The Dead Sea Scrolls Reading Answers

Feb 1, 2023

The Dead Sea Scrolls Reading Answers is an academic reading topic and a brief discussion about the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Complete IELTS Bands 6.5-7.5 Workbook Without Answers with Audio CD”. The topic named The Dead Sea Scrolls Reading Answers has a total of 13 wide range of questions. The topic consists of two sorts of questions, such as, complete the following sentences, and True/False/Not Given. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like The Dead Sea Scrolls Reading Answers has been included.

Check: Get 10 Free Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now

Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

The Dead Sea Scrolls Reading Answers

In late 1946 or early 1947, three Bedouin teenagers were tending their goats and sheep near the ancient settlement of Qumran, located on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in what is now known as the West Bank. One of these young shepherds tossed a rock into an opening on the side of a cliff and was surprised to hear a shattering sound. He and his companions later entered the cave and stumbled across a collection of large clay jars, seven of which contained scrolls with writing on them. The teenagers took the seven scrolls to a nearby town where they were sold for a small sum to a local antiquities dealer. Word of the find spread, and Bedouins and archaeologists eventually unearthed tens of thousands of additional scroll fragments from 10 nearby caves; together they make up between 800 and 900 manuscripts. It soon became clear that this was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries ever made.

The origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written around 2,000 years ago between 150 BCE and 70 CE, is still the subject of scholarly debate even today. According to the prevailing theory, they are the work of a population that inhabited the area until Roman troops destroyed the settlement around 70 CE. The area was known as Judea at that time, and the people are thought to have belonged to a group called the Essenes, a devout Jewish sect.

The majority of the texts on the Dead Sea Scrolls are in Hebrew, with some fragments written in an ancient version of its alphabet thought to have fallen out of use in the fifth century BCE. Bu' there are other languages as well. Some scrolls are in Aramaic, the language spoken by many inhabitants of the region from the sixth century BCE to the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. In addition, several texts feature translations of the Hebrew Bible into Greek.

The Dead Sea Scrolls include fragments from every book of the Old Testament of the Bible except for the Book of Esther. The only entire book of the Hebrew Bible preserved among the manuscripts from Qumran is Isaiah; this copy, dated to the first century BCE, is considered the earliest biblical manuscript still in existence. Along with biblical texts, the scrolls include documents about sectarian regulations and religious writings that do not appear in the Old Testament.

The writing on the Dead Sea Scrolls is mostly in black or occasionally red ink, and the scrolls themselves are nearly all made of either parchment (animal skin) or an early form of paper called 'papyrus'. The only exception is the scroll numbered 3Q15, which was created out of a combination of copper and tin. Known as the Copper Scroll, this curious document features letters chiseled onto metal - perhaps, as some have theorized, to better withstand the passage of time. One of the most intriguing manuscripts from Qumran, this is a sort of ancient treasure map that lists dozens of gold and silver caches. Using an unconventional vocabulary and odd spelling, it describes 64 underground hiding places that supposedly contain riches buried for safekeeping. None of these hoards have been recovered, possibly because the Romans pillaged Judea during the first century CE. According to various hypotheses, the treasure belonged to local people, or was rescued from the Second Temple before its destruction or never existed to begin with.

Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls have been on interesting journeys. In 1948, a Syrian Orthodox archbishop known as Mar Samuel acquired four of the original seven scrolls from a Jerusalem shoemaker and part-time antiquity dealer, paying less than $100 for them. He then travelled to the United States and unsuccessfully offered them to a number of universities, including Yale. Finally, in 19M, he placed an advertisement in the business newspaper The Wall Street Journal' - under the category 'Miscellaneous Items for Sale' - that read: 'Biblical Manuscripts: dating back to at least 200 B.C. are for sale. This would be an ideal gift to an educational or religious institution by an individual or group. Fortunately, Israeli archaeologist and statesman Yigael Yadin negotiated their purchase and brought the scrolls back to Jerusalem, where they remain to this day.

