PASSWORD AND ANSWERS AT LAST OF THIS BLOG
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READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26,
which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
From princes to paupers: how Goya's portraits tell
the story of Spain
A There are, according to current scholarship, 160
existing portraits by Francisco de Goya - about a third of his painted output.
The real number, though, is much greater since there are no pure landscapes in
Goya's work, in that everything he ever painted deals with people. In the work
of no other great portraitist are a nation's people, history, traumas, folk
traditions, and superstitions so comprehensively and relentlessly captured. His
subject was a good one since Goya lived in interesting times: his lifetime was
a period that saw Spain pass through the effects of the French Revolution, the
Napoleonic wars, and the restoration of the monarchy; it was ruled by a
succession of authoritarian and liberal governments; and was simultaneously
marked by the Enlightenment. Put his work together - the public and private
paintings, the personal drawings and sketches, and the unsettling and sinister
etching series - and what you have is a portrait in the round of Spain itself.
B His work as a portraitist has its origins in the 45
tapestry cartoons he painted after he moved to Madrid in 1775. Although his
designs don't show portraits, they do show types - the majos and majas
who gave Madrid its street swagger, peasants and rich men, courting
couples, singers, hunters, children, and young men and women playing blind
man's buff or tossing a mannequin into the air. The pictures have a light,
rococo palette and the faces are individualised without being those of
individuals. But in them, Goya practised poses and groupings and a way of
handling light on and around figures that was to be invaluable.
C The tapestry designs also show social roles rather
than the people inhabiting them, but when it came to painting portraits proper,
Goya would turn this on its head. His greatest strength as a portraitist is
that regardless of the status of the sitter, be they a king and queen, the Duke
of Wellington, or a doctor or writer, it was the person he showed first and
their position second. It was this trait, most apparent in his royal
portraiture, that has led him to be seen as satirising the Bourbon monarchy
rather than as a painter who depicted what he saw without showing obeisance to
the usual flattering conventions. In Robert Hughes's phrase, he did not 'pay
reflexive homage to authority' but instead walked a fine line between respect
and truth.
D Goya's success was rapid; in 1785 he was made deputy director of
painting at the Royal Academy (his main message to his students was subversive
- 'there are no rules in painting') and in 1786 became pintor de cámara,
required to paint 'works required for royal service'. He immediately spent some
of his 15,000-reales salary on a two-wheeled gig (one of only three in Madrid)
which he promptly crashed on his first outing. His amour propre untouched, he
wrote to his childhood friend Martín Zapater: 'I have now established an
enviable way of living: I do not wait on anyone in antechambers, and if anyone
wants anything from me they must come to me; I have made myself more in demand
and unless it is a person of rank or at the request of a friend I would do
nothing for anyone...'
E Part of the reason for his success was that, unlike
Gainsborough, for example, he did not resent portraiture as an economically
necessary chore that ate away at the time he could devote to higher art. He
embraced the genre as a means of exploring human character. This genuine
interest allowed him to penetrate the facade of his sitters, capturing not just
their likeness but their psychological state. His portraits from the 1790s,
particularly of the royal family, are masterclasses in this approach. He presented
them with a stark realism that was unprecedented, grouping them in a way that
highlighted their familial dynamics and individual personalities, however
flawed or ordinary they might appear.
F This commitment to psychological truth became even
more pronounced following his near-fatal illness in 1793, which left him deaf.
Isolated from the world of sound, Goya’s focus turned inwards, and his work
grew darker and more introspective. The light rococo tones of his tapestry
cartoons gave way to a richer, somber palette and a dramatic use of
chiaroscuro. His portraits from this period, such as those of the Duchess of
Alba, are charged with a complex mixture of intimacy, mystery, and power. The
line between observer and subject seemed to dissolve, as Goya used the portrait
not for public glorification but as a form of private, almost philosophical,
inquiry.
G Ultimately, Goya’s career traces the arc of Spain’s
tumultuous age. The enlightened optimism of his early court paintings gradually
soured into a profound disillusionment, vividly recorded in his later,
so-called 'Black Paintings'. These murals, painted directly onto the walls of
his country house, are a far cry from the formal portraits of princes and
dukes. They depict haunting, mythological scenes and grotesque figures,
reflecting the despair and chaos of a nation ravaged by war and repression. In
this final phase, the portrait of Spain was no longer found in the faces of
individuals, but in the tormented soul of its people.
Questions 14-19
The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-19 on
your answer sheet.
You may use any letter more than once.
14. A description of a personal purchase that ended
in an accident.
15. The reason why Goya’s body of work provides such
a complete representation of his country.
16. A contrast between Goya's early work and his
later, more mature style.
17. An explanation of why Goya was able to be so
successful as a portrait painter.
18. Reference to a specific artistic technique that
Goya developed in his early career.
19. The claim that Goya’s final works moved away from
depicting specific people.
Questions 20-22
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for
each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 20-22 on your answer sheet.
Goya's Tapestry Cartoons
Before becoming a renowned portraitist, Goya created designs
for tapestries after moving to Madrid. These cartoons did not feature true 20
......................., but instead depicted various social 21 .......................
. The artistic style of these works was light and rococo, and while the faces
were distinctive, they were not of specific, identifiable people. However,
these early projects were crucial as they allowed Goya to practise arranging
figures and mastering the effect of 22 ....................... on his
subjects.
