The Birth Of Scientific English - IELTS Reading Sample with Explanation
IELTS Reading Section tests the prowess of the candidate to make sense of and interpret information over four passages and 40 questions. The candidates will be given wide-ranging styles of IELTS questions that they’ll have to answer after carefully reading the given materials. It is prescribed for them to read the instructions thoroughly before they move on to answering. The following IELTS reading test on The Birth Of Scientific English consists of two types of questions.
- Fill in the blanks
- True/False/Not Given
- No more than two words
There is a variety of reading questions asked in the IELTS reading exam. So you should be well-versed with the following type at least to boost your score.
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Section 1
Read the passage below to answer the following questions
The Birth Of Scientific English IELTS Reading Sample
World science is dominated today by a small number of languages, including Japanese, German and French, but it is English which is probably the most popular global language of science. This is not just because of the importance of English- speaking countries such as the USA in scientific research; the scientists of many non-English-speaking countries find that they need to write their research papers in English to reach a wide international audience. Given the prominence of scientific English today, it may seem surprising that no one really knew how to write science in English before the 17th century. Before that, Latin was regarded as the lingua franca1 for European intellectuals.
The European Renaissance (c. 14th-16th century) is sometimes called the 'revival of learning', a time of renewed interest in the 'lost knowledge' of classical times. At the same time, however, scholars also began to test and extend this knowledge. The emergent nation states of Europe developed competitive interests in world exploration and the development of trade. Such expansion, which was to take the English language west to America and east to India, was supported by scientific developments such as the discovery of magnetism (and hence the invention of the compass), improvements in cartography and - perhaps the most important scientific revolution of them all - the new theories of astronomy and the movement of the Earth in relation to the planets and stars, developed by Copernicus (1473-1543).
England was one of the first countries where scientists adopted and publicised Copernican ideas with enthusiasm. Some of these scholars, including two with interests in language - John Wallis and John Wilkins - helped found the Royal Society in 1660 in order to promote empirical scientific research.
Across Europe similar academies and societies arose, creating new national traditions of science. In the initial stages of the scientific revolution, most publications in the national languages were popular works, encyclopaedias, educational textbooks and translations. Original science was not done in English until the second half of the 17th century. For example, Newton published his mathematical treatise, known as the Principia, in Latin, but published his later work on the properties of light - Opticks - in English.
There were several reasons why original science continued to be written in Latin.
The first was simply a matter of audience. Latin was suitable for an international audience of scholars, whereas English reached a socially wider, but more local audience. Hence, popular science was written in English.
A second reason for writing in Latin' may, perversely, have been a concern for secrecy. Open publication had dangers in putting into the public domain preliminary ideas which had not yet been fully exploited by their 'author'. This growing concern about intellectual property rights was a feature of the period - it reflected both the humanist notion of the individual, rational scientist who invents and discovers through private intellectual labour, and the growing connection between original science and commercial exploitation. There was something of a social distinction between 'scholars and gentlemen' who understood Latin, and men of trade who lacked a classical education. And in the mid-17fh century it was common practice for mathematicians to keep their discoveries and proofs secret, by writing them in cipher, in obscure languages, or in private messages deposited in a sealed box with the Royal Society. Some scientists might have felt more comfortable with Latin precisely because its audience, though international, was socially restricted.
Doctors clung the most keenly to Latin as an 'insider language'.
A third reason why the writing of original science in English was delayed may have been to do with the linguistic inadequacy of English in the early modern period.
English was not well equipped to deal with scientific argument. First, it lacked the necessary technical vocabulary. Second, it lacked the grammatical resources required to represent the world in an objective and impersonal way, and to discuss the relations, such as cause and effect, that might hold between complex and hypothetical entities.
Fortunately, several members of the Royal Society possessed an interest in language and became engaged in various linguistic projects. Although a proposal in 1664 to establish a committee for improving the English language came to little, the society's members did a great deal to foster the publication of science in English and to encourage the development of a suitable writing style. Many members of the Royal Society also published monographs in English. One of the first was by Robert Hooke, the society's first curator of experiments, who described his experiments with microscopes in Micrographia (1665). This work is largely narrative in style, based on a transcript of oral demonstrations and lectures.
In 1665 a new scientific journal. Philosophical Transactions, was inaugurated. Perhaps the first international English-language scientific journal, it encouraged a new genre of scientific writing, that of short, focused accounts of particular experiments.
The 17th century was thus a formative period in the establishment of scientific English. In the following century much of this momentum was lost as German established itself as the leading European language of science. It is estimated that by the end of the 18th century 401 German scientific journals had been established as opposed to 96 in France and 50 in England. However, in the 19th century scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth as the industrial revolution created the need for new technical vocabulary, and new, specialised, professional societies were instituted to promote and publish in the new disciplines.
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Section 2
Solution with Explanations
Questions 1-7
Complete the summary.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
In Europe, modem science emerged at the same time as the nation-state. At first, the scientific language of choice remained____1___. It allowed scientists to communicate with other socially privileged thinkers while protecting their work from unwanted exploitation. Sometimes the desire to protect ideas seems to have been stronger than the desire to communicate them, particularly in the case of mathematicians and ____2____.
In Britain, moreover, scientists worried that English had neither the ____3____ nor the ____4___ to express their ideas. This situation only changed after 1660 when scientists associated with the ___5___ set about developing English. An early scientific journal fostered a new kind of writing based on short descriptions of specific experiments. Although English was then overtaken by ____6 ____ it developed again in the 19th century as a direct result of the ____7____.
- Answer: Latin
Supporting Statement: Given the prominence of scientific English today, it may seem surprising that no one really knew how to write science in English before the 17th century. Before that, Latin was regarded as the lingua franca for European intellectuals.
