Commercial Success Reading Answers

Mar 16, 2024

Commercial success Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Commercial success Reading Answers have a total of 14 IELTS questions in total. This topic has 6 questions in which we have say whether statement is true or false. The rest of the questions are to choose the correct choice from the given options.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Commercial success Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Commercial Success

Crime fiction books, in which detectives hunt for the perpetrators of crimes, have been popular with readers for many decades - so popular, in fact, that at a recent London Book Fair sales of the genre overtook general fiction for the first time ever, a development that had been widely anticipated. Commercial success, of course, does not impress everyone and there are those who believe crime fiction should not be held in such high regard. Prominent in this group is Sebastian Franklin, who has argued that most crime fiction books better resemble crossword puzzles than literature. His view is shared by other literary critics. However, increasingly this is a minority opinion as crime fiction has become recognized around the world as a rich and dynamic literary genre in its own right.

Crime writing really came to prominence in the 1920s and 30s with the books of the British author Agatha Christie and to a slightly lesser extent the American James M. Cain. Agatha Christie was a prolific writer, publishing more than 60 detective novels over a 50 year period, beginning in 1920. However, the majority of the general public have never picked up one of her books and are more familiar with Christie from the numerous adaptations of her work for films. The colourful locations around the world where Christie set many of her stories were not fictional depictions but were informed by her extensive travels, on the Orient Express train, to Cairo and the River Nile, and elsewhere. Her memoir, Come, Tell Me How You Live, published in 1946, is a non-fiction account of these real-life travels, so is unique among Christie's publications. Success brought Christie considerable wealth and international fame, though she never lost her

appetite for work, continuing writing and publishing until shortly before her death in 1976.

Without a doubt, there are certain elements that tend to be repeated in Christie's books. The stories generally revolve around a well-off if not aristocratic circle of people, whose privileged lives are thrown into chaos by an unexplained crime. What's more, the location is often a confined space of some sort: a train, an island, a boat, an isolated house, or a village. This is quite different, for example, to the world of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who often has as his hunting ground the entire city of London. But the influence of Christie's sheltered, secluded locations has been immense, for they have been used in countless television series ever since. The writer Michael Utley argues that Christie's characters lack depth and are not convincing people we can believe in. This is not an infrequent complaint, but it is quite untrue. Christie was a perceptive observer of human nature and psychology and she put the traits of people

she knew into many of her fictional characters. Part of the reason her appeal has been so widespread is that she wrote about human relationships in a way so many of us can relate to. Her very first book, The Mysterious Affoir at Styles, features the amateur detective Hercule Poirot.

Poirot and Miss Marple are Christie's two best-known and most frequently imitated characters precisely because they are so well-drawn and believable. Further evidence of Christie's ability at characterization was provided by a recent survey. The survey

asked readers to identify the villain revealed in the final pages of Christie's sixteenth book, Murder on the Orient Express. Most readers could not recall, because for them the really important aspect of the book had been the interploy between the characters, not the outcome. The truth is that Christie's characters were one of her greatest achievements as a writer. The books are also action-packed, no less so than today's most popular thrillers. Christie mastered the art of the page-turner: events unfold

so quickly and unpredictably that we keep reading to find out what happens next. The most significant consequence is that it is so simple to overlook vital clues. It is worth reading a Christie book a second time just to notice how carefully she hides crucial information about the criminal's identity. It was there all along, but we just fail to see it because she has created such tension and so many exciting distractions

Attempts to retell Christie's stories in contemporary times have largely been unsuccessful; they work best in their original early twentieth -century settings and cannot accommodate mobile phones, computers, ond DNA analysis. But that does not mean her influence has come to on end. Indeed, a new generation of global crime writers is emerging in nations as diverse as Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, india, and

Ninerio to name but tue And thou each new waiter odds somethind of the cunthey all emolor conventons test estonished hi Nigeria, to name but five. And though each new writer adds something of their own, they all employ conventions first established by

Christie. If we take just one of her books, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, we find near-perfect examples of conventions that are still used today: tight plotting, clever sub-plots, unexpected twists, perceptive characterization. Perhaps this is why Christie herself is believed to have ranked The Murder of Roger Ackroyd above all her other work. Certainly, the digital revolution has transformed, crime-fighting But a survey of contemporary crime writing shows that Agatha Christie's legacy is more important now than at any time previously, at the very point when crime writing has become the most popular of all book genres.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 27-32

In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet, write,

YES - If the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO - If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN - If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Sales of crime fiction were surprisingly high at a recent London Book Fair.

Answer: NO
Supporting statement: “........ Commercial success, of course, does not impress everyone and there are those who believe crime fiction should not be held in such high regard.........”
Keywords: everyone, believe
Keyword Location: para 1, line 3
Explanation: The passage does not provide information about whether sales of crime fiction were surprisingly high or not at a recent London Book Fair.

Literary critics such as Sebastian Franklin think that crime fiction is overrated.

Answer: YES
Supporting statement: “........ Prominent in this group is Sebastian Franklin, who has argued that most crime fiction books better resemble crossword puzzles than literature. His view is shared by other literary critics.........”
Keywords: most, literacy
Keyword Location: para 1, line 6
Explanation: The passage does not mention any admiration or interaction between Agatha Christie and James M. Cain regarding their writing.

