Jobs In Ancient Egypt — IELTS Reading Answers

What does the writer say about scribes in ancient Egypt?

1. ATheir working days were very long.
2. BThe topics they wrote about were very varied.correct
3. CMany of them were once ordinary working people.
4. DFew of them realised the true value of their occupation.

“Scribes noted the everyday activities in ancient Egypt and wrote about everything from grain stocks to tax records”

Option B: scribes noted 'everything from grain stocks to tax records', which shows the topics they wrote about were extremely varied.

What is the writer doing in the second paragraph?

1. Aexplaining why jobs were plentiful in ancient Egyptcorrect
2. Bpointing out how honest workers were in ancient Egypt
3. Ccomparing manual and professional work in ancient Egypt
4. Dnoting the range of duties an individual worker had in ancient Egypt

“You needed to work if you wanted to eat, but there was no shortage of jobs at any time in Egypt's history”

Option A: 'no shortage of jobs at any time in Egypt's history' explains why work was plentiful, rather than honesty or types of labour.

What is the writer doing in the fifth paragraph?

1. Aexplaining a problem
2. Bdescribing a change
3. Crejecting a popular viewcorrect
4. Dcriticising a past activity

“Although it is commonly believed that the great monuments and temples of Egypt were achieved through slave labor, there is absolutely no evidence to support this”

Option C: the writer sets up the common belief about slave labour, then says there is 'absolutely no evidence' for it, rejecting that popular view.

The writer refers to the value of ma’at in order to explain

1. Ahow the work of artists reflected beliefs in ancient Egypt.
2. Bhow ancient Egyptians viewed their role in society.correct
3. Cwhy the opinions of certain people were valued in ancient Egypt.
4. Dwhy ancient Egyptians expressed their views so readily.

“This practice was in keeping with the value of ma'at (harmony and balance) which was central to Egyptian culture. One was expected to care for others as much as oneself and contributing to the common good was an expression of this”

Option B: ma'at required people to 'care for others as much as oneself', showing how Egyptians understood their duty within society.

Which word best describes the attitude of the Egyptian government toward its workers?

1. Astrict
2. Bpatient
3. Cnegligent
4. Dappreciativecorrect

“The Egyptian government was aware of how hard the people worked and so staged a number of festivals throughout the year to show gratitude and give them days off to relax”

Option D: festivals were staged 'to show gratitude', so the government's attitude was appreciative of how hard people worked.

was unable to work at certain times

“These people were mostly farmers who could do nothing with their land during the months when the Nile River overflowed its banks”

Option C: the farmers 'could do nothing with their land' while the Nile flooded, matching the idea of being unable to work at certain times.

divided workers into groups

“Overseers organized the men into teams to transport the stones on the sleds”

Option F: the overseers 'organized the men into teams', which is exactly the act of dividing workers into groups.

faced daily hazards

“The reed cutter, for example, who harvested papyrus plants along the Nile, had to bear in mind that he worked in an area that was also home to wildlife that, at times, could prove fatal”

Option B: the reed cutter worked where wildlife 'could prove fatal', so his job carried daily hazards.

underwent a long period of training

“In order to be engaged in the higher professions in ancient Egypt, a person had to be literate and so first had to become a scribe. The apprenticeship for this job lasted many years and was tough and challenging”

Option A: the scribe's 'apprenticeship... lasted many years', matching a long period of training before entering the higher professions.

“the pyramids and other monuments were built by Egyptian laborers who either donated their time as community service or were paid for their labor”

The gap needs a noun phrase for unpaid work; labourers 'donated their time as community service', the alternative to being paid.

“The often huge blocks were then pushed onto sleds, devices better suited than wheeled vehicles to moving weighty objects over shifting sand”

A noun describing the ground is needed; sleds suited 'moving weighty objects over shifting sand' better than wheeled vehicles.

“This job was done by skilled stonemasons working with copper chisels and wooden mallets”

The gap asks for the material of the chisels; stonemasons worked 'with copper chisels and wooden mallets'.

“These people were mostly farmers who could do nothing with their land during the months when the Nile River overflowed its banks”

A plural noun for the workers is needed; the builders were 'mostly farmers' idle while the Nile overflowed their fields.