Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Answers

The IELTS Reading passage, “Robert Louis Stevenson”, has appeared in the recent IELTS Academic examination. With diligent practice, the Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS Aspirants. To score well, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the Reading Module. By solving and reviewing Sample Reading Questions from past IELTS papers, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark. Practise the reading passage ‘Robert Louis Stevenson’ below and for more, try IELTS reading practice tests.

• Multiple Choice Questions (Q.27 – Q.31)
• True/False/Not Given (Q. 32– Q.35)
• Summary Completion (Q.36 – Q.40)

Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Passage

1. A Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. It has been more than 100 years since his death. Stevenson was a writer who caused conflicting opinions about his works. On one hand, he was often highly praised for his expert prose and style by many English-language critics. On the other hand, others criticized the religious themes in his works, often misunderstanding Stevenson’s own religious beliefs. Since his death a century before, critics and biographers have disagreed on the legacy of Stevenson’s writing. Two biographers, KF and CP , wrote a biography about Stevenson with a clear focus. They chose not to criticize aspects of Stevenson’s personal life. Instead, they focused on his writing, and gave high praise to his writing style and skill.

2. The literary pendulum has swung these days. Different critics have different opinions towards Robert Louis Stevenson’s works. Though today, Stevenson is one of the most translated authors in the world, his works have sustained a wide variety of negative criticism throughout his life. It was like a complete reversal of polarity—from highly positive to slightly less positive to clearly negative; after being highly praised as a great writer, he became an example of an author with corrupt ethics and lack of moral. Many literary critics passed his works off as children’s stories or horror stories, and thought to have little social value in an educational setting. Stevenson’s works were often excluded from the literature curriculum because of their controversial nature. These debates remain, and many critics still assert that despite his skill, his literary works still lack moral value.

3. One of the main reasons why Stevenson’s literary works attracted so much criticism was due to the genre of his writing. Stevenson mainly wrote adventure stories, which was part of a popular and entertaining writing fad at the time. Many of us believe adventure stories are exciting, offer engaging characters, action, and mystery but ultimately can’t teach moral principles. The plot points are one-dimensional and rarely offer a deeper moral meaning, instead focusing on exciting and shocking plot twists and thrilling events. His works were even criticised by fellow authors. Though Stevenson’s works have deeply influenced Oscar Wilde, Wilde often joked that Stevenson would have written better works if he wasn’t born in Scotland. Other authors came to Stevenson’s defence, including Galsworthy who claimed that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy.

4. Despite Wilde’s criticism, Stevenson’s Scottish identity was an integral part of his written works. Although Stevenson’s works were not popular in Scotland when he was alive, many modern Scottish literary critics claim that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland. While many critics exalt Sir Walter Scott as a literary genius because of his technical ability, others argue that Stevenson deserves the same recognition for his natural ability to capture stories and characters in words. Many of Scott’s works were taken more seriously as literature for their depth due to their tragic themes, but fans of Stevenson praise his unique style of story-telling and capture of human nature. Stevenson’s works, unlike other British authors, captured the unique day to day life of average Scottish people. Many literary critics point to this as a flaw of his works. According to the critics, truly important literature should transcend local culture and stories. However, many critics praise the local taste of his literature. To this day, Stevenson’s works provide valuable insight to life in Scotland during the 19th century.

5. Despite much debate of Stevenson’s writing topics, his writing was not the only source of attention for critics. Stevenson’s personal life often attracted a lot of attention from his fans and critics alike. Some even argue that his personal life eventually outshone his writing. Stevenson had been plagued with health problems his whole life, and often had to live in much warmer climates than the cold, dreary weather of Scotland in order to recover. So he took his family to a south pacific island Samoa, which was a controversial decision at that time. However, Stevenson did not regret the decision. The sea air and thrill of adventure complimented the themes of his writing, and for a time restored his health. From there, Stevenson gained a love of traveling, and for nearly three years he wandered the eastern and central Pacific. Much of his works reflected this love of travel and adventure that Stevenson experienced in the Pacific islands. It was as a result of this biographical attention that the feeling grew that interest in Stevenson’s life had taken the place of interest in his works. Whether critics focus on his writing subjects, his religious beliefs, or his eccentric lifestyle of travel and adventure, people from the past and present have different opinions about Stevenson as an author. Today, he remains a controversial yet widely popular figure in Western literature.

Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 27-31

27. Stevenson's biographers KF and CP 
A. Underestimated the role of family played in Stevenson's life. 
B. Overestimated the writer's works in literature history. 
C. Exaggerated Stevenson's religious belief in his works. 
D. Elevated Stevenson's role as a writer.

28. The main point of the second paragraph is
A. The public gives a more fair criticism to Stevenson's works. 
B. Recent criticism has been justified. 
C. The style of Stevenson's works overweigh his faults in his life. 
D. Stevenson's works’ drawback is lack of ethical nature.

29. According to the author, adventure stories 
A. Do not provide plot twists well. 
B. Cannot be used by writers to show moral values. 
C. Are more fashionable art forms. 
D. Can be found in other's works but not in Stevenson's

30. What does the author say about Stevenson's works? 
A. They describe the life of people in Scotland. 
B. They are commonly regarded as real literature. 
C. They were popular during Stevenson's life. 
D. They transcend the local culture and stories.

31. The lifestyle of Stevenson 
A. Made his family envy him so much. 
B. Should be responsible for his death. 
C. Gained more attention from the public than his works. 
D. Didn't prepare well for his life in Samoa. 

