Caral An Ancient South American City IELTS Reading

Jan 17, 2023

Caral An Ancient South American City IELTS Reading contains a write up about an ancient South American city. Caral An Ancient South American City IELTS Reading contains a total of 7 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 13 questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. The paragraphs are about Caral which is an ancient SouthAmerican city. The information and various distinctive evidence and research has been mentioned.

Caral An Ancient South American City IELTS Reading is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises two types of question: Answer the questions and true/false and not given.Each paragraph must be carefully and attentively read by candidates. No more than two words may be used in the response.There may be some material that was not covered in the paragraphs and should be marked as not provided. The paragraph must be referenced in the answers, which must also be based on the claims in the questions. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Caral: an ancient South American city

Huge earth and rock mounds rise out of the desert of the Supe Valley near the coast of Peru in South America. These immense mounds appear simply to be part of the geographical landscape in this arid region squeezed between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains.But looks deceive. These are actually human-made pyramids, strong evidence indicates they are the remains of a city known as Caral that flourished nearly 5,000 years ago. It would be the oldest known urban center in America and among the most ancient in the world.
Research undertaken by Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady suggests that the 150-acre plex of pyramids, plazas and residential buildings was a thriving metropolis when Egypt's great pyramids were still being built. Though discovered in 1905, for years Caral attracted little attention, largely because archaeologists believed the structures were rainy recently. But the monumental scale of the pyramids had long interested Shady, who began excavations at the site in 1996, about 22 kilometers from the coast and 190 kilometers north of Peru's capital city of Lima.
Shady and her crew searched for broken remains of the pots and containers that most such sites contain. Not finding any only made her more excited: it meant Caral could be what archaeologists term pre-ceramic, that is, existing before the advent in the area of pot-firing techniques. Shady's team undertook the task of excavating Piramide Mayor, the largest of the pyramids. After carefully clearing away many hundreds of years' worth of rubble and sand, they identified staircases, walls covered with remnants of colored plaster, and brickwork. In the foundations, they found the remains of grass-like reeds woven into bags. The original workers, she surmised, must have filled these bags with stones from a nearby quarry and laid them atop one another inside retaining walls, gradually giving rise to the pyramid's immense structure. Shady had samples of the reeds subjected to radiocarbon dating and found that the reeds were 4,600 years old. This evidence indicated that Carol was, in fact, more than 1,000 years older than what had previously been thought to be the oldest urban center in the Americas.
What amazed archaeologists was not just the age, but the complexity and scope of Caral. Piramide Mayor alone covers an area nearly the size of four football fields and is 18 meters tall. A nine-meter-wide staircase rises from a circular plaza at the foot of the pyramid, passing over three terraced levels until it reaches the top. Thousands of manual laborers would have been needed to build such a project, not counting the many architects, craftsmen, and managers. Shady's team found the remains of a large amphitheater, containing almost 70 musical instruments made of bird and deer bones. Clearly music played an important role in Caral's society. Around the perimeter of Caral are a series of smaller mounds and various buildings. These indicate a hierarchy of living arrangements: large, well-kept rooms atop pyramids for the elite, ground-level quarters for shabbier outlying dwellings for workers
But why had Caral been built in the first place? Her excavations convinced Shady that Caral once served as a trade center for the region, which extends from the rainforests of the Amazon to the high forests of the Andes. Shady found evidence of a rich trading environment, including seeds of the cocoa bush and necklaces of shells, neither of which was native to the immediate Caral area. This environment gave rise to people who did not take part in the production of food, allowing them to become priests and planners, builders and designers. Thus occupational specialization, elemental to an urban society, emerged.
But what sustained such a trading center and drew travelers to it? Was it food? Shady and her team found the bones of small edible fish, which must have come from the Pacific coast to the west, in the excavations. But they also found evidence of squash, sweet potatoes and beans having been grown locally. Shady theorized that Caral's early farmers diverted the area's rivers into canals, which still cross the Supe Valley today, to irrigate their fields.But because she found no traces of maize, which can be traded or stored and used in times of crop failure, she concluded that Caral's trade leverage was not based on stockpiling food supplies.
It was evidence of another crop in the excavations that gave Shady the best clue to Caral’s success. In nearly every excavated building, her team discovered evidence of cotton - seeds, fibers and textiles. Her theory fell into place when a large fishing net made of those fibers, unearthed in an unrelated dig on Peru's coast, turned out to be as old as Caral. 'The farmers of Caral grew the cotton that the fishermen needed to make their nets, Shady speculates. And the fishermen gave them shellfish and dried fish in exchange for these nets.' In essence, the people of Caral enabled fishermen to work with larger and more effective nets, which made the resources of the sea more readily available, and the fishermen probably used dried squash grown by the Caral people as flotation devices for their nets.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage ? In boxes 1 -6 on your answer sheet, 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

