Tattoo On Tikopia Reading Answers

Jan 4, 2023

Tattoo On Tikopia Reading Answers contains sample answers about polynesian culture and its origin. Tattoo on Tikopia Reading Answers comprising 14 different questions. IELTS Tattoo on Tikopia Reading Answers contains three types of questions: write true/false/not given, label the diagram and complete the notes. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage to answer whether the stated information is true, false or not given based on their understanding of the passage. Candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage to label the diagram correctly. Candidates are required to complete the notes using no more than two words from the passage for each answer. Candidates gain proficiency on diverse topics by undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers.

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Tattoo On Tikopia Reading Answers

There are still debates about the origins of Polynesian culture, but one thing we can ensure is that Polynesia is not a single tribe but a complex one. Polynesians which include Marquesans, Samoans, Niueans, Tongans, Cook Islanders, Hawaiians, Tahitians, and Maori, are genetically linked to indigenous peoples of parts of Southeast Asia. It’s a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean, within a triangle that has New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island as its corners.
Polynesian history has fascinated the western world since Pacific cultures were first contacted by European explorers in the late 18th century. The small island of Tikopia, for many people – even for many Solomon Islanders – is so far away that it seems like a mythical land; a place like Narnia, that magical land in C. S. Lewis's classic, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia.’ Maybe because of it – Tikopia, its people, and their cultures have long fascinated scholars, travellers, and casual observers. Like the pioneers' Peter Dillion, Dumont D’Urville and John Coleridge Patterson who visit and write about the island in the 1800s, Raymond Firth is one of those people captured by the alluring attraction of Tikopia. As a result, he had made a number of trips to the island since the 1920s and recorded his experiences, observations, and reflections on Tikopia, its people, cultures and the changes that have occurred.
While engaged in the study of the kinship and religious life of the people of Tikopia, Firth made a few observations on their tattooing. Brief though these notes are, they may be worth putting on record as an indication of the sociological setting of the practice in this primitive Polynesian community. The origin of the English word 'tattoo’ actually comes from the Tikopia word ‘tatau’. The word for tattoo marks, in general, is tau, and the operation of tattooing is known as ta tau, ta being the generic term for the act of striking.
The technique of tattooing was similar through Polynesia. Traditional tattoo artists create their indelible tattoos using pigment made from the candlenut or kukui nut. First, they burn the nut inside a bowl made of half a coconut shell. They then scrape out the soot and use a pestle to mix it with liquid. Bluing is sometimes added to counteract the reddish hue of the carbon-based pigment. It also makes the outline of the inscribed designs bolder on the dark skin of tattooing subjects.
For the instruments used when tattooing, specialists used a range of chisels made from albatross wing bone which were hafted onto a handle which was made from the heartwood of the bush and struck with a mallet. The tattooer began by sketching with charcoal a design on the supine subject, whose skin at that location was stretched taut by one or more apprentices. The tattooer then dipped the appropriate points – either a single one or a whole comb – into the ink (usually contained in a coconut-shell cup) and tapped it into the subject’s skin, holding the blade handle in one hand and tapping it with the other. The blood that usually trickled from the punctures was wiped away either by the tattooer or his apprentice, the latter having also inevitably painful – a test of fortitude that tattooers sought to shorten by working as fast as possible. In fact, tattoos nearly always festered and often led to sickness – and in some cases death.
In ancient Polynesian society, nearly everyone was tattooed. It was an integral part of ancient culture and was much more than a body ornament. Tattooing indicated ones' genealogy and/or rank in society. It was a sign of wealth, of strength and of the ability to endure pain. Those who went without them were seen as persons of lower social status. As such, chiefs and warriors generally had the most elaborate tattoos. Tattooing was generally begun at adolescence, and would often not be completed for a number of years. Receiving tattoos constituted an important milestone between childhood and adulthood, and was accompanied by many rites and rituals. Apart from signalling status and rank, another reason for the practice in traditional times was to make a person more attractive to the opposite sex.
The male facial tattoo is generally divided into eight sections of the face. The centre of the forehead designated a person’s general rank. The area around the brows designated his position. The area around the eyes and the nose designated his hapu, or sub-tribe rank. The area around the temples served to detail his signature. This signature was once memorised by tribal chief's who used it when buying property, signing deeds, and officiating orders. The cheek area designated the nature of the person’s work. The chin area showed the person’s mana. Lastly, the jaw area designated a person’s birth status.
A person’s ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. The left side is generally the father’s side, and the right side is the mother’s. The manutahi design is worked on the men’s back. It consists of two vertical lines drawn down the spine, with short vertical lines between them. When a man had the manutahi on his back, he took pride in himself. At gatherings of the people he could stand forth in their midst and display his tattoo designs with songs. And rows of triangles designed on the men’s chest indicate his bravery.
Tattoo was a way of delivering information about its owner. It’s also a traditional method to fetch spiritual power, protection and strength. The Polynesians use this as a sign of character, position and levels in a hierarchy. Polynesian people believe that a person’s mana, their spiritual power or life force, is displayed through their tattoo.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1 – 4

