This Marvellous Invention Reading Answers

Feb 23, 2023

This Marvellous Invention Reading Answers talks about the discoveries and produces that have helped mankind in the long-run. This Marvellous Invention Reading Answers quotes all the aspects and technologies that has been discovered by the human beings itself that has served and is still serving several purposes to the mankind. This IELTS reading passage comprises of a total of 14 questions that are to be answered by the candidates within a timeframe of 20 minutes. The IELTS reading topic, This Marvellous Invention Reading Answers comprises of question types; choose the correct heading, write the correct letter, and yes/no/not given. In this section of the IELTS Reading, to solve choose the correct heading, candidates are required to find relevance with given cues in the reading passage. Furthermore, the criteria of solving choose the correct letter is same as choose the correct heading. For yes/no/not given. a thorough reading and identification of keywords is a necessity. To gain accuracy and profciency in this section, candidates can undertake extensive practice from IELTS Reading practice paper that are available throoughout the internet. This IELTS reading passage can be found in Cambridge 11 Test 4.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

This Marvellous Invention Reading Answers

Of all mankind's manifold creations, language must take pride of place. Other inventions -the wheel, agriculture, sliced bread - may have transformed our material existence, but the advent of language is what made us human. Compared to language, all other inventions pale in significance, since everything we have ever achieved depends on language and originates from it. Without language, we could never have embarked on our ascent to unparalleled power over all other animals, and even over nature itself.
But language is foremost not just because it came first. In its own right it is a tool of extraordinary sophistication, yet based on an idea of ingenious simplicity: ‘this marvellous invention of composing out of twenty-five or thirty sounds that infinite variety of expressions which, whilst having in themselves no likeness to what is in our mind, allow us to disclose to others its whole secret, and to make known to those who cannot penetrate it all that we imagine, and all the various stirrings of our soul’ This was how, in 1660, the renowned French grammarians of the Port-Royal abbey near Versailles distilled the essence of language, and no one since has celebrated more eloquently the magnitude of its achievement. Even so, there is just one flaw in all these hymns of praise, for the homage to languages unique accomplishment conceals a simple yet critical incongruity. Language is mankind's greatest invention - except, of course, that it was never invented. This apparent paradox is at the core of our fascination with language, and it holds many of its secrets.
Language often seems so skillfully drafted that one can hardly imagine it as anything other than the perfected handiwork of a master craftsman. How else could this instrument make so much out of barely three dozen measly morsels of sound? In themselves, these configurations of mouth p,f,b,v,t,d,k,g,sh,a,e and so on - amount to nothing more than a few haphazard spits and splutters, random noises with no meaning, no ability to express, no power to explain. But run them through the cogs and wheels of the language machine, let it arrange them in some very special orders, and there is nothing that these meaningless streams of air cannot do: from sighing the interminable boredom of existence to unravelling the fundamental order of the universe.
the most extraordinary thing about language, however, is that one doesn’t have to be a genius to set its wheels in motion. The language machine allows just about everybody from pre-modern foragers in the subtropical savannah, to postmodern philosophers in the suburban sprawl - to tie these meaningless sounds together into an infinite variety of subtle senses, and all apparently without the slightest exertion. Yet it is precisely this deceptive ease which makes language a victim of its own success, since in everyday life its triumphs are usually taken for granted. The wheels of language run so smoothly that one rarely bothers to stop and think about all the resourcefulness and expertise that must have gone into making it tick. Language conceals art.
Often, it is only the estrangement of foreign tongues, with their many exotic and outlandish features, that brings home the wonder of language design. One of the showiest stunts that some languages can pull off is an ability to build up words of breath-breaking length, and thus express in one word what English takes a whole sentence to say. The Turkish word çehirliliçtiremediklerimizdensiniz, to take one example, means nothing less than ‘you are one of those whom we can’t turn into a town-dweller’. (In case you were wondering, this monstrosity really is one word, not merely many different words squished together - most of its components cannot even stand up on their own.)
And if that sounds like someone-off freak, then consider Sumerian, the language spoken on the banks of the Euphrates some 5,000 years ago by the people who invented writing and thus enabled the documentation of history. A Sumerian word like munintuma'a (‘when he had made it suitable for her’) might seem rather trim compared to the Turkish colossus above. What is so impressive about it, however, is not its lengthiness but rather the reverse - the thrifty compactness of its construction. The word is made up of different slots, each corresponding to a particular portion of meaning. This sleek design allows single sounds to convey useful information, and in fact even the absence of a sound has been enlisted to express something specific. If you were to ask which bit in the Sumerian word corresponds to the pronoun ‘it’ in the English translation ‘when he had made it suitable for her’, then the answer would have to be nothing. Mind you, a very particular kind of nothing: the nothing that stands in the empty slot in the middle. The technology is so fine-tuned then that even a non-sound, when carefully placed in a particular position, has been invested with a specific function. Who could possibly have come up with such a nifty contraption?

Section 2

Solution with Explanation

Questions 1-6:
Reading Passage has six paragraphs, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-vii, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

Question

Question 1: Paragraph A

Answer: vi
Supporting Sentence: Compared to language, all other inventions pale in significance, since everything we have ever achieved depends on language and originates from it.
Keyword: language, inventions, depends, achieved
Keyword Location: Para A, Line 2.
Explanation: Among all human innovations, language holds the utmost significance as it defines the human condition, surpassing even inventions such as agriculture, wheels, and sliced bread. Thus, language can be considered the most paramount invention of all time.

