new area that was more abundant. Thus, they led a nomadic lifestyle.
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These types of societies were very common until recently in the New and Third World, but due to rising population, these societies are becoming more extinct. Modern examples of these types of societies include Indians from the Amazon rain forest, the Bantu tribe of pigmies in the Congo region of Africa and several groups of Islanders in the South Pacific.
C. Eventually, due to changes and adaptations that some societies made, they subsequently domesticated a number of animals, such as chickens, dogs, cattle and horses. Approximately 7,500 years ago, many societies began this process of domestication as well as learning how to cultivate plants for food. These societies are known as pastoral societies and they relied heavily on the domestication of animals as a resource for survival.
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Unlike hunter-gatherers, they depended on their animals that provided food, clothing and transportation. They also created a surplus of goods such as horn, bone and leather, which could be fashioned into different uses. These societies became herders and because they were forced to follow their animals to fresh grazing grounds, these societies were nomadic by nature. During the time these societies emerged, specialised occupations also emerged and trading between local groups occurred.
D. Pastoral societies were not the only type of society to arise around this time period. Horticulture societies also began developing during this time. These societies were based on ability to cultivate and grow plants for food and for other uses. This provided for a more permanent and stable settlement. Horticultural societies were formed where there was ample rainfall and other conditions favourable for growing crops.
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These societies were still highly dependent on their environment, but because they did not need to follow resources, they could build permanent settlements. This created more stability for the society and increased material goods. This also brought about first revolution in human survival. Both pastoral and horticultural societies used small temporary tools such as wooden digging sticks for the cultivation of plants.
E. The Agricultural Revolution took place around 3000 B.C.E. and was brought about by the development of metal implements. Agricultural societies relied on permanent tools, such as those made from metal. This made farming possible and profitable. Farmers learned how to rotate different crops and how to reuse waste products for fertiliser, and these lead to better harvests and larger surpluses of food.
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Because of the Agricultural Revolution, settlements grew into towns and then cities. Bountiful regions became centres of trade and commerce. This is how many of the great civilisations came into being. During this age, people had more time and ease and were able to engage in more abstract pursuits such as music and philosophy. Craftsmen were able to support themselves solely through their production of crafts, artwork and writings.
F. As resources became more plentiful, classes within society became more separated and divided. The nobility arose through those who held the most resources and could afford better lifestyles. Differences in social standing between men and women also increased. As cities grew and expanded, ownership and preservation of resources became issues of great concern.
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G. By the ninth century C.E. feudal societies took shape. These societies were based on a strict hierarchy. Power was based around land ownership and protection. Nobles would assign tracts of land in the charge of vassals, who governed the land in the name of the noble. In return for the resource and land they were given, the vassals promised to fight for their lord.
Land was cultivated by the lower class and they were promised a place to live and as well as protection from outsiders who may threaten them. Power was handed down through familial lines, with peasant or serf families, serving the noble families for generations. Ultimately, feudal societies declined with the advent of trading and technological innovation.
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H. Beginning around 1800, human society entered a remarkable new period of demographic growth the likes of which the world had never seen. Whereas the hunting and gathering had been the dominant mode of society for 6 million years and agrarian for 10,000 years, industrialisation flowered and matured in less than 200 years. From a base of 954 million people in 1800, the human population grew to 1.6 billion in 1900, 2.5 billion in 1950, and 6.1 billion in 2000. In the past 200 years, more people have been born than in all previous human generations combined. Even more remarkable has been the shift of the human population from rural to urban areas.
Questions 28 – 34
Choose the correct society (A – E) for each statement. You may choose any society more than once.
List of societies
A. Pastoral Societies
B. Hunter-gatherer Societies
C. Horticultural Societies
D. Feudal Societies
E. Agricultural Societies
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28. People made agriculture a lucrative activity.
29. People created plentiful items derived from the animals.
30. People engaged themselves in leisurely activities.
31. People were wanderers who relied solely on nature for resource.
32. People followed a social order in the society.
33. People tamed animals for fulfilling their needs.
34. People relied on small implements to grow the crops.
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Questions 35 – 37
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text in each gap.
In earlier times, communities relied on (35)………… . They mostly settled in the countryside, despite the existence of urban settings. They were (36)………… but faced challenges due to limited manpower. Even though the economic activities taken up by the people were limited, these activities shaped the first (37)…………
Questions 38 – 40
Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text,
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information,
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
38 Parallel to Pastoral societies, Horticultural societies emerged.
39 Agricultural revolution led to the migration of rural population to the urban areas.
40 The period of industrialisation could not last for more than a century.
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ANSWERS
28. E
29. A
30. E
31. B
32. D
33. A
34. C
35. LOCAL RESOURCES
36. SELF-SUFFICIENT
37. HUMAN SOCIETY
38. TRUE
39. NOT GIVEN
40. FALSE
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