In 2017, researchers from the University of Haifa restored and deciphered one of the last untranslated scrolls. The university's Eshbal Ratson and Jonathan Ben-Dov spent one year reassembling the 60 fragments that make up the scroll. Deciphered from a band of coded text on parchment, the find provides insight into the community of people who wrote it and the 364-day calendar they would have used. The scroll names celebrations that indicate shifts in seasons and details two yearly religious events known from another Dead Sea Scroll. Only one more known scroll remains untranslated.

Section 2

Questions 1-5

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Discovery

Qumran, 1946/7

three Bedouin shepherds in their teens were near an opening on side of cliff
heard a noise of breaking when one teenager threw a (1).........
teenagers went into the (2)......................and found a number of containers made of (3).........

The scrolls

date from between 150 BCE and 70 CE
thought to have been written by group of people known as the (4)...........
written mainly in the (5).......................language
most are on religious topics, written using ink on parchment or papyrus

Question 1:

Answer: rock
Supporting sentence: One of these young shepherds tossed a rock into an opening on the side of a cliff and was surprised to hear a shattering sound.
Keyword : shepherds, tossed, rock, shattering sound
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 3-4
Explanation: Lines 3-4 of paragraph 1 states that in late 1946 or starting 1947, three Bedouin teenagers were tending their goats and sheeps. They were tending the goats and sheeps near the ancient settlement of Qumran, which is on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. It is presently known as the West Bank. One of the three shepherds threw a rock into an opening on the side of the cliff. He became astonished when he heard a cracking sound.

Question 2:

Answer: cave
Supporting sentence: He and his companions later entered the cave
Keyword : He, companions, entered, cave
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 4-5
Explanation: The fourth to fifth lines of paragraph 1 explains that three Bedouin teenagers were tending their goats and sheep in the ancient settlement of Qumran. The place is located on the northwest bank of the Dead Sea in what is now known as the West Bank, in late 1946 or early 1947. This is when one of the shepherd threw a stone, he heard a shattering sound. He was surprised hearing it. He then along with his friends entered the cave.

Question 3:

Answer: clay
Supporting sentence: stumbled across a collection of large clay jars
Keyword : stumbled, collection, large, clay jars
Keyword location: paragraph 1, line 5
Explanation: The fifth line of paragraph 1 suggests that one of the shepherd heard a surprising sound after threwing the stone. He with his companion went inside the cave. The shepherd and his buddies later entered the cave and discovered a collection of big clay jars. Out of them, seven clay jars held scrolls with writing on them.

Question 4:

Answer: essenes
Supporting sentence: the people are thought to have belonged to a group called the Essenes, a devout Jewish sect
Keyword : people, belonged, group, Essenes
Keyword location: paragraph 2, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 2 clarifies that as per popular belief, the dead sea scrolls were created by a community. These community lived in the area until Roman armies destroyed the settlement in 70 CE. The inhabitants are believed to have been members of the Essenes, a devoted Jewish sect, and the region was then known as Judea.

Question 5:

Answer: hebrew
Supporting sentence: The majority of the texts on the Dead Sea Scrolls are in Hebrew
Keyword : majority, texts, Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew
Keyword location: paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph 3 explains about the language in which the Dead Sea Scrolls has been written. The bulk of the texts on the Dead Sea Scrolls are in Hebrew. It is written in Hebrew, with a few passages in an earlier alphabet, as well. It is believed that use of it ended in the fifth century BCE. In addition, it is mentioned that there are other languages also.

Questions 6-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage? In boxes 6-13 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

Question 6. The Bedouin teenagers who found the scrolls were disappointed by how little money they received for them.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is not any justified information to give validation to the above statement. Hence, the above statement can be taken as an invalid one.

