Nushu – A Secret Language – Reading Answers

Updated On Sep 13, 2023

Nushu – A Secret Language – Reading Answers

The IELTS Reading passage, Nushu – A Secret Language, along with the other two Academic passages – Prom Indigenous Myths to John Wyndham’s Day and Growth Model makes this a complete Reading practice test.

You will have 60 minutes to complete the whole test, which consists of 40 questions in total.

Here are the question types in this reading test:

Reading Passage 1 (Nushu – A Secret Language)

Matching Headings
Matching Information
True/False/Not Given

Reading Passage 2 (Prom Indigenous Myths to John Wyndham’s Day)

Matching Information
Complete Sentences

Reading Passage 3 (Growth Model)

Complete Table
True/False/Not Given
Matching Information

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Not sure how to answer Table Completion questions? Take a look at IELTS Reading Table Completion – Lessons and Tips for some help!

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Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 -13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

Find the reading passage with the Nushu— A Secret Language PDF here.

Nushu — A Secret Language

Questions 1-5

Reading Passage 1 has five sections, A-E.

Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number i-viii in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1 Section A

2 Section B

3 Section C

4 Section D

5 Section E

Financial costs
Decline and disuse
Birth and development
Political uses of Nushu
The social role of Nushu
Last of the Nushu speakers
Characteristics of written Nushu
Revival and contemporary interest

Questions 6 and 7

Choose TWO letters, A-E. Write your answers in boxes 6 and 7 on your answer sheet.

Why was there a need for Nushu? Which TWO reasons are given in the text?

A. It provided new artistic opportunities for female artisans.

B. It was a way for uneducated women to read and write.

C. Not enough women were taking an interest in literature.

D. It was a way for women to correspond without men knowing.

E. It helped women believe in themselves and their abilities.

Questions 8-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE, if the statement contradicts with the information

NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this

8 The post-Revolution government did not want women to read or write in any language.

9 At first, the Red Guard thought Nushu might be a tool for spies.

10 Women could be punished with the death penalty for using Nushu.

11 The customary way of learning Nu Shu has died out

12 There is a lot of money to be made out of public interest in Nushu.

13 Nushu is now being openly taught.

Also check:

Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

Find the reading passage with the Prom Indigenous Myths to John Wyndham’s Day PDF here.

Prom Indigenous Myths to John Wyndham’s Day

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

14 An overview of how the Flytrap eats its prey

15 A comparison between human and plant behavior

16 A measure designed to preserve Flytraps in their native environment

17 An example of a cultural and artistic portrayal of meat-eating plants

18 A characteristic of the Venus Flytrap that is exceptional in the botanical world

19 A reference to an aspect of the Venus Flytrap’s biology that is not fully
understood

Questions 20-22

Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 2.

Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Write your answers in blank spaces 20-22 on your answer sheet

20 If they are too small to provide …………………., the closing pod allows insects to get out.

21 Only the …………………. is left after the Flytrap has finished digesting an insect.

22 Many plants cannot survive in bogs and wetlands owing to the lack of ……………………

Questions 23-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 23—26 on your answer sheet write

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE, if the statement contradicts with the information

NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this

23 The Venus Flytrap can withstand some exposure to fire.

24 Many botanists would like the Venus Flytrap to be officially recognised as an endangered plant species.

25 Only 35,800 Venus Flytraps now survive in their natural habitats.

26 Human interference is a major factor in the decline of wild Venus Flytraps.

Reading Passage 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

Find the reading passage with the Growth Model PDF here.

Growth Model

Questions 27-33

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in blank spaces next to 27-33 on your answer sheet.

Growth Model	Basic Needs Approach	SustainableLivelihoods Approach
27…………………….. was the main	Typified by small-scale aid such	Tries to encourage ways of living
Goal 28………………………	as health and 29………………….	that is more self-sufficient projects
Poverty described as living	Poverty is seen as an inability to	Poor people identify their own
On less than a dollar a day…	reach 30………………	32………………….
It was discovered that poverty	Projects costly and 31……………..	The problem of 33………………. not
could increase in step with	requiring ongoing involvement	adequately addressed; ignores issues
28………………….		of social dominance and authority

Questions 34-38

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes 34-38 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE, if the statement contradicts with the information

NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this

34 The most favoured method of development is the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach.

35 While institutions often follow development trends, academic disputes are more timeless.

36 The Growth Model is more popular with Third World scholars than Western scholars.

37 It is not possible to reduce poverty without an explicit development policy.

38 The Growth Model takes some authority away from local forms of
organization.

Questions 39 and 40

Choose TWO letters, A—E.

