The Pursuit of Knowledge Reading Answers

Apr 5, 2025

The Pursuit of Knowledge is an IELTS Reading Answer which contains 13 questions and needs to be completed within 20 minutes. This reading answer also helps you to prepare for your IELTS exam. The Pursuit of Knowledge consists of questions like: Write no more than four words and do the statements below agree with the information. Participants should go through the IELTS Reading passage to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions. Also, The Pursuit of Knowledge Reading Answers speaks about humanity’s quest for learning, scientific advancements, and intellectual curiosity. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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

Topic:

The Pursuit of Knowledge

According to the great English lexicographer Samuel Johnson, knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it (Boswell Life vol. 2 p, 383 18 April 1775). In the information-driven world we now inhabit, the latter has assumed a much greater level of importance. At the time of the European Renaissance, which spanned the fourteenth, fifteenth and six-teenth centuries, it was considered possible far the educated, well-read man, the so-called Renaissance man, to possess the sum total of human knowledge. Admittedly, the body of knowledge then available was restricted, being held firmly in check by several important factors; the paucity of books in circulation at that time; the difficulty of acquiring copies of the texts; the need to copy texts by hand; and the cost of doing so. The example of Lupus of Ferrieres' search for the Ars rhetorica of Fortunatus in the ninth century was repeated again and again throughout the Latin West until the momentous advent of printing in the middle of the fifteenth century. Printed books saw the end of some of the practical limitations placed on the spread of human knowledge. The first revolution in Information tech-nology had begun.

Renaissance man was rapidly left behind by this development; and, henceforth, it would be increasingly difficult for the educated man to cope with the expansion of knowledge that flowed through Europe via the medium of movable type. In today's world, the scenario could hardly be more different. The most well-read individual, whom we could legitimately call information man, or homo sciens, would certainly be considerably more knowledgeable than Renaissance man, Yet, because of the ever-expand-ing increase in the sum total of human knowledge over the latter half of the last millennium, and the changes in the world of technology, easy access to information has reduced the stature of the educated individual. All that he can hope to be now is an expert in a narrow field, not the all-knowing polymath of yesteryear.

It Is not surprising to see people overwhelmed by the unlimited stream of Information. There is simply too much of it to assimilate, and it is difficult to know what to do with the data once it is received; which brings us back to Johnson's words. But we need to add an-other dimension to his dictum, one which was probably true in his time, but is oven more pertinent today: people need to be able to life the knowledge they acquire and not just know it or know where to find it. Our deficiency in this regard is, perhaps, the most singular failure of the modern information age. Acquisitiveness is a natural human Instinct. Children collect cards of footballers, or whatever is the latest fad, Stamps, coins and books are targets for children and adult collectors (dike, as their basic instincts are played upon and nurtured by market forces. The desire to gather knowledge is nothing new. What is astonishing, however, Is the way in which people treat the knowledge ones It has been collected. It is as if the collection were an end in Itself; and herein lies the great deception, We have turned the world into a large machine of informa-tion, a veritable vortex into which we are ail being Inexorably sucked, People beaver away amassing raw data, labouring under the misapprehension that they arc doing something worthwhile, when all that is really happening is the movement of information from one place to another, We should hardly be surprised that, as this becomes apparent, disillusion-ment and stress in the workplace arc becoming sadly the all too common consequences. The world Is not really the richer for having the current wealth of knowledge at its fingertips. It is like standing amongst the wealth of the British Library, the Bibliothèque Nationals in Paris or other great libraries and not being able to read.

So what is to be done? Training in collecting and processing relevant information, followed by learning to collate, analyse and select or discard is the obvious solution, But there is such a dearth of people who know what to do that one remains pessimistic.

The pursuit of knowledge is sadly not all it is cracked up to be.

Questions 14-20

Use NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS to complete each blank.

14. Samuel Johnson was an …………………

Answer: English lexicographer

Supporting statement: "According to the great English lexicographer Samuel Johnson, knowledge is of two kinds."

Keywords: Samuel Johnson, lexicographer

Keyword Location: para 1, line 1

Explanation: Samuel Johnson is referred to as an English lexicographer in the first sentence.

15. Renaissance man supposedly possessed all ……………….

Answer: human knowledge

Supporting statement: "it was considered possible for the educated, well-read man, the so-called Renaissance man, to possess the sum total of human knowledge."

