# THE DEPARTMENT OF ETHNOGRAPHY: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 3, Test 3, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 3, Test 3, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | FALSE | the primary focus of attention in the twentieth century has been on small-scale societies |
| 2 | FALSE | has been on small-scale societies ... providing information on non-Western cultures |
| 3 | FALSE | the collecting emphasis has often been less on individual objects than on groups of material ... the beautiful and the banal |
| 4 | NOT GIVEN | great technical series - for instance, of textiles from Bolivia, Guatemala, Indonesia and areas of West Africa |
| 5 | TRUE | traditional practices draw on a continuing wealth of technological ingenuity |
| 6 | TRUE | it was assumed that economic progress would rapidly lead to the disappearance or assimilation of many small-scale societies ... marginal communities can survive and adapt |
| 7 | E | great technical series - for instance, of textiles from Bolivia |
| 8 | A | working examples of coracles from India |
| 9 | C | or even on occasion airport art ... include a whole range of material culture representative of one people |
| 10 | A | kayaks from the Arctic |
| 11 | C | the necessities of life of an African herdsman or an Arabian farmer |
| 12 | D | tents and camel trappings from various Middle Eastern countries ... documenting social experience |

## Why these answers are right

**1. FALSE.** The statement says twentieth-century collections come mainly from mainstream societies like the US and Europe. Paragraph A says the main focus in the twentieth century has been on small-scale societies, and the Department covers only parts of Europe, so the statement is false.

**2. FALSE.** This claims the Department mainly studies modern societies. Paragraph A says that although it covers complex kingdoms and ancient empires, its main attention has gone to small-scale societies, and paragraph B stresses non-Western cultures. Modern societies are not its focus, so the statement is false.

**3. FALSE.** The statement says the Department prefers single, unrelated objects of great value. Paragraph B says the opposite: collecting has stressed groups of material rather than individual objects, to show a broad range of a society's culture. Paragraph A adds that ordinary objects are collected too.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-department-of-ethnography/answers).

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