The Cave Paintings of Lascaux: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “In September 1940, four teenage boys exploring the wooded hills of south-western France stumbled upon a narrow opening in the ground. Squeezing down into the darkness, they found themselves in a series of underground chambers whose walls were covered with paintings of animals.”
- Passage length: about 725 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: Yes / No / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Cave Paintings of Lascaux” 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 Cave Paintings of Lascaux 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 paintings at Lascaux were created before writing had been invented.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…created by people living many thousands of years before the invention of writing.”
- 2
The artists ignored the natural shape of the cave walls when painting the animals.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “The artists made use of the natural bumps and hollows of the cave walls to give their figures a sense of volume and movement.”
- 3
Human figures appear more frequently in the paintings than animals do.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “It is notable that the images are overwhelmingly of animals, while depictions of human beings are rare.”
- 4
A single accepted explanation has been found for why the paintings were made.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “No single explanation has won universal acceptance, and it is possible that the images served more than one purpose.”
- 5
The teenage boys who found the cave later became professional archaeologists.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims the boys became professional archaeologists, but the passage neither confirms nor denies this, only mentioning that they discovered the cave.
Closest related text · Paragraph 1 “The boys had discovered the cave of Lascaux, home to some of the finest examples of prehistoric art ever found, created by people living many thousands of years before the invention of writing.”
Question 6: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. by importing dyes from distant regions
- B. by grinding natural minerals into pigments
- C. by mixing coloured sand with water
- D. by using the juices of plants and berries
- 6
How did the painters produce the colours they used?
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Answer: B — by grinding natural minerals into pigments
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — by grinding natural minerals into pigments.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “They ground natural minerals to produce pigments, using iron-rich earths for reds and yellows and manganese or charcoal for black.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. by the light of lamps that burned animal fat
- B. by reflecting daylight with polished stones
- C. by lighting large fires inside the cave
- D. by working only near the entrance
- 7
How must the artists have lit the deeper chambers?
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Answer: A — by the light of lamps that burned animal fat
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — by the light of lamps that burned animal fat.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…the artists must have worked by the flickering light of lamps that burned animal fat, examples of which have been found at similar sites.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. that the caves were ordinary living quarters
- B. that the artists wanted them to be easily seen
- C. that the chambers were reserved for special activity
- D. that the paintings were made in a great hurry
- 8
What does the location of the finest paintings suggest?
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Answer: C — that the chambers were reserved for special activity
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — that the chambers were reserved for special activity.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “This suggests that the chambers were not ordinary living spaces but sites reserved for special activity.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. because the paintings had already faded away completely
- B. because visitors' breath was damaging the painted surfaces
- C. because the entrance had become too dangerous
- D. because a better cave had been discovered nearby
- 9
Why was the original cave eventually closed to the general public?
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Answer: B — because visitors' breath was damaging the painted surfaces
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — because visitors' breath was damaging the painted surfaces.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “The breath of the crowds raised the levels of carbon dioxide and humidity inside the cave, and before long algae and mineral deposits began to appear on the painted surfaces.”
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 is the cave of Lascaux located?(max 2 words)
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Answer: France
Why: The answer “France” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…four teenage boys exploring the wooded hills of south-western France stumbled upon a narrow opening in the ground.”
- 11
During which major geological period were the paintings made?(max 3 words)
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Answer: ice age (also accepted: the ice age / the last ice age)
Why: The answer “ice age” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “They depict a vivid procession of creatures... dating from a period of the last ice age.”
- 12
What black-coloured materials were used, besides manganese, to make pigment?(max 1 word)
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Answer: charcoal
Why: The answer “charcoal” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 1-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…using iron-rich earths for reds and yellows and manganese or charcoal for black.”
- 13
What was built nearby to allow visitors to see the paintings safely?(max 3 words)
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Answer: a replica (also accepted: replica / a detailed replica)
Why: The answer “a replica” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…a detailed replica of the most important chambers was later constructed nearby, reproducing the paintings with great care.”
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 Cave Paintings of Lascaux” under exam conditions
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