The Bauhaus and the Birth of Modern Design: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Few schools have shaped the look of the modern world as profoundly as the Bauhaus, an institution of art, craft and design that operated in Germany for little more than a decade in the early twentieth century. Although it existed for a short time and was closed under political pressure, the ideas it developed spread…”
- Passage length: about 721 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: Yes / No / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Bauhaus and the Birth of Modern Design” 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
The Bauhaus and the Birth of Modern Design answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the passage? Write YES, NO or NOT GIVEN.
- 1
The Bauhaus continued to influence design long after it had closed.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…the ideas it developed spread across the world and continue to influence the design of buildings, furniture and everyday objects nearly a hundred years later.”
- 2
Gropius believed the fine artist should have a higher status than the craftsman.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “He argued that there should be no fundamental difference between the artist and the craftsman, and that the two should be trained together.”
- 3
Bauhaus designers thought that decoration added purely for its own sake was wasteful.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…decoration added merely for its own sake was dishonest and wasteful.”
- 4
The designers of the Bauhaus rejected the use of machines in production.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “The Bauhaus also embraced the machine... its designers sought to create objects that could be manufactured in large numbers by machine while still being well designed.”
- 5
The tubular steel chair was the most popular Bauhaus product ever sold.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims the tubular steel chair was the most popular Bauhaus product ever sold, but the passage never confirms or denies this, only mentioning that tubular steel chairs were prototypes for mass production.
Closest related text · Paragraph 5 “They produced prototypes for items such as tubular steel chairs, lamps and household goods that were intended not as unique handmade pieces but as models for mass production.”
Question 6: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. an experienced craftsman
- B. the architect Walter Gropius
- C. a group of factory owners
- D. a government minister
- 6
Who founded the Bauhaus in 1919?
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Answer: B — the architect Walter Gropius
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the architect Walter Gropius.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius, who brought together the teaching of fine art and practical craft under a single roof.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. by copying the works of old masters
- B. by designing complete buildings
- C. by taking a preliminary course exploring materials, colour and form
- D. by working in a factory
- 7
How did new students usually begin their studies?
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Answer: C — by taking a preliminary course exploring materials, colour and form
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — by taking a preliminary course exploring materials, colour and form.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…newcomers took a preliminary course in which they explored materials, colour and form directly, learning through experiment and their own hands.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. the wealth of its owner
- B. its purpose and the nature of its materials
- C. the latest fashions
- D. the amount of decoration it could carry
- 8
According to Bauhaus philosophy, what should determine the form of an object?
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Answer: B — its purpose and the nature of its materials
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — its purpose and the nature of its materials.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…the form of an object should follow from its purpose... A chair, a lamp or a building should be shaped by what it needed to do and by the nature of the materials from which it was made.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. it caused them to be forgotten
- B. it kept them confined to Germany
- C. it helped to spread them more widely as people left the country
- D. it stopped all further design education
- 9
What effect did the closure of the school in 1933 have on its ideas?
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Answer: C — it helped to spread them more widely as people left the country
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — it helped to spread them more widely as people left the country.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…the closure did not end its influence; if anything, it spread the school's ideas more widely. Many of the teachers and students left Germany and settled in other countries.”
Questions 10–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 10
In which country was the Bauhaus located?(max 1 word)
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Answer: Germany
Why: The answer “Germany” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…the Bauhaus, an institution of art, craft and design that operated in Germany for little more than a decade.”
- 11
In which city was the school originally established?(max 1 word)
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Answer: Weimar
Why: The answer “Weimar” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “It was originally established in the city of Weimar, but political hostility forced it to move to Dessau.”
- 12
To which city did the school move after Weimar, where Gropius designed a famous building?(max 1 word)
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Answer: Dessau
Why: The answer “Dessau” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…it to move to Dessau, where a famous new building designed by Gropius himself became a showcase for the school's ideas.”
- 13
The Bauhaus designers produced models intended for what kind of production?(max 2 words)
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Answer: mass production (also accepted: mass)
Why: The answer “mass production” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…not as unique handmade pieces but as models for mass production.”
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
Yes / No / Not Given
- Identify the claim in the statement and, crucially, whose opinion it represents — these passages often quote several people, so track who is speaking.
- Scan the passage for opinion signals: verbs like "argues", "believes", "suggests", "claims", and phrases such as "in the author’s view".
Common trap: Treating a reported opinion (someone else’s view mentioned by the writer) as the writer’s own conclusion.
Full Yes / No / 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 “The Bauhaus and the Birth of Modern Design” under exam conditions
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