Knighthood – IELTS Reading Answers

Kasturika Samanta

11 min read

Updated On Mar 11, 2026

Attempt True/ False/ Not given, Summary completion, and Multiple Choice questions in the IELTS Reading passage on ‘Knighthood’. Get familiar with the question types along with its strategies, answers, explanations, and much more.

Types of Questions in ‘Knighthood’
IELTS Reading Passage on ‘Knighthood’
Answer with Explanation for ‘Knighthood’

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The Academic passage on ‘Knighthood’ is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. The three types of questions will evaluate key reading skills such as main idea skimming, scanning for specific information, argument identification, and interpreting the correct tone. With the regular practice of such IELTS Reading passages and by carefully analyzing the answers, you will build confidence, vocabulary skills, reading speed, and your capacity to read difficult texts.

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Types of Questions in ‘Knighthood’

It is important to note that your reading method will have a natural transformation after you get to know about the different types of questions in the passage. This knowledge would help you identify the specific reading strategies which would become more effective and handle different question types during your practice. The following are the question types which you will encounter in the passage on ‘Knighthood’.

IELTS Reading True False Not Given [Q.1-Q.6]
IELTS Reading Summary Completion [Q.7-Q.10]
IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions [Q.11-Q.13]

IELTS Reading Passage on ‘Knighthood’

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

Knighthood

1 An ancient tradition Knighthoods are one of the oldest and most prestigious forms of honoring individual citizens in the United Kingdom. Although initially conferred upon members of the armed forces solely on the basis of their performance in combat, the award now recognizes all contributions to national life. Some of the most notable knighthoods of recent times have been bestowed on musicians or entertainers such as Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, and the fields of finance, industry, and education are also represented. Citizens of non-S Commonwealth 1 countries are eligible for an 'honorary' knighthood for which they are not permitted to use the titles 'Sir' or 'Dame'.

2 Perceived to be a British tradition, the legacy of knighthoods actually dates back to ancient Rome, from where it spread throughout a number of European countries in the Middle Ages and acquired certain features. A would-be knight had to undergo strict military instruction from a young age, which include spending time as an assistant (known as an esquire) to an existing knight and participating in battle.

3 He had to learn how to equip his knight for battle, and to help him with putting on the heavy and cumbersome armor of the time. He was responsible for keeping this armor in good condition, polishing, and cleaning it. He also had to demonstrate chivalrous behavior such as generosity, selflessness, fearlessness, and skill in battle. Finally, the potential knight also required the financial means to purchase horses, weapons, and armor for himself, and then make himself available to serve the ruling monarch for a minimum period each year.

4 In modern times, the process is very different. Instead of relying on formalized military training or political patronage, a nominations system is used. This way, a person's name can be put forward for a knighthood by any institution such as a school or business, or even just a fellow member of society. After this, an advisory panel, acting on behalf of the sovereign, deliberates and selects the future knights and dames from the pool of applications. Those selected are contacted discreetly before announcements are made to ensure that they wish to accept the honor.

5 In rare cases, knighthoods can be revoked through a process known as forfeiture. This most often occurs when the recipient is convicted of a criminal offense. Terry Lewis, a police officer in Queensland, Australia, was stripped of his knighthood after being implicated in a string of illegal activities that included accepting $700,000 worth of bribes from bookmakers and casinos, and forging the signature of an Australian politician on a police document in 1981. Lewis has repeatedly protested his innocence and suggested that he was falsely accused of these crimes, but his appeals failed in court. In a more serious incident, British art historian and intelligence officer Anthony Blunt lost his knighthood after it was discovered that he was working as a double agent and handing confidential material over to the Soviet Union.

6 Knighthoods have also been forfeited for reasons of incompetence rather than outright illegality or treason. Having been knighted for 'services to banking' in 2004, CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland Fred Goodwin presided over a 24-billion-pound loss at the bank just four years later. Although retaining a 16 Million pound pension, to which he was legally entitled, Goodwin had his knighthood annulled as the Queen's advisory panel deemed him 'the chief decision-maker at the time. Scandals such as these have contributed to spirited debates regarding the role and relevance of knighthoods in 21st-century society.

