British Architecture 2 Reading Answers

Dec 23, 2022

British Architecture 2 Reading Answers 13 questions. Candidates need to read the passage and answer the given questions. British Architecture 2 Reading Answers determines the reading skills of the candidate. Candidates must understand the IELTS reading passage to identify keywords that will help them to answer the questions. The understanding while going through the following IELTS reading passage - British Architecture 2 Reading Answers consisting of the following types of questions: Choose the correct answer and No more than three words. Students can access and practice them at IELTS Reading Practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

British Architecture 2 Reading Answers

Architecture is about evolution, not revolution. It used to be thought that once the Romans pulled out of Britain in the fifth century, their elegant villas, carefully-planned towns and engineering marvels like Hadrian’s Wall simply fell into decay as British culture was plunged into the Dark Ages. It took the Norman Conquest of 1066 to bring back the light, and the ố othic cathedral-builders of the Middle Ages played an important part in the revival of British culture. However, the truth is not as simple as that Romano-British culture – and that included architecture along with language, religion, political organization and the arts – survived long after the Roman withdrawal. And although the Anglo- Saxons had a sophisticated building style of their own, little survives to bear witness to their achievements as the vast majority of Anglo-Saxon buildings were made of wood.
Even so, the period between the Norman landing at Pevensey in 1066 and the day in 1485 when Richard III lost his horse and his head at Bosworth, ushering in the Tudors and the /Early Modern period, marks a rare flowering of British building. And it is all the more remarkable because the underlying ethos of medieval architecture was ‘fitness for purpose’. The great cathedrals and parish churches that lifted up their towers to heaven were not only acts of devotion in stone; they were also fiercely functional buildings. Castles served their particular purpose and their battlements and turrets were for use rather than ornament. In a sense, the buildings of the 16th century were also governed by fitness for purpose – only now, the purpose was very different. In domestic architecture, in particular, buildings were used to display status and wealth.
This stately and curious workmanship showed itself in various ways. A greater sense of security led to more outward-looking buildings, as opposed to the medieval arrangement where the need for defense created houses that faced inward onto a courtyard or series of courtyards. This allowed for much more in the way of exterior ornament. The rooms themselves tended to be bigger and lighter – as an expensive commodity, the use of great expanses of glass was in itself a statement of wealth. There was also a general move towards balanced and symmetrical exteriors with central entrances.
With the exception of Inigo Jones (1573-1652), whose confident handling of classical detail and proportion set him apart from all other architects of the period, most early 17th century buildings tended to take the innocent exuberance of late Tudor work one step further. /But during the 1640s and 50s the Civil War and its aftermath sent many gentlemen and nobles to the Continent either to escape the fighting or, when the war was lost, to follow Charles II into exile. There they came into contact with French, Dutch and Italian architecture and, with Charles’s restoration in 1660, there was a flurry of building activity as royalists reclaimed their property and built themselves houses reflecting the latest European trends. The British Baroque was a reassertion of authority, an expression of absolutist ideology by men who remembered a world turned upside down during the Civil War. The style is heavy and rich, sometimes overblown and melodramatic. The politics which underpin it are questionable, but its products are breathtaking.
The huge glass-and-iron Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, shows another strand to 19th century architecture – one which embraced new industrial processes. But it wasn’t long before even this confidence in progress came to be regarded with suspicion. Mass production resulted in buildings and furnishings that were too perfect, as the individual craftsman no longer had a major role in their creation. Railing against the dehumanising effects of industrialisation, reformers like John Ruskin and William Morris made a concerted effort to return to hand-crafted, pre-industrial manufacturing techniques. Morris’s influence grew from the production of furniture and textiles, until by the 1880s a generation of principled young architects was following his call for good, honest construction.
The most important trends in early 20th century architecture simply passed Britain by. Whilst Gropius was working on cold, hard expanses of glass, and Le Corbusier was experimenting with the use of reinforced concrete frames, we had staid establishment architects like Edwin Lutyens producing Neo-Georgian and Renaissance country houses for an outmoded landed class. In addition there were slightly batty architect-craftsmen, the heirs of William Morris, still trying to turn the clock back to before the Industrial Revolution by making chairs and spurning new technology. Only a handful of Modern Movement buildings of any real merit were produced here during the 1920s and 1930s, and most of these were the work of foreign architects such as Serge Chermayeff, Berthold Lubetkin and Erno Goldf inger who had settled in this country.
After the Second World War the situation began to change. The Modern Movement’s belief in progress and the future struck a chord with the mood of post-war Britain and, as reconstruction began under Attlee’s Labour government in 1945, there was a desperate need for cheap housing which could be produced quickly. The use of prefabricated elements, metal frames, concrete cladding and the absence of decoration – all of which had been embraced by Modernists abroad and viewed with suspicion by the British -were adopted to varying degrees for housing developments and schools. Local authorities, charged with the task of rebuilding city center, became important patrons of architecture. This represented a shift away from the private individuals who had dominated the architectural scene for centuries.
Since the War it has been corporate bodies like these local authorities, together with national and multinational companies, and large educational institutions, which have dominated British architecture. By the late 1980s the Modern Movement, unfairly blamed for the social experiments implicit in high- rise housing, had lost out to irony and spectacle in the shape of post-modernism, with its cheerful borrowings from anywhere and any period. But now, in the new Millennium, even post-modernism is showing signs of age. What comes next? Post-post-modernism?

