The Birth of the Child Detective Reading Answers

Jun 13, 2024

The Birth of the Child Detective Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. The Birth of the Child Detective Reading Answers have a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions you have to choose which section mentions the correct information from the passage by selecting True, False and not Given.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as The birth of the child detective Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Text Below and Answer Questions

The Birth of the Child Detective

Emil and the Detectives, by Erich Kastner, was an instant hit when it was published in 1928. Just three years later it was adapted into a film and the book and its sequel, Emili and the Three Twins, have since been translated and adapted many times. But the book is not simply notable for its success; it also brought a great deal of innovation to the world of children's literature.

The hero of the book, Emil Tischbein, is a boy who is set a task: to take some money by train to his grandmother, who lives in the big city, Berlin. Money is a big deal as he is being brought up by a single mother. We hear that his father was a plumber but died, and his mother has to work as a hairdresser.

With a touch of realism that is the flavor of the book as a whole, we learn that, 'Sometimes she is ill, and then Emil fries eggs for her and for himself'. So, Emil is anxious about the money in his pocket on the train. He is also anxious about a crime he has committed: together with his friends, he has drawn a moustache on the face of the town statue of the Grand Duke Charles.

On the way to Berlin, Emil sits in a carriage with an odd gentleman, Herr Grundeis, and though he tries to avoid it happening, Emil falls asleep. When he wakes up, his money has gone and so has Herr Grundeis. This occurs not long after a quarter of the way through the book, so for the rest of the story we live with Emil's swirling emotions, his meetings with a group of boys in Berlin, and the eventual capture of Grundeis.

The reason why Emil doesn't involve the police is because he fears exposure as the criminal~ who dabbed the Grand Duke's statue. The word 'detectives' is in the title, but in a way the book is a detective novel in reverse, as it requires Emil and the boys to first catch the criminal and only then prove his guilt to unbelieving adults.

The secret to the book's popularity may be lost on many adults, who may doubt the likelihood of children taking such control of events. After all, the detective in most fiction is usually a clever adult who will make the world safer for us ordinary mortals. Perhaps it is even a contradiction that children, who are the symbols of innocence, can be as clever as their fictional adult counterparts. But that, of course, is the point of the book: real children, with flaws (they might fall asleep on the train, or lie to their parents), manage a very difficult job. We should remember that children's fiction often appeals to a child's desire for power and independence. As smaller, un-powerful members of the human race, they are greatly attracted by heroes that are capable of acts beyond a child's usual capabilities.

When Emil and the Detectives first appeared, it broke new ground in many ways at once. It is probably the first of the 'child detective' books, a genre taken up so successfully by other authors. It is also one of the first books for children that gives us a full picture of a child in a single-parent family of very little means, and one of the first which treats the city as a place of excitement. And it appears to approve of the actions of children working together for a common purpose without the guidance of adults.

As if this wasn't enough, there are many more technical innovations, too. The book breaks from the usual format of a single line of narrative told to us in the third person by a knowing narrator, and adds witty one-page commentaries on people appearing in the story. These are written in the first person as if the narrator is thinking aloud for our benefit and talk directly to us.

The dialogues, too, are innovative since in the original German the boys whom Emil meets talk with a Berlin slang. Whereas in most children's books of the time urban speech told the reader that that person was bad or stupid, in Emil and the Detectives the local dialect seems to confirm the resourcefulness of the boys. Even the film adaptation was innovative in the realistic acting of child actors and the use of 'synch' sound on location on the streets of Berlin.

The original context for the story stemmed partly from Kastner's own life. He was born in 1899 and grew up in a small town rather like Emil's home town, and like Emil he lost his father when he was young. He, too, then made his way to Berlin, where he worked as a writer. But we should note that not all the credit for the story can go to Kastner, for it was the head of a Berlin publishing house, Edith Jacobsen, that approached him, and she who suggested the idea of a children's detective novel.

Section 2

Solution and Explantion

Questions 1-4

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Story of Emil and the Detectives

The story concerns a boy called Emil who has to deliver money to .................... in

Answer: HIS GRANDMOTHER
Supporting statement:“........Emil Tischbein, is a boy who is set a task: to take some money by train to his grandmother, who lives in the big city, Berlin..........”
Keywords: money, grandmother
Keyword Location: para 2, lines 1-2
Explanation: Emil is tasked with delivering money to his grandmother in Berlin. This highlights the central plot of his journey and the responsibility placed upon him by his motheR. It shows the significance of his mission and the underlying tension due to their financial constraints.

Berlin. He lives with his mother, who is a hairdresser and not well-off. On the journey, he meets someone who he thinks is strange, and while Emil is 2..................., the money

Answer: ASLEEP / SLEEPING
Supporting statement:“........though he tries to avoid it happening, Emil falls asleep. When he wakes up, his money has gone and so has Herr Grundeis..........”
Keywords: Emil, asleep
Keyword Location: para 3, lines 1-3
Explanation: Emil falls asleep on the train, and during this time, the money he was supposed to deliver is stolen. This critical moment sets the stage for the rest of the narrative, focusing on Emil's attempts to recover the stolen money, thereby driving the plot forward.