Question 7. There is agreement among academics about the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: The origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written around 2,000 years ago between 150 BCE and 70 CE
Keyword : origin, Dead Sea Scrolls, 2,000, 150 BCE and 70 CE
Keyword location: paragraph 2, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph 2 suggests that the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls, were written roughly 2,000 years ago between 150 BCE and 70 CE. The Dead Sea Scroll are still a source of academic controversy today. The prevailing opinion holds that they were created by a people that lived there before Roman armies destroyed the town around 70 CE. There was not any agreement among the academics about the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hence, it can be taken as a FALSE statement.

Question 8. Most of the books of the Bible written on the scrolls are incomplete.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: The Dead Sea Scrolls include fragments from every book of the Old Testament of the Bible except for the Book of Esther
Keyword : Dead Sea Scrolls, fragments, Bible, Book of Esther
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph 4 explains that the Hebrew Bible has been rendered into Greek in several versions. With the exception of the Book of Esther, every book of the Old Testament of the Bible has portions preserved among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Isaiah is the only complete Hebrew Bible book that has survived in its whole among the Qumran texts. These lines states that most of the books of the Bible are incomplete which were written on the scrolls. Therefore, the above said sentence is regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 9. The information on the Copper Scroll is written in an unusual way.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Known as the Copper Scroll, this curious document features letters chiseled onto metal
Keyword: Known, Copper Scroll, chiseled, metal
Keyword location: paragraph 5, lines 4-5
Explanation: The fourth to fifth lines of paragraph 5 explains about the copper scroll on which the information has been written. The notable exception is the scroll numbered 3Q15, which was made of copper and tin. This intriguing text, sometimes known as the Copper Scroll, has letters etched into the metal. Maybe, as some people have suggested, to better withstand the test of time. The above lines explains that the information contained in the copper scroll is written in a bizarre way. So, it can be taken as a TRUE statement.

Question 10. Mar Samuel was given some of the scrolls as a gift.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: In 1948, a Syrian Orthodox archbishop known as Mar Samuel acquired four of the original seven scrolls
Keyword: Mar Samuel, acquired, four, seven scrolls
Keyword location: paragraph 6, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph 6 clarifies that four of the original seven scrolls were obtained in 1948 by a Syrian Orthodox prelate known as Mar Samuel. He paid less than $100 for four scrolls that he had taken from a shoemaker in Jerusalem who also worked as a part-time antiquity trader. Hence, these lines meant that some of the scrolls were not presented as a gift to Mar Samuel. Therefore, we can consider the above statement to be a FALSE one.

Question 11. In the early 1950s, a number of educational establishments in the US were keen to buy scrolls from Mar Samuel.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: This would be an ideal gift to an educational or religious institution by an individual or group.
Keyword: ideal, gift, religious, individual or group
Keyword location: paragraph 6, lines 7-8
Explanation: The seventh to eighth lines of paragraph 6 suggests that Mar Samuel, a Syrian Orthodox priest, obtained four of the original seven scrolls in 1948. He purchased four scrolls from a shoemaker in Jerusalem who also worked as a part-time antique trader for less than $100. This would be a perfect present from an individual or group to a religious or educational institution. Therefore, the above statement can be regarded as a FALSE one.

Question 12. The scroll that was pieced together in 2017 contains information about annual occasions in the Qumran area 2000 years ago.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: In 2017, researchers from the University of Haifa restored and deciphered one of the last untranslated scrolls.
Keyword: 2017, researchers, deciphered, untranslated scrolls
Keyword location: paragraph 8, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph 8 explains that one of the final scrolls that was untranslated was restored and understood by University of Haifa academics in 2017. Eshbal Ratson and Jonathan Ben-Dov from the university spent a year putting the scroll's 60 pieces back together. The scroll taken together in 2017 contains information about annual occasions in the Qumran area 2000 years ago. These lines states that the above lines can be taken as a TRUE one.

Question 13. Academics at the University of Haifa are currently researching how to decipher the final scroll

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is not any pertinent information to justify the above statement. Thus, the above statement can be regarded as an invalid one.

Read More IELTS Reading Samples