Cambridge IELTS 9 · Academic · Test 4 · Passage 3
The Development Of Museums — IELTS Reading Answers
All 14 answers for The Development Of Museums, Cambridge IELTS 9 Academic Reading Test 4 Passage 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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The Development Of Museums answer key at a glance
Questions 27–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Matching Headings (Q27–30), One Choice (Q31–36), True / False / Not Given (Q37–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 27–30: Matching Headings
Strategy: Read the paragraph first and summarise its main idea in five words. Choose the heading that matches the whole paragraph, not a repeated keyword.
Paragraph B
“Such developments have been criticised as an intolerable vulgarisation, but the success of many historical theme parks and similar locations suggests that the majority of the public does not share this opinion”
Paragraph B notes the developments were 'criticised as an intolerable vulgarisation', yet theme parks' success shows the public disagrees, so its heading concerns popularisation and its critics.
Paragraph C
“In a related development, the sharp distinction between museum and heritage sites on the one hand, and theme parks on the other, is gradually evaporating. They already borrow ideas and concepts from one another”
Paragraph C says 'the sharp distinction between museum and heritage sites... and theme parks... is gradually evaporating', so its heading is about their convergence.
Paragraph D
“Those who are professionally engaged in the art of interpreting history are thus in a difficult position, as they must steer a narrow course between the demands of 'evidence' and 'attractiveness', especially given the increasing need in the heritage industry for income-generating activities”
Paragraph D describes professionals 'in a difficult position' who must 'steer a narrow course between the demands of evidence and attractiveness', so its heading is that dilemma.
Paragraph E
“For example, Pithecanthropus erectus is depicted in an Indonesian museum with Malay facial features, because this corresponds to public perceptions”
Paragraph E gives 'Pithecanthropus erectus... depicted... with Malay facial features, because this corresponds to public perceptions', a heading on exhibits shaped by public expectation.
Questions 31–36: One Choice
Strategy: Read the question stem and predict the answer before looking at the options. Wrong options often repeat passage words while the correct one paraphrases them.
Compared with today's museums, those of the past
- Adid not present history in a detailed way.
- Bwere not primarily intended for the public.correct
- Cwere more clearly organised.
- Dpreserved items with greater care.
“The content and format of explanations dated back to a time when the museum was the exclusive domain of the scientific researcher”
Museums were once 'the exclusive domain of the scientific researcher', so they were not mainly for the public — option B.
According to the writer, current trends in the heritage industry
- Aemphasise personal involvement.correct
- Bhave their origins in York and London.
- Crely on computer images.
- Dreflect minority tastes.
“The key word in heritage display is now 'experience', the more exciting the better and, if possible, involving all the senses On so-called heritage sites the re-enactment of historical events is increasingly popular, and computers will soon provide virtual reality experiences,”
The key word is 'experience', involving 'all the senses' and letting visitors 'act as if part of the historical environment' — personal involvement, option A.
The writer says that museums, heritage sites and theme parks
- Aoften work in close partnership.
- Btry to preserve separate identities.
- Chave similar exhibits.
- Dare less easy to distinguish than before.correct
“In a related development, the sharp distinction between museum and heritage sites on the one hand, and theme parks on the other, is gradually evaporating”
'The sharp distinction... is gradually evaporating' means museums, heritage sites and theme parks are now harder to tell apart — option D.
The writer says that in preparing exhibits for museums, experts
- Ashould pursue a single objective.
- Bhave to do a certain amount of language translation.
- Cshould be free from commercial constraints.
- Dhave to balance conflicting priorities.correct
“Those who are professionally engaged in the art of interpreting history are thus in a difficult position, as they must steer a narrow course between the demands of 'evidence' and 'attractiveness', especially given the increasing need in the heritage industry for income-generating activities”
Experts must 'steer a narrow course between the demands of evidence and attractiveness', balancing two conflicting priorities — option D.
In paragraph E, the writer suggests that some museum exhibits
- Afail to match visitor expectations.
- Bare based on the false assumptions of professionals.
- Creveal more about present beliefs than about the past.correct
- Dallow visitors to make more use of their imagination.
“Such presentations tell us more about contemporary perceptions of the world than about our ancestors”
'Tell us more about contemporary perceptions... than about our ancestors' means exhibits reveal present beliefs rather than the past — option C.
The passage ends by noting that our view of history is biased because
- Awe fail to use our imagination.
- Bonly very durable objects remain from the past.correct
- Cwe tend to ignore things that displease us.
- Dmuseum exhibits focus too much on the local area.
“The simple fact is that not everything from history survives the historical process. Castles, palaces and cathedrals have a longer lifespan than the dwellings of ordinary people”
Our view is biased because 'not everything from history survives'; castles and cathedrals outlast ordinary dwellings, so only durable objects remain — option B.
Questions 37–40: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
Consumers prefer theme parks which avoid serious issues.
“Theme parks are undergoing other changes, too, as they try to present more serious social and cultural issues, and move away from fantasy. This development is a response to market forces”
Theme parks are moving towards 'more serious social and cultural issues' in response to market forces, so consumers apparently want that, contradicting the claim. FALSE.
More people visit museums than theme parks.
“This development is a response to market forces and, although museums and heritage sites have a special, rather distinct, role to fulfil, they are also operating in a very competitive environment, where visitors make choices on how and where to spend their free time”
The text notes competition for visitors' free time but gives no visitor numbers, so comparing museum and theme park attendance is not possible.
The boundaries of Leyden have changed little since the seventeenth century.
“In a town like Leyden in Holland, which in the seventeenth century was occupied by approximately the same number of inhabitants as today, people lived within the walled town, an area more than five times smaller than modern Leyden”
Seventeenth-century Leyden was 'more than five times smaller than modern Leyden', so its boundaries expanded greatly. FALSE.
Museums can give a false impression of how life used to be.
“Yet in museums, fine period rooms give only an image of the lifestyle of the upper class of that era. No wonder that people who stroll around exhibitions are filled with nostalgia; the evidence in museums indicates that life was so much better in the past.”
Period rooms show 'only... the lifestyle of the upper class', producing nostalgia 'induced by the bias in its representation' — a false impression. TRUE.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the The Development Of Museums passage come from?
It is Passage 3 of Cambridge IELTS 9 Academic Reading Test 4, and it covers Questions 27–40.
What question types appear in The Development Of Museums?
The passage is tested with Matching Headings, One Choice, True / False / Not Given. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.