The Dawn of Culture Reading Answers

Jan 18, 2023

The Dawn of Culture Reading Answers contains a write up about religious beliefs. The Dawn of Culture Reading Answers contains a total of 9 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 17 questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. The paragraphs contain information about different beliefs and practices. The ancient belief and cultural practices and the advent of technology and science.

The Dawn of Culture Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises three types of questions: Answer the questions, yes/no and not given and complete the summary.Each paragraph must be carefully and attentively read by candidates. No more than two words may be used in the response. Answers must be drawn from the paragraph and be based on the statements in the questions. To complete the summary the details of the paragraph must be remembered. Some information has not been mentioned in the paragraph which must be answered as not given. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Dawn of Culture Reading Answers

In every society, culturally unique ways of thinking about the world unite people in their behavior. Anthropologists often refer to the body of ideas that people share as ideology. Ideology can be broken down into at least three specific categories: beliefs, values and ideals. People's beliefs give them an understanding of how the world works and how they should respond to the actions of others and their environments.
Particular beliefs often tie in closely with the daily concerns of domestic life, such as making a living, health and sickness, happiness and sadness, interpersonal relationships, and death. People's values tell them the differences between right and wrong or good and bad. Ideals serve as models for what people hope to achieve in life.
There are two accepted systems of belief. Some rely on religion, even the supernatural (things beyond the natural world), to shape their values and ideals and to influence their behavior. Others base their beliefs on observations of the natural world, a practice anthropologists commonly refer to as secularism.
Religion in its more extreme form allows people to know about and 'communicate' with supernatural beings, such as animal spirits, gods, and spirits of the dead. Small tribal societies believe that plants and animals, as well as people, can have souls or spirits that can take on different forms to help or harm people. Anthropologists refer to this kind of religious belief as animism, with believers often led by shamans. As religious specialists, shamans have special access to the spirit world, and are said to be able to receive stories from supernatural beings or later recite them to others or act them out in dramatic rituals.
In larger, agricultural societies, religion has long been a means of asking for bountiful harvests, a source of power for rulers, or an inspiration to go to war. In early civilized societies, religious visionaries became leaders because people believed those leaders could communicate with the supernatural to control the fate of a civilization. This became their greatest source of power, and people often regarded leaders as actual gods. For example, in the great civilisation of the Aztec, which flourished in what is now Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, rulers claimed privileged association with a powerful god that was said to require human blood to ensure that the sun would rise and set each day. Aztec rulers thus inspired great awe by regularly conducting human sacrifices. They also conspicuously displayed their vast power as wealth in luxury goods, such as fine jewels, clothing and palaces. Rulers obtained their wealth from the great numbers of craftspeople, traders and warriors under their control.
During the period in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe known as the Age of Enlightenment, science and logic became new sources of belief for many people living in civilized societies. Scientific studies of the natural world and rational philosophies led people to believe that they could explain natural and social phenomena without believing in gods or spirits. Religion remained an influential system of belief, and together both religion and science drove the development of capitalism, the economic system of commerce-driven market exchange. Capitalism itself influences people's beliefs, values and ideals in many present-day, large, civilized societies. In these societies, such as in the United States, many people view the world and shape their behavior based on a belief that they can understand and control their environment and that work, commerce and the accumulation of wealth serve an ultimate good. The governments of most large societies today also assert that human wellbeing derives from the growth of economies and the development of technology.
Rapid changes in technology in the last several decades have changed the nature of culture and cultural exchange. People around the world can make economic transactions and transmit information to each other almost instantaneously through the use of computers and satellite communications. Governments and corporations have gained vast amounts of political power through military might and economic influence. Corporations have also created a form of global culture based on worldwide commercial markets. As a result, local culture and social structure are now shaped by large and powerful commercial interests in ways that earlier anthropologists could not have imagined.
Early anthropologists thought of societies and their cultures as fully independent systems, but today, many nations are multicultural societies, composed of numerous smaller subcultures. Cultures also cross national boundaries. For instance, people around the world now know a variety of English words and have contact with American cultural exports such as brand-name clothing and technological products, films and music, and mass-produced foods.
In addition, many people have come to believe in the fundamental nature of human rights and free will. These beliefs grew out of people's increasing ability to control the natural world through science and rationalism, and though religious beliefs continue to change to affirm or accommodate these other dominant beliefs, sometimes the two are at odds with each other. For instance, many religious people have difficulty reconciling their belief in a supreme spiritual force with the theory of natural evolution, which requires no belief in the supernatural. As a result, societies in which many people do not practice any religion, such as China, may be known as secular societies. However, no society is entirely secular.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

QUESTIONS 23 - 40

Questions 23-29

Do the following statements agree with the opinion of the writer?

