PASSWORD AND ANSWERS AT LAST OF THIS BLOG
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You should spend about 15 minutes on Questions 1-13,
which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Dolls through the age
What is today a simple children's toy has a surprisingly
rich history. Dolls have been a part of humankind for thousands of years. Often
depicting religious figures or used as playthings, early dolls were probably
made from primitive materials such as clay, fur, or wood.
Dolls constructed of flat pieces of wood, painted with
various designs and with hair made of clay, have often been found in Egyptian
graves dating back to 2000 BC. Egyptian tombs of wealthy families have also
included pottery dolls. The fact that dolls were placed in these graves leads
some to believe that they were cherished possessions.
Girls from ancient Greece and Rome offered their wooden
dolls to goddesses after they were too 'grown-up' to play with dolls. Most
ancient dolls that were found in tombs were very simple creations, often made
from such materials as clay, rags, wood, or bone. Some of the more unique dolls
were made with ivory or wax. The main goal was to make the doll as lifelike as
possible. That ideal led to the creation of dolls with movable limbs and
removable garments, dating back to 600 BC.
Following the era of the ancient dolls, Europe became a
major hub for doll production. These dolls were primarily made of wood. Fewer
than 30 examples of primitive wooden stump dolls from England survive today.
The Grodnertal area of Germany produced many peg wooden dolls, a type of doll
that has very simple peg joints and resembles a clothespin (a device for
hanging washing on a clothesline). An alternative to wood was developed in the
1800s.
'Composition' is a collective term for mixtures of pulped
wood or paper that were used to make doll heads and bodies. These mixtures were
moulded under pressure, creating a durable doll that could be mass produced.
Manufacturers closely guarded the recipes for their mixtures, sometimes using
strange ingredients like ash or eggshells. Papier-mâché, a type of composition,
was one of the most popular mixtures.
In addition to wooden dolls, wax dolls grew in popularity in
the 17th and 18th centuries. Munich in Germany was a major manufacturing center
for wax dolls. Wax dollmakers would model a doll's head in wax or clay, and
then cover it with plaster to create a mould.
Then they would pour melted wax into the cast. The wax for the head would be
very thin, no more than 3 mm. Some of the most distinctive wax dolls were
created in England between 1850 and 1930. One of the first dolls that portrayed
a baby was made in England from wax at the beginning of the 19th century.
Around the same time, porcelain became popular. It is made
by firing special clays in a kiln at more than 2,372 degrees Fahrenheit
(1300°C), and only a few clays can withstand firing at such high temperatures.
Porcelain is used generically to refer to both china and bisque dolls; china is
glazed, whereas bisque is unglazed. Germany, France, and Denmark started
creating china heads for dolls in the 1840s. These china heads were replaced in
the 1860s by ones made of bisque. Bisque, which is porcelain fired twice with
colour added to it after the first firing, looked more like skin than china
did.
In France, the bébé was popular in the 1880s, and it has
become a highly sought-after doll today. The bébé, first made in the 1850s, was
different from its predecessors because it depicted a younger girl. Until then,
most French dolls were representations of adults. Although the French dolls
were unrivalled in their artistry, German bisque dolls became quite popular
because they were not as expensive. Kammer & Reinhardt introduced a bisque
character doll in the 1900s, starting a trend of creating realistic dolls.
For many centuries, rag dolls were made by mothers for their
children. The term 'rag doll' refers generically to dolls made of any fabric.
'Cloth doll' refers to a subset of rag dolls made of linen or cotton.
Commercially produced rag dolls were first introduced in the 1850s by English
and American manufacturers. Although not as sophisticated as dolls made from
other materials, rag dolls were well loved, often as a child's first toy.
Dollmaking did not become an industry in the United States
until after the Civil War in the 1860s. Doll production was concentrated in the
New England region of the United States, with dolls made from a variety of
materials such as leather, rubber, papier-mâché, and cloth. Celluloid was
developed in the state of New Jersey in the late 1860s and was used to
manufacture dolls until the mid-1950s. German, French, American, and Japanese
factories churned out cheaply produced celluloid dolls in mass quantities.
However, celluloid fell out of favour because of its extreme flammability and
propensity to fade in bright light.
After World War I, doll
makers experimented with plastics. Hard plastic dolls were manufactured in the
1940s. They resembled composition dolls, but they were much more durable. Other
materials used in doll manufacturing included rubber, foam rubber, and vinyl in
the 1950s and 1960s. Vinyl changed doll making, allowing doll makers to root
hair into the head, rather than using wigs or painting the hair. Although most
dolls
are now mass-manufactured using these
modern materials, many modern doll makers are still using the traditional
materials of the past to make collectible dolls.
Questions 1–6
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY for
each answer.
Dolls
Earliest known dolls
•
• represented
religious figures
•
• used as toys
Egypt 2000 BC
•
• bodies were
made of 1.....................
•
•
2..................... was used for the hair
Ancient Greece and Rome
•
• dolls were
given to 3..................... by older girls
•
• 600 BC
•
• realistic dolls
had separate clothes and 4..................... that could be put in
different positions
17th and 18th centuries
•
• dolls made of
5.....................
