Children’s Literature IELTS Reading Answers

1

Rhymes, stories/ stories, rhymes 

We can find references to the answer in Paragraph B, where the writer mentions that In Britain, a London merchant named Thomas Boreham produced Cajanus, The Swedish Giant in 1742, while the more famous John Newbery published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book in 1744. Its contents – rhymes, stories, children’s games plus a free gift (‘A ball and a pincushion’) – in many ways anticipated the similar lucky-dip contents of children’s annuals this century. So, according to the question, in the middle of the 18th century, the book’s features were a collection of rhymes and stories and games along with a free gift. Thus, the answer is rhymes, stories. 

2

America 

At the end of Paragraph B, we can locate the answer, where the writer has mentioned that It is a tribute to Newbery’s flair that he hit upon a winning formula quite so quickly, to be pirated almost immediately in America. Here, pirated means exported. We understand that when Newberry’s book became a hit, it was quickly pirated to America. So, the answer is America. 

3

Folklore

The answer can be found in Paragraph D, where the writer states, “But the greatest blow to the improving children’s book was to come from an unlikely source indeed: early 19th-century interest in folklore“. We understand that in the 19th century, everyone’s interest was in folklore. So, the answer is folklore. 

4

Fairy tales/ fairy stories 

We can find the answer in Paragraph D, where it is narrated that both nursery rhymes, selected by James Orchard Halliwell for a folklore society in 1842, and a collection of fairy stories by the scholarly Grimm brothers, swiftly translated into English in 1823, soon rocket to popularity with the young, quickly leading to new editions, each one more child-centred than the last. We understand that in the early 19th century, nursery rhymes and fairy stories were very common. So, the answer is fairy stories. 

5

Adventures 

We can trace the answer in Paragraph F, where the writer states that with the arrival in the late 1930s of child-centred bestsellers intend on entertainment as its most escapist, Britain novelists such as Enid Blyton and Richmal Crompton described children who were always free to have the most unlikely adventures, secure in the knowledge that nothing bad could ever happen to them in the end. We understand from the lines above that during the late 1930s, stories of harm-free adventures were quite famous. So, the answer is an adventure. 

6

C

We can trace the answer in Paragraph B, where it is mentioned that in Britain, a London merchant named Thomas Boreham produced Cajanus, The Swedish Giant, in 1742. So we understand that Thomas Boreham was not a writer/author, intially. So, the answer is C. Was not a writer originally. 

7

A

The answer can be referred to in paragraph C, where it is narrated that prominent among such voices was Mrs Sarah Trimmer, whose magazine The Guardian of Education (1802) carried the first regular reviews of children’s books. We understand from the lines above that Mrs Sarah Trimmer wrote reviews as a critic for the children’s books. Here, criticism means reviews, and literature means books. Thus, the answer is A. Wrote criticism of children’s literature. 

8

E

We can track the answer in Paragraph D, where it is mentioned that a collection of fairy stories by the scholarly Grimm brothers, swiftly translated into English in 1823, soon rocket to popularity with the young, quickly leading to new editions, each one more child-centred than the last. So we understand that the Grimm brothers didn’t write fairy stories in the English Language, instead they got it  translated into English language. So, the answer is E. Didn’t write in the English language. 

9

FALSE 

We can trace the answer in Paragraph A, where it is narrated that “Yet so far as written-down literature is concerned, while there were stories in print before 1700 that children often seized on when they had the chance,”. We understand that in 1700, the children started reading stories in print whenever they had the chance. So, the information doesn’t match with the statement. Thus, the answer is FALSE. 

10

TRUE 

In paragraph C, the answer can be found where the writer has mentioned that prominent among such voices was Mrs Sarah Trimmer, whose magazine The Guardian of Education (1802) carried the first regular reviews of children’s books. It was she who condemned fairy-tales for their violence and general absurdity; her own stories, Fabulous Histories (1786), described talking animals who were always models of sense and decorum. Thus, we understand that Mrs Sarah Trimmer, who wrote regular reviews for the children’s book, criticized the fairy tales for their violence and general absurdity, as she believed children’s books should set good examples. Here, “condemned” means criticizing. So, the information agrees with the statement, resulting in the answer being TRUE. 

11

NOT GIVEN 

According to the question, we can find references to the answer in Paragraph C, where Mrs Sarah Trimmer condemned fairy-tales for their violence and general absurdity. However, we don’t find any information relating to the parents who were concerned about the violence in the children’s book. Thus, the answer is NOT GIVEN. 

12

TRUE 

We can trace the answer in Paragraph D, where the writer has mentioned that the greatest blow to the improving children’s book was to come from an unlikely source indeed: early 19th-century interest in folklore. We understand that interest grew among the people when folklore was introduced in the early 19th century, changing the direction of development of children’s books. Here, improving means developing. As the information agrees with the statement, the answer is TRUE. 

13

TRUE 

We can locate the answer in Paragraph G, where the writer has mentioned that the writers of these works are now often recommended to the attention of adult as well as child readers echo the 19th-century belief that children’s literature can be shared by the generations, rather than being a defensive barrier between childhood and the necessary growth towards adult understanding. So, we understand that nowadays, the children’s book writers believe that their books should attract both children and adults. So, the answer is TRUE.