Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 508
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 508 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 508
READING PASSAGE – 1
Six Classical Dances of India
Dance is an ancient and celebrated cultural tradition in India. Folk dances abound all across the country, and huge crowds of people can be found dancing at festivals and weddings. Here are six of the most important classical dance forms of India.
Bharatanatyam: Bharatanatyam is a dance of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It traces its origins back to the Natyashastra, an ancient treatise on theatre written by the mythic priest Bharata Originally a temple dance for women, bharatanatyam is often used to express Hindu religious stories and devotions. It was not commonly seen on the public stage until the 20th century. The dance movements are characterized by bent legs, while feet keep rhythm. Hands may be used in a series of mudras, or symbolic hand gestures, to tell a story.
IELTS General Reading Test
Kathakali: Kathakali comes from south-western India, around the state of Kerala. Like bharatanatyam, kathakali is a religious dance. It draws inspiration from the Ramayana and stories from Shaiva traditions. Kathakali is traditionally performed by boys and men, even for female roles. The costumes and makeup are especially elaborate, with faces made to look like painted masks and enormous headdresses.
Kathak: A dance of northern India, Kathak is often a dance of love. It is performed by both men and women. The movements include intricate footwork accented by bells worn around the ankles and stylized gestures adapted from normal body Ilanguage. It was originated by Kathakas, professional storytellers who used a mixture of dance, song, and drama. Like other Indian dances it began as a temple dance, but soon moved into the courts of ruling houses.
IELTS General Reading Test
Manipuri: Manipuri comes from Manipur in north-eastern India. It has its roots in that state’s folk traditions and rituals, and often depicts scenes from the life of the god Krishna. Unlike some of the other, more rhythmic dances, Manipuri is characterized by smooth and smooth and graceful movements. Female roles are especially fluid in the arms and hands, while male roles tend to have more forceful movements. The dance may be accompanied by narrative chanting and choral singing.
Kuchipudi: Kuchipudi: Unlike the other styles mentioned, kuchipudi requires talent in both dancing and singing. This dance, from the state of Andhra Pradesh in south-eastern India, is highly ritualized, with a formalized song-and-dance introduction, sprinkling of holy water, and burning of incense, along with invocations of goddesses. Traditionally the dance was performed by men, even the female roles, although now it is predominantly performed by women.
odissi: Odissi is indigenous to Orissa in eastern India. It is predominantly a dance for women, with postures that replicate those found in temple sculptures. Based on archaeological findings, odissi is believed to be the oldest of the surviving Indian classical dances. Odissi is a very complex and expressive dance, with over fifty mudras (symbolic hand gestures) commonly used.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 1 – 6
Match each statement below to the appropriate dance form. Use ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
1. This dance depicts incidents from the life of Krishna …………….
2. The females you see dancing are actually males …………….
3. This dance will remind you of the various poses you may have seen chiseled on the walls of temples …………….
4. This dance form is based on a discourse written by someone who may not have even existed …………….
5. To perform this dance, not only do you have to know how to dance, but also have the ability to sing …………….
6. A dance of love, performed in durbars …………….
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer Questions 7-13.
HISTORY OF WRITING IMPLEMENTS TOOLS FOR WRITING
Writing is one of the most important inventions of humanity. It allowed us to record our history, ideas and discoveries and spread them across the globe for all to know.
The earliest writing tools were made to be rigid so they could engrave texts into different materials. The Chinese, for instance, carved into turtle shells. Ancient Sumerians and Babylonians used a triangular stylus to write on soft clay tablets which would be later baked. Romans wrote on wax tablets with styluses which allowed them to erase written text. Clay tablets were heavy and brittle. Wax tablets were not heat resistant. Therefore, people tried to find other solutions.
IELTS General Reading Test
Scribes of Ancient Egypt used reed pens which were made from a single reed straw, cut and shaped into a point. Papyrus was used as a surface to write with these pens. Reed pens didn’t last long when used and were too stiff so they were replaced with quills. Quills are pens made from flight feathers of large birds. Different materials were used to be written on with quills, like parchment and vellum.
The popularity of quills lasted until 19th century when the first pens with metal nibs appeared. John Mitchell from Birmingham was the first to mass-produce pens with metal nibs in 1822. These hada handle and a metal point with a split that held a small amount of ink when dipped. They worked the same as quills but lasted much longer, didn’t need to be sharpened and could be made to a much finer point.
IELTS General Reading Test
Bartholomew Folsch received a patent in England for a pen with an ink reservoir in 1809. French Government patented a fountain pen in May 1827 which was an invention of Romanian Petrache Poenaru. The ballpoint pen was invented in 1888, by John J. Loud and improved by Laszlo Biro in 1938, which attained commercial success.
Slavoljub Eduard Penkala invented the mechanical pencil in 1906 and the first solid-ink fountain pen in 1907. Felt-tipped pen, which came before markers and highlighters, was an invention of Yukio Horie from Japan. Roller ball pen, which uses water-based ink, appeared in 1963, also in Japan. We still use pens and pencils today for writing and drawing as well as styluses, but those just on touch screens.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 7 – 13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? In boxes 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
7. Among writing tools, hard tools preceded other tools like quills and reed pens.
8. Wax was the best surface to write on as whatever was written could be erased.
9. Parchment, vellum and papyrus were surfaces used to write upon.
10. The first pens with metal nibs were made in 1822 by John Mitchell from Birmingham.
11. The ball point pens invented by John Loud did not sell as well as those made by Laszlo Biro.
12. The mechanical pencil and the solid ink fountain pen were invented by the same person.
13. Markers and highlighters were invented by Yukio Horie from Japan.
IELTS General Reading Test
TIPS FOR READING
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
1. MANIPURI
2. KATHAKALI
3. ODISSI
4. BHARATNATYAM
5. KUCHIPUDI
6. KATHAK
7. TRUE
8. NOT GIVEN
9. TRUE
10. FALSE
11. TRUE
12. TRUE
13. NOT GIVEN
IELTS General Reading Test