In boxes 23-29, write:

YES if the statement agrees with the writer
NO if the statement does not agree with the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.

People from all around the world are united by the way they think about culture.

Answer: No
Supporting Statement: In every society, culturally unique ways of thinking about the world unite people in their behavior.
Keywords: Culturally unique
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1
Explanation: As per paragraph 1, it has been mentioned clearly People in every community are united in their behavior by culturally specific worldviews. So, the statement is contradictory. Hence the answer is No.

Our 'values' are the most important aspect of ideology.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information provided in the paragraphs associated with the question statement. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

Secularism is the most widely accepted system of beliefs, values and ideals.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information provided in the paragraphs associated with the question statement. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

Shamans act as intermediaries between spirits and the living.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Statement: Anthropologists refer to this kind of religious belief as animism, with believers often led by shamans. As religious specialists, shamans have special access to the spirit world, and are said to be able to
receive stories from supernatural beings or later recite them to others or act them out in dramatic rituals.
Keywords: Shamans, religious specialists
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: As per paragraph 4, it has been mentioned thatShamans are believed to have particular access to the spirit world due to their training as religious experts. They are rumored to be able to hear supernatural beings tell them stories, which they can then tell others or enact in dramatic rituals. So, the statement is correct. Hence, the answer is Yes.

Agricultural societies benefited from religion.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information provided in the paragraphs associated with the question statement. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

In Aztec civilization, fighters, craftspeople and traders demanded blood sacrifices from the rich.

Answer: No
Supporting Statement: Aztec, which flourished in what is now Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, rulers claimed privileged association with a powerful god that was said to require human blood to ensure that the
sun would rise and set each day. Aztec rulers thus inspired great awe by regularly conducting human sacrifices.
Keywords: Aztec, Human blood
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: As per paragraph 5, it has been mentioned that The great god of the Aztec civilization, which flourished in what is currently Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was supposed to require human blood to guarantee that the sun would rise and set each day. So, the statement is contradictory. Hence the answer is No.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, European people began turning towards science.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Statement: During the period in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe known as the Age of Enlightenment, science and logic became new sources of belief for many people living in civilized societies.
Keywords: seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: As per paragraph 6, Science and logic evolved into new sources of belief for many individuals living in civilized civilizations during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe, a time period known as the Age of Enlightenment. So, the correct answer is Yes.

Questions 30-34

Complete the following summary using words from the box below.

Belief latter religion

Faith ascendancy former

Rational decline secular

Shaman

There are two main (30)…….. systems

which can contribute to our ideology - animism and secularism. The (31)…….can be said

to dominate older civilisations and tribal societies, whereas larger, more contemporary societies have gone in a more (32)…….and scientific direction. One

The reason that explains the (33)……….of More secular beliefs is the importance given to other factors, such as free will and capitalism. Nonetheless, (34)……..remains at least to some degree even in the most secular of societies.

Question 30)

Answer: Belief
Supporting Statement: There are two accepted systems of belief. Some rely on religion, even the supernatural (things beyond the natural world), to shape their values and ideals and to influence their behavior. Others base their beliefs on observations of the natural world, a practice anthropologists commonly refer to as secularism.
Keywords: two, religion, secularism
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: As per paragraph 3, the introductory lines mention that there are two recognized belief systems. Some people look to religion, or even the paranormal to help them form their beliefs and ideals and guide their behavior. Others, who adhere to a practice known as secularism, base their beliefs on observations of the natural world. So, the correct answer is belief.

Question 31)

Answer: Former
Supporting Statement: Some rely on religion, even the supernatural (things beyond the natural world), to shape their values and ideals and to influence their behavior. Others base their beliefs on observations of the natural
world, a practice anthropologists commonly refer to as secularism.
Keywords: two, religion, secularism
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: As per paragraph 3, the introductory lines mention that there are two recognized belief systems. Some people look to religion, or even the paranormal to help them form their beliefs and ideals and guide their behavior. Others, who adhere to a practice known as secularism, base their beliefs on observations of the natural world. So, the correct answer is the former.

