This Academic IELTS Reading post focuses on solutions to IELTS Cambridge 6 Reading Test 3 Reading Passage 1 about ‘History of films’. This is a post for IELTS candidates who have big problems finding out and understanding Reading Answers in the AC module. This post can guide you the best to understand every Reading answer without much trouble. Finding out IELTS Reading answers is a steady process, and this post will assist you in this respect.

IELTS Cambridge 6 Test 3: AC Reading Module

Reading Passage 1: Questions 1-13

This passage contains no title

Questions 1-5: Identifying information:

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 1: the location of the first cinema

Keywords for the question: location, first cinema,

In paragraph A, read these lines carefully, “The Lumière Brothers opened their Cinematographe, at 14 Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, to 100 paying customers over 100 years ago, on December 8, 1985. Before the eyes of the stunned, thrilled audience, photographs came to life and moved across a flat screen.”

The following paragraphs (especially paragraph C) gives indication that 14 Boulevard des Capucines in Paris was the first location in the world to show a cinema.

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 2: how cinema came to focus on stories

Keywords for the question: how, cinema, focus on stories, 

The first few lines of paragraph I indicate the answer as the writer explains here, “Cinema might, for example, have become primarily a documentary form. Or it might have developed like television -as a strange noisy transfer of music, information and narrative. But what happened was that it became, overwhelmingly, a medium for telling stories.

So, the answer is: I

Question no. 3: the speed with which cinema has changed

Keywords for the question: speed, cinema, changed,   

Skim paragraph J to find how fast cinema has changed, “And it has all happened so quickly. Almost unbelievably, it is a mere 100 years since that train arrived and the audience screamed and fled, convinced by the dangerous reality of what they saw, and, perhaps, suddenly aware that the world could never be the same again -that, maybe, it could be better, brighter, more astonishing, more real than reality.”

Here, it is a mere 100 years mean that cinema has progressed very fast during 100 years.

So, the answer is: J

Question no. 4: how cinema teaches us about other cultures

Keywords for the question: how, cinema, teaches, other cultures,   

The answer can be found in lines 1-6 of paragraph E. The writer says here, “One effect of this realism was to educate the world about itself. For cinema makes the world smaller. Long before people travelled to America or anywhere else, they knew what other places looked like; they knew how other people worked and lived. . .. .. .”

Here, they knew what other places looked like; they knew how other people worked and lived = cinema teaches us about other cultures,

So, the answer is: E

Question no. 5: the attraction of actors in films

Keywords for the question: attraction, actors, films,  

The first lines of paragraph G give us the answer, “The ‘star’ was another natural consequence of cinema. The cinema star was effectively born in 1910. Film personalities have such an immediate presence that inevitably, they become super-real. .. ..”

Here, Film personalities = actors, an immediate presence = attractions,

So, the answer is: G

Question 6-9: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 6: It is important to understand how the first audiences reacted to the cinema.

Keywords for the question: important, understand, how, first audiences, reacted to, cinema,

The answer is found in lines 4-9 of paragraph B, “ . .. . But it is worth trying, for to understand the initial shock of those images is to understand the extraordinary power and magic of cinema, the unique, hypnotic quality that has made films the most dynamic, effective art form of the 20th century.”

Here, it is worth trying = it is important, the initial shock of those images = how the first audiences reacted to the cinema,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 7: The Lumiere Brothers’ film about the train was one of the greatest films ever made.

Keywords for the question: Lumiere Brothers’ film, train, one of, greatest films ever made,

Paragraph C gives a detailed explanation of The Lumiere Brothers’ film about the train. Here, these lines may confuse you, “ . .. Yet the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, one of the greatest of all film artists, described the film as a ‘work of genius’.”

You need to read the question again; it asks about the film, not the film artists.

In this passage, there is no information about whether this film is one of the greatest films ever made or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 8: Cinema presents a biased view of other countries.

Keywords for the question: cinema, presents, biased view, other countries,   

In paragraph E we find the information that cinema can make us aware about other countries. So, we can guess that the answer to this question should be found in the same paragraph. However, it does not say anywhere that cinema gives a biased view of other countries.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 9: Storylines were important in very early cinema. 

Keywords for the question: storylines, important, very early cinema,   

In paragraph D H lines 5-7 say, “ . .. . All that mattered at first was the wonder of movement. … . .”

Here, All that mattered at first = all that was important in very early cinema,

So, it was the wonder of movement, not the storylines.

So, the answer is: NO

Questions 11-13: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 10: The writer refers to the film of the train in order to demonstrate –

Keywords for the question: the film of train, to demonstrate,  

Take a look at these lines paragraph C where the writer talks about the film about the moving train presented by the Lumiere Brothers, “. . .. ‘As the train approached,’ wrote Tarkovsky, ’panic started in the theatre: people jumped and ran away. That was the moment when cinema was born. The frightened audience could not accept that they were watching a mere picture..  … .”

Clearly, the writer explains the impact of the early films as mass people reacted with astonishment.

So, the answer is: B (the impact of early films)

Question no. 11: In Tarkovsky’s opinion, the attraction of the cinema is that it –

Keywords for the question: Tarkovsky’s opinion, attraction, cinema, it,

Take a look at lines 7-9 in paragraph D, “. . .. For Tarkovsky, the key to that magic dynamic image of the real flow of events. .  ..”

Here, that magic dynamic image = attraction of the cinema, real flow of events = passing of time,

So, the answer is: C (illustrates the passing of time)

Question no. 12: When cinema first began, people thought that –    

Keywords for the question: when, cinema, first begun, people, thought,   

The answer can be found in paragraph H as the author says here, “.. .. When the Lumiere Brothers and other pioneers began showing off this new invention, it was by no means obvious how it would be used. All that mattered at first was the wonder of movement. Indeed, some said that, once this novelty had worn off, cinema would fade away. .. . .”

Here, by no means obvious = the future was uncertain,

So, the answer is: D (its future was uncertain)

Question no. 13: What is the best title for this passage?

Keywords for the question: best title,  

During answering all the 12 questions, we have found out that the passage highlights the introduction, the development and different impacts of the cinema. Only two paragraphs in this passage talk about stars/ film artists, the dominance of Hollywood and a short comparison between cinema and novels.

The best choice from the four options has to be ‘The power of the big screen (cinema)’.

So, the answer is: D (The power of the big screen)

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 6 AC Test 3 Reading Passage 2

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 6 AC Test 3 Reading Passage 3