Grimm's Fairy Tales- IELTS Reading Sample with Explanation

As part of the IELTS Reading section, candidates are assigned several paragraph-based questions that are derived from various journals, books, and magazines. This IELTS Reading section focuses on understanding skills.

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Sections consist of 40 questions based on 3 paragraphs given and each section takes a total of 60 minutes to complete. The various assessments detailed in the IELTS reading section are for testing the candidate's listening, speaking, and conversational skills which play a vital role to test the language understanding of the candidate. Practice more on the IELTS Reading Practice Paper. This passage contains the following question types:

• Identifying information
• Multiple choice questions
• Summary completion

Section 1

Grimm's Fairy Tales IELTS Reading Sample

1. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, named their story collection Children’s and Household Tales and published the first of its seven editions in Germany in 1812. The table of contents reads like an A-list of fairy-tale celebrities: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, the Frog King. Drawn mostly from oral narratives, the 210 stories in die Grimm’s’ collection represent an anthology of fairy tales, animal fables, rustic farces, and religious allegories that remain unrivalled to this day.
2. Such lasting fame would have shocked the humble Grimms. During their lifetimes the collection sold modestly in Germany, at first only a few hundred copies a year.

The early editions were not even aimed at children. The brothers initially refused to consider illustrations, and scholarly footnotes took up almost as much space as the talcs themselves. Jacob and Wilhelm viewed themselves as patriotic folklorists, not as entertainers of children. They began their work at a time when Germany had been overrun by the French under Napoleon, who were intent on suppressing local culture. As young, workaholic scholars, single and sharing a cramped flat, the Brothers Grimm undertook the fairy-tale collection with the goal of serving the endangered oral tradition of Germany.

100. For much of the 19th century teachers, parents, and religious figures, particularly in the United States, deplored the Grimms’ collection for its raw, uncivilized content. Offended adults objected to the gruesome punishments inflicted on the stories’ villains. In the original “Snow White” the evil stepmother is forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she falls down dead. Even today some protective parents shy from the Grimms’ tales because of their reputation for violence.

500. Despite its sometimes rocky reception, Children’s and Household Tales gradually took root with the public. The brothers had not foreseen that the appearance of their work would coincide with a great flowering of children’s literature in Europe. English publishers led the way, issuing high-quality picture books such as Jack and the Beanstalk and handsome folktale collections, all to satisfy a newly literate audience seeking virtuous material for the nursery. Once the Brothers Grimm sighted this new public, they set about refining and softening their tales, which had originated centuries earlier as earthy peasant fare. In the Grimms’ hands, cruel mothers became nasty stepmothers, unmarried lovers were made chaste, and the incestuous father was recast as the devil.

5. In the 20th century the Grimms’ fairy tales have come to rule the bookshelves of children’s bedrooms. The stories read like dreams come true: handsome lads and beautiful damsels, armed with magic, triumph over giants and witches and wild beasts. They outwit mean, selfish adults. Inevitably the boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after. And parents keep reading because they approve of the finger-wagging lessons inserted into the stories: keep your promises, don’t talk to strangers, work hard, obey your parents. According to the Grimms, the collection served as “a manual of manners”.

6. Altogether some 40 persons delivered tales to the Grimms. Many of the storytellers came to the Grimms’ house in Kassel. The brothers particularly welcomed the visits of Dorothea Viehmann, a widow who walked to town to sell produce from her garden. An innkeeper's daughter, Viehmann had grown up listening to stories from travellers on the road to Frankfurt.

Among her treasures was “Aschenputtel” -Cinderella. Marie Hassenpflug was a 20-year-old friend of their sister, Charlotte, from a well-bred, French-speaking family. Marie’s wonderful stories blended motifs from the oral tradition and from Perrault’s influential 1697 book, Tales of My Mother Goose, which contained elaborate versions of “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Snow White”, and “Sleeping Beauty”, among others. Many of these had been adapted from earlier Italian tales.

