The True Colours of the Ancient World: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “When we picture the statues of ancient Greece and Rome, we almost invariably imagine them as we see them in museums today: gleaming figures of pure white marble, their smooth surfaces bare of any colour. This image is so familiar that it has come to seem natural, even inevitable, as though the ancients had…”
- Passage length: about 713 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: Matching Information, Summary Completion, True / False / Not Given
“The True Colours of the Ancient World” 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 True Colours of the Ancient World answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: Matching Information
The passage has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-F.
- A. Paragraph A
- B. Paragraph B
- C. Paragraph C
- D. Paragraph D
- E. Paragraph E
- F. Paragraph F
- 1
the scientific techniques used to detect surviving traces of paint
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Answer: Paragraph E
Why: Paragraph E is correct because it describes modern scientific techniques, such as ultraviolet light and chemical analysis, used to detect and map surviving traces of paint on ancient statues.
Where to find it · Paragraph E “Shining light across a surface at a low, raking angle can reveal shadows left by patterns that have otherwise disappeared, while chemical analysis of the smallest specks of surviving pigment can identify the exact substances the ancient painters used.”
- 2
the various reasons the original colours were lost
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Answer: Paragraph C
Why: Paragraph C explains that the original colours were lost due to weathering, burial in damp soil, and cleaning by later owners, which removed the paint from the statues and temples over time.
Where to find it · Paragraph C “Statues that had been buried in the ground lost their pigment to the damp soil, and those that survived above ground were often scrubbed clean by later owners who valued the marble for its own sake.”
- 3
the familiar belief that ancient statues were pure white
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Answer: Paragraph A
Why: Paragraph A is correct because it describes the common perception of ancient statues as pure white marble and how this image has influenced both historical and modern views of classical beauty.
Where to find it · Paragraph A “When we picture the statues of ancient Greece and Rome, we almost invariably imagine them as we see them in museums today: gleaming figures of pure white marble, their smooth surfaces bare of any colour.”
- 4
how admiration for white marble became fixed in later ages
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Answer: Paragraph D
Why: Admiration for white marble became fixed in later ages because influential writers praised its whiteness as the height of good taste, leading to a firm conviction that the ancients preferred uncoloured marble.
Where to find it · Paragraph D “Influential writers praised this whiteness as the height of good taste, holding it up as a model of restraint and nobility, and their admiration hardened into a firm conviction that the ancients themselves had preferred pure, uncoloured marble.”
- 5
the mixed public reaction to colourful reconstructions
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Answer: Paragraph F
Why: Paragraph F discusses the mixed public reaction to colourful reconstructions, highlighting that while some people appreciate the vibrant restorations, others find them jarring or prefer the traditional white marble appearance.
Where to find it · Paragraph F “When scholars produce full-colour reconstructions of ancient statues, painted as the evidence suggests they once were, many people find them garish and even disturbing, so deeply ingrained is the expectation that classical art should be white.”
Questions 6–10: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Complete the summary using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. For centuries, people have believed that ancient statues were made of pure white (6) ______ . In fact they were once painted in bright (7) ______ , which were gradually lost through weathering, burial and (8) ______ by later owners. During the (9) ______ , admirers of classical art saw only the bare stone and praised its whiteness. Today, scientists use ultraviolet light and chemical analysis of surviving (10) ______ to work out the original colours.
- 6
For centuries, people have believed that ancient statues were made of pure white ______ .(max 2 words)
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Answer: marble
Why: The answer "marble" is found in paragraph A, where it explains that white marble has been long regarded as the essence of classical beauty, shaping perceptions of ancient statues as being made of pure white stone.
Where to find it · Paragraph A “For centuries, white marble has been regarded as the very essence of classical beauty, and generations of visitors have admired the dignified pallor of the ancient gods and heroes ranged along the galleries.”
- 7
In fact they were once painted in bright ______ , which were gradually lost through weathering, burial and ______ by later owners.(max 2 words)
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Answer: colours (also accepted: colors)
Why: The answer "colours" is found in Section B, where it explains that ancient statues and temples were originally painted in vivid, bright colours, which contrasts with the current perception of them as plain white marble.
