Metropolis- IELTS Reading Answers

The IELTS Reading passage, Metropolis, has various question types which ideally shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to answer. You can try solving the questions to get yourself acquainted with the difficulty level.

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Here are the question types in the reading test

Reading Passage (Metropolis)

• Yes/ No/ Not Given (Q.27 – Q.30)
• Sentence completion (Q.31 – Q.36)
• Multiple Choice Questions (Q.37 – Q. 40)

Reading Passage

Metropolis

Questions 27-30

27 The inspiration for the movie Metropolis comes from the director’s visit to the USA in 1924.

28 The Master of Metropolis, John Fredersen, is portrayed by an industrialist that the director met in the US.

29 The start of the movie exhibits the workers working with full energy.

30 The director and his wife got divorced because his wife decided to stay in Germany.

Questions 31-36

The director depicts a world of inequality and 31 ………………………. In the future, the mindless masses of workers living underground are treated as 32………………………. And the master of them is 33……………………….., who is in charge of the whole city. The writer claims that the director, Fritz Lang, presents the movie in a 34……………………….. term, where the 35……………………… of the individual machines is not defined. Besides, the writer compares the film to the modern global economy in which multinational corporations concern more about the growing 36………………………….. and money.

Questions 37-40

37 The first sentence in paragraph B indicates

A.   the author’s fear of technology

B. the inspiration of the director

C. the contradictory feelings toward future

D. the city elite’s well management of the workers

38   Why the function of the individual machines is not defined?

A. Because Lang symbolically sticks to the theme.

B. Because workers are more important to exploit.

C.  Because the fantasy sequence is difficult to take.

D. Because the focus of the movie is not about machines.

39   The writer’s purpose in paragraph five is to

A. emphasize the multinational corporations’ profit-oriented goal.

B.  compare the movie with the reality in the modern global economy

C. exploit the difference between fantasy and reality

D.  enlighten the undeveloped industry

40   What is the writer’s opinion about the movie?

A.  The movie’s storyline is excellent.

B.  The movie has a poor implication in symbolism.

C. The movie is perfect in all aspects.

D. The movie is good but could be better.

Reading Answers 

27 Answer: Yes

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph A full

Answer explanation: “When German director Fritz Lang visited the United States in 1924, his first glimpse of the country was a night-time view of the New York skyline from the deck of an ocean liner. This, he later recalled, was the direct inspiration for what is still probably the most innovative and influential science-fiction film ever made – Metropolis.” These lines make it apparent that the inspiration behind the movie ‘Metropolis’ is the director’s visit to the USA in 1924 to the New York Skyline, USA. 

28 Answer: Not given

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: There is no such reference made in the passage where the inspiration behind the character of Fredersen is any real-life person whom the writer would have met. 

29 Answer: No

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 2-6

Answer explanation: “This spectacular city of the future is a technological marvel of high-rise buildings connected by elevated railways and airships. It’s also a world of extreme inequality and social division. The workers live below ground and exist as machines working in an endless routine of mind-numbing 10-hour shifts while the city’s elite lead lives of luxury high above.” Hence it is quite evident that the workers were not working enthusiastically or with exuberance, they were rather working like machines and were made to work over the human capacities. These lines set the disparity between the rich and the poor of the Metropolis.  

30 Answer: Not given

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: There is no such reference found in the paragraph where the reason behind the separation/divorce between the director and his wife is highlighted. Although the director’s wife’s wish to stay back in Germany is mentioned, it is not necessarily the reason behind their divorce. 

31 Answer: Social divisions

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 3-4

Answer explanation: “It’s also a world of extreme inequality and social division.” Hence the answer should be social division as is pretty clear from this line where the director depicts the situation in Metropolis to be harsh, unjust, and with inequality and social division. 

32 Answer: Machines

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 4-5

Answer explanation: “The workers live below ground and exist as machines working in an endless routine of mind-numbing 10-hour shifts “ This suggests that the workers were working as machines with an exceedingly higher number of hours. 

33 Answer: John Frederson

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph, lines 6-7

Answer explanation: “Presiding over them all is the Master of Metropolis, John Fredersen, whose sole satisfaction seems to lie in the exercise of power.” This suggests that John Frederson was the master of Metropolis who used to feel great to exercise his powers and supremacy. 

34 Answer: Abstract

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 1-2

Answer explanation: “Lang’s graphic depiction of the future is conceived in almost abstract terms.” This suggests that the director Lang makes the depiction quite abstract and vague.

35 Answer: Function

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2

Answer explanation: “The function of the individual machines is never defined.” It suggests that the functions of the laborers are not disclosed. There is a denotation of laborers as machines, however, the function/work they have to do is not specified. 

36 Answer: Efficiency

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 3-7

Answer explanation: “Like the industry in Metropolis, these corporations’ goals of increased efficiency and profits have little to do with the welfare of the majority of their employees or that of the population at large. Instead, they aim to sustain the momentum of their growth and to increase the monetary rewards to a tiny elite – their executives and shareholders.”  These lines imply that bearing a similitude with the real-life situations, the movie highlights how the rich and successful MNCs are least bothered by the common public. All they care for is their budding economy and efficient growth. Hence, the answer should be efficiency as ‘economy’ is already mentioned in the question. 

37 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 1-4

Answer explanation: “Metropolis is a bleak vision of the early twenty-first century that is at once both chilling and exhilarating. This spectacular city of the future is a technological marvel of high-rise buildings connected by elevated railways and airships. It’s also a world of extreme inequality and social division.” These lines bring about the line of contrast between the situations in Metropolis. While on one hand, it is considered to be exuberant and ecstatic, poverty, inequality, and social difference are also highlighted. 

38 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph C, lines 1-4

Answer explanation: “Lang’s graphic depiction of the future is conceived in almost abstract terms. The function of the individual machines is never defined. Instead, this mass of dials, levers, and gauges symbolically stands for all machines and all industry, with the workers as slave-live extensions of the equipment they have to operate.” This indicates the reason behind not mentioning the function of the machines, which is a denotation of laborers. The lines imply that since the director uses a symbolic way of narration, he didn’t mention the work/function the machines have.

39 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 1-7

Answer explanation: “It is enlightening, I think, to relate the film to the modern global economy in which multinational corporations now routinely close their factories in one continent so that they can take advantage of cheap labor in another. Like the industry in Metropolis, these corporations’ goals of increased efficiency and profits have little to do with the welfare of the majority of their employees or that of the population at large. Instead, they aim to sustain the momentum of their growth and to increase the monetary rewards to a tiny elite – their executives and shareholders.”  By these lines, we can easily sense the intent of the writer. He wants to draw attention to real-life situations, such as poverty, inequality, greed, and exploitation by the rich which is symbolized in the movie. Hence this is a clear comparison between the movie and the modern economy. 

40 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 1-6

Answer explanation: “So far so good: when the images are allowed to speak for themselves the film is impeccable both in its symbolism and in its cynicism. The problem with Metropolis is its sentimental storyline, which sees Freder, Fredersen’s son, instantly falling in love with the visionary Maria. Maria leads an underground pseudo-religious movement and preaches that the workers should not rebel but should await the arrival of a ‘Mediator’ between the ‘Head’ (capital) and the ‘Hands’ (labor).” This indicates the perception of the writer as far as the movie is concerned. He considers it to be a fine movie with some areas that he feels could have been improved, such as sentimental scenes. 

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