Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 521
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 521 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 521
READING PASSAGE – 3
The Carvers of Bukittinggi
The world is becoming increasingly familiar with the products of Indonesia’s talented artists. The beautiful batik paintings from Java, the slender wood statues from Bali and the Local jewellery from Sulawasi can be found in shops in New York and Paris. Fortunately, the natural wealth and beauty of the area around the Minangkabau town of Bukittinggi allowed both time and inspiration for the development of crafts, especially weaving, silverwork and wood-carving. Although the wood-carvers of the Minangkabau may not be as well-known as some other Indonesian artisans, their strong sense of tradition and of dedication to detail makes for a fascinating story.
Nestled in a high valley between the two volcanic mountains of Merapi and Singgalang is the small village of Pandai Sikek, better known as the ”Wood Carving Village”. The village is south of Bukittinggi, the cultural centre of the Minangkabau, and east of Padang, the capital of west Sumatra. The terraced rice fields, lush tropical vegetation, cool breezes and abundant water of the Anal Valley have made it an ideal spot for creativity and an inspiration for centuries of wood-carvers.
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The neighbouring forest provides an abundance of the wood called suriyan, a hard but workable medium for the carvers. Today, more than one hundred carvers claim Pandai Sikek as their home, though only a few can be found at work in the village. Many are away on contract assignments in Malaysia and in major Indonesian cities.
In the village, carvers knee-deep in wood shavings work in little huts along the roadside. Many have two or three apprentices carving repetitive patterns on small items to supplement their incomes. Cigarette boxes, jewellery boxes, ashtrays, bookholders – all can be purchased for sums that seem very modest in relation to the skill involved in making them. Most large items, such as chairs, tables and bed frames, are done on a custom-order basis, and all the shops were busy filling girders, evidence of both the continual need for their craft and the appreciation of their handiwork.
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The village’s Handicraft Centre is a large framed hall whose outside and inside walls display a wide variety of the wood-carvers’ work. The hall is also used as a centre to train future wood-carvers: Recently, 19 students from Sekolah Menengah Seni Rupa, a fine-arts school in Padang, were being instructed, carving the letters of the alphabet and the numbers one to nine. Each student first stencilled a number or letter on a block of wood which he or she then chiselled, carved and sanded to a finished product. The village craftsmen took turns inspecting, advising and encouraging the trainees.
“Pandai” translates as “clever” and Sikek, according to one of several local traditions, is a contraction of Si Ikek, the name of a culture hero who introduced wood-carving in the area centuries ago. There are many “pandai” carvers in the village of Pandai Sikek today, such as one known as Bapak (Father or Uncle) Fauzi. His skill was developed through 20 years of memorizing, manipulating and mastering the styles and motifs his uncle taught him. As a young boy, Fauzi would intently watch his uncle’s hands as they felt, touched, explored and worked the block of wood until an ornately carved treasure was created.
IELTS General Reading Test
Several years ago, Fauzi was chosen along with many of the other village carvers to work on the Minangkabau Palace of Pagaruyung. It was to be an exact replica of the royal palace destroyed by fire during the early days of Dutch colonial rule, and would be used as a museum to recall the wealth and artistry of the Minangkabau at the peak of their power. Fauzi jumped at the opportunity, because he would be able to see, learn and recreate many of the historical patterns used in wood-carving.
The patterns used on many Minangkabau wood carvings are believed by anthropologists to have been adapted from stone carvings found scattered about the Anai Valley. The original settlers of the valley, probably Hindus, believed strongly in ancestral and natural spirits, and portrayed these beliefs on the stones. Other patterns came from the artistic interpretation of the carvers as they observed the local flora and fauna. The designs taken from nature, such as the bamboo shoot, fern tendrils and sirih leaf, have been passed down from generation to generation, and have symbolic social and cultural meanings for the Minangkabau.
IELTS General Reading Test
The early inhabitants arrived in elaborately carved boats, so it was to be expected that they would also carve their houses, and indeed the gables on each end of the roof are decorated with intricately carved wood panels. On these panels adorning the inside walls of their traditional houses, the bamboo-shoot motif is usually placed on the border and is representative of the three male leaders in the Minangkabau culture: the clan chief, the religious leader and the intellectual leader.
The fern tendril is thought to represent man as the Father and Uncle, symbolically signifying flexibility to turn inward and outward in dealing with the family unit. The sirih leaf is symbolic of male fertility. The traditional colours painted on the wood carvings of Minangkabau houses also have significance in the culture: Red symbolizes life, black stands for independence and yellow for wisdom.
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The Minangkabau can be proud of their past and look forward to new generations of master craftsmen following in the footsteps of present-day masters. Bapak Fauzi and his fellow carvers now have the responsibility to pass on to the younger generation the traditions and skills they were taught by their elders.
Questions 27-32
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? 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
27. Indonesia is famous for its wood-carvers.
28. Wood is hard to find near the village.
29. The majority of the wood-carvers work away from their village.
30. It is difficult to become an apprentice.
31. Smaller items are cheap in relation to the skill involved in making them.
32. Craftsmen make some items to suit the requirements of customers.
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Questions 33-36
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
The Handicraft Centre also functions as a training centre for aspiring 33…………..
Students are given feedback on their work by 34…………
Pandai Sikek gets its name from the word ‘clever’ and the name of a 35………
Working on an exact copy of a royal palace enabled Fauzi to learn a number of the 36……… used by carvers in the past.
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Questions 37-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
37. Wood carvings
A. were originally found all over the Anai Valley.
B. are based on images found on ancient stone carvings.
C. are made out of respect for local spirits.
D. are the same as those found on stone carvings.
38. Designs featuring local plants and wildlife
A. appear in carvings created by several generations of craftsmen.
B. have less symbolic significance than in the past.
C. are interpreted in unusual ways by the wood-carvers.
D. are painted by local artists.
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39. The carvings in the houses
A. are copies of designs that originally appeared on boats.
B. feature leaders of the community.
C. are in the form of wall panels.
D. are made from recycled panels from old boats.
40. The fern and sirih leaves
A. represent particular qualities.
B. are painted in different colours.
C. are worn by men who feature in the carvings.
D. only serve a decorative purpose.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
27. FALSE
28. FALSE
29. TRUE
30. NOT GIVEN
31. TRUE
32. TRUE
33. (WOOD) CARVERS
34. (THE) (VILLAGE) CRAFTSMEN
35. CULTURE HERO
36. (HISTORICAL) PATTERNS
37. B
38. A
39. C
40. A
IELTS General Reading Test