The Luddites Reading Answers

Jan 9, 2023

The Luddites Reading Answers contains sample answers about Luddites and Ned Ludd. The Luddites Reading Answers has 14 different questions. IELTS The Luddites Reading Answerscontains two types of questions: match the cause with its effect and true/false/not given. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage to match the causes with its effect from the given list of options. Candidates need to thoroughly go through each paragraph to answer whether the given statement is true or false, write not given if the information is not stated. Candidates can gain proficiency on diverse topics by undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

A The term Luddite is used to refer to a person who is opposed to new technology. The word derives from the name Ned Ludd, a man who may or may not have actually existed. The original Luddites were textile workers in early nineteenth-century England who protested changes brought on by the industrial revolution. These weavers made lace and stockings by hand, carrying out their craft independently in their homes according to traditional methods. In the 1800s, automated power looms and stocking frames were introduced, radically changing the traditional work system. Weavers’ work was moved from individual homes to factories; individuals could not afford to buy the new machines for themselves. The new machines were not difficult to run. They could be operated by unskilled workers and turned out an inferior product, but they produced large quantities cheaply, which was the aim of the new factory owners. The makers of finely crafted, handmade textiles could not compete with the new machines. Instead of continuing their tradition as skilled, independent workers, they would have to go to work in factories for low wages.

B The industrial revolution was happening everywhere. In the textile-producing towns of England, workers focused on the new weaving machines as the source of their troubles. The height of Luddite activity occurred in the years 1811-1812. Groups of men, often in disguise, would arrive at a factory and make demands for higher wages and better working conditions. If these demands were not met, the group retaliated by smashing the factory machines. These groups often claimed that they were working under the command of General Ned Ludd, and thus came to be called Luddites.

C Who was Ned Ludd? Rumours about this mysterious person abounded. He came to be associated with that traditional champion of the poor, Robin Hood. The original Luddite activity was centred around Nottingham, and many said that Ned Ludd hid out in nearby Sherwood Forest, just as the legendary Robin Hood had. According to another tradition, Ned Ludd was a weaver who had accidentally broken two stocking frames, and from that, came to be the one blamed any time an expensive piece of weaving equipment was damaged. Whoever Ned Ludd may or may not have been, riots protesting the new factories were carried out in his name throughout England’s textile-producing region.

D Workers’ families suffered as wages fell and food prices rose. There were food riots in several towns, and Luddite activity spread. In the winter of 1812, the Frame-Breaking Act was passed, making the destruction of factory equipment a crime punishable by death. The government sent thousands of troops into areas affected by the riots. In the spring of that year, several factory owners were killed during Luddite riots, and a number of textile workers died as well. Following one of the largest incidents, when rioters set fire to a mill in Westhoughton, four rioters, including a young boy, were executed. In another incident that spring, a group of over a thousand workers attacked a mill in Lancashire with sticks and rocks. When they were beaten back by armed guards protecting the mill, they moved to the mill owner’s house and burned it down. The wave of violence resulted in a crack down by the government. Suspected Luddites were arrested and imprisoned, and many of them were hanged.

E By the summer of 1812, Luddite activity had begun to die down, although there continued to be sporadic incidents over the next several years. In 1816, a bad harvest and economic downturn led to a small revival of rioting. In June of that year, workers attacked two mills, smashing equipment and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. Government troops were brought in to stop the violence. In the end, six of the rioters were executed for their participation. However, rioting never again reached the levels it had in 1811 and 1812.

F The Luddites were short-lived, but they left an impressive mark. They were responsible for destroying close to one thousand weaving machines during the height of their activity in 1811-1812, as well as burning down several factories. Beyond the physical damage, however, they left their mark in people’s minds. The famed English novelist Charlotte Bronte set her novel Shirley in Yorkshire at the time of the riots. This novel is still widely read today. In our present time of rapid technological change, people who are concerned about the pace of technological advance often call themselves Neo-Luddites. Although the responses to it may differ, concern about the changes brought on by technology continues.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-6

Match each cause in List A with its effect in List B.
Write the correct letter, A—J on lines 1-6 on your answer sheet.
There are more effects in List B than you will need, so you will not use them all.

List A Causes

The new weaving machines were expensive to buy. ………………………
The new weaving machines were easy to operate. ………………………
Workers’ demands for better pay and conditions were not met. ………………………
Rioting spread to many towns. ………………………
A law was passed against destroying factory equipment. ………………………
Economic conditions worsened in 1816. ………………………

List B Effects

Troops were sent into the area.
Weavers stopped working at home and went to work in factories.
Rioters often wore disguises.
Workers destroyed factory equipment.
Many rioters were hanged.
Charlotte Bronte wrote a novel about the Luddites.
Prices went up, and salaries went down.
Factory owners did not need to hire skilled weavers.
Luddite rioting resumed for a short while.
People compared Ned Ludd to Robin Hood.

Question: 1

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Weavers’ work was moved from individual homes to factories; individuals could not afford to buy the new machines for themselves.
Keyword : weavers, factories, machines
Keyword Location: paragraph A, line 7-8
Explanation: The labour of weavers was transferred from private houses to factories, according to the lines that follow in paragraph A. The new equipment was out of reach for most people to afford. Inferring that workers stopped working at home and instead went to work in factories since the new machines were expensive to purchase. So, B is the correct response.