7. Given that the origins of many of the Grimm fairy tales reach throughout Europe and into the Middle East and Orient, the question must be asked: How German are the Grimm tales? Very, says scholar Heinz Rolleke. Love of the underdog, rustic simplicity, creative energy—these are Teutonic traits. The coarse texture of life during medieval times in Germany, when many of the tales entered the oral tradition, also coloured the narratives. Throughout Europe children were often neglected and abandoned, like Hansel and Gretel. Accused witches were burned at the stake, like the evil mother-in-law in “The Six Swans”. “The cruelty in the stories was not Grimm's fantasy”, Rolleke points out” It reflected the law-and-order system of the old times”.
8. The editorial fingerprints left by the Grimms betray the specific values of 19th-century Christian, bourgeois German society. But that has not stopped the tales from being embraced by almost every culture and nationality in the world. What accounts for this widespread, enduring popularity? Bernhard Lauer points to the “universal style” of the writing, you have no concrete descriptions of the land, or the clothes, or the forest, or the castles. It makes the stories timeless and placeless,” The tales allow us to express ‘our utopian longings’,” says Jack Zipes of the University of Minnesota, whose 1987 translation of the complete fairy tales captures the rustic vigour of the original text. They show a striving for happiness that none of us knows but that we sense is possible. We can identify with the heroes of the tales and become in our mind the masters and mistresses of our own destinies.”
9. Fairy tales provide a workout for the unconscious, psychoanalysts maintain. Bruno Bettelheim famously promoted the therapeutic of the Grimms’ stories, calling fairy tales the “great comforters. By confronting fears and phobias, symbolized by witches, heartless stepmothers, and hungry wolves, children find they can master their anxieties. Bettelheim’s theory continues to be hotly debated. But most young readers aren’t interested in exercising their unconsciousness. The Grimm tales in fact please in an infinite number of ways, something about them seems to mirror whatever moods or interests we bring to our reading of them. The flexibility of interpretation suits them for almost any time and any culture.

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Section 2

Questions 27-32

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet, write

YES              if the statement is true
NO                if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

27. The Grimm brothers believed they would achieve international fame.
28. The Grimm brothers were forced to work in secret.
29. Some parents today still think Grimmfairy tales are not suitable for children.
30. The first edition of Grimm’s fairy tales sold more widely in England than in Germany.
31. Adults like reading Grimm’s fairy tales for reasons different from those of children.
32. The Grimm brothers based the story “Cinderella” on the life of Dorothea Viehmann

(Guide: Candidates need to identify if the following statements are true or false or not given)

27. The Grimm brothers believed that they would achieve international fame.

Answer: NO

Supporting sentence: Such lasting fame would have shocked the humble Grimms.

Keywords: lasting fame, would have shocked.

Keyword location: Second paragraph first line.

Explanation: The given statement says that they were confident, while on the other hand, the information from the passage shows that they would have been shocked by their worldwide fame. This indicates that the statement is incorrect.

28. The Grimm brothers were forced to work in secret.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The passage tells us that they worked when Napoleon was invading Germany. However, it is nowhere said that they had to work in secret.

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29. Some parents today still think today that Grimm fairy tales are not suitable for children.

Answer: YES

Supporting sentence: Even today, some protective parents shy from the Grimm's tales because of their reputation for violence.

Keywords: protective parents shy from.

Keyword location: Second paragraph, third line, and fifth line.

Explanation: As they were not aimed at children, parents still hold on to that idea.

30. The first edition of Grimm's fairy tales was sold more widely in England than Germany.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Supporting sentence: During their lifetimes the collection sold modestly in Germany, at first only a few hundred copies a year.

Keywords: sold modestly in Germany.

Keyword location: Second paragraph, first line.

Explanation: The author only mentions that the books had medium sales in Germany and didn't talk about sales in England, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.

31. Adults like reading Grimm's fairy tales for reasons different from those of children.

Answer: YES

Supporting sentence: And parents keep reading because they approve of the finger-wagging lessons inserted into the stories: keep your promises, don't talk to strangers, work hard, obey your parents.

Keywords: Parents keep reading, finger-wagging lessons.

Keyword location: Fifth paragraph, fourth line.

Explanation: The passage tells us that parents who are also adults keep reading the books because of moral lessons typically taught to children. In other words, adults have a different motive than children to read. So, the answer is YES.

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32. The Grimm brothers based the story "Cinderella" on the life of Dorothea Viehmann.

Answer: NO

Supporting sentence: An innkeeper's daughter, Viehmann, had grown up listening to stories from travelers on the road to Frankfurt. Among her treasures was "Aschenputtel" -Cinderella.

Keywords: listening to stories.

Keyword location: Sixth paragraph third line.

Explanation: The given statement contradicts the information from the passage, which says that Viehmann had grown up listening to the stories. So, the answer is NO.

Read More IELTS Reading Samples

Question 33-35

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

Write your answers in boxes 33-35 on your answer sheet.

33. In paragraph 4, what changes happened at that time in Europe?

1. Literacy levels of the population increased.
2. The development of printing technology made it easier to publish.
3. Schools were open to children.
4. People were fond of collecting superb picture books.

34. What changes did the Grimm Brothers make in later editions?

1. They made the stories shorter.
2. They used more oral language.
3. The content of the tales became less violent.
4. They found other origins of the tales.

35. What did Marie Hassenpflug contribute to the Grimm’s Fairy tales?

1. She wrote stories.
2. She discussed the stories with them.
3. She translated a popular book for the brothers using her talent for languages.
4. She told the oral stories that were based on traditional Italian stories.