When he gets to Berlin, he meets some 3.................... and they help him to

Answer: BOYS
Supporting statement:“.......his meetings with a group of boys in Berlin, and the eventual capture of Grundeis...........”
Keywords: meets, boys
Keyword Location: para 3, lines 4-5
Explanation: Upon arriving in Berlin, Emil meets a group of boys who assist him in tracking down the thief. This interaction showcases the themes of friendship and collaboration among children, which are central to the story's progression and resolution.

find the person who took the money. He does not want to report this theft because he is worried about some damage that he did to a ....................... and thinks he will get into trouble for that. and thinks he will get into trouble for that.

Answer: STATUE
Supporting statement:“........because he fears exposure as the criminal who dabbed the Grand Duke's statue..........”
Keywords: damaged, statue
Keyword Location: para 3, lines 5-6
Explanation: Emil hesitates to report the theft to the police because he is afraid of being punished for defacing a statue in his hometown. This detail adds a layer of complexity to Emil's character and his situation, emphasizing the moral dilemmas he faces and his fear of authority.

Questions 5-7

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

What point does the writer make about Emil and the Detectives in the fourth paragraph?

It says something important about adult behaviour.
It has a different outcome from most detective fiction.
The children are different from most real children.
The children are like the adults in other detective fiction.

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“.......the word 'detectives' is in the title, but in a way the book is a detective novel in reverse, as it requires Emil and the boys to first catch the criminal and only then prove his guilt to unbelieving adults...........”
Keywords: detective, reverse
Keyword Location: para 3, lines 7-8
Explanation: The story diverges from typical detective fiction by focusing on the children's efforts to catch the criminal before proving his guilt. This reversal of roles emphasizes the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the young protagonists, which is a departure from the conventional detective narrative dominated by adults.

The writer says that children particularly like fiction which

describes children being in control of events.
presents situations they are personally familiar with.
is read to them by adults in an enthusiastic way.
includes a large number of surprising events.

Answer: A
Supporting statement:“..........children's fiction often appeals to a child's desire for power and independence. As smaller, un-powerful members of the human race, they are greatly attracted by heroes that are capable of acts beyond a child's usual capabilities..........”
Keywords: children, power
Keyword Location: para 4, lines 6-8
Explanation: The appeal of the book lies in its depiction of children taking control and exhibiting power and independence. This resonates with young readers' desires to see themselves as capable and influential, challenging their usual roles in real life and providing a sense of empowerment.

The writer says that a feature of the book that was new at the time was

its focus on children's opposition to adults.
its use of a city as the main setting for much of the action.
its portrayal of a child growing up in difficult circumstances.
its inclusion of more than one child detective.

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“........one of the first books for children that gives us a full picture of a child in a single-parent family of very little means..........”
Keywords: child, difficult
Keyword Location: para 5, lines 2-3
Explanation: The book was groundbreaking in its portrayal of a child from a single-parent family struggling with financial difficulties. This realistic depiction of Emil's background was innovative at the time, offering a more relatable and nuanced character that resonated with readers and reflected societal issues.

Questions 8-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading passage 1?

In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet (page 163), 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

The book is unusual because it has more than one narrator.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting statement:“......the usual format of a single line of narrative told to us in the third person by a knowing narrator............”
Keywords: single, narrator
Keyword Location: para 6, lines 1-2
Explanation: The passage clarifies that the book maintains a single line of narrative, told in the third person by a knowledgeable narrator, rather than having multiple narrators. This maintains a consistent narrative voice throughout the story.

Some readers found it hard to understand the slang used by some characters.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage clarifies that the book maintains a single line of narrative, told in the third person by a knowledgeable narrator, rather than having multiple narrators. This maintains a consistent narrative voice throughout the story.

Local dialect is a positive feature of some of the characters.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“.........the boys whom Emil meets talk with a Berlin slang...the local dialect seems to confirm the resourcefulness of the boys..........”
Keywords: dialect, resourcefulness
Keyword Location: para 6, lines 5-6
Explanation: The use of Berlin slang by the boys is depicted positively, highlighting their resourcefulness and making them more authentic and relatable. This linguistic choice enhances their characters and aligns with the innovative aspects of the book.

The film of the book had features that were unusual at the time.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“.........Even the film adaptation was innovative in the realistic acting of child actors and the use of 'synch' sound on location on the streets of Berlin.........”
Keywords: film, innovative
Keyword Location: para 6, lines 6-8
Explanation: The film adaptation introduced new features for its time, such as realistic acting by child actors and the use of synchronized sound recorded on location. These elements contributed to its groundbreaking nature and set it apart from other films of the era.

Kastner based the whole story on real events in his life.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: While the passage mentions that some elements of Kastner's life influenced the story, it does not state that the entire narrative is based on real events from his life, leaving this point unconfirmed.

Kastner wrote the story and then sent it to a publisher.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting statement:“........it was the head of a Berlin publishing house, Edith Jacobsen, that approached him, and she suggested the idea of a children's detective novel..........”
Keywords: Jacobsen, suggested
Keyword Location: para 7, lines 3-4
Explanation: Kastner did not write the story first and then send it to a publisher. Instead, the idea for a children's detective novel was suggested to him by Edith Jacobsen, the head of a Berlin publishing house, showing that the concept was collaboratively developed.

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