Gobekli Tepe: A Remarkable Discovery Reading Answers

Gobekli Tepe: A Remarkable Discovery is a generic topic for IELTS Reading Answers. Gobekli Tepe: A Remarkable Discovery Reading Answers comprises 13 IELTS questions. In the given set of questions (from Questions 1-7), you must answer all the questions in either TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN options. And, in the remaining set of questions (from Questions 8-13), you have to answer all the questions in ONE WORD only.

The IELTS Reading Section is an important exam component, which aims to assess the candidate's reading, comprehension, and analytical abilities through various academic and general excerpts. The primary goal of these sample papers is to enhance your reading skills, interpret passages effectively, extract key details, and answer all the questions accurately. Practicing these IELTS Reading Practice Questions, whether for academic or general training, helps you understand the test format, build confidence, and improve performance.

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Section 1

Gobekli Tepe: A Remarkable Discovery

Between roughly 10,000 and 11,000 BC, in a remote corner of Mesopotamia, now in modern-day Turkey, a people who pre-dated the invention of the wheel and lacked even basic technology such as metal tools built an enormous complex of stone pillars called Gobekli Tepe (Potbelly Hill). To achieve this, they shaped blocks of limestone into pillars at a stone quarry.

They then moved each pillar, weighing between 11 and 22 tons, a distance of 100 to 500 meters from the quarry to the Gobekli Tepe site. There, the pillars were arranged in rings, which usually consisted of eight upright pillars. Each pillar consists of two stones placed together in the form of a “T”. Typically, six of these pillars, connected by low walls, made up the circumference of each ring, and two taller pillars were located in the center. The tallest pillars reached almost five meters in height, and the largest rings were almost 20 meters in diameter.

To date, nearly 200 pillars have been found by archaeologists at the site. A menagerie of animals, including bulls, foxes, snakes, spiders, donkeys, gazelles, and lions, had been carved in relief on the stones. There are also strange depictions of human-like forms on the stones. Experts have noted that art from other sites around the world created at roughly the same time typically depicts animals in herds, while at Gobekli Tepe, the images are of individual fierce-looking beasts.

Although archaeologists had been aware since the 1960s that there were old limestone slabs at Gobekli Tepe, these were for years generally dismissed as nothing more than a jumble of broken stones of fairly recent origin and uncertain purpose, and the site was essentially ignored. Then, in 1994, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt took a closer look and realized that the unusually rounded appearance of the hill was something that “only man could have created,” and archaeologists began studying the site more carefully.

In addition to traditional excavation, which uncovered a treasure trove of flint tools as well as four rings of pillars, geomagnetic surveys were also conducted. The surveys revealed 16 additional rings buried in the hill that had been left undisturbed. It appears that now and then, ancient builders filled in a ring, pillars and all, with dirt, gravel, flint, and old tools. They then erected a new circle over or near the old one, buried one.

There are differing opinions about the purpose of Gobekli Tepe. The stones display prominent depictions of vultures, which are birds commonly associated with the dead, and it is possible that Gobekli Tepe was built as an ancient cemetery. However, some people say that the great age of the stones and the lack of any writing on them make interpreting the builders' motivations virtually impossible.

Of the many discoveries made at the site, perhaps the most intriguing is that the builders do not appear to have become settled before constructing the monuments. The indications are that they were nomadic hunter-gatherers. This is remarkable because, up until this discovery, most experts believed that to build massive structures like those found at Gobekli Tepe, a society needed to have the organization and resources that could only come about through people living in a settled agricultural community. The evidence found at Gobekli Tepe, however, appears to seriously challenge this conventional wisdom.

Archaeologists have been digging at the site for more than 20 years. Evidence of a well-established ancient settlement such as houses, hearths, cooking sites, or garbage dumps has not been found. However, they have found 100,000 fragments of the bones of wild game animals like boar, gazelle, and deer, which strongly suggests the site was used by hunters. And, unlike the dry landscape found around Gobekli Tepe today, 11,000 years ago the region was a paradise that would have provided ample natural nourishment. It would have been full of fruit and nuts, all readily available to be collected by gatherers without the need for farming.