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the view of the writer
FALSE if the statement contradicts the view of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Scientists like to do research in Tikopia because this tiny place is of great remoteness.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: The small island of Tikopia, for many people – even for many Solomon Islanders – is so far away
Keyword: Tikopia, people, islanders, far away
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 3
Explanation: The small island of Tikopia is well-liked by everyone, as seen in paragraph B, because of its cultures and inhabitants. In the same line, it is mentioned that Tikopia island was visited and written about in the 1800s by pioneers. Such as Peter Dillion, Dumont D'Urville, and John Coleridge Patterson. It is mentioned in the text that the little island of Tikopia appears to be a legendary place because of how far away it is. Thus, the answer is true.

Firth was the first scholar to study Tikopia.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: ' Peter Dillion, Dumont D’Urville and John Coleridge Patterson who visit and write about the island in the 1800s
Keyword: visit, write, island, 1800
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 6
Explanation: According to the passage, the island was visited by and was the subject of writings by John Coleridge Patterson, Dumont D'Urville, and Peter Dillion in the 1800s. However, Raymond Firth visited the island quite frequently starting in the 1920s. Hence, the given statement is false.

Firth studied the culture differences on Tikopia as well as on some other islands of the Pacific.

Answer: Not given
Explanation: The passage does not provide any information that is relevant to the question.

The English word ‘tattoo’ evolved from the local language of the island.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: The origin of the English word 'tattoo’ actually comes from the Tikopia word ‘tatau’.
Keyword: english, tattoo, Tikopia
Keyword Location: paragraph C, line 4
Explanation: According to paragraph C, the Tikopian word "tatau" is where the word "tattoo" in English genuinely derives from. In general, the word "tau" refers to tattoo marks. Ta tau, a general term for the act of striking, is also used to refer to the tattooing procedure. Hence, the answer is true.

Questions 5 – 9
Label the diagram below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from Reading Passage 1 for each answer.

Write your answers on boxes 5-9 in your answer sheet.

Question 1:

Answer: coconut shell
Supporting Sentence: First, they burn the nut inside a bowl made of half a coconut shell
Keyword: burn, nut, inside, bowl
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 3
Explanation: The process of getting a tattoo is explained in paragraph D. First, they fire the nut within a basin formed from a half-coconut shell, according to the passage. It is a bowl made out of a coconut shell, as seen in the picture. Hence, the answer is coconut shell.

Question 2:

Answer: soot
Supporting Sentence: They then scrape out the soot and use a pestle to mix it with liquid.
Keyword: scrape, pestle, mix, liquid
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 3
Explanation: After burning the nut inside a bowl formed of a half-coconut shell, it is stated in the third sentence of paragraph D. After that, they remove the soot and combine it with liquid using a pestle. The soot is obviously scraped out and mixed with liquid using a pestle. Therefore, soot is the correct answer.

