Architecture Reaching For The Sky Reading Answers

Dec 22, 2022

Architecture Reaching For The Sky Reading Answers is a particular topic which discusses about the art of architecture and how it is so impactful. The given IELTS topic has been taken from the book called “A Book for IELTS (Academic Module)”. There are 12 questions total in the the topic called Architecture Reaching For The Sky Reading Answers, which should be answered within the alloted time of 20 minutes by the candidates. This particuar is generally coming with two sets of questions, which are, no more than three words, and match each causes. The candidates should read thoroughly the IELTS reading passage in order to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and for answering the questions below. Similar kinds of topics like Architecture Reaching For The Sky Reading Answers are included in the IELTS reading practice papers, which the candidates can take into their consideration for performing a good score in this section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Architecture Reaching For The Sky Reading Answers

Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. A building reflects the scientific and technological achievements of the age as well as the ideas and aspirations of the designer and client. The appearance of individual buildings, however, is often controversial.
The use of an architectural style cannot be said to start or finish on a specific date. Neither is it possible to say exactly what characterizes a particular movement. But the origins of what is now generally known as modern architecture can be traced back to the social and technological changes of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Instead of using timber, stone and traditional building techniques, architects began to explore ways of creating buildings by using the latest technology and materials such as steel, glass and concrete strengthened steel bars, known as reinforced concrete. Technological advances also helped bring about the decline of rural industries and an increase in urban populations as people moved to the towns to work in the new factories. Such rapid and uncontrolled growth helped to turn parts of cities into slums.
By the 1920s architects throughout Europe were reacting against the conditions created by industrialisation. A new style of architecture emerged to reflect more idealistic notions for the future. It was made possible by new materials and construction techniques and was known as Modernism.
By the 1930s many buildings emerging from this movement were designed in the International Style. This was largely characterized by the bold use of new materials and simple, geometric forms, often with white walls supported by stilt-like pillars. These were stripped of unnecessary decoration that would detract from their primary purpose — to be used or lived in.
Walter Gropius, Charles Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier) and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe were among the most influential of the many architects who contributed to the development of Modernism in the first half of the century. But the economic depression of the 1930s and the second world war (1939-45) prevented their ideas from being widely released until the economic conditions improved and war-torn cities had to be rebuilt. By the 1950s, the International Style had developed into a universal approach to building, which standardized the appearance of new buildings in cities across the world.
Unfortunately, this Modernist interest in geometric simplicity and function became exploited for profit. The rediscovery of quick-and-easy-to-handle reinforced concrete and an improved ability to prefabricate building sections meant that builders could meet the budgets of commissioning authorities and handle a renewed demand for development quickly and cheaply. But this led to many badly designed buildings, which discredited the original aims of Modernism.
Influenced by Le Corbusier’s ideas on town planning, every large British city built multi-storey housing estates in the 1960s. Mass- produced, low-cost high-rises seemed to offer a solution to the problem of housing a growing inner-city population. But far from meeting human needs, the new estates often proved to be windswept deserts lacking essential social facilities and services. Many of these buildings were poorly designed and constructed and have since been demolished.
By the 1970s, a new respect for the place of buildings within the existing townscape arose. Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades (or fronts) grew common. Architects also began to make more use of building styles and materials that were traditional to the area. The architectural style usually referred to as High Tech was also emerging. It celebrated scientific and engineering achievements by openly parading the sophisticated techniques used in construction. Such buildings are commonly made of metal and glass; examples are Stansted airport and the Lloyd’s building in London.
Disillusionment at the failure of many of the poor imitations of Modernist architecture led to interest in various styles and ideas from the past and present. By the 1980s the coexistence of different styles of architecture in the same building became known as PostModern. Other architects looked back to the classical tradition. The trend in architecture now favors smaller scale building design that reflects a growing public awareness of environmental issues such as energy efficiency. Like the Modernists, people today recognise that a well designed environment improves the quality of life but is not necessarily achieved by adopting one well defined style of architecture.
Twentieth century architecture will mainly be remembered for its tall buildings. They have been made possible by the development of light steel frames and safe passenger lifts. They originated in the US over a century ago to help meet the demand for more economical use of land. As construction techniques improved, the skyscraper became a reality.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-7:
Complete the table below using information from Reading Passage.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

PERIOD	STYLE OF PERIOD	BUILDING MATERIALS	CHARACTERISTICS
Before 18th century	Example: traditional	___________	-
1920s	Introduction of ___________	Steel, glass and concrete	Exploration of latest technology
1930s-1950s	____________	-	Geometric forms
1960s	Decline of Modernism	Pre-fabricated sections	_____________
1970s	End of Modernist Era	Traditional materials	___________ of historic buildings
1970s	Beginning of 6. __________ era	Metal and glass	Sophisticated techniques paraded
1980s	Postmodernism	-	7. _______________

Question 1:

Answer 1: Timber and stone
Supporting Sentence: Instead of using timber, stone and traditional building techniques, architects began to explore ways of creating buildings by using the latest technology and materials.
Keyword: timber, stone, traditional, building techniques, architects, explore, latest technology
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 3 suggests that before the 18th Century, the architects started looking into ways to build structures utilising cutting-edge materials and technology rather than traditional building methods and materials like wood, stone, and brick.

Question 2:

Answer 2: Modernism
Supporting Sentence: By the 1920s, a new style of architecture emerged; It was made possible by new materials and construction techniques and was known as Modernism.
Keyword: 1920s, style, architecture, new materials, construction techniques, modernism
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Line 1-3.
Explanation: The first three lines of paragraph 4 states that the1920s saw the emergence of a brand-new architectural style known as modernism, which was made possible by new building materials and methods.