All the evidence suggests that these vast monuments at Gobekli Tepe were not built after a settled way of life had been adopted, but that the process of construction itself eventually caused the builders to abandon hunting and gathering. It seems that many of the enormous population required to build the complex eventually chose to remain nearby. Only after the monuments were finished did they adopt a more permanent lifestyle. They started cultivating wild grasses to feed themselves and, in this way, started basic agricultural practices. The original strains of the modern wheat that people farm today have been traced to an ancient village only 32 kilometers from Gobekli Tepe. In addition, there are indications that the first pigs raised in domestic conditions were kept at a village about 100 kilometers away.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 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

1.The builders of Gobekli Tepe used tools made of iron.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “......Between roughly 10,000 and 11,000 BC, in a remote corner of Mesopotamia, now in modern-day Turkey, a people who pre-dated the invention of the wheel and lacked even basic technology such as metal tools built an enormous complex of stone pillars called Gobekli Tepe (Potbelly Hill).......”

Keywords: Gobekli Tepe, Tools, Metal

Keyword Location: para 1, Line 1-4

Explanation: The passage clearly states that the builders lacked basic technology such as metalworking tools. This directly contradicts the idea that they used tools made of iron.

2.The arrangement of the pillars in rings is thought to relate to the seasons of the year.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The above passage does not provide any information about the arrangement of the columns relating to the seasons of the year. This idea is neither mentioned nor implied.

3.Specially trained workers carved the animals on the stones.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: This passage describes animal carvings on stones, but does not specify whether they were created by specially trained workers or by some other group.

4.The stone carvings of creatures at Gobekli Tepe are similar to those found at other sites from the same period.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “...... Experts have noted that art from other sites around the world created at roughly the same time typically depicts animals in herds, while at Gobekli Tepe, the images are of individual fierce-looking beasts........”

Keywords: Experts, Art, Sites, Animals

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 4-7

Explanation: The carvings at Gobekli Tepe depict isolated fierce-looking animals, which are unusual compared to herd depictions found at other sites of the same period.

5.Until the 1990s, archaeologists believed that the Gobekli Tepe site was of little importance.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “.......Although archaeologists had been aware since the 1960s that there were old limestone slabs at Gobekli Tepe, these were for years generally dismissed as nothing more than a jumble of broken stones of fairly recent origin and uncertain purpose, and the site was essentially ignored........”

Keywords: Archaeologists, Slabs, Dismissed, Site

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 1-4

Explanation: Archaeologists initially dismissed the Gobekli Tepe site as unimportant until 1994, when Klaus Schmidt studied the site more closely.

6.Klaus Schmidt thought that the hill at Gobekli Tepe was formed naturally.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “.......Then, in 1994, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt took a closer look and realized that the unusually rounded appearance of the hill was something that “only man could have created,” and archaeologists began studying the site more carefully.........”

Keywords: Klaus Schmidt, Hill, Site

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 4-7

Explanation: Klaus Schmidt believed that the hill of Göbekli Tepe was not created naturally but by humans. He looked at its round shape and realized that it was man-made.

7.Archaeologists had to get permission before they could start studying the Z Gobekli Tepe site.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The passage does not mention whether archaeologists needed permission to begin studying the Gobekli Tepe site. Although it contains details of excavation activities, no reference is made to obtaining authorization.

Question 8-13

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

GOBEKLI TEPE

PURPOSE OF GOBEKLI TEPE

8.The kind of bird shown on many stones suggests the site may have been a ___________.

Answer: Cemetery

Supporting statement: “.......The stones display prominent depictions of vultures, which are birds commonly associated with the dead, and it is possible that Gobekli Tepe was built as an ancient cemetery.........”

Keywords: Birds, Stones, Cemetery, Ancient

Keyword Location: para 6, Line 1-3

Explanation: The above passage mentions that vultures, usually associated with the dead, were depicted on the stones, leading to speculation that Gobekli Tepe may have been an ancient cemetery.

9.It is impossible to know why the site was constructed because there's no ________ on the stones.