Caral was built at the same time as the construction of the Egyptian pyramids.

Answer: False
Supporting Statement: Research undertaken by Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady suggests that the 150-acre plex of pyramids, plazas and residential buildings was a thriving metropolis when Egypt's great pyramids were still being built. Though discovered in 1905, for years Caral attracted little attention, largely because archaeologists believed the structures were rainy recently.
Keywords: Egypt’s great pyramid, Caral
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2
Explanation: As per paragraph 2, The 150-acre complex of pyramids, plazas, and residential buildings, according to research by Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady, may have been a bustling metropolis while Egypt's great pyramids were still being constructed. Despite being discovered in 1905, Caral received little attention for a long time, primarily because archaeologists thought the constructions had recently experienced rain. So, the statement is False.

The absence of pottery at the archaeological dig gave Shady a significant clue to the age of the site.

Answer: True
Supporting Statement: Shady and her crew searched for broken remains of the pots and containers that most such sites contain.
Keywords: Shady, pots and containers
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: As per paragraph 3, it has been stated that Shady and her team looked for the broken remnants of the pots as well as containers that are typically seen at such sites. Thus, the statement is True.

The stones used to build Piramide Mayor came from a location far away

Answer: Fasle
Supporting Statement: Shady's team undertook the task of excavating Piramide Mayor, the largest of the pyramids. After carefully clearing away many hundreds of years' worth of rubble and sand, they identified staircases, walls covered with
remnants of colored plaster, and brickwork. The original workers, she surmised, must have filled these bags with stones from a nearby quarry and laid them atop one another inside retaining walls, gradually giving rise to the pyramid's immense
structure.
Keywords: Piramide Mayor,
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: As power paragraph 3, She reasoned that the original workmen must have filled these bundles with stones from a nearby quarry and stacked them on top of one another inside retaining walls, gradually forming the enormous structure of the pyramid. So, the statement is False.

The huge and complicated structures of Piramide Mayor suggest that its construction required an organized team of builders.

Answer: True
Supporting Statement: Thousands of manual laborers would have been needed to build such a project, not counting the many architects, craftsmen, and managers.
Keywords:Manual laborers
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: As per paragraph 4, it has been mentioned that To construct such a complex, thousands of manual laborers would have been required, not to mention the numerous architects, craftsmen, and managers. So, the statement is true.

Archaeological evidence shows that the residents of Caral were highly skilled musicians.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no information provided in the paragraphs associated with the question statement. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

The remains of housing areas at Caral suggest that there were no class distinctions in residential areas.

Answer: False
Supporting Statement: Around the perimeter of Caral are a series of smaller mounds and various buildings. These indicate a hierarchy of living arrangements: large, well-kept rooms atop pyramids for the elite, ground-level quarters for shabbier outlying dwellings for workers
Keywords: Caral, arrangements
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: Based on paragraph 4, Numerous smaller mounds and different structures can be found everywhere around Caral. These show a hierarchy of housing options: The rich lived in spacious, immaculate chambers atop pyramids, while the proletariat lived in shabby peripheral quarters below ground. So, the correct answer is False.