Question 2: Paragraph B

Answer: iv
Supporting Sentence: In its own right, it is a tool of extraordinary sophistication, yet based on an idea of ingenious simplicity.
Keyword: extraordinary, simplicity, tool, sophistication
Keyword Location: Para B, Line 2.
Explanation: Language has a dual nature, serving as a tool that can be utilized in distinct manners. While its simplicity is admirable, its complex and contradictory attributes render it considerably sophisticated.

Question 3: Paragraph C

Answer: ii
Supporting Sentence: from sighing the interminable boredom of existence to unravelling the fundamental order of the universe.
Keyword: range, organised, sounds, order, universe
Keyword Location: Para C, Last Line.
Explanation: The way you structure your speech can convey different meanings. While a few words might imply boredom, a few more can elaborate on the structure of the cosmos.

Question 4: Paragraph D

Answer: vii
Supporting Sentence: The most extraordinary thing about language, however, is that one doesn’t have to be a genius to set its wheels in motion.
Keyword: language, universal, genius
Keyword Location: Para D, Line 1.
Explanation: Language is a skill that every individual possesses inherently; one doesn't require exceptional intelligence to comprehend its usage.

Question 5: Paragraph E

Answer: i
Supporting Sentence: Often, it is only the estrangement of foreign tongues, with their many exotic and outlandish features, that brings home the wonder of languages design.
Keyword: language, foreign language, features, foreign tongues
Keyword Location: Para E, Line 1.
Explanation: The unique and stunning qualities of things are accentuated by the differences and diversities in unfamiliar languages. This makes “i” the correct answer.

Question 6: Paragraph F

Answer: v
Supporting Sentence: The technology is so fine-tuned then that even a non-sound, when carefully placed in a particular position, has been infused with a specific function.
Keyword: non-sound, technology, function
Keyword Location: Para F, 2nd last Line.
Explanation: The differences and diversity found in foreign languages serve to accentuate the numerous unusual, untamed, and stunning traits. Thus, it is true that silence can also possess a kind of beauty.

Questions 7-10:
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-G, below.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet.

The wheel is one invention that has had a major impact on 7 _________ aspects of life, but no impact has been as 8 _________ as that of language.
Language is very 9 ___________, yet composed of just a small number of sounds.
Language appears to be 10 ___________ to use. However, its sophistication is often overlooked.

Option

Question 7:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Other inventions - the wheel, agriculture, sliced bread - may have transformed our material existence.
Keyword: language, advent, aspect
Keyword Location: Para A, Line 1.
Explanation: It is undeniable that the inventions of the wheel, agriculture, and sliced bread have had a significant impact on the material aspects of human life. Therefore, the appropriate answer is "material."

Question 8:

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: everything we have ever achieved depends on language and originates from it.
Keyword: originates, language, achieved, depends
Keyword Location: Para A, Line 2.
Explanation: Despite the fact that other significant innovations like the wheel, sliced bread, and agriculture have transformed the material world, nothing can match the significance of language. It is language that is responsible for everything that humans have accomplished thus far.

Question 9:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: sophistication, yet based on an idea of ingenious simplicity
Keyword: idea, sophistication, simplicity, ingenious
Keyword Location: Para B, Line 2.
Explanation: Despite its complexity and intricacy, language is composed of numerous small sounds. The countless variety of sentences that have captivated our minds can be conveyed using just 25 to 30 sounds.

Question 10:

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: doesn’t have to be a genius to set its wheels in motion.
Keyword: does not, have, be, genius
Keyword Location: Para D, Line 1.
Explanation: Starting the wheels of language in motion doesn't require a genius since it's remarkably easy to use. Communication through language is possible for every human, whether it be premodern foragers in subtropical savannahs or postmodern thinkers in the sprawling suburbs of today.

Questions 11-14:
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage?
In boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Question 11: Human beings might have achieved their present position without language.

Answer: No
Supporting Sentence: Without language, we could never have embarked on our ascent to unparalleled power over all other animals, and even over nature itself.
Keyword: language, animals, unparalleled, power, nature
Keyword Location: Para A, Last Line
Explanation: The progress achieved by humanity, including their unparalleled dominion over animals and nature, would have been impossible without the aid of language.

Question 12: The Port-Royal grammarians did justice to the nature of language.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: This was how, in 1660, the renowned French grammarians of the Port-Royal abbey near Versailles distilled the essence of language.
Keyword: grammarians, Port royal, French, language
Keyword Location: Para B, Line 3.
Explanation: French grammarians from Versailles in 1660 were able to capture the rich essence of language in a remarkable manner, thereby earning great recognition for their contribution to the language. Their achievements have remained unparalleled to this day.

Question 13: A complex idea can be explained more clearly in a sentence than in a single word.

Answer: Not given
Explanation: No relevant information was found in the reading passage associated with the given question.

Question 14: The Sumerians were responsible for starting the recording of events.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: And if that sounds like someone-off freak, then consider Sumerian, the language spoken on the banks of the Euphrates some 5,000 years ago by the people who invented writing and thus enabled the documentation of history.
Keyword: Sumerians, recording, sounds, language, documentation, history
Keyword Location: Para F, Line 1.
Explanation: The language of Sumerian was prevalent in the vicinity of the Euphrates riverbanks approximately 5,000 years ago. The Sumerians are believed to be the pioneers of documenting history through writing, thereby inventing the art of writing.

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