•
• moulds made of 6....................
Questions 7–13 Do the following statements agree
with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 7-13 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
7. Bisque dolls appear less realistic than china dolls.
8. French dolls tended to cost more than German
bisque dolls.
9. The first rag dolls were made in the 1850s.
10. Only dolls made of cotton or linen are classified as
cloth dolls.
11. Dolls made of celluloid tended to lose their colour.
12. Composition dolls lasted longer than the plastic
dolls that were made in the 1940s.
🧩 Questions 1–6: Complete the notes below (ONE WORD ONLY)
Egypt 2000 BC
1. wood
📍 Paragraph 2 —
“Dolls constructed of flat pieces of wood, painted with various designs and with hair made of clay, have often been found in Egyptian graves dating back to 2000 BC.”
🔹 Explanation: The dolls’ bodies were made of wood.
2. clay
📍 Paragraph 2 —
“…painted with various designs and with hair made of clay…”
🔹 Explanation: The hair material was clay.
Ancient Greece and Rome
3. goddesses
📍 Paragraph 3 —
“Girls from ancient Greece and Rome offered their wooden dolls to goddesses after they were too ‘grown-up’ to play with dolls.”
🔹 Explanation: Older girls gave their dolls to goddesses.
4. limbs
📍 Paragraph 3 —
“…led to the creation of dolls with movable limbs and removable garments, dating back to 600 BC.”
🔹 Explanation: Realistic dolls had movable limbs.
17th and 18th centuries
5. wax
📍 Paragraph 6 —
“In addition to wooden dolls, wax dolls grew in popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries.”
🔹 Explanation: Dolls were made from wax in this era.
6. plaster
📍 Paragraph 6 —
“Wax dollmakers would model a doll's head in wax or clay, and then cover it with plaster to create a mould.”
🔹 Explanation: The mould material was plaster.
✅ Answers 1–6:
1️⃣ wood
2️⃣ clay
3️⃣ goddesses
4️⃣ limbs
5️⃣ wax
6️⃣ plaster
✅ Questions 7–13: TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
7. Bisque dolls appear less realistic than china dolls.
❌ FALSE
📍 Paragraph 7 —
“Bisque… looked more like skin than china did.”
🔹 Explanation: Bisque dolls were more realistic, not less.
8. French dolls tended to cost more than German bisque dolls.
✅ TRUE
📍 Paragraph 8 —
“Although the French dolls were unrivalled in their artistry, German bisque dolls became quite popular because they were not as expensive.”
🔹 Explanation: German dolls were cheaper, so French ones cost more.
9. The first rag dolls were made in the 1850s.
❌ FALSE
📍 Paragraph 9 —
“For many centuries, rag dolls were made by mothers for their children. … Commercially produced rag dolls were first introduced in the 1850s.”
🔹 Explanation: Rag dolls existed long before; 1850s only marked mass production.
10. Only dolls made of cotton or linen are classified as cloth dolls.
✅ TRUE
📍 Paragraph 9 —
“‘Cloth doll’ refers to a subset of rag dolls made of linen or cotton.”
🔹 Explanation: Definition clearly restricts “cloth dolls” to cotton/linen.
11. Dolls made of celluloid tended to lose their colour.
✅ TRUE
📍 Paragraph 10 —
“Celluloid fell out of favour because of its extreme flammability and propensity to fade in bright light.”
🔹 Explanation: “Fade in bright light” = lose colour.
12. Composition dolls lasted longer than the plastic dolls that were made in the 1940s.
❌ FALSE
📍 Paragraph 11 —
“Hard plastic dolls were manufactured in the 1940s. They resembled composition dolls, but they were much more durable.”
🔹 Explanation: Plastic dolls lasted longer, not composition ones.
13. Doll collectors prefer a doll to be dressed in its original clothing.
❌ NOT GIVEN
📍 No mention in passage —
The passage ends discussing modern and collectible dolls, but does not mention collectors’ preference for original clothing.
✅ FINAL ANSWER KEY (WITH LOCATIONS)
| Q | Answer | Location / Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | wood | Para 2 – “flat pieces of wood” |
| 2 | clay | Para 2 – “hair made of clay” |
| 3 | goddesses | Para 3 – “offered their wooden dolls to goddesses” |
| 4 | limbs | Para 3 – “movable limbs and removable garments” |
| 5 | wax | Para 6 – “wax dolls grew in popularity” |
| 6 | plaster | Para 6 – “cover it with plaster to create a mould” |
| 7 | FALSE | Para 7 – “Bisque… looked more like skin than china” |
| 8 | TRUE | Para 8 – “German dolls… not as expensive” |
| 9 | FALSE | Para 9 – “made for many centuries… commercially in 1850s” |
| 10 | TRUE | Para 9 – “Cloth doll… made of linen or cotton” |
| 11 | TRUE | Para 10 – “propensity to fade in bright light” |
| 12 | FALSE | Para 11 – “plastic dolls… more durable” |
| 13 | NOT GIVEN | Not mentioned anywhere |
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