Questions 7-13

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet.

Caral as a trading center

Items discovered at Caral but not naturally occurring in the area

the 7………………… of a certain plant
8……………. used to make jewelry
the remains of certain food such as 9…………….

Clues to farming around Caral

10……………. still in existence today indicate water diverted from rivers
no evidence that 11……………….. was grown

Evidence of relationship with fishing communities

The excavation findings and fishing nets found on the coast suggest Caral farmers traded 12………………..

dried squash may have been used to aid 13……………..

Question 7)

Answer: Seeds
Supporting Statement: Shady found evidence of a rich trading environment, including seeds of the cocoa bush and necklaces of shells, neither of which was native to the immediate Caral area.
Keywords: Shady, Seeds, shells.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: As per paragraph 5, the lines state that Shady discovered cocoa shrub seeds and shell necklaces, neither of which were indigenous to the nearby Caral region, as proof of a thriving trading environment. Thus, the answer is seeds.

Question 8)

Answer: Shells
Supporting Statement: Shady found evidence of a rich trading environment, including seeds of the cocoa bush and necklaces of shells, neither of which was native to the immediate Caral area.
Keywords: Shady, Seeds, shells.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: As per paragraph 5, the lines state that Shady discovered cocoa shrub seeds and shell necklaces, neither of which were indigenous to the nearby Caral region, as proof of a thriving trading environment. Thus, the answer is seeds.

Question 9)

Answer: Fish
Supporting Statement: Shady and her team found the bones of small edible fish, which must have come from the Pacific coast to the west, in the excavations.
Keywords: Shady, edible fish
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: As per paragraph 6, In the excavations, Shady and her crew discovered the remains of small edible fish, which must have originated from the west coast of the Pacific. So, the correct answer is Fish.

Question 10)

Answer: Canals
Supporting Statement: Shady theorized that Caral's early farmers diverted the area's rivers into canals, which still cross the Supe Valley today, to irrigate their fields.
Keywords: Canal, Supe Valley
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: As mentioned in paragraph 6, Shady postulated that in order to water their fields, the early farmers of Caral channeled the local rivers and canals that still pass through the Supe Valley today. So, the correct answer is Canals.

Question 11)

Answer: Maize
Supporting Statement: But because she found no traces of maize, which can be traded or stored and used in times of crop failure, she concluded that Caral's trade leverage was not based on stockpiling food supplies.
Keywords: Maize, crop failure
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: Based on the lines of paragraph 6 stating, However, she came to the conclusion that Caral's trading leverage was not based on hoarding food supplies because she discovered no signs of maize, which may be traded or stockpiled and used in times of crop failure. The answer is Maize.

Question 12)

Answer: Cotton
Supporting Statement: It was evidence of another crop in the excavations that gave Shady the best clue to Caral’s success. In nearly every excavated building, her team discovered evidence of cotton - seeds, fibers and textiles.
Keywords: cotton, evidence
Keyword Location Paragraph 7
Explanation: As per paragraph 7, it has been mentioned The best indicator of Caral's effectiveness for Shady was found in the excavations, where there was signs of a different crop. Her team uncovered cotton fabrics, seeds, and fibers in almost every excavated building. So, the correct answer is Cotton.

Question 13)

Answer: Flotation
Supporting Statement: In essence, the people of Caral enabled fishermen to work with larger and more effective nets, which made the resources of the sea more readily available, and the fishermen probably used dried squash grown by the Caral
people as flotation devices for their nets.
Keywords: Caral, Effective nets, flotation devices
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7
Explanation: As per paragraph 7, In essence, the Caral people made it possible for fishermen to employ bigger, more effective nets, increasing the availability of marine resources. The fishermen likely used dried squash produced by the Caral people as flotation devices for their nets. So, the correct answer is Flotation.

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