Questions 23-26
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the
writer in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 23-26 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
23. Goya believed that his teaching role at the Royal
Academy was more important than his work for the royal family.
24. Robert Hughes believed that Goya balanced respect
and truth in his portraits of authority figures.
25. Goya's illness directly caused him to change his
subject matter from portraits to landscapes.
🧩 Questions 14–19: Matching Information (A–G)
14. A description of a personal purchase that ended in an accident.
✅ Answer: D
📍 Paragraph D —
“He immediately spent some of his 15,000-reales salary on a two-wheeled gig (one of only three in Madrid) which he promptly crashed on his first outing.”
🔹 Explanation: This describes a personal purchase (the gig) that ended in an accident.
15. The reason why Goya’s body of work provides such a complete representation of his country.
✅ Answer: A
📍 Paragraph A —
“In the work of no other great portraitist are a nation's people, history, traumas, folk traditions, and superstitions so comprehensively and relentlessly captured.”
“…what you have is a portrait in the round of Spain itself.”
🔹 Explanation: Explains why his work represents the whole story of Spain.
16. A contrast between Goya's early work and his later, more mature style.
✅ Answer: F
📍 Paragraph F —
“The light rococo tones of his tapestry cartoons gave way to a richer, somber palette and a dramatic use of chiaroscuro.”
🔹 Explanation: Direct contrast between his early light rococo style and later dark, introspective tone after his illness.
17. An explanation of why Goya was able to be so successful as a portrait painter.
✅ Answer: E
📍 Paragraph E —
“Part of the reason for his success was that, unlike Gainsborough, for example, he did not resent portraiture… He embraced the genre as a means of exploring human character.”
🔹 Explanation: States the reason for his success — genuine interest and psychological insight.
18. Reference to a specific artistic technique that Goya developed in his early career.
✅ Answer: B
📍 Paragraph B —
“But in them, Goya practised poses and groupings and a way of handling light on and around figures that was to be invaluable.”
🔹 Explanation: Mentions a specific technique — handling light — developed during his early tapestry period.
19. The claim that Goya’s final works moved away from depicting specific people.
✅ Answer: G
📍 Paragraph G —
“These murals… are a far cry from the formal portraits of princes and dukes. … The portrait of Spain was no longer found in the faces of individuals, but in the tormented soul of its people.”
🔹 Explanation: Confirms that his later works stopped focusing on individual people.
✅ Answers 14–19 Summary
| Q | Answer | Paragraph | Key Phrase / Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | D | “He crashed on his first outing.” | |
| 15 | A | “A portrait in the round of Spain itself.” | |
| 16 | F | “Light rococo tones… gave way to a richer, somber palette.” | |
| 17 | E | “He embraced the genre as a means of exploring human character.” | |
| 18 | B | “Practised… a way of handling light on and around figures.” | |
| 19 | G | “No longer found in the faces of individuals…” |
📝 Questions 20–22: Summary Completion
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
20. portraits
📍 Paragraph B —
“Although his designs don't show portraits, they do show types…”
🔹 Explanation: His tapestry designs did not feature portraits.
21. roles
📍 Paragraph B —
“The tapestry designs also show social roles rather than the people inhabiting them…”
🔹 Explanation: He depicted social roles, not specific individuals.
22. light
📍 Paragraph B —
“…and a way of handling light on and around figures that was to be invaluable.”
🔹 Explanation: He learned to control light effectively in these works.
✅ Answers 20–22:
20️⃣ portraits
21️⃣ roles
22️⃣ light
✅ Questions 23–26: TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
23. Goya believed that his teaching role at the Royal Academy was more important than his work for the royal family.
❌ NOT GIVEN
📍 Paragraph D —
Mentions his position at the Royal Academy and his later royal commission but gives no indication of which he valued more.
🔹 Explanation: No comparison of importance is made.
24. Robert Hughes believed that Goya balanced respect and truth in his portraits of authority figures.
✅ TRUE
📍 Paragraph C —
“In Robert Hughes's phrase, he did not 'pay reflexive homage to authority' but instead walked a fine line between respect and truth.”
🔹 Explanation: Directly matches the statement.
25. Goya's illness directly caused him to change his subject matter from portraits to landscapes.
❌ FALSE
📍 Paragraph F —
“His portraits from this period… are charged with intimacy, mystery, and power.”
🔹 Explanation: Even after his illness, he continued painting portraits, not landscapes.
26. The 'Black Paintings' were originally intended for public display.
❌ FALSE
📍 Paragraph G —
“These murals, painted directly onto the walls of his country house, are a far cry from formal portraits…”
🔹 Explanation: Created for private use, not public display.
✅ Answers 23–26 Summary
| Q | Answer | Paragraph | Key Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | NOT GIVEN | D | No mention of which role he valued more |
| 24 | TRUE | C | “Walked a fine line between respect and truth” |
| 25 | FALSE | F | He continued painting portraits, not landscapes |
| 26 | FALSE | G | Painted on the walls of his country house (private) |
✅ FINAL ANSWER KEY (14–26)
| Q | Answer |
|---|---|
| 14 | D |
| 15 | A |
| 16 | F |
| 17 | E |
| 18 | B |
| 19 | G |
| 20 | portraits |
| 21 | roles |
| 22 | light |
| 23 | NOT GIVEN |
| 24 | TRUE |
| 25 | FALSE |
| 26 | FALSE |
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