Question 3:

Answer: liquid
Supporting Sentence: They then scrape out the soot and use a pestle to mix it with liquid.
Keyword: scrape, soot, pestle, mix
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 4
Explanation: The fourth sentence of paragraph D explains that after burning the nut within a bowl constructed of the shell of a half-coconut. They remove the soot with a scraper and combine it with fluids using a pestle. These lines suggest that the soot is scraped off and mixed with the liquid using a pestle. The answer is therefore liquid.

Question 4:

Answer: heartwood
Supporting Sentence: hafted onto a handle which was made from the heartwood of the bush and struck with a mallet.
Keyword: hafted, bush, struck, mallet
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 2
Explanation: Experts employed a variety of chisels manufactured from albatross wing bone, according to paragraph E. These were baked onto a handle made of bush heartwood, which was then pounded with a mallet. These lines imply that the experts employed a variety of chisels crafted from albatross wing bones. These were made from the little trees' heartwood. Heartwood is the answer, therefore.

Question 5:

Answer: wingbone
Supporting Sentence: For the instruments used when tattooing, specialists used a range of chisels made from albatross wing bone
Keyword: instruments, tattooing, specialists, chisels
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 1
Explanation: A variety of chisels produced from albatross wing bone were employed by experts, as is shown in the first few lines of paragraph E. A mallet was used to strike them after they had been hafted onto a handle crafted from a bush's heartwood. According to these lines, the albatross, a seabird, wing bone was used to make the range of chisels. Therefore, wing bone is the correct answer.

Questions 10 – 14

Complete the notes below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers on boxes 10-14 in your answer sheet.

Location On The Body: Significance

10 ______ of male face: general tank
11 ______ of male face: prestige

Female’s right side of the face: 12 ______

Location on the body: Significance : Geometric patterns

male back : sense of pride : 13 ______
male chest : bravery : 14 ______

Question 6:

Answer: forehead
Supporting Sentence: The centre of the forehead designated a person’s general rank
Keyword: centre, designated, general rank
Keyword Location: paragraph G, line 2
Explanation: The first few sentences of paragraph G make it clear that there are typically eight facial areas for male facial tattoos. Additionally, a person's general rank was indicated by the centre of the forehead. Therefore, the male forehead has significance for general rank. Thus, forehead is the correct answer.

Question 7:

Answer: chin
Supporting Sentence: The chin area showed the person’s mana
Keyword: area, person, mana
Keyword Location: paragraph G, last line
Explanation: The chin region of paragraph G's seventh sentence reveals that the subject's mana was visible there. Mana denotes moral power and prestige in this context. So, the answer is chin.

Question 8:

Answer: mother’s ancestry
Supporting Sentence: The left side is generally the father’s side, and the right side is the mother’s.
Keyword: left side, right side
Keyword Location: paragraph H, line 2
Explanation: The beginning lines of paragraph H indicates that a person's ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. Typically, the mother's side is on the right, while the father's side is on the left. As a result, the mother's ancestry is visible on the female's right side of the face. So, mother's ancestry is the correct answer.

Question 9:

Answer: vertical lines
Supporting Sentence: It consists of two vertical lines drawn down the spine, with short vertical lines between them.
Keyword: vertical, spine, short vertical
Keyword Location: paragraph H, line 3
Explanation: The manutahi design, which is done on men's backs, is described in paragraph H. It consists of two vertical lines drawn down the spine with brief vertical lines between them. A man feels proud of himself while he is wearing the manutahi. These lines show that a man who has a manutahi design on his back views it as a source of pride. Similar to vertical lines is the geometric design. Thus, vertical lines are the answer.

Question 10:

Answer: triangle
Supporting Sentence: And rows of triangles designed on the men’s chest indicate his bravery.
Keyword: rows, designed, men’s chest, bravery
Keyword Location: paragraph H, line 3
Explanation: We can infer from the last line of paragraph H that the man's chest was sculpted with rows of triangles to symbolise his bravery. A man's courage is thus symbolised with a triangle pattern on his chest. Triangle is the answer, thus.

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