Write your answers in boxes 39 and 40 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO of the following statements form part of the author’s conclusion?

A Economic growth is the primary development goal, but there are other factors to consider.

B It is preferable not to think about development in rigid, structured terms.

C Development projects are likely to fail in the absence of highly educated experts.

D The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach is more effective than the Growth Model.

E Economic growth should only be considered as a means for development, not an endpoint.

Answers

Nushu Reading Answers (passage 1)

Questions 1-13

1.	iii years ago, women defied the patriarchal norms of the time that forbade them to read or write and conceived of Nu Shu — literally, ‘ women’s language ’ – a secretive script and language of their own. Through building informal networks of ‘sworn sisters’ who committed themselves to teach the language only to other women,
2.	vii B Nu Shu has many orthographical distinctions from the standard Chinese script. Whereas standard Chinese
3.	v C Nu Shu was developed as a way to allow women to communicate with one another in confidence…
4.	ii D After the Chinese Revolution, more women were encouraged to become literate in the standard Chinese script, and much of the need for a special form of women’s communication was dampened. When the Red Guard discovered the script in the 1960s, they thought it to be a code used for espionage…
5.	viii E In recent years, however, popular and scholarly interest in Nu Shu has blossomed. The Ford Foundation
6. -7.	B, D (in either order) B element to the rise of Nu Shu, however: until the mid 20th century, women were rarely encouraged to become literate in the standard Chinese script. Nu Shu provided a practical and easy-to-leam alternative… D Unlike traditional correspondence, however, Nu Shu characters were painted or embroidered onto everyday items like fans, pillowcases, and handkerchiefs and embodied in ‘artwork’ in order to avoid making men suspicious.
8.	FALSE D After the Chinese Revolution, more women were encouraged to become literate in the standard Chinese script, and much of the need for a special form of women’s communication was dampened…
9.	TRUE the script and much of the need for a special form of women’s communication was dampened. When the Red Guard discovered the script in the 1960s, they thought it to be a code used for espionage…
10.	NOT GIVEN it was a secret women’s language, they were suspicious and fearful. Numerous letters, weavings, embroideries, and other artefacts were destroyed, and women were forbidden to practise Nu Shu customs. As a consequence, the generational chains of linguistic transmission were broken up, and the language ceased being passed…
11.	TRUE the generational chains of linguistic transmission were broken up, and the language ceased being passed down through sworn sisters. There is no longer anyone alive who has claimed Nu Shu in this traditional manner;…
12.	NOT GIVEN E In recent years, however, popular and scholarly interest in Nu Shu has blossomed. The Ford Foundation
13.	TRUE to build infrastructure at potential tourist sites in Hunan, and some schools in the area have begun instruction in the language. Incidentally, the use of Nu Shu is also a theme in Lisa See’s historical novel. Snow Flower…