(Guide: Candidates need to select the correct answer from the answer choices for every question)

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33. In paragraph 4, what changes happened in that time of Europe?

Answer: A

Supporting sentence: all to satisfy a newly literate audience seeking virtuous material for the nursery.

Keywords: a newly literate audience.

Keyword location: Fourth paragraph, fifth line.

Explanation: The line talks about the growing demand from the literate audience, which is new. Therefore, it is understandable that literacy levels were increasing in Europe.

34. What change did the Grimm Brothers make in later editions?

Answer: C

Supporting sentence: Once the Brothers Grimm sighted this new public, they set about refining and softening their tales, which had originated centuries earlier as earthy peasant fare.

Keywords: refining, softening.

Keyword location: Fourth paragraph sixth line.

Explanation: The publishers softened the storylines and made them more acceptable to the general public.

35. What did Marie Hassenpflug contribute to the Grimm's fairy tales?

Answer: D

Supporting sentence: Marie's wonderful stories blended motifs from the oral tradition

Keywords: oral tradition, blended motifs.

Keyword location: Sixth para, sixth line.

Explanation: The statement says that Marie created excellent storylines by taking together specific orally said stories.

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Question 36 – 40

Summary

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using no more than two words from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.

36. Heinz rolleke said the Grimm’s tales are “German”because the tales
37. Heinz Rolleke said the abandoned children in tales
38. Bernhard Lauer said the writing style of the Grimm brothers is universal because they
39. Jack Zipes said the pursuit of happiness in the tales means they
40. Bruno Bettelheim said the therapeutic value of the tales means that the fairy tales

1. reflect what life was like at that time
2. help children deal with their problems
3. demonstrate the outdated system
4. tell of the simplicity of life in the German countryside
5. encourage people to believe that they can do anything
6. recognize the heroes in the real life
7. contribute to the belief in nature power
8. avoid details about characters’ social settings.

(Guide: Candidates need to match the statements with the questions)

36. Heinz Rolleke said the Grimm's tales are "German" because the tales

Answer: D

Supporting sentence: Love of the underdog, rustic simplicity, creative energy—these are Teutonic traits. The coarse texture of life during medieval times in Germany, when many of the tales entered the oral tradition, also colored the narratives.

Keywords: Coarse texture of life, medieval times in Germany, rustic simplicity.

Keyword location: Seventh paragraph, third line.

Explanation: The passage explains how there is a showcase of rustic (rural or raw) simple life in the stories, reminiscent of the medieval times (when cities were not there, thus rural) Germany.

37. Heinz Rolleke said the abandoned children in tales.

Answer: A

Supporting sentence: Throughout Europe, children were often neglected and abandoned, like Hansel and Gretel.

Keywords: Neglected, abandoned, children.

Keyword location: Seventh paragraph, fifth line.

Explanation: The author here talks about the neglected children throughout Europe, similar to Hansel and Gretel from the tales.

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38. Bernard Lauer said the writing style of the Grimm brothers is universal because they

Answer: H

Supporting sentence: Bernhard Lauer points to the "universal style" of the writing, you have no concrete descriptions of the land, or the clothes, or the forest, or the castles. It makes the stories timeless and placeless.

Keywords: the universal style of writing, no concrete descriptions of the land, timeless and spaceless.

Keyword location: Eighth paragraph, fourth line.

Explanation: Bernhard Lauer said that the stories were timeless and spaceless as no description of the society and the geography is given. Thus, it makes the stories relatable to readers from everywhere, making them universal.

39. Jack Zipes said the pursuit of happiness in the tales means they

Answer: E

Supporting sentence: They show a striving for happiness that none of us knows but that we sense is possible. We can identify with the heroes of the tales and become in our mind the masters and mistresses of our own destinies.

Keywords: own destinies, striving for happiness, possible

Keyword location: Eighth paragraph, eighth line.

Explanation: The stories show striving for possible happiness and being the masters of our destinies. In other words, it means that the stories encourage people not to believe in luck instead steer their ship and achieve goals.

40. Bruno Bettelheim said the therapeutic value of the tales means that the fairy tales

Answer: B

Supporting sentence: Bruno Bettelheim famously promoted the therapeutic of the Grimm's stories, calling fairy tales the "great comforters. By confronting fears and phobias, symbolized by witches, heartless stepmothers, and hungry wolves, children find they can master their anxieties.

Keywords: Therapeutic, comforters, confronting fears and phobias, children, master their anxieties.

Keyword location: Ninth paragraph first line.

Explanation: Bruno Bettelheim remarks that because of the calming effect of tales, the messages shared with children ultimately help them overcome fear and phobias by having unpleasant characters in the stories.