Keywords: Renaissance man, human knowledge

Keyword Location: para 2, line 3

Explanation: The Renaissance man was believed to possess all of human knowledge.

16. The spread of knowledge changed with the all-important ……………..

Answer: movable type

Supporting statement: "Printed books saw the end of some of the practical limitations placed on the spread of human knowledge."

Keywords: printing, movable type

Keyword Location: para 3, line 6

Explanation: The advent of printing and movable type marked a significant change in the spread of knowledge.

17. According to the writer, today's information man knows more than ………………...

Answer: Renaissance man

Supporting statement: "In today's world, the most well-read individual... would certainly be considerably more knowledgeable than Renaissance man."

Keywords: information man, Renaissance man

Keyword Location: para 4, line 1

Explanation: The writer suggests that today's information man knows more than the Renaissance man.

18. The standing of the modern educated man has been diminished by …………….

Answer: expanding knowledge

Supporting statement: "Yet, because of the ever-expanding increase in the sum total of human knowledge... easy access to information has reduced the stature of the educated individual."

Keywords: expanding knowledge, easy access

Keyword Location: para 4, line 3

Explanation: The expansion of knowledge and easy access to it has diminished the status of the modern educated person.

19. The polymath of the Renaissance is described as …………………..

Answer: the all-knowing polymath

Supporting statement: "Not the all-knowing polymath of yesteryear."

Keywords: polymath, yesteryear

Keyword Location: para 4, line 6

Explanation: The polymath of the Renaissance is described as an all-knowing figure who is no longer achievable.

20. In today's world, people arc weighed down by the endless ……………

Answer: stream of information

Supporting statement: "It is not surprising to see people overwhelmed by the unlimited stream of information."

Keywords: stream of information, people

Keyword Location: para 5, line 1

Explanation: The overwhelming flow of information is what weighs people down in today's world.

Questions 21-24

Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS for each answer.

21. How does the writer describe people's inability in the modern world to use the knowledge that they obtain?

Answer: Singular failure

Supporting statement: "Our deficiency in this regard is, perhaps, the most singular failure of the modern information age."

Keywords: inability, modern world, use knowledge

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, Line 10

Explanation: The writer highlights that people today struggle to apply the knowledge they acquire, referring to it as the greatest failure of the information age.

22. What is the desire to collect things described as?

Answer: Natural human instinct

Supporting statement: "Acquisitiveness is a natural human instinct."

Keywords: desire, collect things

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 1

Explanation: The passage describes the tendency to collect objects or knowledge as a natural human trait, comparing it to childhood habits.

23. According to the author, what has the world turned into?

Answer: Large machine of information

Supporting statement: "We have turned the world into a large machine of information, a veritable vortex into which we are all being inexorably sucked."

Keywords: world, turned into

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Line 3

Explanation: The author criticizes how the world is flooded with excessive information, turning it into a mere system of data movement rather than meaningful knowledge.

24. What arc the consequences in the workplace of moving large amounts of raw data around?

Answer: Disillusionment and stress

Supporting statement: "We should hardly be surprised that, as this becomes apparent, disillusionment and stress in the workplace are becoming sadly the all too common consequences."

Keywords: workplace, consequences, raw data

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Line 6

Explanation: The passage explains that constantly shifting large amounts of data without meaningful use leads to stress and disappointment in professional environments.

Questions 25-26

Do the statements below agree with the information in

Reading Passage 1?

YES - if the statement agrees with the information in the passage

NO - if the statement contradicts the information in the passage

NOT GIVEN - if there is no information about the statement in the passage

25. As the world has a wealth of knowledge within easy reach, it is now richer.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: “The world is not really the richer for having the current wealth of knowledge at its fingertips. It is like standing amongst the wealth of the British Library, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris or other great libraries and not being able to read.”

Keywords: wealth of knowledge, richer

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 3-5

Explanation: The passage states that despite having easy access to vast amounts of knowledge, the world is not necessarily richer. The comparison to standing in a library without being able to read highlights the idea that mere access does not equate to meaningful enrichment.

26. Knowledge processing courses will soon be obligatory for all library workers.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Supporting statement:

Keywords:

Keyword Location:

Explanation: The passage discusses the need for better training in collecting, analyzing, and processing information, but it does not specifically state that knowledge processing courses will become a requirement for library workers.

Check IELTS reading samples: