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The Japanese Rock Garden Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Jul 25, 2025

The Japanese Rock Garden Reading Answers contain 13 questions and belong to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. The Japanese Rock Garden Reading Answers must be answered within 10 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, question types include: Choose the correct letter, Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer and Do the following statements agree with the information.

The Japanese Rock Garden Reading Answers offers a comprehensive overview of the history and principles of karesansui, or Japanese rock gardens. To practice similar reading tests, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Topic:

The karesansui, or Japanese rock garden, is a unique and beautiful form of landscape art. Often called ‘Zen gardens,’ they are found in the temples of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The gardens are not large, and they are enclosed by walls. The main components are rocks and gravel, with a few plants. The rocks are placed in carefully selected positions in the garden, and the gravel is raked to create patterns that often suggest rippling water. The design of the garden is based on various principles, and the aim is to create a peaceful place for meditation and contemplation. The gardens are regarded as great works of art, and they have influenced garden design in the West, as well as the art of garden landscaping in Japan. However, the karesansui is not a modern phenomenon. The history of this art form goes back a long way.

The first rock gardens in Japan were probably inspired by the Chinese gardens created during the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). These gardens were designed to look like Chinese paintings of natural landscapes. They were intended to be viewed from a building, and they consisted of a pond and an island, with a bridge connecting the two. The gardens were built by the nobility in the capital, Kyoto, and they were a sign of a family’s status. The first truly Japanese gardens were built in the early 11th century, but they still had some of the features of the Chinese gardens. The pond and the island were still there, but the bridge was replaced by stepping stones, and there were more rocks. These gardens were also intended to be viewed from a building, not from within the garden itself.

By the 13th century, the influence of Chinese landscape painting was beginning to have an effect on the design of Japanese gardens. This was the time when Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan, and the first Zen temples were built. The first rock gardens were built in these temples, and they were used by Zen monks as an aid to meditation. The garden was intended to be viewed from a single point, usually from a platform of the veranda of the temple. The gardens were not intended to look like real landscapes, but to represent the essence of nature’s principles. The garden’s aesthetic differs from that of conventional art forms like painting or sculpture. The beauty of the garden was in its simple, unadorned naturalness.

This shift in the garden’s purpose, from representing natural landscapes to aiding in meditation, prompted a change in design. The design of the garden was based on a number of principles. One of these was the idea of yohaku-no-bi, or the beauty of extra white. This refers to the use of empty space in the garden, which is as important as the rocks. Another principle was the idea of omomi, or the abstract quality of the garden. The garden is not supposed to look like a real landscape, but to suggest the spirit of nature. The most famous of all the Japanese gardens, and the best example of a rock garden, is at the Zen temple of Ryoanji in Kyoto. It was built in the late 15th century, and it consists of a rectangle of white gravel, surrounded by a low wall, with 15 rocks of different sizes placed on the gravel. The rocks are placed in five groups, and the gravel is raked every day by the monks. The garden is viewed from a platform on the veranda of the temple, and it is often said that only 14 of the rocks can be seen at any one time, no matter where the person viewing it is sitting.

The karesansui continued to evolve over the centuries. By the 18th century, the gardens were beginning to lose their spiritual significance, and they were being built in the gardens of the nobility. By the 19th century, the gardens were being built in the grounds of hotels and inns, and they were becoming a tourist setting. This was the time when Japan was opening up to the West, and the gardens were being built to cater to the increasing number of foreign tourists. The gardens were no longer being built according to the principles of Zen Buddhism, and they were no longer being used as an aid to meditation.

The influence of karesansui extends far beyond its original religious setting. It is now featured in homes, parks, and public buildings worldwide. This art form, a powerful representation of Japanese aesthetic principles, has achieved international significance through its impact on Western garden design.

Questions 14-17

Choose the correct letter.

14. What does the writer say about the main purpose of a Japanese rock garden?

A. to increase the status of a temple

B. to provide a calm environment

C. to show the artistic skills of the designer

D. to encourage visitors to the temple

Answer: B. to provide a calm environment

Supporting statement: "The aim is to create a peaceful place for meditation and contemplation."

Keywords: peaceful, meditation, contemplation

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 6

Explanation: The main purpose of Japanese rock gardens is to foster calmness for meditation, not to elevate status or show artistry.

