Anthropologists like Henri Breuil suggested that drawing animals was a ritual practice to ensure successful hunts or control animal fertility.
Before reading, spend 5 seconds looking at the title. If the title is "The Secrets of Paleolithic Cave Art," you immediately know the text will discuss mysteries, unresolved theories, and scientific investigations. Step 2: Identify Keyword Signposts
| | Answer | Explanation (Location in Passage) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1. Cave paintings inspired Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. | NOT GIVEN | The passage mentions Michelangelo's work time for the Sistine Chapel to illustrate a point, but it never states he was inspired by cave paintings. This information is simply not given . | | 2. It now seems that cave paintings were painted in one go and then left untouched. | FALSE | The passage directly contradicts this: "Scientists have discovered that prehistoric cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete. Rather than being created in one session, as archaeologists previously thought...". The statement says the opposite of the passage. | | 3. Dr. Pike is focusing on dating artefacts found on the ground in the caves. | FALSE | Dr. Pike is leading research "to date cave art accurately for the first time". The passage explicitly focuses on dating the art itself, not artefacts found on the floor. This is a contradiction. | | 4. Most caves with paintings were not painted in a short period of time. | TRUE | The passage confirms this: "We have found that most of these caves were not painted in one go, but the painting spanned up to 20,000 years". This statement agrees perfectly with the text. | | 5. Carbon dating can help to date the actual paintings precisely. | NOT GIVEN | The passage explains the inaccuracies of carbon dating because artists "could have been using old charcoal" and that a sample "would be very wrong". It does not state that it can or cannot help precisely. | paleolithic cave art reading answers mini ielts better
section here. Remember: if the text doesn't explicitly mention a specific motivation for the art, don't assume—mark it answer key
When you locate a keyword from a question within a paragraph, slow down. Read two sentences before and two sentences after the keyword. IELTS test-makers love placing "distractors" (words that match the question perfectly but are framed in a negative or irrelevant context) right next to the actual answer. Essential Vocabulary for Paleolithic Art Passages Step 2: Identify Keyword Signposts | | Answer
Mini IELTS reading tasks are shorter but require rapid processing. Spend no more than 1 to 1.5 minutes per question. If stuck, make an educated guess and move on.
While exact questions can vary across test versions, look at how the trickiest concepts in this passage are mapped to accurate reading answers. Example Challenge 1: The Purpose of the Art This information is simply not given
To get better at IELTS, you must learn the vocabulary from the passages you practice.
When you see dates (17,000 vs 32,000 years ago), write them on your scrap paper. Always check which is comparatively older/younger.