# Lost-Wax Bronze Casting

IELTS Academic Listening - 10 questions - 8 minutes - Flow-chart completion, Note completion

Source: Written by Testmigo.

## The recording

6 minutes of audio. Practice it with the player on the page; the transcript is on the answers page.

## Questions

### Questions 31-35: Flow-chart completion

Complete the flow-chart below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Shape the figure in wax (traditional South Indian wax also contains oil and a **(31)** _____ obtained from trees)
Attach wax rods (sprues); during the pour, the channels they leave let the **(32)** _____ escape as the metal flows in
Build up layers of investment, putting on the first, finest layer without leaving any **(33)** _____
Heat the mould so the wax drains out; in traditional workshops it is collected in **(34)** _____ and reused
Heat the empty mould until red hot, then pour in the bronze
Break the mould, remove the sprues and file the surface (chasing)
Create the patina by treating the metal with **(35)** _____, then polish it

### Questions 36-40: Note completion

Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Bronze: the metal and its history
**The alloy**
Copper with tin; with more than about 11% tin it is too brittle for most uses
**Benin Bronzes (Edo people, Nigeria)**
Most are brass, which combines copper with **(36)** _____ instead of tin
The metal arrived as European rings that were used locally as **(37)** _____
A 2023 study traced the rings mainly to the Rhineland
**Chola bronzes (South India, 9th to 13th centuries)**
Produced as **(38)** _____ castings, so no two are the same
On festival days, figures were washed, clothed and carried through the **(39)** _____
**Riace bronzes (Greek, 5th century BC)**
Hollow figures with copper lips; one has silver teeth
**Today**
Art foundries use rubber moulds to produce several wax copies
Investment casting in industry: engine parts and medical **(40)** _____

[Practice online with a timer and instant marking](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/lost-wax-bronze-casting) - [Answers and explanations](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/lost-wax-bronze-casting/answers)