Keywords: Latin, lingua franca, European intellectuals
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: In light of the popularity of scientific English today, it may come as a surprise that no one in the 17th century knew how to write science in English. Until then, Latin served as the lingua franca1 for European intellectuals.
- Answer: doctors
Supporting Statement: And in the mid-17fh century, it was common practice for mathematicians to keep their discoveries and proofs secret, by writing them in cipher, in obscure languages, or in private messages deposited in a sealed box with the Royal Society. Some scientists might have felt more comfortable with Latin precisely because its audience, though international, was socially restricted. Doctors clung the most keenly to Latin as an 'insider language.
Keywords: Doctors, 'insider language'
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: By using ciphers, obscure languages, or putting them in a sealed box at the Royal Society, mathematicians keep their discoveries and proofs secret. Even though Latin's audience was international, some scientists might have felt more comfortable communicating in Latin. Latin was the most popular language among doctors as it was an 'insider language.'
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Read More IELTS Reading Related Articles
- Answer: technical vocabulary
Supporting Statement: English was not well equipped to deal with the scientific argument. First, it lacked the necessary technical vocabulary.
Keywords: English, scientific argument, technical vocabulary, grammatical resources
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: English was not equipped to handle scientific arguments. To begin with, it lacked technical vocabulary.
- Answer: grammatical resources
Supporting Statement: Second, it lacked the grammatical resources required to represent the world in an objective and impersonal way, and to discuss the relations, such as cause and effect, that might hold between complex and hypothetical entities.
Keywords: grammatical resources, objective, impersonal way, hypothetical entities.
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: English lacked the grammatical resources required to demonstrate the world in an objective and impersonal manner, as well as to describe cause-and-effect relationships between complex and hypothetical entities.
- Answer: Royal Society
Supporting Statement: Fortunately, several members of the Royal Society possessed an interest in language and became engaged in various linguistic projects. Although a proposal in 1664 to establish a committee for improving the English language came to little, the society's members did a great deal to foster the publication of science in English and to encourage the development of a suitable writing style.
Keywords: Royal Society, 1664, publication of science in English, writing style
Keyword Location: Paragraph C
Explanation: Several members of the Royal Society became involved in linguistic projects as a result of their interest in language. Despite a failed attempt in 1664 to establish a committee for improving the English language, the society's members did a great deal to encourage the publication of science in English and to encourage the development of a professional writing style.
- Answer: German
Supporting Statement: The 17th century was thus a formative period in the establishment of scientific English. In the following century, much of this momentum was lost as German established itself as the leading European language of science.
Keywords: Scientific English, momentum, German, European language
Keyword Location: Paragraph I
Explanation: Scientific English flourished during the 17th century. In the very next century, German became the dominant language of science in Europe, and much of this momentum was lost.
- Answer: industrial revolution
Supporting Statement: However, in the 19th century scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth as the industrial revolution created the need for new technical vocabulary, and new, specialized, professional societies were instituted to promote and publish in the new disciplines.
Keywords: 19th century, scientific English, lexical growth, the industrial revolution
Keyword Location: Paragraph I
Explanation: During the 19th century, scientific English experienced substantial lexical growth as the industrial revolution spurred the creation of new technical vocabulary, and new, specialized, professional associations were formed to promote and publish in the new disciplines.
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Questions 8-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 8-10 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
- There was strong competition between scientists in Renaissance Europe.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
- The most important scientific development of the Renaissance period was the discovery of magnetism.
Answer: FALSE
Supporting Statement: - perhaps the most important scientific revolution of them all - the new theories of astronomy and the movement of the Earth in relation to the planets and stars, developed by Copernicus
Keywords: theories of astronomy, movement of the Earth, planets, stars, Copernicus
Keyword Location: Paragraph B
Explanation: Copernicus' new theories of astronomy and the motion of the Earth with respect to the planets and stars may be the most important scientific revolution of all time
- In 17th-century Britain, leading thinkers combined their interest in science with an interest in how to express ideas.
Answer: TRUE
Supporting Statement: Some of these scholars, including two with interests in language - John Wallis and John Wilkins - helped found the Royal Society in 1660 in order to promote empirical scientific research.
Keywords: scholars, interests in language, scientific research
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Explanation: Among these scholars, two were interested in language research: John Wallis and John Wilkins, who helped found the Royal Society in 1660 to promote scientific research.
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Questions 11-13
Complete the table.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.
| Science wrote in the first half of the 17th century | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language used | Latin | English |
| Type of science | Original | 11. |
| Examples | 12. | Encyclopedias |
| Target audience | International scholars | 13., but socially wider |
- Answer: popular
Supporting Statement: World science is dominated today by a small number of languages, including Japanese, German and French, but it is English which is probably the most popular global language of science.
Keywords: Japanese, German, French, English, popular, global language
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: The languages of the world's scientific community are dominated today by a few, such as Japanese, German, and French, but English is probably the most popular one.
- Answer: Principia / the Principia / Newton's Principia / mathematical treatise
Supporting Statement: Newton published his mathematical treatise, known as the Principia, in Latin, but published his later work on the properties of light - Opticks - in English.
Keywords: Newton, Principia
Keyword Location: Paragraph D
Explanation: Despite publishing his mathematical treatise, known as the Principia, in Latin, Newton published his work on the properties of light - Optics - in English.
- Answer: local / more local/local audience
Supporting Statement: Latin was suitable for an international audience of scholars, whereas English reached a socially wider, but more local audience.
Keywords: Latin, international audience, English, local audience
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: Latin appealed to a global audience of scholars, whereas English appealed to a broader, but more local public.
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