15. The writer says that the first Japanese gardens

A. were built by monks.

B. were inspired by Japanese paintings.

C. were designed to be seen from a distance.

D. were open to the public.

Answer: C. were designed to be seen from a distance

Supporting statement: "They were intended to be viewed from a building..."

Keywords: viewed, from a building

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 3

Explanation: Early Japanese gardens were not meant for walking through; they were viewed from a building, indicating a distant perspective.

16. What was the purpose of the first rock gardens?

A. to represent the principles of nature

B. to show the beauty of the rocks

C. to provide a place for people to sit

D. to represent a natural landscape

Answer: A. to represent the principles of nature

Supporting statement: "The gardens were not intended to look like real landscapes, but to represent the essence of nature’s principles."

Keywords: represent, nature’s principles

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 6

Explanation: The focus of early rock gardens in Zen temples was on abstract representations of nature rather than literal landscapes.

17. The writer says that the garden at Ryoanji

A. contains different types of rocks.

B. is larger than most rock gardens.

C. is viewed from a path in the garden.

D. was built by a famous gardener.

Answer: A. contains different types of rocks

Supporting statement: "It consists of a rectangle of white gravel... with 15 rocks of different sizes..."

Keywords: 15 rocks, different sizes

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 4

Explanation: The garden at Ryoanji includes 15 rocks, all varying in size, confirming the diversity of the rocks used.

Questions 18-19

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

THE GARDEN AT RYOANJI

The garden at the Zen temple of Ryoanji is a rectangular area of white gravel surrounded by a 18……………………….

Answer: wall

Supporting statement: "...a rectangle of white gravel, surrounded by a low wall..."

Keywords: surrounded, wall

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 4

Explanation: The garden at Ryoanji is enclosed by a low wall that defines its boundary.

There are 15 rocks of different sizes in the garden, and the gravel is raked every day by the 19………………………..

Answer: monks

Supporting statement: "...the gravel is raked every day by the monks."

Keywords: raked, monks

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 6

Explanation: The monks of the temple are responsible for maintaining the gravel by raking it daily.

Questions 20-22

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

The garden is viewed from a 20………………

Answer: platform

Supporting statement: "The garden is viewed from a platform on the veranda of the temple..."

Keywords: viewed, platform, veranda

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 6

Explanation: Observers view the garden from a platform on the temple’s veranda, indicating the intended viewing position.

on the veranda of the temple, and it is said that only 21..................

Answer: fourteen

Supporting statement: "...only 14 of the rocks can be seen at any one time..."

Keywords: only 14, rocks, seen

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 7

Explanation: No matter the observer's position, only 14 of the 15 rocks are visible at a time, a noted feature of the garden.

of the rocks can be seen at any one time, no matter where the person viewing the garden is sitting. By the 18th century, the gardens were beginning to lose their 22........ Significance.

Answer: spiritual

Supporting statement: "By the 18th century, the gardens were beginning to lose their spiritual significance..."

Keywords: lose, spiritual significance

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 1

Explanation: As their use became more widespread and commercialized, the spiritual purpose of the gardens declined.

Questions 23-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? 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

23. By the 18th century, Japanese rock gardens were being built in places other than temples.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "By the 18th century, the gardens were beginning to lose their spiritual significance, and they were being built in the gardens of the nobility."

Keywords: gardens, nobility, 18th century

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 1

Explanation: This confirms that rock gardens were no longer exclusive to temples by the 18th century.

24. Foreign tourists were responsible for the loss of spiritual significance of rock gardens.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "The gardens were being built to cater to the increasing number of foreign tourists."

Keywords: built for tourists, not caused

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 4

Explanation: While gardens were adapted for tourists, there is no claim that tourists caused the loss of spiritual significance.

25. Today, Japanese rock gardens are built in many countries.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "It is now featured in homes, parks, and public buildings worldwide."

Keywords: featured, worldwide

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, line 1

Explanation: The passage clearly states that Japanese rock gardens are now found across the globe.

26. The principles of Japanese rock gardens are different from those of Western gardens.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: While influence on Western gardens is mentioned, there is no direct statement comparing their principles.

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*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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