Questions 1–6

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

In boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this

1 The knighthood was first awarded only for military service.

2 Most knights now come from the arts and entertainment industries.

3 People from outside the Commonwealth cannot be awarded any type of knighthood.

4 The knighthood began in Great Britain.

5 Esquires, or trainee knights, were usually related to the knights they served.

6 An esquire needed money to buy his own equipment.

Questions 7–10

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 7–10 on your answer sheet.

KNIGHTHOOD SELECTION: THEN AND NOW

The process of becoming a knight has changed over time. In the Middle Ages, people began training to become a knight at 7 ………………… They had to show they were brave and skilled fighters and were required to work for 8 ………………………. for part of the year. Today, potential recipients of the knighthood are selected through 9 ………………………….. A final decision is made by 10 ………………………..

Questions 11–13

Choose THREE letters, A–F.

Write the correct letters in boxes 11–13 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of the following are reasons given in the text for people losing their knighthoods?

Punishing someone for a crime he or she did not commit.
Using another person’s name on an important paper.
Poor management of a company.
Wrongfully accepting pension payments.
Gambling on horse racing or card games.
Giving secret information to a foreign government.

Answer with Explanation for ‘Knighthood’

Effective preparation requires you to verify the answers and comprehend the reasoning behind the answers for the passage on ‘Knighthood’. Understanding how to answer each question will help you develop your reading skills and raise your IELTS Band Score. The table below includes the answers, their locations in the passage, and detailed explanations to help you learn how to identify the correct answers efficiently.