Question 32)

Answer: Rational
Supporting Statement: Some rely on religion, even the supernatural (things beyond the natural world), to shape their values and ideals and to influence their behavior. Others base their beliefs on observations of the natural world, a practice anthropologists commonly refer to as secularism.
Keywords: two, religion, secularism
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: As per paragraph 3, there are two recognized worldviews. Some people look to religion, or even the paranormal (things outside of the realm of the natural), to help them form their beliefs and ideals and guide their behavior. Others, who adhere to a practice known as rationalism, base their beliefs on observations of the natural world. Thus, the answer is rational.

Question 33)

Answer: Ascendancy
Supporting Statement: Religion remained an influential system of belief, and together both religion and science drove the development of capitalism, the economic system of commerce-driven market exchange.
Keywords: religion,capitalism
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: As per paragraph 6, it has been mentioned that Religion remained a powerful system of thought, and science and religion worked in tandem to create capitalism, the system of market exchange based on business. Thus, the correct answer is ascendancy.

Question 34)

Answer: Religion
Supporting Statement: Religion remained an influential system of belief, and together both religion and science drove the development of capitalism, the economic system of commerce-driven market exchange.
Keywords: religion,capitalism
Keyword Location Paragraph 6
Explanation: As per paragraph 6, it has been mentioned that Religion remained a powerful system of thought, and science and religion worked in tandem to create capitalism, the system of market exchange based on business. Thus, the correct answer is religion.

Questions 35-40

Answer the questions below USING NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.

What are beliefs, values and ideals specific categories of?

Answer: Ideology
Supporting Statement: Anthropologists often refer to the body of ideas that people share as ideology. Ideology can be broken down into at least three specific categories: beliefs, values and ideals.
Keywords: ideology, three specific categories.
Keyword Location : Paragraph 1
Explanation: As per paragraph 1, it has been mentioned that Ideology is a term used frequently by anthropologists to describe the corpus of shared beliefs. Beliefs, values, and ideals are at least three distinct categories into
which ideology can be divided. So, the correct answer is ideology.

What was said to be necessary for the continuation of sunrise and sunset in ancient Mexico?

Answer: Human blood
Supporting Statement: Aztec, which flourished in what is now Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, rulers claimed privileged association with a powerful god that was said to require human blood to ensure that the sun would rise and set each day. Aztec rulers thus inspired great awe by regularly conducting human sacrifices.
Keywords: Aztec, Human blood
Keyword Location : Paragraph 5
Explanation: As per paragraph 5, it has been mentioned that The great god of the Aztec civilization, which flourished in what is currently Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was supposed to require human blood to guarantee that the sun would rise and set each day. Hence the answer is human blood .

In Europe, what title was given to the advance of science and logic?

Answer: Age of enlightenment
Supporting Statement: During the period in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe known as the Age of Enlightenment, science and logic became new sources of belief for many people living in civilized societies.
Keywords: seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, science and logic
Keyword Location : Paragraph 6
Explanation: As per paragraph 6, Science and logic evolved into new sources of belief for many individuals living in civilized civilizations during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe, a time period known as the Age of Enlightenment. So, the correct answer is age of enlightenment.

What two things influenced the development of capitalism?

Answer: Religion and science
Supporting Statement: Religion remained an influential system of belief, and together both religion and science drove the development of capitalism, the economic system of commerce-driven market exchange. Capitalism itself influences people's beliefs, values and ideals in many present-day, large, civilized societies.
Keywords: Religion and science, capitalism
Keyword Location : Paragraph 6
Explanation: As per paragraph 6, it has been mentioned that Religion remained a powerful system of thought, and science and religion worked in tandem to create capitalism, the system of market exchange based on business. Thus, the answer is religion and science.

Before modern advances in technology, what did anthropologists consider societies to be?

Answer: Fully independent systems
Supporting Statement: Early anthropologists thought of societies and their cultures as fully independent systems, but today, many nations are multicultural societies, composed of numerous smaller subcultures.
Keywords: Anthropologists, fully independent
Keyword Location : Paragraph 8
Explanation: As per paragraph 8, it has been mentioned that before the advent of multicultural societies, which are made up of multiple smaller subcultures, early anthropologists believed that civilizations and their cultures were fully independent systems.

What theory is symbolic of the tensions between religion and science?

Answer: Natural evolution
Supporting Statement: many religious people have difficulty reconciling their belief in a supreme spiritual force with the theory of natural evolution, which requires no belief in the supernatural.
Keywords: many religious people, natural evolution
Keyword Location : Paragraph 9
Explanation: As per paragraph 9, it has been stated that many religious individuals struggle to make sense of natural evolution, which does not need belief in the supernatural, and their belief in a superior spiritual force. Thus, the correct answer is natural evolution.

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