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British Council Academic Reading Practice Test Two Passage One Answer Explained
A bar at the folies (Un bar aux folies)
You can find the passage in here.
I would recommend you open both the passage and my website together after you have tried to solve the passage. This approach can help you become familiarized with the pattern of answers and paraphrasing that Cambridge utilizes to create the IELTS reading tests.
Questions 1–5
Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs, A–F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
1. a description of how Manet created the painting The answer is C. In paragraph C, the painting was largely completed in a private studio belonging to the painter, where the barmaid posed with a number of bottles, and this was then integrated with quick sketches the artist made at the Folies itself. 2. aspects of the painting that scholars are most interested in The answer is F. In paragraph F, ever since its debut at the Paris Salon of 1882, art historians have produced reams of books and journal articles disputing the positioning of the barmaid and patron in A Bar at the Folies. 3. the writer’s view of the idea that Manet wants to communicate The answer is E. In paragraph E, perhaps for that very reason: to depict two different states of mind or emotion. 4. examples to show why the bar scene is unrealistic The answer is D. In paragraph D, in the foreground, for example, the barmaid is positioned upright, her face betraying an expression of lonely detachment, yet in the mirrored reflection she appears to be leaning forward and to the side, apparently engaging in conversation with her moustachioed customer. As a result of this, the customer’s stance is also altered. In the mirror, he should be blocked from view as a result of where the barmaid is standing, yet Manet has re-positioned him to the side. 5. a statement about the popularity of the painting The answer is A. In paragraph A, one of the most critically renowned paintings of the 19th-century modernist movement is the French painter Edouard Manet’s masterwork, A Bar at the Folies. |
Questions 6–10
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
6. Who was the first owner of A Bar at the Folies? The answer is Emmanuel Chabrier. In paragraph A, originally belonging to the composer Emmanuel Chabrier, it is now in the possession of The Courtauld Gallery in London, where it has also become a favorite with the crowds. 7. What is the barmaid wearing? The answer is a black bodice. In paragraph B, a barmaid stands alone behind her bar, fitted out in a black bodice that has a frilly white neckline, and with a spray of flowers sitting across her décolletage. 8. Which room is seen at the back of the painting? The answer is an auditorium. In paragraph B, through this mirror we see an auditorium, bustling with blurred figures and faces: men in top hats, a woman examining the scene below her through binoculars, another in long gloves, even the feet of a trapeze artist demonstrating acrobatic feats above his adoring crowd. 9. Who is performing for the audience? The answer is a trapeze artist. In paragraph B, through this mirror we see an auditorium, bustling with blurred figures and faces: men in top hats, a woman examining the scene below her through binoculars, another in long gloves, even the feet of a trapeze artist demonstrating acrobatic feats above his adoring crowd. 10. Where did most of the work on the painting take place? The answer is a private studio / Manet’s private studio. In paragraph C, the painting was largely completed in a private studio belonging to the painter, where the barmaid posed with a number of bottles, and this was then integrated with quick sketches the artist made at the Folies itself. |
Questions 11-13
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–F, below.
1. Manet misrepresents the images in the mirror because he
The answer is E. > wanted to manipulate our sense of reality
In paragraph E, why would Manet engage in such deceit? Perhaps for that very reason: to depict two different states of mind or emotion.
12. Manet felt modern workers were alienated because they
The answer is D. > felt like they had to become different people
In paragraph E, Manet seems to be conveying his understanding of the modern workplace, a place – from his perspective – of alienation, where workers felt torn from their ‘true’ selves and forced to assume an artificial working identity.
13. Academics have re-constructed the painting in real life because they
The answer is A. > wanted to find out if the painting’s perspective was realistic
In paragraph F, some have even conducted staged representations of the painting in order to ascertain whether Manet’s seemingly distorted point of view might have been possible after all.