“Gapfill with answers” (also known as ‘Summary completion – selecting from a list of words or phrases) is a question type where you have to choose the best word to fill the gap from a selection of answers.
Follow the same procedure that you use for regular gapfill questions:
- locate the paragraph that contains the information you need
- identify the type of word needed in the gap
- consider the meaning of the sentence with the gap
- search the text for a similar meaning (look for synonyms)
- make sure the word you choose fits grammatically
The passage below is a difficult Academic Reading Passage 3.
To help you see the structure of the text and questions, I’ve divided it up so that each set of questions matches the paragraphs where the answers are located (in order).
Get the full list of IELTS Reading question types on the official IELTS.org website.
Museums of fine art and their public
That people go to the Louvre museum in Paris to see the original painting Mona Lisa when they can see a reproduction anywhere leads us to question some assumptions about the role of museums of fine art in today’s world.
One of the most famous works of art in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Nearly everyone who goes to see the original will already be familiar with it from reproductions, but they accept that fine art is more rewardingly viewed in its original form.
However, if Mona Lisa was a famous novel, few people would bother to go to a museum to read the writer’s actual manuscript rather than a printed reproduction. This might be explained by the fact that the novel has evolved precisely because of technological developments that made it possible to print out huge numbers of texts, whereas oil paintings have always been produced as unique objects. In addition, it could be argued that the practice of interpreting or ‘reading’ each medium follows different conventions. With novels, the reader attends mainly to the meaning of words rather than the way they are printed on the page, whereas the ‘reader’ of a painting must attend just as closely to the material form of marks and shapes in the picture as to any ideas they may signify.
Yet it has always been possible to make very accurate facsimiles of pretty well any fine art work. The seven surviving versions of Mona Lisa bear witness to the fact that in the 16th century, artists seemed perfectly content to assign the reproduction of their creations to their workshop apprentices as regular ‘bread and butter’ work. And today the task of reproducing pictures is incomparably more simple and reliable, with reprographic techniques that allow the production of high-quality prints made exactly to the original scale, with faithful colour values, and even with duplication of the surface relief of the painting.
But despite an implicit recognition that the spread of good reproductions can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.
IELTS Reading gapfill with answers
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-L, below.
The value attached to original works of art
People go to art museums because they accept the value of seeing an original work of art. But they do not go to museums to read original manuscripts of novels, perhaps because the availability of novels has depended on 27 ……………….. for so long, and also because with novels, the 28 ……………….. are the most important thing.
However, in historical times artists such as Leonardo were happy to instruct 29 ……………….. to produce copies of their work and these days new methods of reproduction allow excellent replication of surface relief features as well as colour and 30 ………………..
It is regrettable that museums still promote the superiority of original works of art, since this may not be in the interests of the 31 ……………….. .
A. institution B. mass production C. mechanical processes
D. public E. paints F. artist
G. size H. underlying ideas I. basic technology
J readers K. picture frames L. assistants
Listen to the podcast explanations to help you:
- B – mass production
- H – underlying ideas
- L – assistants
- G – size
- D – public
The value attached to original works of art
People go to art museums because they accept the value of seeing an original work of art. But they do not go to museums to read original manuscripts of novels, perhaps because the availability of novels has depended on 27 B mass production for so long, and also because with novels, the 28 H underlying ideas are the most important thing.
However, in historical times artists such as Leonardo were happy to instruct 29 L assistants to produce copies of their work and these days new methods of reproduction allow excellent replication of surface relief features as well as colour and 30 G size.
It is regrettable that museums still promote the superiority of original works of art, since this may not be in the interests of the 31 D public.
However, if Mona Lisa was a famous novel, few people would bother to go to a museum to read the writer’s actual manuscript rather than a printed reproduction. 27. This might be explained by the fact that the novel has evolved precisely because of technological developments that made it possible to print out huge numbers of texts, whereas oil paintings have always been produced as unique objects. In addition, it could be argued that the practice of interpreting or ‘reading’ each medium follows different conventions. 28. With novels, the reader attends mainly to the meaning of words rather than the way they are printed on the page, whereas the ‘reader’ of a painting must attend just as closely to the material form of marks and shapes in the picture as to any ideas they may signify.
Yet it has always been possible to make very accurate facsimiles of pretty well any fine art work. The seven surviving versions of Mona Lisa bear witness to the fact that in the 16th century, 29. artists seemed perfectly content to assign the reproduction of their creations to their workshop apprentices as regular ‘bread and butter’ work. And today the task of reproducing pictures is incomparably more simple and reliable, with 30. reprographic techniques that allow the production of high-quality prints made exactly to the original scale, with faithful colour values, and even with duplication of the surface relief of the painting.
But despite an implicit recognition that the spread of good reproductions can be culturally valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work. 31. Unfortunately, this seems to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.
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