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Complete the following sentences with no more than 3 words from the passage
Questions (28-34)
Write your answers in boxes 28-34 on your answer sheet.

The Anglo-Saxon architecture failed to last because the buildings were constructed in

Answer: wood
Supporting sentence: little survives to bear witness to their achievements as the vast majority of Anglo-Saxon buildings were made of wood.
Keywords: building style, little survives
Keyword location: Section A, last sentence
Explanation: Although the Anglo-Saxons had their own unique construction style, little remains to offer testimony to their achievements because the great majority of Anglo-Saxon buildings were built of wood. As a result, it became clear that Anglo-Saxon architecture could not survive to witness their achievements because most structures were built of wood. As a result, the answer is wood.

Different from medieval architecture, the buildings of the 16th century represents

Answer: status and wealth
Supporting sentence: In a sense, the buildings of the 16th century were also governed by fitness for purpose – only now, the purpose was very different. In domestic architecture, in particular, buildings were used to display status and wealth.
Keywords: 16th century, purpose
Keyword location: Section B, fifth sentence
Explanation: The constructions of the 16th century were similarly guided by appropriateness for purpose, albeit the goal was completely different. Buildings, particularly in home design, were utilised to demonstrate rank and riches. In brief, structures in the mediaeval period were primarily designed for fitness or usefulness, as opposed to the objective of 16th century constructions, which was to demonstrate position and money. As a result, the solution is prestige and riches.

The costly glass was applied widely as an ______ in that years.

Answer: expensive commodity
Supporting sentence: The rooms themselves tended to be bigger and lighter – as an expensive commodity, the use of great expanses of glass was in itself a statement of wealth.
Keywords: great expanses of glass
Keyword location: Section C, fourth sentence
Explanation: According to the passage, the rooms themselves tended to be larger and brighter - being a costly commodity, the use of large expanses of glass was a show of affluence in and of itself. In other words, in the 16th century, buildings were utilized to signify wealth and status, and this, combined with a greater sense of security compared to the Medieval period, resulted in houses being decorated with costly glass, which was an expensive commodity because the houses built were outward-facing and permitted for much more exterior decoration, thus providing the answer.

Inigo Jones was skilled at handling ______style

Answer: classical
Supporting sentence: With the exception of Inigo Jones (1573-1652), whose confident handling of classical detail and proportion set him apart from all other architects of the period, most early 17th century buildings tended
to take the innocent exuberance of late Tudor work one step further.
Keywords: confident, handling
Keyword location: Section D, first sentence
Explanation: It is indicated at the beginning of Paragraph D that...Inigo Jones (1573-1652), whose skillful treatment of classical detail.... The answer is classical, since Inigo Jones' confident the using classical detail and proportion differentiated him from other architects of the time.

William Morris favored the production of _______ made in pre-industrial manufacturing techniques.

Answer: furniture and textile
Supporting sentence: Morris’s influence grew from the production of furniture and textiles, until by the 1880s a generation of principled young architects was following his call for good, honest construction.
Keywords: pre-industrial manufacturing techniques
Keyword location: Section E, fourth and fifth sentences
Explanation: Reformers such as John Ruskin and William Morris are said to have made a concentrated attempt to return to hand-crafted, pre-industrial production practises. Morris's impact developed as a result of his work on furniture and textiles... In other words, because William Morris despised the terrible impacts of industrialisation, he attempted to reintroduce hand-crafted, pre-industrial manufacturing processes into the creation of furniture and textiles. As a result, the answer is furniture and cloth.

