Movable Type and the Printing Revolution: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Before the middle of the fifteenth century, producing a book in Europe was a slow and costly labour. Each copy had to be written out entirely by hand, a task that might occupy a skilled scribe for months.”
- Passage length: about 770 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“Movable Type and the Printing Revolution” 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
Movable Type and the Printing Revolution answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees, FALSE if it contradicts, or NOT GIVEN if there is no information.
- 1
Before printing, each copy of a book in Europe had to be written out by hand.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Each copy had to be written out entirely by hand, a task that might occupy a skilled scribe for months.”
- 2
Methods of stamping text onto paper did not exist at all before movable type.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Printing itself was not entirely new, for methods of stamping images and text onto paper already existed.”
- 3
The pieces of movable type could be taken apart and reused to print different pages.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “These pieces could be arranged to form any page, then taken apart and rearranged to print something entirely different.”
- 4
Printing helped to make written language more uniform.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Printing also helped to standardise written language, since printed books presented the same spellings and forms to readers everywhere”
- 5
The first printed book was more expensive than a handwritten one.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims the first printed book was more expensive than a handwritten one, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, only mentioning that printed books eventually became cheaper as printing spread.
Closest related text · Paragraph 4 “Where a handwritten book might take many months to complete, a printing workshop could turn out hundreds of copies of the same work in a fraction of that time.”
- 6
Printing brought about all of its effects immediately and by itself.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “It would be a mistake to imagine that printing brought about these changes instantly or on its own. Its effects unfolded over generations”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It produced copies too quickly
- B. A fresh block was needed for every new page
- C. It could not be inked
- D. It required no skill
- 7
What was the main drawback of the earlier method of carving a whole page as a single block?
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Answer: B — A fresh block was needed for every new page
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — A fresh block was needed for every new page.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…a fresh block was needed for every new page and any error meant carving it again.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Using paper instead of cloth
- B. Assembling a page from small separate pieces, each bearing a single letter
- C. Printing only images rather than words
- D. Employing more scribes
- 8
What was the crucial breakthrough of movable type?
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Answer: B — Assembling a page from small separate pieces, each bearing a single letter
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Assembling a page from small separate pieces, each bearing a single letter.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…instead of carving each page as a whole, the printer assembled it from a large collection of small, separate pieces, each bearing a single letter.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because metal was cheaper than wood
- B. So that many identical, hard-wearing letters could be made rapidly
- C. Because metal letters were easier to read
- D. So that they would dissolve in the ink
- 9
Why were the letters cast from metal?
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Answer: B — So that many identical, hard-wearing letters could be made rapidly
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — So that many identical, hard-wearing letters could be made rapidly.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “The solution was to cast the letters from metal, using moulds that allowed many identical copies of each letter to be made rapidly... hard enough to withstand repeated pressure without wearing down.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It introduced more errors than hand-copying
- B. It produced many identical copies so readers everywhere read the same words
- C. It made texts impossible to refer to precisely
- D. It prevented knowledge from being shared
- 10
According to the passage, how did printing change the reliability of texts?
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Answer: B — It produced many identical copies so readers everywhere read the same words
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — It produced many identical copies so readers everywhere read the same words.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Printing produced many identical copies from a single setting of type, which meant that a reader in one place could be confident of reading exactly the same words as a reader far away.”
Questions 11–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
Before printing, who copied books out by hand?(max 3 words)
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Answer: a scribe (also accepted: scribe / scribes / a skilled scribe)
Why: The answer “a scribe” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…a task that might occupy a skilled scribe for months.”
- 12
What device was needed to push the paper firmly against the inked letters?(max 2 words)
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Answer: a press (also accepted: press / the press)
Why: The answer “a press” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…a press was required to push the paper firmly and evenly against the inked letters.”
- 13
As books became cheaper and more plentiful, what gradually spread more widely through society?(max 2 words)
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Answer: literacy (also accepted: reading)
Why: The answer “literacy” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…literacy gradually spread more widely through society.”
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
True / False / Not Given
- Read the statement first and underline the key idea, especially any qualifiers like "all", "only", "never", "always", "more than" or dates and numbers.
- Because the questions follow the order of the passage, scan for the paragraph that deals with the same topic rather than re-reading everything.
Common trap: Confusing "False" with "Not Given": choose False only when the passage actively contradicts the statement; if the passage is silent, it is Not Given.
Full True / False / Not Given strategyMultiple Choice
- Read the question stem carefully before the options so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Because multiple-choice questions follow passage order, locate the relevant section and read it in full — the answer usually depends on more than one sentence.
Common trap: Distractors that use exact words from the passage but distort the meaning.
Full Multiple Choice 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 “Movable Type and the Printing Revolution” under exam conditions
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