Answer	Question Type	Answer Location	Answer Explanation
1. True	True/False/Not Given	Paragraph 1	The initial lines of the first paragraph gives an introduction to knighthoods, where it is mentioned that an ancient tradition Knighthoods is one of the oldest and most prestigious forms of honoring individual citizens in the United Kingdom. Although initially conferred upon members of the armed forces solely on the basis of their performance in combat. These lines indicate that the Knighthood is one of the oldest and most prestigious forms of honoring individual citizens in the UK, it was initially conferred upon members of the armed forces based on their performance. Thus, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.
2. Not Given	True/False/Not Given	Paragraph 1	In the first paragraph, it is stated that some of the most notable knighthoods of recent times have been bestowed on musicians or entertainers, which means that the prestigious knighthoods were conferred to musicians or entertainers. However, it’s not mentioned anywhere in the passage that most knights now come from the arts and entertainment industry. Hence, the answer is Not Given.
3. False	True/False/Not Given	Paragraph 1, last line	The last line of the first paragraph states that the citizens of non-S Commonwealth 1 countries are eligible for an ‘honorary’ knighthood for which they are not permitted to use the titles ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’. These lines indicate that the citizens of non-S Commonwealth 1 countries are also eligible to receive a knighthood for which they’re not entitled to use the titles, sir or dame. Thus, the statement contradicts the information, so, the answer is False.
4. False	True/False/Not Given	Paragraph 2	The introductory lines of the 2nd paragraph state that Perceived to be a British tradition, the legacy of knighthoods actually dates back to ancient Rome, from where it spread throughout a number of European countries in the Middle Ages and acquired certain features. These lines suggest that although conferring knighthoods is considered to be a British tradition, it dates back to ancient Rome from where it spread throughout the European countries. Hence, 5he statement contradicts the information, so, the answer is False.
5. Not Given	True/False/Not Given	Paragraph 2, last line	The last line of the 2nd paragraph illustrates that a would-be knight had to undergo strict military instruction from a young age, which include spending time as an assistant (known as an esquire) to an existing knight, and participating in battle. We can understand from these lines that a would-be knight had to undergo strict military instructions from a young age and spend time as an Esquire to an existing knight and participate in the battle. Thus, it’s not mentioned anywhere in the passage that esquires or trainee knights were usually related to the knights they served. Hence, the answer is Not Given.
6. True	True/False/Not Given	Paragraph 3, line 4	Paragraph 3 illustrates that an esquire had to learn to equip his knight for battle. In the 4th line, it is revealed that the potential knight also required the financial means to purchase horses, weapons, and armor for himself, and then make himself available to serve the ruling monarch for a minimum period each year. Thus, it is evident that an esquire required financial support (money) to buy his own equipment. Hence, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.
7. a young age	Summary Completion	Paragraph 2, line 3	The 3rd line of the 2nd paragraph is that a would-be knight had to undergo strict military instruction from a young age, which includes spending time as an assistant (known as an esquire) to an existing knight, and participating in battle. These lines indicate that the process of becoming a knight has changed over time. In the middle ages, people began training to become a knight at a young age. Thus, the answer is a young age.
8. the ruling monarch	Summary Completion	Paragraph 3, last line	The last line of 3rd paragraph illustrates that the potential knight also required the financial means to purchase horses, weapons, and armor for himself, and then make himself available to serve the ruling monarch for a minimum period each year. These lines suggest that the prospective knight required financial support to buy horses, weapons, and armor for himself. They had to show they were brave and skilled fighters were required for the ruling monarch for part of the year. Thus, the answer is the ruling monarch.
9. a nomination system	Summary Completion	Paragraph 4	Paragraph 4 states that the process is very different in modern times. Instead of relying on formalized military training or political patronage, a nominations system is used. These lines suggest that the potential recipients of the knighthood are selected through a nomination system instead of relying on formalized military training or political patronage. Hence, the answer is a nomination system.
10. an advisory panel	Summary Completion	Paragraph 4, line 3	We can understand from the 3rd line of the 4th paragraph that after the process of the nomination system, an advisory panel, acting on behalf of the sovereign, deliberates and selects the future knights and dames from the pool of applications. Thus, the answer is an advisory panel.
11. B	Multiple Choice Question	Paragraph 4	In paragraph 4, it is mentioned that the process is very different. Instead of relying on formalized military training or political patronage, a nominations system is used. This way, a person’s name can be put forward for a knighthood by any institution such as a school or business, or even just a fellow member of society. We can deduce from these lines that the process is very different from the olden days. Rather than relying on formalized military training or political patronage, a nomination system is used, where a person’s name can be put forward for a knighthood by any institution. Thus, it’s clear that using another person’s name on an important paper is one of the reasons for people losing their knighthoods. Hence, the answer is B.
12. C	Multiple Choice Question	Paragraph 5	In paragraph 5, it is mentioned that in rare cases, knighthoods can be revoked through a process known as forfeiture. This most often occurs when the recipient is convicted of a criminal offense. Terry Lewis, a police officer in Queensland, Australia, was stripped of his knighthood after being implicated in a string of illegal activities that included accepting $700,000 worth of bribes from bookmakers and casinos, and forging the signature of an Australian politician on a police document in 1981. These lines reveal how Terry Lewis was stripped of his knighthood after being implicated in a string of illegal activities. Thus, it’s evident that due to poor management, he lost his knighthood. Hence, the answer is C.
13. F	Multiple Choice Question	Paragraph 5, last line	The last line of the 5th paragraph states that in a more serious incident, British art historian and intelligence officer Anthony Blunt lost his knighthood after it was discovered that he was working as a double agent and handling confidential material over to the Soviet Union. We can deduce from these lines that Anthony Blunt lost his knighthood after it was discovered that he was double-crossing the government by giving secret information to a foreign government. Hence, the answer is F.

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With such passages, your ability to skim, scan, and read the text critically will improve. Over time, you will build the confidence to read difficult passages and get familiar with different question types while focusing on analysing all the incorrect answers. In this way, your accuracy will improve which will help you reach your targetband score easily. Continue the practice with more test papers by simulating exam conditions and track your progress level.

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