Andrea Palladio Italian Architect - IELTS Reading Answers

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Here are the types of questions asked in the Italian architect reading answers:

• IELTS Reading True/False or Not Given (Q1 - 7)
• IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions (Q8 - 13)
  

Andrea Palladio Italian Architect IELTS Reading Passage

A new exhibition celebrates Palladio’s architecture 500 years on

A. Vicenza is a pleasant, prosperous city in the Veneto, 60km west of Venice. Its grand families settled and farmed the area from the 16th century. But its principal claim to fame is Andrea Palladio, who is such an influential architect that a neoclassical style is known as Palladian. The city is a permanent exhibition of some of his finest buildings, and as he was born – in Padua, to be precise – 500 years ago, the International Centre for the Study of Palladio’s Architecture has an excellent excuse for mounting la grande Mostra, the big show
B. The exhibition has the special advantage of being held in one of Palladio’s buildings, Palazzo Barbaran da Porto. Its bold façade is a mixture of rustication and decoration set between two rows of elegant columns. On the second floor, the pediments are alternately curved or pointed, a Palladian trademark. The harmonious proportions of the atrium at the entrance lead through to a dramatic interior of fine fireplaces and painted ceilings. Palladio’s design is simple, clear and not over-crowded. The show has been organised on the same principles, according to Howard Burns, the architectural historian who co-curated it.
C. Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza, where the young Andrea was apprenticed to a skilled stonemason. How did a humble miller’s son become a world-renowned architect? The answer in the exhibition is that, as a young man, Palladio excelled at carving decorative stonework on columns, doorways and fireplaces. He was plainly intelligent, and lucky enough to come across a rich patron, Gian Giorgio Trissino, a landowner and scholar, who organised his education, taking him to Rome in the 1540s, where he studied the masterpieces of classical Roman and Greek architecture and the work of other influential architects of the time, such as Donato Bramante and Raphael.
D. Burns argues that social mobility was also important. Entrepreneurs, prosperous from agriculture in the Veneto, commissioned the promising local architect to design their country villas and their urban mansions. In Venice, the aristocracy was anxious to co-opt talented artists, and Palladio has given the chance to design the buildings that have made him famous – the churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Redentore, both easy to admire because they can be seen from the city’s historical centre across a stretch of water.
E. He tried his hand at bridges – his unbuilt version of the Rialto Bridge was decorated with the large pediment and columns of a temple – and, after a fire at the Ducal Palace, he offered an alternative design which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London. Since it was designed by Inigo Jones, Palladio’s first foreign disciple, this is not as surprising as it sounds.
F. Jones, who visited Italy in 1614, bought a trunk full of the master’s architectural drawings; they passed through the hands of Dukes of Burlington and Devonshire before settling at the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1894. Many are now on display at Palazzo Barbaran. What they show is how Palladio drew on the buildings of ancient Rome as models. The major theme of both his rural and urban building was temple architecture, with a strong pointed pediment supported by columns and approached by wide steps.
G. Palladio’s work for rich landowners alienates unreconstructed critics on the Italian left, but among the papers in the show are designed for cheap housing in Venice. In the wider world, Palladio’s reputation has been nurtured by a text he wrote and illustrated, “Quattro Libri dell’ Architettura”. His influence spread to St Petersburg and to Charlottesville in Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson commissioned a Palladian villa he called Monticello.
H. Vicenza’s show contains detailed models of the major buildings and is leavened by portraits of Palladio’s teachers and clients by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto; the paintings of his Venetian buildings are all by Canaletto, no less. This is an uncompromising exhibition; many of the drawings are small and faint, and there are no sideshows for children, but the impact of harmonious lines and satisfying proportions is to impart in a viewer a feeling of benevolent calm. Palladio is history’s most therapeutic architect.

I. “Palladio, 500 Anni: La Grande Mostra” is at Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, Vicenza, until January 6th 2009. The exhibition continues at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, from January 31st to April 13th, and travels afterwards to Barcelona and Madrid.

IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1-7

1 The building where the exhibition is staged has been newly renovated

2 Palazzo Barbaran da Porto typically represent Palladio’s design

3 Palladio’s father worked as an architect.

4 Palladio’s family refused to pay for his architectural studies

5 Palladio’s alternative design for the Ducal Palace in Venice was based on an English building.

6 Palladio designed both wealthy and poor people

7 The exhibition includes paintings of people by famous artists

Questions 8-13

8 What job was Palladio training for before he became an architect?

9 Who arranged Palladio’s architectural studies?

10 Who was the first non-Italian architect influenced by Palladio?

11 What type of Ancient Roman buildings most heavily influenced Palladio’s work?

12 What did Palladio write that strengthened his reputation?

13 In the writer’s opinion, what feeling will visitors to the exhibition experience?

Tricks to Solve the Question Types in Andrea Palladio Italian Architect the IELTS Reading Passage

True/False/Not Given

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

• True statements are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
• False statements are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
• Not Given statements are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

Short Answers

IELTS academic reading short answer questions are open-ended and require you to respond in 1 to 3 words based on the reading passage.

