The Development of Photography Reading Answers

Dec 2, 2025

The answers for "The Development of Photography Reading Answers" include 12 questions and are part of the assessment framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Candidates are allotted 20 minutes to complete the reading responses concerning "The Development of Photography Reading Answers." This portion of the IELTS reading exam consists of various question formats, including writing no more than two words and choosing one word only for each answer.

The answers for "The Development of Photography Reading Answers" offer a comprehensive overview of how William Henry Fox Talbot pioneered the negative-positive photographic process, but early competition from Niépce and Daguerre initially overshadowed his work. Although daguerreotypes dominated for decades, later improvements to Talbot’s method ultimately shaped modern photography and enabled mass image production. For additional practice with similar reading assessments, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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The Development of Photography Reading Answers

The British aristocrat William Henry Fox Talbot is an important figure in the history of photography. He is remembered today for his discovery in 1839 of the negative-positive process, inspired by the camera obscura, an ancient device used for amusement and as a drawing aid by artists. The name camera obscura can be translated from Latin to mean 'dark room'; though this device is not the dark room process some readers may be able to recall as being used in photography production. Camera obscura is a device which makes use of a very dark room or object which the eyes look into, which contains a very small hole which the viewer looks through, into a very bright object. Through this process, objects seen scatter and reform by the law of optics, and the object appears upside-down to the viewer.

Henry Fox Talbot's desire to create a mechanism to photograph scenes and objects began during a visit to Lake Como in Italy, where he became frustrated with his inaccurate attempts to sketch the scene. Talbot discovered that, while exposing photographic paper to a very short light exposure would not immediately show an image, the image was there nevertheless. Talbot found that this image could be developed into a negative, and then fixed (in order to prevent further development) with the use of chemicals. From here, Talbot-found that by repeating the process of developing the photograph into a negative, would allow him to print numerous positive photographs from the negative sample. Though today, most people think only of Talbot when considering the birth of photography, what is less well known is that there were a number of photographic processes developed by different people in the first half of the 19th century, each competing with Talbot's. It is now widely accepted that the first photograph was created, not by Talbot, but by a French inventor named Nicéphore Niépce, of the view outside his window in the late 1820s.

Niépce had been developing a new way to copy.engravings, but he soon realised the possibilities that light sensitive printing could hold in its own right. Unfortunately he died in 1833, leaving his younger partner Louis Daguerre to continue his work. It was in fact Daguerre, rather than Talbot, who created the first commercially successful form of photography, named the 'daguerreotype'. This method, which used a camera to create a unique, one-off image on a thin sheet of metal, caused a storm of publicity in France and made Daguerre into a wealthy celebrity. The daguerreotype was reliable and relatively cheap to produce, and by 1850 it was the most widespread form of photography, found all across the globe.

Talbot, on the other hand, found it much more difficult to profit from his invention in its early years. At first it seemed as though his negative-positive method, also known as the 'calotype'

', was superior to Daguerre's, because instead of creating a single image, it produced a paper negative from which unlimited positive copies could be made. But Talbot was unable to bring his own invention up to the technical quality of his main rival while daguerreotypes never faded, calotype pictures were known to lose their definition very quickly. In 1846, for example, Talbot arranged for over 7000 of his photographs to be distributed with a popular arts magazine, only for almost every single print to go completely blank, causing huge public embarrassment for Talbot, along with financial difficulties.

However, by the 1870s daguerreotypes had fallen out of favour, as a number of younger inventors refined Talbot's method, making it easier, cheaper and more reliable. As daguerreotypes sank into obscurity, the principles established by Talbot became the standard, making photography a medium uniquely suited to mass distribution and driving its use throughout the 20th century, right up until the digital era.

Questions 15-18

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

15. What inspired William Henry Fox Talbot's photographic discovery?

Answer: camera obscura

Supporting statement: “...inspired by the camera obscura...”

Keywords: [camera obscura]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 1, line 1}

Explanation: Talbot's invention was motivated by the workings of the camera obscura. The text clearly states that the negative-positive process was inspired by this ancient device. Therefore, “camera obscura” is the correct answer.