Question 3:

Answer 3: International style
Supporting Sentence: By the 1930s many buildings emerging from this movement were designed in the International Style.
Keyword: 1930s, buildings, movement, designed, International Style.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 5 suggests that the International Style was used in the architecture of many of the structures that emerged from this trend by the 1930s.

Question 4:

Answer 4: Multi-Storey Housing
Supporting Sentence: Influenced by Le Corbusier’s ideas on town planning, every large British city built multi-storey housing estates in the 1960s.
Keyword: Le Corbusier, town planning, British city, multi-story housing, estates, 1960s
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Line 1
Explanation: With the emergence of contemporary notions in town planning by Le Corbusier, the 1960s was primarily characterized by the construction of several high rise dwellings and urban development in Britain.

Question 5:

Answer 5: preservation
Supporting Sentence: Preserving historic buildings or keeping only their facades grew common.
Keyword: 1970s, buildings, existing townscape, preserving, historic buildings, facades
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, Line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph 9 explains that by the 1970s, a fresh appreciation for how buildings fit into the existing townscape had emerged. It became normal practise to preserve historic buildings or to conserve just their exteriors.

Question 6:

Answer 6: High-Tech

Supporting Sentence: By the 1970s, the architectural style usually referred to as High Tech was also emerging.
Keyword: 1970s, architectural style, High Tech, emerging
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, Line 1, 3
Explanation: The first and third line of paragraph 9 explains that the so-called "High Tech" architectural style began to emerge during the 1970s.

Question 7:

Answer 7: coexistence of different styles
Supporting Sentence: By the 1980s the coexistence of different styles of architecture in the same building became known as PostModern.
Keyword: 1980s, coexistence of different styles, architecture, Post Modern
Keyword Location: Paragraph 10, Line 2
Explanation: Line 2 of paragraph 10 enhances that the presence of various architectural styles in one structure came to be recognised as PostModern by the 1980s.

Questions 8-12:
Reading Passage describes a number of cause and effect relationships. Match each Cause (8-12) in List A, with its Effect (A-H) in List B.
Write your answers (A-H) in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet.
NB: There are more effects in List B than you will need, so you will not use all of them. You may use any effect more than once if you wish.

List A CAUSES	List B EFFECTS
8. ____________ A rapid movement of people from rural areas to cities is triggered by technological advance. 9. ____________ Buildings become simple and functional. 10. ______________ An economic depression and the second world war hit Europe. 11. ________________ Multi-storey housing estates are built according to contemporary ideas on town planning. 12. _________________ Less land must be used for building.	A. The quality of life is improved. B. Architecture reflects the age. C. A number of these have been knocked down. D. Light steel frames and lifts are developed. E. Historical buildings are preserved. F. All decoration is removed. G. Parts of cities become slums. H. Modernist ideas cannot be put into practice until the second half of the 20th century.

Question 8:

Answer 8: (G) Parts of cities become slums.
Supporting Sentence: Such rapid and uncontrolled growth helped to turn parts of cities into slums.
Keyword: Technological advances, increase, urban populations, new factories., rapid, uncontrolled growth, slums
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 2-3
Explanation: The second and third lines of paragraph 3 clarifies that the people migrated to the cities to work in the new factories, which contributed to an increase in the urban population. Such unchecked and quick growth contributed to the slum-like conditions in some urban areas.

Question 9:

Answer 9: (F) All decoration is removed.
Supporting Sentence: By the 1930s many buildings were stripped of unnecessary decoration that would detract from their primary purpose — to be used or lived in.
Keyword: 1930s, buildings, stripped, unnecessary decoration, detract
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 1, 3
Explanation: The first and third lines of paragraph 5 explains that during the 1930s, many structures had been cleared of extraneous ornamentation that would take attention away from their main role as places to live or work.

Question 10:

Answer 10: (H) Modernist ideas cannot be put into practice until the second half of the 20th century.
Supporting Sentence: The economic depression of the 1930s and the second world war (1939-45) prevented their ideas from being widely realised until the economic conditions improved and war-torn cities had to be rebuilt.
Keyword: economic depression, 1930s, second world war, ideas, economic conditions, war-torn cities, rebuilt
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, Line 2
Explanation: The second line of paragraph 6 suggests that the ideas were not basically implemented or adopted until the economy recovered and war-torn towns had to be rebuilt as a result of the Great Depression and the Second World War (1939–45).

Question 11:

Answer 11: (C) A number of these have been knocked down.
Supporting Sentence: Influenced by Le Corbusier’s ideas on town planning, every large British city built multi-storey housing estates in the 1960s. Many of these buildings were poorly designed and constructed and have since been demolished.
Keyword: Le Corbusier, town planning, British city, multi-storey housing estates, 1960s, buildings, poorly designed, constructed, demolished
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Line 1, 4
Explanation: The beginning and ending part of paragraph 8 explains that in the 1960s, multi-story housing estates were constructed in every major British city, according to Le Corbusier's views on urban design. Many of these structures, which were badly created and built, were later destroyed.

Question 12:

Answer 12: (D) Light steel frames and lifts are developed.
Supporting Sentence: They have been made possible by the development of light steel frames and safe passenger lifts.
Keyword: light steel frames, safe passenger lifts.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 11, Line 2
Explanation: The second line of paragraph 11 suggests that the demand on the earth's resources is rising as a result of the growing global population. To satisfy the needs and demands of the populace, tall buildings with lifts and light steel frames must be built.

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