Sigiriya Reading Answers

Sep 30, 2025

Sigiriya Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Sigiriya Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set given, candidates have to choose the correct heading for the given sections from the list of headings below.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

Sigiriya

A.Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site.

B.The name of this place is derived from this structure, Sinhägiri, the Lion Rock (an etymology similar to Sinhapura, the Sanskrit name of Singapore, the Lion City). The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. It is one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning. In 1831 Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Highlanders of the British Army, while returning on horseback from a trip to Pollonnuruwa, encountered the "bush covered summit of Sigiriya" for the first time.

C.Sigiriya came to the attention of antiquarians and, later, archaeologists. Archaeological work at Sigiriya began on a small scale in the 1890s. H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research on Sigiriya. The Cultural Triangle Project, launched by the Government of Sri Lanka, focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982. Archaeological work

began on the entire city for the first time under this project.

D.There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head collapsed years ago. Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces cling to the slopes below the rock. The moats, walls and gardens of the palace extended for a few hundred metres from the base of the rock. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace at the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock.

E.Sigiriya is considered to be one of the most important urban development sites of the first millennium, and the site proposal is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The proposal combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of the surroundings. On the west side of the rock lies a park for the royals, laid out on a symmetrical design; the park contains water-retaining structures, including sophisticated surface/subsurface hydraulic systems, some of which are working today. The south contains a man-made reservoir; these were extensively used from the previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the royals.

F.On 14 October 1967, an incident of vandalism took place where paint was splashed on the frescoes. Luciano Maranzi, an expert trained at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome, assisted the restoration, which took until II April 1968. It was considered the most challenging effort undertaken by the Chemical Preservation Division of the Department of Archaeology. There is continued concern that the original colours of the frescoes are fading, with a report presented in 2010 suggesting that the 22 frescoes have been fading since 1930.

Questions 15-20

Choose the correct heading for the given sections from the list of headings below.

LIST OF HEADINGS

i. Skull of an animal statue broken.

ii. Archaeological evidence about the culture of Sigiriya.

iii. The water structures used in Sigiriya were better than those used in western world.

iv. Challenging refurbishment after destruction to the shades of murals.

v. Intricate and contemporary planning of the fort premises.

vi. Commencement of archaeological investigation on Sigiriya.

vii. First encounter with the magnificent Sigiriya.

viii. A fortress resembling a Lion.

ix. Once King's abode, then becoming a place of adoration.

15. Paragraph A

Answer: VIII

Supporting statement: The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion.

Keywords: massive column of rock, gateway, an enormous lion

Keyword Location: Para A, Lines 2 - 7

Explanation: The paragraph introduces Sigiriya as a huge rock dominated by a column of rock and mentions the gateway built in the form of an "enormous lion," which is the central identifying feature described.

16. Paragraph B

Answer: IX

Supporting statement: The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

Keywords: capital and the royal palace, abandoned, Buddhist monastery

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 2-3

Explanation: The paragraph explicitly states that after the king's death, the royal palace (the king's abode) was abandoned and then used as a Buddhist monastery (a place of adoration).

17. Paragraph C

Answer: VI

Supporting statement: Archaeological work at Sigiriya began on a small scale in the 1890s. H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research on Sigiriya.

Keywords: Archaeological work, extensive research

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 1-3

Explanation: This paragraph details when the archaeological investigations started ("began on a small scale in the 1890s") and identifies the first person to do "extensive research."

18. Paragraph D

Answer: I

Supporting statement: There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head collapsed years ago.

Keywords: sculpted lion's head, head collapsed years ago

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph immediately mentions the collapse of the lion's head, which was part of a structure resembling an animal statue, specifically a lion, at the entrance.

19. Paragraph E

Answer: V

Supporting statement: Sigiriya is considered to be one of the most important urban development sites of the first millennium, and the site proposal is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The proposal combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of the surroundings.

Keywords: urban development sites, elaborate and imaginative, symmetry and asymmetry

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 1-4

Explanation: The paragraph focuses on the sophisticated, detailed, and imaginative planning of the site, including the park's symmetrical design and advanced hydraulic systems.

20. Paragraph F

Answer: IV

Supporting statement: On 14 October 1967, an incident of vandalism took place where paint was splashed on the frescoes. Luciano Maranzi... assisted the restoration, which took until II April 1968... There is continued concern that the original colours of the frescoes are fading...

Keywords: vandalism took place, paint was splashed on the frescoes, restoration

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 1-6

Explanation: The paragraph discusses the vandalism/destruction of the frescoes (murals) and the challenging, time-consuming restoration/refurbishment effort to deal with the damage and the subsequent fading of the colors (shades).

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