The Life Of An Amah Reading Answers

Jan 19, 2023

The Life Of An Amah Reading Answers has 13 questions that are to be answered in 40 minutes. IELTS topic- The Life Of An Amah Reading Answers deals with a group of women who empowered and helped others. The Life Of An Amah IELTS reading question type has two kinds of questions. That is writing the correct answers and knowing whether statements can correspond to the passage. The Life Of An Amah Reading Answers aids in the preparation of the IELTS exam. Candidates need to skim through the passage for the best answer. They can also refer to IELTS Reading practice papers.

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

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Life Of An Amah Reading Answers

The Life Of An Amah

Life in China at the beginning of the 20th Century was a very different world than today especially for women. It was often a very hard life with most women working in the rural areas of China for nothing more than a hand-to-mouth living. For many women in Guangdong province by the Pearl River Delta, however, life was to change forever.

The villages they lived in by the Delta that had once been surrounded by fishponds were now replaced by mulberry trees. This meant large quantities of white mulberry leaves to feed silkworms. This was a chance for many women in the area to grab their independence and they did this by working in China’s now booming silk industry.

It is estimated that over two million women were involved in the silk industry. They took great pride in their independence and refused a conventional lifestyle. They formed sisterhoods and refused to get married, swore oaths of chastity and moved out of their family homes into spinster houses or vegetarian halls as they were called. Some women even held funeral services for a ‘sister’ who had decided to marry.

By the 1930s, however, it was all over. The silk industry had been badly affected by the world depression and many of the once thriving factories were forced to close leaving many women jobless. Some managed to maintain their independence by becoming domestic servants. These were the amahs. By moving to Hong Kong, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries they could earn enough money (5$ a month) to live a reasonable life and continue their independent lifestyle.

An amahs social life took place in a ‘coolie fong’. This was a 2-3 story building rented by a sisterhood. It was here where she would spend time after her working day was over or on days off. It was a place to relax, share stories with other ‘sisters’, hear about new job opportunities, and collect any letters that had been sent to her from her family in China.

Sisterhoods usually ranged in size from six to ten women but could have up to thirty members. The sisterhood networks helped women migrate from the silk areas of China into cities overseas. Once the ‘sisters’ had arrived in one of these cities, the sisterhoods trained the women in various skills to be a cook, lady's maid or baby amah, and assisted them in finding jobs and in relocating them if their work situation was unsatisfactory. The training provided by the sisterhood usually helped the ‘sister’ become a valued servant and, therefore, to receive the wages she asked for.

In many ways the sisterhood was similar to a primitive labor union in that members established job definitions and minimum wages for each job. If a member was treated badly by an employer, other ‘sisters’ refused to work for the employer. Sometimes one sisterhood dominated the domestic staff of a whole apartment building. In such cases the sisterhood controlled who was hired, and if an employer fired a ‘sister’ without just cause, the sisterhood made it very difficult for the employer to hire another servant.

Sisterhoods also established loan associations for their members, which were especially important for the immigrants separated from possible family assistance. The loan associations also acted as investment clubs where the women pooled their savings to buy property where they could retire together.

Every amah had a different routine as this partly depended on the size of the family they were working for and whether they were European or local. Europeans tended to be more demanding. Some households would hire more than one amah but others would only hire one. For many amahs this was a good thing. Although they had to work harder they felt they were more independent and free of typical domestic servant arguments. These amahs were usually known as “one-leg kick” (or “yat keok tek” in Cantonese) since they did all the work in the household.

A typical workday began when she woke up early in the morning around 5 a.m. and, after getting herself ready, she would start cooking breakfast. After doing the dishes, she swept and tidied up the house. When that was done, she washed the clothes and prepared lunch. After cleaning up, she did the ironing. When that was done, she took a bath. It would then be time to cook again. By the time dinner was over, and she had cleaned up and finished the dishes, it would be about 9p.m. A 16-hour day that was repeated seven days a week with only an occasional half-day off.

Sometimes known as ‘black and whites’ because they often wore white shirts and black pants with their hair in a bun or a long braid falling down their back, they were seen as an elite group of servants that were hardworking, trustworthy, and completely loyal to the families they worked for.

Stories of their complete loyalty are common with one amah jumping into the sea to rescue her English charge who had accidentally fallen from the ship. Others even worked for free if their employees lost their job and couldn’t pay them. In return the amahs were not exploited but treated like members of the family. Indeed, it was their loyalty that led to them being called amah as the Cantonese word for mother is amah.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 28 - 32

Complete the flow chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet.

Sisterhoods usually had up to 28 _______ members

Their networks stretched all the way to 29 _______

Sisterhoods offered training in 30 _______ and help in finding jobs

A trained amah was able to get the 31 _______ she wanted

Sisterhoods acted rather like a 32 _______ controlling salaries

28.

