Esperanto and the Universal Language Dream: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “In the closing years of the nineteenth century, a young eye doctor in the Russian Empire set out to solve a problem that had troubled him since childhood. L.”
- Passage length: about 807 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: Summary Completion, Matching Features, Short Answer
“Esperanto and the Universal Language Dream” is an original IELTS-style practice passage written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Esperanto and the Universal Language Dream answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Complete the summary using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Esperanto was published in 1887 by L. L. Zamenhof, who concealed his identity behind the pen name Doktoro (1) ______ . He had grown up in the town of (2) ______ , where the different communities distrusted one another. The language was designed to be easy: its grammar consisted of only (3) ______ rules, and, unlike national languages, it contained no (4) ______ verbs. Zamenhof did not want Esperanto to replace people's (5) ______ languages, only to serve as a neutral second one. The first international (6) ______ of speakers took place in France in 1905.
- 1
Zamenhof, who concealed his identity behind the pen name Doktoro ______ .(max 2 words)
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Answer: Esperanto
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it states that L. L. Zamenhof published the plan for the language in 1887, using the pen name Doktoro Esperanto, which later became the name of the language itself.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “In 1887 he published the plan for such a language, hiding his identity behind the pen name Doktoro Esperanto, meaning 'one who hopes'.”
- 2
He had grown up in the town of ______ , where the different communities distrusted one another.(max 2 words)
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Answer: Bialystok (also accepted: Białystok)
Why: The answer "Bialystok" is found in the passage where it mentions that Zamenhof grew up in Bialystok, a town where various communities lived together but rarely trusted each other.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “Zamenhof had grown up in Bialystok, a crowded town where Poles, Russians, Germans and Jews lived side by side but rarely trusted one another, each group speaking its own tongue.”
- 3
The language was designed to be easy: its grammar consisted of only ______ rules, and, unlike national languages, it contained no ______ verbs.(max 2 words)
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Answer: sixteen (also accepted: 16)
Why: The answer "sixteen" is found in the passage where it describes that Esperanto's entire grammar was outlined in just sixteen rules, emphasizing the language's simplicity and ease of learning.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “Its entire grammar was set out in just sixteen rules, printed on a single sheet, and these rules had no exceptions whatever.”
- 4
The language was designed to be easy: its grammar consisted of only ______ rules, and, unlike national languages, it contained no ______ verbs.(max 2 words)
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Answer: irregular
Why: The answer "irregular" is found in the passage where it describes Esperanto's grammar as having no exceptions, specifically stating there were no irregular verbs to memorize.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “There were no irregular verbs to memorise, no unpredictable plurals, and every word was spelled exactly as it was pronounced.”
- 5
Zamenhof did not want Esperanto to replace people's ______ languages, only to serve as a neutral second one.(max 2 words)
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Answer: native (also accepted: living)
Why: The answer "native" is found in the passage where it mentions that Zamenhof never intended Esperanto to replace existing languages, but rather to be a shared second language while people retained their native languages.
Where to find it · Paragraph 2 “He hoped only that people would keep their native languages for home and add Esperanto as a shared second language for dealings across borders.”
- 6
The first international ______ of speakers took place in France in 1905.(max 2 words)
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Answer: congress (also accepted: gathering)
Why: The answer "congress" comes from the part of the passage that mentions the first international gathering of Esperanto speakers held in 1905 at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, which became an annual event.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “Clubs sprang up across Europe, magazines appeared, and in 1905 the first international gathering of speakers was held at Boulogne-sur-Mer in France, where several hundred enthusiasts from many countries discovered that they could understand one another after only modest study.”
Questions 7–10: Matching Features
Match each statement with the correct language, A, B or C. You may use any letter more than once.
- A. Volapuk
- B. Esperanto
- C. Ido
- 7
It was created by a doctor who worked with people's eyes.
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Answer: B — Esperanto
Why: Esperanto is the correct answer because the passage states that L. L. Zamenhof, a young eye doctor, created the language.
Where to find it · Paragraph 1 “In the closing years of the nineteenth century, a young eye doctor in the Russian Empire set out to solve a problem that had troubled him since childhood.”
- 8
It was the first constructed language to attract a mass following.
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Answer: A — Volapuk
Why: Volapuk was the first constructed language to attract a mass following, as it briefly gained tens of thousands of followers before Esperanto was introduced.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “A few years earlier, in 1879, a German priest named Johann Martin Schleyer had launched Volapuk, which briefly attracted tens of thousands of followers and a flurry of textbooks and journals.”
- 9
It began as a reformed version of an existing constructed language.
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Answer: C — Ido
Why: The passage does not mention Ido, so it cannot be identified as a reformed version of an existing constructed language.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “The contrast was not lost on onlookers, who drew the lesson that a constructed language would live or die not by the ingenuity of its inventor but by how easily ordinary people could take it up.”
- 10
Its speakers still meet at an annual international event.
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Answer: B — Esperanto
Why: Esperanto speakers still meet annually at international congresses, as mentioned in the passage where it states that such congresses became an annual fixture and continue to this day.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “Such congresses became an annual fixture and continue to this day.”
Questions 11–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
- 11
In which country was the first Esperanto congress held?(max 3 words)
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Answer: France
Why: The passage states that the first international gathering of Esperanto speakers took place in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1905.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “Clubs sprang up across Europe, magazines appeared, and in 1905 the first international gathering of speakers was held at Boulogne-sur-Mer in France, where several hundred enthusiasts from many countries discovered that they could understand one another after only modest study.”
- 12
What nationality was the man who created Volapuk?(max 3 words)
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Answer: German (also accepted: a German)
Why: The passage states that Johann Martin Schleyer, who created Volapuk, was a German priest, indicating his nationality.
Where to find it · Paragraph 4 “A few years earlier, in 1879, a German priest named Johann Martin Schleyer had launched Volapuk, which briefly attracted tens of thousands of followers and a flurry of textbooks and journals.”
- 13
What name does the movement give to people who speak Esperanto from birth?(max 3 words)
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Answer: denaskuloj
Why: The answer is found in the passage where it mentions that children raised in Esperanto-speaking households, who learn the language from birth, are referred to as "denaskuloj" by the movement.
Where to find it · Paragraph 3 “A small but genuine community of native speakers also emerged over the following generations: children raised in Esperanto-speaking households, known to the movement as denaskuloj, who learned the planned language from birth alongside, or even ahead of, a national one.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 13 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (Academic) conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single passage is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 13 / 13 | 9.0 |
| 12 / 13 | 8.5 |
| 11 / 13 | 7.5 |
| 10 / 13 | 7.0 |
| 9 / 13 | 6.5 |
| 8 / 13 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 13 | 5.5 |
| 5–6 / 13 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 13 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 13 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 13 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 13 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 13 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Summary Completion
- Read the full summary first and identify which passage section it covers.
- Predict the grammar and meaning required in every blank.
Common trap: Choosing an option only because it repeats a passage word.
Full Summary Completion strategyMatching Features
- Read the list of options (the features) and locate each one in the passage, underlining every place it appears — names and dates are easy to spot.
- Read the statements and identify the claim or characteristic each one describes.
Common trap: Assuming each option is used exactly once — some are reused and some are distractors.
Full Matching Features strategyShort Answer
- Read the instructions and note the exact word limit; going over it means zero marks even if the meaning is right.
- Turn each question into a set of keywords and predict what kind of answer it needs (a person, a date, a place, a noun).
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit (writing four words when only three are allowed).
Full Short Answer strategyPractise “Esperanto and the Universal Language Dream” under exam conditions
Free, auto-marked, with the 20-minute timer and an instant band estimate.
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