The History of Football Reading Answers

Jan 22, 2025

The History of Football Reading Answers is a generic topic for IELTS Reading Answers. The History of Football Reading Answers, in total, consist of 13 IELTS questions. In the given set of questions (Questions No. 28-35), the candidate has to choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the given list of headings. After that, from Questions No. 36-40, you have to fill in the blanks with the correct word or number from the given list of words.

The IELTS Reading section assesses a candidate's capability to comprehend and analyze academic and general texts. Engaging with IELTS reading practice can familiarize you with various question types in reading tasks, strengthen your vocabulary, and boost your critical reading skills. Understanding the instructions for all questions and managing your time efficiently are important strategies for achieving a high band score on the IELTS exam.

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Section 1 The History of Football Reading Answers

A. The first known examples of a team game involving a ball, which was made out of a rock, occurred in old Mesoamerican cultures over 3,000 years ago. According to the sources, the ball would symbolize the sun and the captain of the losing team would be sacrificed to the gods. Other earlier varieties of ball games had been known from Ancient Greece. The ball was made of leather filled with hair. The first documents of balls filled with air are from the 7th century. In Ancient Rome, games with balls were not included in the entertainment on the big arenas but could occur in exercises in the military. It was the Roman culture that would bring football to the British Islands (Britannia).

B. The most admitted story tells that the game was developed in England in the 12th century. Besides kicks, the game also involved punches of the ball with the fist. This early form of football was also much rougher and violent than the modern way of playing. At times for its violent nature, football-like games would appear again in the streets of London in the century. It would be forbidden again in 1835, but at this stage, the game had been established in the public schools. The game was often played in schools of the predominant schools were Rugby and Eton. At Rugby the rules included the possibility to take up the ball with the hands; at Eton on the other hand, the ball was played exclusively with the feet and this game can be seen as a close predecessor to modern football. The game in Rugby was called the “running game” while the game in Eton was called the “dribbling game”. An attempt to create proper rules for the game was made at a meeting in Cambridge in 1848, but a final solution to some questions of rules was not achieved. It was decided that carrying the ball with the hands wasn’t allowed. The meeting also resulted in a standardization of the size and weight of the ball.

C. Football clubs have existed since the 15th century, organized and without official status. It is therefore hard to decide when the first football club was. Some historians suggest that it was the Foot-Ball Club formed in 1824 in Edinburgh. Earlier clubs were often formed by former school students, and the first of this kind was formed in Sheffield in 1855. The oldest among professional football clubs is the English club Notts County, formed in 1862 and still exists today. Initially, football was dominated by public school teams, but later, teams consisting of workers would be the majority. Another change was when some clubs became willing to pay the best players to join their teams. This could be the start of a long period of transition, in which the game would develop to a professional level. The motivation behind paying players was not only to win more matches, but in the 1880s the interest in the game had moved ahead to a level where tickets were sold for the matches. Finally, in 1885 professional football was legalized and three years later the Football League was established. During the first season, 12 clubs joined the league, but soon more clubs became interested, and the competition would consequently expand into more divisions.

D. Other milestones were not to follow. Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) became the first important competition when it was run in 1871. The following year, a match between two national teams was played for the first time. The match that involved England and Scotland ended 0-0 and was followed by 4,000 people. Twelve years later, in 1883, the first international tournament took place and included four national teams: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Football was for a long time a British phenomenon, but gradually spread to other European countries. The first game that took place outside Europe occurred in Argentina in 1867, but it was foreign British workers who arranged it and not Argentinean citizens. Domestic leagues occurred in many countries, the first was the English Football League, which was established in 1888. In 1908 football would be, for the first time, included as an official sport in the Olympic Games. Until the first FIFA World Cup was played in 1930, the Olympic Games football tournament would rank as the most prestigious. Women's football was not added until 1991.