Answer: thirty
Supporting Sentence: Sisterhoods usually ranged in size from six to ten women but could have up to thirty members.
Keywords: : Sisterhoods, could have, up to thirty members.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 1-2
Explanation: The sixth paragraph states that sisterhoods typically had six to ten members, but they could have as many as thirty. And so it is clear that the word “thirty” is the right answer to be filled here.

29.

Answer: China
Supporting Sentence: The sisterhood networks helped women migrate from the silk areas of China into cities overseas.
Keywords: sisterhood, networks, helped women, women migrate, China
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 2-3
Explanation: The sixth paragraph states that sisterhood networks facilitated the emigration of women from China's silk regions to foreign cities. And so it is clear that the word “China” is the right answer to be filled here.

30.

Answer: various skills
Supporting Sentence: Once the ‘sisters’ had arrived in one of these cities, the sisterhoods trained the women in various skills to be a cook
Keywords: sisterhoods, trained, women, various skills
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 3-4
Explanation: After the "sisters" settled in one of these cities, the sisterhoods taught the women various skills like cooking, lady's maid work, and baby amah work. They also helped the women find jobs and relocate if their employment was not satisfactory. And so it is clear that the word “various skills” is the right answer to be filled here.

31.

Answer: wages
Supporting Sentence: The training provided by the sisterhood usually helped the ‘sister’ become a valued servant and, therefore, to receive the wages she asked for.
Keywords: receive the wages, she asked for.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, line 7
Explanation: Typically, the sisterhood's training enabled the "sister" to establish herself as a valuable employee and, as a result, to obtain the wages she requested. And so it is clear that the word “wages” is the right answer to be filled here.

32.

Answer: primitive labor union
Supporting Sentence: In many ways the sisterhood was similar to a primitive labor union in that members established job definitions and minimum wages for each job
Keywords: sisterhood, primitive labor union, established, wages for each job
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, lines 1-2
Explanation: Paragraph 7 states that members of the sisterhood formed job definitions and set minimum wages for jobs, making it reflective of a primitive labour union in many ways. And so it is clear that the word “primitive labour union” is the right answer to be filled here.

Questions 33– 35

Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 33-35 on your answer sheet.

What were silkworms given to eat?

Answer: white mulberry leaves
Supporting Sentence: This meant large quantities of white mulberry leaves to feed silkworms
Keywords: large quantities, white mulberry leaves, feed silkworms
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 2-3
Explanation: The second paragraph states that mulberry trees had taken the place of the fishponds that had once surrounded the villages where they lived near the Delta. To feed silkworms, this meant using a lot of white mulberry leaves.

Why did many silk factories close?

Answer: world depression
Supporting Sentence: The silk industry had been badly affected by the world depression and many of the once thriving factories were forced to close leaving many women jobless.
Keywords: silk industry, world depression, forced to close
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 1-2
Explanation: The fourth paragraph states that by the 1930s, everything had ended. The world depression had a significant impact on the silk industry, and many of the once-thriving factories were forced to close, leaving many women without jobs.

How would sisterhoods help women buy property?

Answer: investment clubs
Supporting Sentence: The loan associations also acted as investment clubs where the women pooled their savings to buy property where they could retire together.
Keywords: investment clubs, women pooled, their savings, buy property
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, lines 3-4
Explanation: The eight paragraph states that the loan associations served as investment clubs for the women. They invested their savings to buy homes where they could all retire.

Questions 36 - 40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 36-40 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

Most Amahs never wanted to marry.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: They formed sisterhoods and refused to get married
Keywords: sisterhoods, refused, married
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 3
Explanation: The given statement is true because the second paragraph does state that sisterhoods refused marriages.

Amahs would often get letters from China.

Answer: Not given
Explanation: This statement has information that was never mentioned in the passage.

Some Amahs were called “one-leg kick” because they were kicked by their owners.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: These amahs were usually known as “one-leg kick” (or “yat keok tek” in Cantonese) since they did all the work in the household.
Keywords: amahs, known as “one-leg kick”, work, household
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, lines 6-7
Explanation: The given statement is false. This is because the ninth paragraph states these amahs are known as “one-leg kick” because of them doing all the household work. Not because the owners kicked them.

Amahs were given a regular day off.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: A 16-hour day that was repeated seven days a week with only an occasional half-day off.
Keywords: A 16-hour day, seven days a week, occasional half-day off.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 10, lines 7-8
Explanation: Paragraph 10 states that amahs put in 16 hours a day, seven days a week, with only the occasional half-day off. Therefore the given statement is false.

Amahs were considered the best of the best.

Answer: True
Explanation: The passage speaks very highly of amahs and how much loyal they were. They worked very hard and sometimes even adjusted when their employers had a shortage of money. From this we can deduce that they were always considered the best.

More IELTS Reading Samples