Where to find it · Paragraph B “Far from being left plain, the statues and temples of the ancient world were originally painted in vivid, even gaudy colours.”
- 8
In fact they were once painted in bright ______ , which were gradually lost through weathering, burial and ______ by later owners.(max 2 words)
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Answer: cleaning (also accepted: scrubbing)
Why: The answer "cleaning" is found in paragraph C, which explains that later owners scrubbed the statues clean, removing the last traces of colour and leaving the marble bare.
Where to find it · Paragraph C “Statues that had been buried in the ground lost their pigment to the damp soil, and those that survived above ground were often scrubbed clean by later owners who valued the marble for its own sake.”
- 9
During the ______ , admirers of classical art saw only the bare stone and praised its whiteness.(max 2 words)
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Answer: Renaissance (also accepted: the Renaissance)
Why: The answer "Renaissance" is found in paragraph D, where it explains that during this period, scholars and artists studied ancient sculptures that had already lost their paint, leading to the admiration of the white stone.
Where to find it · Paragraph D “When scholars and artists of the Renaissance and after came to study ancient sculpture, most of the surviving pieces had already lost their paint, and the bare white stone was all that could be seen.”
- 10
Today, scientists use ultraviolet light and chemical analysis of surviving ______ to work out the original colours.(max 2 words)
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Answer: pigment (also accepted: pigments)
Why: The answer "pigment" is found in Passage C, where it explains that statues lost their color due to weathering and burial, which caused the pigment to disappear over time.
Where to find it · Paragraph E “Shining light across a surface at a low, raking angle can reveal shadows left by patterns that have otherwise disappeared, while chemical analysis of the smallest specks of surviving pigment can identify the exact substances the ancient painters used.”
Questions 11–14: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 11
Ancient statues were originally intended to be left as plain white marble.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: The passage states that ancient statues and temples were originally painted in vivid colours, not left as plain white marble.
Where to find it · Paragraph B “Far from being left plain, the statues and temples of the ancient world were originally painted in vivid, even gaudy colours.”
- 12
The paint on ancient statues disappeared for more than one reason.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: The passage states that the paint on ancient statues disappeared due to weathering, burial in damp soil, and cleaning by later owners, indicating multiple reasons for the loss of paint.
Where to find it · Paragraph C “Statues that had been buried in the ground lost their pigment to the damp soil, and those that survived above ground were often scrubbed clean by later owners who valued the marble for its own sake.”
- 13
Some people today find the colourful reconstructions unattractive.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: The passage implies that the myth of white marble's purity and nobility has shaped tastes for centuries, suggesting that some people today might find the colourful reconstructions unattractive.
Where to find it · Paragraph F “When scholars produce full-colour reconstructions of ancient statues, painted as the evidence suggests they once were, many people find them garish and even disturbing, so deeply ingrained is the expectation that classical art should be white.”
- 14
Coloured statues were more expensive to produce than plain ones.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that coloured statues were more expensive to produce than plain ones, but the passage never confirms or denies this, focusing instead on the fact that ancient statues were originally painted.
Closest related text · Paragraph B “Far from being left plain, the statues and temples of the ancient world were originally painted in vivid, even gaudy colours.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 14 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 |
|---|---|
| 14 / 14 | 9.0 |
| 13 / 14 | 8.5 |
| 12 / 14 | 7.5 |
| 11 / 14 | 7.0 |
| 10 / 14 | 6.5 |
| 8–9 / 14 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 14 | 5.5 |
| 6 / 14 | 5.0 |
| 5 / 14 | 4.5 |
| 4 / 14 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 14 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 14 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 14 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 14 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Matching Information
- Read each statement and identify exactly what kind of information you are looking for — a reason, a result, an example, a definition, a contrast.
- Note that the statements do NOT follow paragraph order, so treat each one as an independent search.
Common trap: Assuming the questions run in order — they do not, which makes linear reading inefficient.
Full Matching Information strategySummary 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 strategyTrue / 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 strategyPractise “The True Colours of the Ancient World” under exam conditions
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