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Reading Passage 2

Questions 14-26

14.	D works. For somewhere between five and twelve days, the trap secretes acidic digestive juices that dissolve the soft tissue and cell membranes of the insect. These juices also kill any bacteria that have entered with the food, ensuring the plant maintains its hygiene so that it does not begin to rot. Enzymes in the acid help with the digestion of DNA, amino acids, and cell molecules so that every fleshy part of the animal can be consumed. Once the plant has reabsorbed the digestive fluid – this time with the added nourishment, the trap reopens and the exoskeleton blows away in the wind.
15.	B botanists are believed to have seen a parallel between the behaviour of the plant in luring and devouring insects and the imagined behaviour of women in luring and ‘trapping’ witless men. The plant was thus
16.	F its existence, as well as people removing the planes from their natural habitat. Punitive measures have been introduced to prevent people from doing this. Ironically, while cultural depictions of perennial killers may
17.	A A From indigenous myths to John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids and the off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Honors, the idea of cerebral, carnivorous flora has spooked audiences and readers for centuries. While shrubs
18.	E another flora, but the Flytrap overcomes this nutritional poverty by sourcing protein from its insect prey. One of the plant’s curious features is resilience to a flame. It is speculated that the Flytrap evolved this to endure
19.	C The plant has no nervous system, and researchers can only hypothesize as to how the rapid shutting movement works. This uncertainty adds to the Venus Flytrap’s allure.
20.	useful nourishment D The pod shuts quickly but does not seal entirely at first; scientists have found that this mechanism allows minuscule insects to escape, as they will not be a source of useful nourishment for the plant. If the creature is
21.	exoskeleton Once the plant has reabsorbed the digestive fluid – this time with the added nourishment, the trap reopens and the exoskeleton blows away in the wind.
22.	nitrogen grows in wet sand and peaty soils. Because these environments are so depleted in nitrogen, they asphyxiate other flora, but the Flytrap overcomes this nutritional poverty by sourcing protein from its insect prey. One of
23.	TRUE the plant’s curious features are resilience to a flame. It is speculated that the Flytrap evolved this to endure
24.	NOT GIVEN in the wild, and some prominent conservationists have suggested the plant be given the status of ‘vulnerable’.
25.	FALSE in cultivation), its natural existence is uncertain. In the last survey, only 35,800 Flytraps were found remaining
26.	TRUE The draining and destruction of natural wetlands where the Flytrap lives are considered to be the biggest threat to its existence, as well as people removing the plants from their natural habitat…

Reading Passage 3

Questions 27-40

27.	industrial development Para 1 – Line 5 Growth Model. Although we might expect poverty reduction to be the central objective, planners at this stage were primarily concerned with industrial development. It was hoped that the benefits
28.	economic growth Para 1 – Line 8, 9 The weaknesses of these assumptions were revealed, however, when poverty rates and economic growth were found to rise simultaneously in many countries.
29.	literacy Para 2 – Line 4, 5 to development. It was hoped that through the provision of services such as community sanitation and literacy programmes, poverty could be eliminated from below. Economic growth was
30.	human potential Para 2 – Line 6, 7 desirable but superfluous – Basic Needs redefined poverty from involving a lack of money to lacking the capability to attain full human potential. The trouble with Basic Needs programmes,
31.	resource-intensive Para 2 – Line 8 however, was their expensive, resource-intensive nature that entailed continuous management and funding.
32.	poverty indicators Para 3 – Line 6, 7 impoverished themselves, who are considered to be most suitably positioned to determine the poverty indicators that contribute to the multiple facets of their own deprivation…
33.	climate change Para 3 – Line 8, 9 Sustainable Livelihoods Approach has been criticised for lacking an environmental platform strong enough to respond to climate change, and for disassociating aspects of power and societal status
34.	Yes Para 3 – Line 10 from being a contestable part of development, it is currently the preferred model for development projects.
35.	Yes Para 4 – Line 1,2 Though there is some linearity to the trajectory of development practice, with paradigms shifting in and out of fashion, vigorous scholarly debate persists around all approaches. The Growth Model,
36.	Not given Para 4 – Line 7, 8, 9 considerable inroads into reducing poverty, even in the absence of a development programme; Japan and Germany followed this route after World War II, as has China from the 1970s. On the other hand, some countries with massive inflows of funding for aid-based development projects – particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa – have struggled to progress…
37.	No Para 4 – Line 6, 7 industrial West). Many countries that have focused explicitly on growth have managed to make considerable inroads into reducing poverty, even in the absence of a development programme;…
38.	Yes Para 5 _ underdeveloped countries frequently make policy decisions based on consultation with Western economists and institutions on how to generate growth. This dissolves the autonomy of communities to make their own decisions about what matters to them, and what kind of society they would
39. – 40.	B E (in either order) Para 6 – Line 2, 3,4 ,5 as a development indicator while continuing to meet development targets. It is important, however, that we move away from seeing this type of growth as the prime objective for development. Development is ultimately about people, and human development must be placed at the forefront; economic growth is simply one tool out of many that can help us along the way…