Questions 32-35 

32. Although Oscar Wilde admired Robert Louis Stevenson very much, he believed Stevenson could have written greater works.
33. Robert Louis Stevenson encouraged Oscar Wilde to start writing at first.
34. Galsworthy thought Hardy is greater writer than Stevenson is.
35. Critics only paid attention to Robert Louis Stevenson's writing topics

Questions 36-40

Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson

A lot of people believe that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland, but Sir Walter Scott is more proficient in 36........, while Stevenson has better 37…………….. Scott’s books illustrate 38..............., especially in terms of tragedy, but a lot of readers prefer Stevenson's 39............. What's more, Stevenson's understanding of 40.......... made his works have the most unique expression of Scottish people.

A. Natural ability
B. Romance
C. Colorful language
D. Critical acclaim
E. Humor
F. Technical control
G. Storytelling
H. Depth
I. Human nature

Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Answer Explanation

Here are the answer explanation for Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Answers: 

27. Answer: D
Answer Location: Paragraph 1, last 2 lines
Answer Explanation: The biographers KF and CP focused on praising Stevenson’s writing, specifically highlighting his writing style and skill. This is mentioned in the last 2 lines of paragraph 1.

28. Answer: D
Answer Location: Paragraph 2, lines 5-6
Answer Explanation: The second paragraph describes how Stevenson’s reputation shifted from being highly praised to becoming an example of an author with corrupt ethics. This is explained in lines 5-6 of paragraph 2.

29. Answer: B
Answer Location: Paragraph 3, lines 3-4
Answer Explanation: Paragraph 3 explains that adventure stories can’t teach moral principles, as they offer excitement but fail to convey important moral lessons. This is found in lines 3-4 of paragraph 3.

30. Answer: A
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, lines 8-10
Answer Explanation: It is mentioned in paragraph 4 that Stevenson’s works captured the daily life of Scottish people, a quality often criticized by literary critics. This is clearly found in lines 8-10 of paragraph 4.

31. Answer: C
Answer Location: Paragraph 5, line 3
Answer Explanation: Paragraph 5 mentions that Stevenson’s personal life gained more attention than his writing. This is explicitly stated in line 3.

32. Answer: TRUE
Answer Location: Paragraph 3, lines 7-8
Answer Explanation: The text states that Oscar Wilde was influenced by Stevenson’s works but also joked that Stevenson could have written better works if he hadn’t been born in Scotland. This is found in lines 7-8 of paragraph 3.

33. Answer: NOT GIVEN
Answer Location: N/A
Answer Explanation: There is no information provided in the text to support or deny the claim, so the answer is "Not Given."

34. Answer: FALSE
Answer Location: Paragraph 3, last 2 lines
Answer Explanation: Galsworthy’s statement that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy is mentioned, but it’s presented as a matter of opinion, making the answer "False."

35. Answer: FALSE
Answer Location: Paragraph 5, lines 12-13
Answer Explanation: The paragraph mentions critics focusing on Stevenson’s writing subjects, religious beliefs, and lifestyle, but it does not definitively claim one view over another, making the answer "False."

36. Answer: F
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, lines 4-5
Answer Explanation: Walter Scott is praised for his literary technical ability, as mentioned in these lines of paragraph 4, confirming the answer "F."

37. Answer: A
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, lines 5-6
Answer Explanation: Stevenson is credited with having natural literary ability, which is mentioned in paragraph 4, lines 5-6, explaining the answer "A."

38. Answer: H
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, line 7
Answer Explanation: Scott’s works are noted for their depth, often associated with tragic themes, which is stated in line 7 of paragraph 4.

39. Answer: G
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, lines 7-8
Answer Explanation: Fans of Stevenson are noted for praising his unique storytelling style, as mentioned in these lines in paragraph 4.

40. Answer: I
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, last 2 lines
Answer Explanation: The final two lines of paragraph 4 discuss how Stevenson’s works offer valuable insights into life in 19th century Scotland, supporting answer "I."

Tips for Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Answers - Multiple Choice Questions  

Since you have calculated your score from the Insomnia: The Enemy of Sleep answer keys, let us look at some quick IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ for each question type to boost your IELTS preparation. Here are some tips to ace IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions:

• Read the Question First – Before looking at the answer choices, understand what is being asked to avoid confusion.
• Scan for Keywords – Identify key terms in the question and scan the passage for those words or their synonyms.
• Eliminate Wrong Answers – Some options may be partially correct but not fully accurate. Cross them out to narrow choices.
• Check Context Carefully – The correct answer may be rephrased in the text, so read surrounding sentences for better understanding.
• Watch Out for Traps – Some answers may include distractors like absolute words ("always," "never") that may make them incorrect.

Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Answers - True, False, Not Given 

Following are some tips to ace IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given:

• Read the statement carefully before matching it with the passage to ensure you understand what’s being asked.
• The statement might be phrased differently in the passage, so look for the same meaning, not just the same words.
• If the statement directly contradicts the passage, the answer is "False."
• Only rely on what is clearly stated in the passage. If information is missing or unclear, mark it as "Not Given."
• Words like “always” or “never” often signal a "False" answer if they don’t align with the passage’s tone or content.

Robert Louis Stevenson IELTS Reading Answers - Summary Completion 

Here are some tips to ace the IELTS Reading Summary Completion:

• Understand the Summary First – Read through the summary before checking the passage to get a general idea.
• Look for Synonyms & Paraphrases – The words in the summary will likely be different from the passage, so focus on meaning.
• Use Grammar to Guide You – Ensure the word you choose fits grammatically within the sentence.
• Predict the Answer – Try to guess the missing word before looking at the passage to confirm your prediction.
• Stick to the Word Limit – If the instruction says "NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS," exceeding this will result in a wrong answer.

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