Question: 2

Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: The new machines were not difficult to run. They could be operated by unskilled workers and turned out an inferior product
Keyword : machines, unskilled, inferior product
Keyword Location: paragraph A, 8-9
Explanation: The lines from Paragraph A state that operating the new machinery wasn't challenging. They could be run by unskilled personnel and produce a subpar product. However, they produced a lot of products at a low price, which was what the new factory owners wanted. Therefore, we can conclude that factory owners did not need to engage professional weavers because the new machines were simple to run. The answer is therefore H.

Question: 3

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Groups of men, often in disguise, would arrive at a factory and make demands for higher wages and better working conditions.
Keyword : factory, demand, wages, condition
Keyword Location: paragraph B, line 3
Explanation: In the words that follow, it is stated that groups of men would visit a factory and demand better pay and working conditions. If these demands were not honoured, the group threatened to destroy the factory's equipment in retaliation. This unequivocally demonstrates that when their demands were not met, workers destroyed production equipment. Thus, the answer is D.

Question: 4

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: government sent thousands of troops into areas affected by the riots.
Keyword : government, troops, affected, riots
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 4
Explanation: The government moved tens of thousands of soldiers into the riot-affected districts, per the sentences that follow in Paragraph D. In the spring of that year, numerous mill owners as well as a number of textile workers perished in Luddite uprisings. According to these lines, troops were deployed to the locations where disturbances had started. The answer is therefore A.

Question: 5

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: when rioters set fire to a mill in Westhoughton, four rioters, including a young boy, were executed.
Keyword : rioters, executed, mill
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 6
Explanation: As per the sentences that follow in Paragraph D, four rioters, including a little boy, were put to death after they set fire to a mill in Westhoughton. Many suspected Luddites were hanged after being detained and arrested. This obviates any possibility that rioters were hanged or put to death. Thus, the answer is E.

Question: 6

Answer: I
Supporting Sentence: In 1816, a bad harvest and economic downturn led to a small revival of rioting
Keyword : harvest, economic, downturn, revival, rioting
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 2
Explanation: As per the words that follow in Paragraph E, a poor crop and a slump in the economy in 1816 caused a little uptick in rioting. This implies that there were economic difficulties at the time, and small-scale riots broke out. The answer is thus I.

Questions 7-14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

A Luddite is a person who resists new technology. ………………………

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: The term Luddite is used to refer to a person who is opposed to new technology.
Keyword : Luddite, person, new technology
Keyword Location: paragraph A, line 1
Explanation: The word "Luddite" is used to describe someone who is against new technology, according to the first sentence in Paragraph A. So, the answer is true.

Before the nineteenth century, weavers made lace by hand. ………………………

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: original Luddites were textile workers in early nineteenth-century England who protested
Keyword : Luddites, textile, England, protested
Keyword Location: paragraph A, line 3
Explanation: The first Luddites were English textile workers in the early nineteenth century, as per the lines that follow in Paragraph A. They objected to the industrial revolution's changes. These artisans used hand weaving and ancient techniques to create lace and stockings on their own time in their houses. This shows that lace was manually woven before the eighteenth century. So, the answer is true.

Factory owners, as well as workers, died as a result of Luddite rioting. ………………………

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: several factory owners were killed during Luddite riots, and a number of textile workers died as well
Keyword : factory owners, killed, textile workers, died
Keyword Location: paragraph D, line 5
Explanation: In the words that follow, it is stated that the government dispatched thousands of troops to the riot-affected areas. In the spring of that year, numerous mill owners as well as a number of textile workers perished in Luddite uprisings. This implies that factory owners and employees both perished as a result of riots by the Luddites. So, the answer is true.

The Luddite movement did not spread beyond England. ………………………

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The relevant information regarding the statement is not given in the passage.

Nobody knows for certain who Ned Ludd was. ………………………

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: The word derives from the name Ned Ludd, a man who may or may not have actually existed
Keyword : Ned Ludd, actually existed
Keyword Location: paragraph A, line 2
Explanation: The term "Luddite" is used to describe someone who is against new technology, as per the lines that follow in Paragraph A. The name stems from the name Ned Ludd, who may or may not have existed. This shows that Ned Ludd's existence was unclear. So, the answer is true.

Worker protests during the economic downturn of 1816 were nonviolent. ………………………

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: In 1816, a bad harvest and economic downturn led to a small revival of rioting
Keyword : bad harvest, economic downturn, small revival, rioting
Keyword Location: paragraph E, line 2-3
Explanation: According to paragraph E, a poor harvest and an economic downturn in 1816 caused a little uptick in rioting. Workers broke into two mills in June of that year, shattering equipment and inflicting thousands of dollars in damage. This demonstrates unequivocally the violent nature of the riots in 1816. So, the answer is false.

Luddite activity lasted for many years. ………………………

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: The Luddites were short-lived, but they left an impressive mark.
Keyword : Luddites, short lived, impressive mark
Keyword Location: paragraph F, line 1
Explanation: The Luddites were short-lived, yet they left an impressive legacy, according to the first sentence of Paragraph F. This shows that the Luddite movement was short-lived. The answer is therefore false.