Agatha Christie and James M. Cain admired each other's writing.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage does not mention whether Agatha Christie and James M. Cain admired each other's writing.

Most people know about Christie from films rather than books.

Answer: YES
Supporting statement: “........ However, the majority of the general public have never picked up one of her books and are more familiar with Christie from the numerous adaptations of her work for films..........”
Keywords: books, work
Keyword Location: para 2, line 4
Explanation: The passage mentions that the majority of the general public are more familiar with Agatha Christie from film adaptations of her work rather than from reading her books.

Christie's descriptions of international locations were basec on her own experience.

Answer: YES
Supporting statement: “.........The colourful locations around the world where Christie set many of her stories were not fictional depictions but were informed by her extensive travels, on the Orient Express train........”
Keywords: stories, travels
Keyword Location: para 2, line 7
Explanation: The passage mentions that Agatha Christie's descriptions of international locations in her stories were told by her extensive travels to places like the Orient Express, Cairo, and the River Nile.

Christie enjoyed the wealth and fame she achieved through writing.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage has no information about whether Christie enjoyed the wealth and fame she achieved through writing.

Questions 33-34 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

What is the writer doing in the third paragraph?

discussing one weakness of Christie's style
identifying a writer who influenced Christie
contrasting different techniques Christie used
listing some features of a typical Christie story

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “........Without a doubt, there are certain elements that tend to be repeated in Christie's books. The stories generally revolve around a well-off if not aristocratic circle of people, whose .........”
Keywords: repeated, circle
Keyword Location: para 3, line 1
Explanation: The third paragraph lists certain elements commonly found in Agatha Christie's books, such as the setting in well-off circles and confined spaces, to illustrate her distinctive style.

The writer refers to Michael Utley in order to

reject a common criticism of Christie's books.
compare two of Christie's better-known books.
explain the conclusion of one of Christie's books.
suggest that each of Christie's books was different.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “........The writer Michael Utley argues that Christie's characters lack depth and are not convincing people we can believe in. This is not an infrequent complaint, but it is quite untrue..........”
Keywords: depth, quite
Keyword Location: para 3, line 9
Explanation: The writer cites Michael Utley's argument to counter the criticism that Agatha Christie's characters lack depth, implying that her characters are indeed believable.

Questions 35-36

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

What point does the writer make about Christie's writing style in the fifth paragraph?

Occasionally, the stories do not make sense.
Little happens compared to modern stories.
Important evidence is very easy to miss.
Some unnecessary details are included.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “........so quickly and unpredictably that we keep reading to find out what happens next. The most significant consequence is that it is so simple to overlook vital clues. It is worth .........”
Keywords: significant, overlook
Keyword Location: para 4, line 10
Explanation: The writer mentions how Christie's writing style creates tension and exciting distractions, making it easy for readers to overlook crucial clues.

What does the writer conclude about Christie in the final paragraph?

Her influence is slowly beginning to decrease.
She is more influential today than ever before.
One book was more influential than the others.
She has only influenced writers in certain countries.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “........But a survey of contemporary crime writing shows that Agatha Christie's legacy is more important now than at any time previously, at the very point when crime writing has become the most popular of all book genres..........”
Keywords: crime, popular
Keyword Location: para 5,l ine 15
Explanation: The writer suggests that Agatha Christie's influence on contemporary crime writing is greater now than at any previous time, pointing to enduring impact on the genre.

Questions 37-40

Write the correct letter, A-F.

is an example of a book disliked by many critics.
has sold more copies than her other books.
has illustrated the fact that readers cannot remember the ending.
was Christie's own favourite from among her books for good reasons.
is different from all of her other books.
introduced one of her most famous and most often copied characters.

Christie's book Come, Tell Me How You Live,

Answer: E
Supporting statement: “........Her memoir, Come, Tell Me How You Live, published in 1946, is a non-fiction account of these real-life travels, so is unique among Christie's publications.........”
Keywords: fiction, among
Keyword Location: para 2, line 10
Explanation: The passage states that "Come, Tell Me How You Live" is a non-fiction account of Christie's travels, making it unique among her publications.

Christie's first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Answer: F
Supporting statement: “........ Her very first book, The Mysterious Affoir at Styles, features the amateur detective Hercule Poirot..........”
Keywords: amateur, detective
Keyword Location: para 3, line 15
Explanation: The passage mentions that "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" features the amateur detective Hercule Poirot, who is one of Christie's most famous characters.

Christie's sixteenth book, Murder on the Orient Express

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “.......The survey asked readers to identify the villain revealed in the final pages of Christie's sixteenth book, Murder on the Orient Express..........”
Keywords: final, book
Keyword Location: para 4, line 4
Explanation: The passage mentions a survey where readers couldn't recall the villain revealed in the final pages of "Murder on the Orient Express,". This indicates that the characters and plot were more memorable than the outcome.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, published in 1926,

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “......Perhaps this is why Christie herself is believed to have ranked The Murder of Roger Ackroyd above all her other work. Certainly, the digital revolution has transformed,...........”
Keywords: ranked, revolution
Keyword Location: para 5, line 12
Explanation: The passage mentions that Agatha Christie herself ranked "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" above all her other work, indicating it was her personal favorite.

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