E.Few other sports show examples of zeal and intensity to the extent of football. In 1894, the FA Cup final between Notts County and Bolton Wanderers was attended by 37,000 people. A milestone in football stadiums was the construction of Maracanã Stadium. In 1950 the imposing stadium in Rio de Janeiro was ready for almost 200,000 people. No other sport has seen stadiums of that capacity built to host its games. There have been two principal currents of fan culture in the arenas: the British and the South American. The British fans adopted the tradition of singing, the repertoire was inspired by pub and working songs among other areas. The South Americans on the other hand would use the carnival style which includes firecrackers and fireworks.

F.No other sports event besides the Olympic Games can be matched with the FIFA World Cup. The first edition of the FIFA World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay, and has since then returned every fourth year (with two exceptions due to the Second World War). In 1991 the World Cup for Women was held in China and has since then also returned every fourth year. Today the global tournament for clubs is the Champions League, played since 1992.

G. In the late 19th century, only a few national football teams existed; England and Scotland had their first active teams, already playing against each other in the 1870s. Today, there are 211 national associations belonging to Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the world governing body of the sport. Another proof of the globalization of football is the increasing of nations participating in World Cup qualifiers: from 32 in 1934 to over 200 in 2014.

H.In most parts of the world, football is used as the name for the “chess of the green pitch”, the biggest sport in the world. In the United States and Canada, however, soccer is used instead as a distinction to American football. A more formal name sometimes used is association football, but in popular speech, it is either football or soccer.

Section 2

Solutions and Explanations

Questions 28-35

The text has 8 SECTIONS, marked A to H. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below:

i. The game starts to get organized

ii. A game of passion

iii. The genesis of the game,

iv. The game takes its form

v. The first competitions

vi. What is in a name?

vii. Globalization of the game

viii. The great modern competitions

ix. Rugby and football differentiated

x. The game goes professional

28. Paragraph A

Answer: iii (The genesis of the game)

Supporting statement: “........The first known examples of a team game involving a ball, which was made out of a rock, occurred in old Mesoamerican cultures over 3,000 years ago..........”

Keywords: Examples, Ball, Rock, Mesoamerican

Keyword Location: para 1, Line 1-3

Explanation: Paragraph A describes the ancient origins of ball games, including early versions in Mesoamerican cultures, Ancient Greece, and Rome, marking the beginning of the historical development of football.

29. Paragraph B

Answer: ix (Rugby and football are differentiated)

Supporting statement: “........This early form of football was also much rougher and violent than the modern way of playing. At times for its violent nature, football-like games would appear again in the streets of London in the century..........”

Keywords: Football, Violent, Rugby, Rougher

Keyword Location: para 2, Line 3-5

Explanation: Paragraph B describes how football evolved with different styles in rugby (hands allowed) and Eton (feet only), highlighting the differences between rugby and football.

30. Paragraph C

Answer: x (The game goes professional)

Supporting statement: “........Football clubs have existed since the 15th century, organized and without official status. It is therefore hard to decide when the first football club was...........”

Keywords: Clubs, Existed, Century, Status

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 1-2

Explanation: Paragraph C discusses the evolution of football from informal clubs to professional leagues, emphasizing the shift towards paid players and the formation of professional football leagues, which fits the topic perfectly.

31. Paragraph D

Answer: v (The first competitions)

Supporting statement: “........Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) became the first important competition when it was run in 1871. The following year, a match between two national teams was played for the first time............”

Keywords: Competition, Important, Teams, Match

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 1-4

Explanation: Paragraph D discusses the establishment of the FA Cup, international tournaments, and football's inclusion in the Olympics, highlighting early football competitions.

32. Paragraph E

Answer: ii (A game of passion)

Supporting statement: “.........In 1894, the FA Cup final between Notts County and Bolton Wanderers was attended by 37,000 people. A milestone in football stadiums was the construction of Maracanã Stadium...........”

Keywords: Passion, Final, Attended, Milestone

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 2-4

Explanation: Paragraph E emphasizes the intensity and excitement of football, describing huge crowds, stadium construction, and passionate fan cultures, highlighting the emotional connection and excitement surrounding the game.