16. How do images appear when observed through a camera obscura?

Answer: upside-down

Supporting statement: “...the object appears upside-down to the viewer.”

Keywords: [upside-down]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 1, last line}

Explanation: The paragraph explains that objects entering through the tiny hole of a camera obscura reform according to optical laws, making the image appear inverted. Hence, the correct description is “upside-down.”

17. Describe William Henry Fox Talbot's illustrations.

Answer: inaccurate sketches

Supporting statement: “...frustrated with his inaccurate attempts to sketch the scene.”

Keywords: [inaccurate attempts]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 2, line 1}

Explanation: The passage states that Talbot was unsatisfied with the quality of his sketches at Lake Como. His drawings were inaccurate, prompting his pursuit of photography. Therefore, “inaccurate sketches” describes his illustrations.

18. How many photographs could be produced from a single negative using Talbot's negative-positive process?

Answer: unlimited copies

Supporting statement: “...from which unlimited positive copies could be made.”

Keywords: [unlimited positive copies]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 4, line 3}

Explanation: Talbot’s negative-positive process allowed repeated printing from a single negative. The word “unlimited” directly indicates how many photographs could be produced.

Questions 19-20

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Aside from Talbot's discovery, there were many other 19……………

Answer: processes

Supporting statement: “...a number of photographic processes developed by different people...”

Keywords: [photographic processes]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, line 3}

Explanation: The text mentions several processes invented by others alongside Talbot’s. Thus, “processes” is the correct one-word answer.

created in the 1800s. Nicéphore Niépce may not be very well known, but it is generally believed that he produced the 20…………..photograph.

Answer: first

Supporting statement: “...the first photograph was created...by a French inventor named Nicéphore Niépce...”

Keywords: [first photograph]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, last line}

Explanation: The text states that Niépce produced the earliest known photograph, making “first” the required one-word answer.

Questions 21-26

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Niépce had originally been interested in making copies of engravings, which led him to discover the ability to use light sensitive printing. After his death, his work was taken up by his partner, who provided a 21………....

Answer: more

Supporting statement: “...his partner, who provided a more fruitful method...”

Keywords: [more fruitful]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, line after mid-section}

Explanation: The partner, Daguerre, developed a more effective photographic method. Hence, “more” completes the phrase correctly.

fruitful method of producing photographs prior to Talbot's discovery. Niépce's partner named this method the 22………………..

Answer: daguerreotype

Supporting statement: “...named the ‘daguerreotype’.”

Keywords: [daguerreotype]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, late section}

Explanation: Daguerre named the new photographic method the daguerreotype, making it the correct one-word answer.

This form of photography was inexpensive to produce, as well as being 23………………….

Answer: reliable

Supporting statement: “The daguerreotype was reliable and relatively cheap…”

Keywords: [reliable]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, last third}

Explanation: The passage highlights reliability as a key feature of the daguerreotype. Thus, “reliable” fits the blank correctly.

Unfortunately, Talbot's negative-positive process, or 24……………….

Answer: calotype

Supporting statement: “...negative-positive process, or calotype...”

Keywords: [calotype]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 4, line 1}

Explanation: Talbot’s method is explicitly named “calotype,” making it the accurate answer.

was not as successful. The quality of photographs produced by Talbot's method was not as good as the rival method, though it was 25………….

Answer: superior

Supporting statement: “...was superior in its ability to produce multiple copies...”

Keywords: [superior]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 4, mid-section}

Explanation: The text explains that despite limitations, the calotype was superior in reproducing multiple copies. Therefore, “superior” completes the blank meaningfully.

in its ability to produce multiple copies from one negative. Eventually, helped along by the improvements made by other inventors in the field, Talbot's method became the 26……………… in the development of photographs, on which has only recently fallen out of usage.

Answer: standard

Supporting statement: “...Talbot’s method became the standard in the development of photographs...”

Keywords: [standard]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 5, line 2}

Explanation: Eventually, refinements led Talbot’s method to become widely adopted, becoming the “standard” process. This matches the text exactly.

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