• First, read the questions, then the text. Before reading the text, make sure you understand what the questions are asking. You will then be aware of the important topics to keep an eye out for as you skim read.
• The answers will be listed in chronological order in the text. So, once you've answered question 1, you'll know that question 2 will follow soon after, and so on.
• Don't exceed the word restriction for your replies, such as 'NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.'
• Use only the actual words from the text for your answer. You may need to change the tense of any verbs you use to ensure your answer is grammatically correct.
• Most questions will contain synonyms or paraphrasing of the text, that is, the meaning will be the same but the wording slightly different.

Andrea Palladio Italian Architect IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations

Check out the detailed for the questions given above and get an idea of how to improve your reading skills for a top IELTS band score.

1 Answer: Not given

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: There is no reference for the point where the renovation of buildings is made

2 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph B, first four lines

Answer explanation: “The exhibition has the special advantage of being held in one of Palladio’s buildings, Palazzo Barbaran da Porto. Its bold façade is a mixture of rustication and decoration set between two rows of elegant columns. On the second floor, the pediments are alternately curved or pointed, a Palladian trademark.” This clearly suggests that the Palazzo Barbaran da Porto was made and designed by Palladio and the building represents his design and finesse.

3 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph C, introductory line

Answer explanation “Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza, where the young Andrea was apprenticed to a skilled stonemason.” This suggests that Palladio’s father was not an architect but a miller.

4 Answer: Not given

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: There is no reference made where the reference of Palladio’s family refusing to pay for his architectural studies is made.

5 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph E

Answer explanation: “He tried his hand at a bridges-his unbuilt version of the Rialto Bridge was decorated with the large pediment and columns of a temple – and, after a fire at the Ducal Palace, he offered an alternative design which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London. Since it was designed by Inigo Jones, Palladio’s first foreign disciple, this is not as surprising as it sounds.” The reference made here is regarding the alternative designs he offered for the Ducal Palace that had a resemblance to Banqueting Hall (English Building) in London. However, it wasn’t based on that, rather his foreign disciple was inspired by him and created the Banqueting Hall later.

6 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph G, Introductory line

Answer explanation: “Palladio’s work for rich landowners alienates unreconstructed critics on the Italian left, but among the papers in the show are designed for cheap housing in Venice.”

7 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph H, Introductory lines

Answer explanation: “Vicenza’s show contains detailed models of the major buildings and is leavened by portraits of Palladio’s teachers and clients by Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto; the paintings of his Venetian buildings are all by Canaletto, no less.” This suggests that the exhibition at Vicenza includes the paintings of prominent artists.

8 Answer: STONEMASON

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, introductory line

Answer explanation: “Palladio’s father was a miller who settled in Vicenza, where the young Andrea was apprenticed to a skilled stonemason.” This suggests that Palladio was getting trained to become a stonemason when he was young.

9 Answer: GIAN GIORGIO TRISSINO

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 4-8

Answer explanation: “He was plainly intelligent and lucky enough to come across a rich patron, Gian Giorgio Trissino, a landowner and scholar, who organized his education, taking him to Rome in the 1540s, where he studied the masterpieces of classical Roman and Greek architecture and the work of other influential architects of the time, such as Donato Bramante and Raphael.” This suggests that Palladio’s education was arranged by Gian Giorgio Trissino.

10 Answer: INIGO JONES

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, last two lines

Answer explanation: “Since it was designed by Inigo Jones, Palladio’s first foreign disciple, this is not as surprising as it sounds.” This suggests that Inigo Jones was his first foreign disciple.

11 Answer: TEMPLE

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 4-7

Answer explanation: “What they show is how Palladio drew on the buildings of ancient Rome as models. The major theme of both his rural and urban building was temple architecture, with a strong pointed pediment supported by columns and approached by wide steps.” This suggests that Palladio’s architecture was inspired by the Temple architecture of ancient Rome.

12 Answer: QUATTRO LIBRI DELL’ ARCHITETTURA

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph G, lines 2-4

Answer explanation: “In the wider world, Palladio’s reputation has been nurtured by a text he wrote and illustrated, “Quattro Libri dell’ Architettura”.” This clearly states that the text written by Palladio named “Quattro Libri dell’ Architettura” made him a well-known personality.

13 Answer: BENEVOLENT CALM

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph H, lines 3-6

Answer explanation: “This is an uncompromising exhibition; many of the drawings are small and faint, and there are no sideshows for children, but the impact of harmonious lines and satisfying proportions is to impart in a viewer a feeling of benevolent calm.” This suggests that visitors feel benevolence and calm upon visiting the exhibition.

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