The Forbidden City Reading Answers

Sep 5, 2024

The Forbidden City Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. The Forbidden City Reading Answers has a total of 7 IELTS questions, you have to tell in which paragraph the lines are situated.

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

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the 22-hectare Zhongshan Park, the sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple, the 69-hectare Beihai Park, and the 23-hectare (57-acre) Jingshan Park. The Forbidden City was constructed from 1406 to 1420 and was the former Chinese imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924. The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government for over 500 years. Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
The complex consists of 980 buildings, encompassing 8,886 rooms and covering 720,000 square metres. The palace exemplifies the opulence of the residences of the Chinese emperor and the traditional Chinese palatial architecture and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. It is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Since 2012, the Forbidden City has seen an average of 14 million visitors annually and received more than 19 million visitors in 2019. The Forbidden City's market value has been estimated at US$70 billion, making it both the world's most valuable palace and the most valuable piece of real estate anywhere in the world. Some sources describe it as the largest palace in the world still in existence, but other Chinese imperial residences far exceed it in size, namely the 6.1 km2 Zhongnanhai which lies just west of the Forbidden City, the 2.9 km2 Summer Palace in Haidian District, Beijing, and the 5.6 km2 Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province.
Traditionally, the Forbidden City which is divided into two parts has the Outer Court or Front Court includes the southern sections and was used for ceremonial purposes and the Inner Court or Back Palace includes the northern sections and was the residence of the emperor and his family and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. Generally, the Forbidden City has three vertical axes. The most important buildings are situated on the central north-south axis. Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges. Beyond the square stands the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Behind that is the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square. A three-tiered white marble terrace rises from this square. Three halls stand on top of this terrace, the focus of the palace complex. From the south, these are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest and rises some 30 metres above the level of the surrounding square. It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China. It is nine bays wide and five bays deep, the numbers 9 and 5 being symbolically connected to the majesty of the emperor. Set into the ceiling at the centre of the hall is an intricate caisson decorated with a coiled dragon, from the mouth of which issues a chandelier-like set of metal balls, called the "Xuanyuan Mirror". In the Ming dynasty, the emperor held court here to discuss affairs of state. During the Qing dynasty, as Emperors held court far more frequently, a less ceremonious location was used instead, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.

Questions 1-7

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-D.

NB you may use any letter more than once.

Recorded as the prime gathering of conserved antique wooden edifices by a world leading scientific and cultural organisation.

Answer: B

Supporting statement:It is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Keyword: UNESCO, wooden

Keyword Location:paragraph B,3rd line

Explanation:The Forbidden City is listed by UNESCO.

Household of the Emperor of China between the 15th and 20th centuries.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: The Forbidden City was constructed from 1406 to 1420 and was the former Chinese imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924.

Keyword: Chinese, dynasty

Keyword Location: paragraph A, 3rd line

Explanation: Emperor of China from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, between 1420 and 1924.

Diverse portions of the Forbidden City used for unalike purposes.

Answer: C

Supporting statement: Traditionally, the Forbidden City which is divided into two parts has the Outer Court or Front Court includes the southern sections and was used for ceremonial purposes and the Inner Court or Back Palace includes the northern sections and was the residence of the emperor and his family and was used for day-to-day affairs of state.

Keyword: day-to-day affairs, ceremonial purposes

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 1st line

Explanation: The northern sections were the residence of the emperor and his family and were used for day-to-day affairs of the state.

The custody of the Forbidden City held by a gallery.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Keyword: Museum, artwork

Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 4th line

Explanation: The Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum.

The most substantial persisting wooden construction in China.

Answer: D

Supporting statement: It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China

Keyword: largest, surviving, structure

Keyword Location: Paragraph D,2nd line

Explanation: the largest surviving wooden structure in China is The Forbidden City.

The most treasured property in the world.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: The Forbidden City's market value has been estimated at US$70 billion, making it both the world's most valuable palace and the most valuable piece of real estate anywhere in the world

Keyword: market value, valuable

Keyword Location: Paragraph B,4th line

Explanation: the world's most valuable palace and the most valuable piece of real estate in the world is The Forbidden City.

A gallery that was only used for rituals.

Answer: D

Supporting statement: During the Qing dynasty, as Emperors held court far more frequently, a less ceremonious location was used instead, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.

Keyword: ceremonious, coronation, wedding

Keyword Location: Paragraph D,last line

Explanation: the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.

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