33. Paragraph F

Answer: viii (The great modern competitions)

Supporting statement: “.........The first edition of the FIFA World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay, and has since then returned every fourth year (with two exceptions due to the Second World War).............”

Keywords: Modern, Edition, Returned, FIFA

Keyword Location: para 6, Line 2-4

Explanation: Paragraph F discusses the most important global football tournament, the FIFA World Cup, and its history, including the Women's World Cup and the Champions League, highlighting the major modern competitions.

34. Paragraph G

Answer: vii (Globalization of the game)

Supporting statement: “.........In the late 19th century, only a few national football teams existed; England and Scotland had their first active teams, already playing against each other in the 1870s..............”

Keywords: Active, Teams, Playing, Existed

Keyword Location: para 7, Line 1-3

Explanation: This paragraph discusses the growth of football's global reach, with 211 national associations in FIFA and increasing participation in World Cup qualifiers, indicating the worldwide expansion of the game.

35. Paragraph H

Answer: vi (What is in a name.)

Supporting statement: “.........In most parts of the world, football is used as the name for the “chess of the green pitch”, the biggest sport in the world. In the United States and Canada, however, soccer is used instead as a distinction to American football...............”

Keywords: Name, World, Sport, Soccer

Keyword Location: para 8, Line 1-3

Explanation: This paragraph discusses the terminology used for football in different countries, highlighting the differences between “football” and “soccer” in the US and Canada.

Questions 36-40

Write a WORD OR a NUMBER taken from the box below.

Spotted	Separated	Distinguished
1871	1872	European
Host	Conclusion	Impossible
Tough	Local	Narrative
1870

36. The ___________ that most people agree with is that the game was developed in England.

Answer: Narrative

Supporting statement: “.........The most admitted story tells that the game was developed in England in the 12th century. Besides kicks, the game also involved punches of the ball with the fist...............”

Keywords: People, Developed, Game, England

Keyword Location: para 2, Line 1-3

Explanation: The term “narrative” is most appropriate in the above statement, as it refers to the generally accepted story of the development of football in England.

37. There have been clubs playing football since the 1400s, and it is ___________ to identify the first one.

Answer: Impossible

Supporting statement: “.........Football clubs have existed since the 15th century, organized and without official status. It is therefore hard to decide when the first football club was...............”

Keywords: Clubs, Existed, Status, Decide

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 1-2

Explanation: It is difficult to identify the history of the first football clubs due to the lack of official status and historical records of early football clubs.

38. The first football match between two national teams was played in __________.

Answer: 1872

Supporting statement: “.........The following year, a match between two national teams was played for the first time. The match that involved England and Scotland ended 0-0 and was followed by 4,000 people................”

Keywords: National, Teams, England, Scotland

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 3-5

Explanation: The first football match between two national teams was played in 1872, as mentioned in the passage under Section D. This match was between England and Scotland.

39. Citizens of the _________ country were not involved in the first game of football played outside Europe.

Answer: Local

Supporting statement: “.........The first game that took place outside Europe occurred in Argentina in 1867, but it was foreign British workers who arranged it and not Argentinean citizens..............”

Keywords: Outside, Europe, Foreign, Citizens

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 10-12

Explanation: The first football game played outside Europe did not involve citizens of Argentina, the home country. Instead, it was arranged by British workers living there.

40. European and South American spectators of the sport can be _________ from the manner in which they cheer their team.

Answer: Distinguished

Supporting statement: “..........There have been two principal currents of fan culture in the arenas: the British and the South American. The British fans adopted the tradition of singing, the repertoire was inspired by the pub and working songs among other areas...........”

Keywords: European, Principal, Culture, Arenas

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 6-9

Explanation: European and South American spectators can be distinguished by their cheering style, as British fans sing songs while South American fans use carnival-style celebrations with fireworks and firecrackers.

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