The architects such as _____ provided the landlord with conservative houses

Answer: Edwin Lutyens
Supporting sentence: Whilst Gropius was experimenting with the use of reinforced concrete frames, we had staid establishment architects like Edwin Lutyens producing Neo-Georgian and Renaissance country houses for an outmoded landed class.
Keywords: Neo-Georgian and Renaissance country, outmoded landed class
Keyword location: Section F, second sentence
Explanation: It is said that staid established architects like as Edwin Lutyens were creating Neo-Georgian and Renaissance country mansions for an ageing landed gentry. The solution is Edwin Lutyens, who built conservative architecture (Neo-Georgian and Renaissance country homes) for landowners (the obsolete landed class).

After World War Two, the architect commission shifted from individual to

Answer: local authorities
Supporting sentence: This represented a shift away from the private individuals who had dominated the architectural scene for centuries.
Keywords: charged, rebuilding
Keyword location: Section G, fourth sentence
Explanation: The opening of the paragraph states that the situation began to alter after World War II. Furthermore, it is indicated that municipal officials, faced with the duty of restoring the city centre, were key sponsors of architecture in the end. This constituted a departure from the private people who had hitherto dominated the architectural landscape. As the sponsorship of building dwellings changed from people to local governments, the answer is local governments.

Questions(35-40)
Choose the correct option from A,B,C or D

The feature of medieval architecture was

immense
useful
decorative
bizarre

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: And it is all the more remarkable because the underlying ethos of medieval architecture was ‘fitness for purpose’.
Keywords: fitness for purpose, functional buildings
Keyword location: Section B, second and third sentences
Explanation: The fundamental principle of mediaeval design was 'fitness for use,' it is assumed. The word 'fitness for purpose' refers to the buildings' ability to operate. As a result, the correct answer is B.

What contributes to the outward-looking buildings in the 16th century?

safety
beauty
quality
technology

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: A greater sense of security led to more outward-looking buildings, as opposed to the medieval arrangement where the need for defense created houses that faced inward onto a courtyard or series of courtyards.
Keywords: sense of security, outward-looking buildings
Keyword location: Section C, second sentence
Explanation: It is stated that a stronger sense of security resulted in more upwards and buildings, as opposed to the mediaeval layout, in which the requirement for defence resulted in dwellings facing inward onto a courtyard or series of courtyards. As a result of a greater sense of security, more outward-looking structures were built in the 16th century. As a result, the answer is A.

Why were the buildings in the 1660s influenced by the latest European trends?

Because the war was lost.
Because the craftsman came from all over the Europe.
Because the property belongs to the gentlemen and nobles.
Because the monarch came back from the continent.

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: But during the 1640s and 50s the Civil War and its aftermath sent many gentlemen and nobles to the Continent either to escape the fighting or, when the war was lost, to follow Charles II into exile.
Keywords: continent, French, Dutch and architecture, latest European trends
Keyword location: Section D, second and third sentences
Explanation: It is obvious that following Charles' restoration in 1660, there was a frenzy of construction activity as royalists returned their property and constructed themselves houses in keeping with the newest European fashions. As a result, the answer is D.

What kind of sense did the British Baroque imply?

tough
steady
mild
conservative

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: The style is heavy and rich, sometimes overblown and melodramatic.
Keywords: heavy
Keyword location: Section D, fifth sentence
Explanation: The British Baroque architectural style was heavy and distinguished by assertiveness and toughness, according to the statement - The British Baroque was a reassertion of power, an assertion of absolutist ideology by men who recalled a world turned around during the Civil War. As a result, the answer is A.

The individual craftsman was no more the key to creation for the appearance of

Crystal Palace
preindustrial manufacturing return
industrial process in scale
ornament

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Mass production resulted in buildings and furnishings that were too perfect, as the individual craftsman no longer had a major role in their creation.
Keywords: mass production
Keyword location: Section E, third sentence
Explanation: It is said that mass manufacturing resulted in overly flawless houses and furnishings since the individual artisan no longer played a significant part in their development. In other words, because of excellent industrial building methods or mass manufacturing of ideal structures and furnishings, the function of individual artisans was no longer critical. As a result, the correct answer is C.

The building style changed after World War Two as a result of

abundant materials
local authority
shortage of cheap housing
conservative views

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: The Modern Movement’s belief in progress and the future struck a chord with the mood of post-war Britain and, as reconstruction began under Attlee’s Labour government in 1945, there was a
desperate need for cheap housing which could be produced quickly.
Keywords: change, desperate need
Keyword location: Section G, second sentence
Explanation: After WWII, the situation began to change...as reconstruction began under Attlee's Labour administration in 1945, there was a great need for affordable homes that could be supplied fast. In other words, after World War II, when reconstruction began under Attlee's Labour administration in 1945, there was a severe demand for low-cost housing, which resulted in the shift in architectural style. As a result, the correct answer is C.

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