Reading 2026-07 Test 7 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

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Reading Passage 1: Pearls

A Long known as the “Queen of Gems”, pearls possess a history and allure far beyond what today’s wearer may recognize. Throughout much of recorded history, a natural pearl necklace comprised of matched spheres was a treasure of almost incomparable value, in fact, the most expensive jewelry in the world. Before the creation of cultured pearls in the early 1900s, natural pearls were so rare and expensive that they were reserved almost exclusively for the noble and very rich. The ancient Egyptians were particularly fond of their pearls. Many Egyptian leaders treasured pearls so much that they were often buried along with their cherished pearl collection. In the Orient and Persian Empire, pearls were ground into costly powders to cure anything from heart disease to epilepsy, with possible aphrodisiac uses as well. China’s long recorded history also provides ample evidence of the importance of pearls.

B Pearls usually fall into three categories—natural pearls, cultured pearls and simulated pearls. A natural pearl forms when an irritant, such as a piece of sand, works its way into a particular species of oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed. A cultured pearl undergoes the same process. The only difference between natural pearls and cultured pearls is that the irritant is a surgically implanted bead or piece of shell called Mother of Pearl. Often, these shells are ground oyster shells that are worth significant amounts of money in their own right as irritant-catalysts for quality pearls. The resulting core is much larger than in a natural pearl. Imitation pearls are a different story altogether. In most cases, a glass bead is dipped into a solution made from fish scales. This coating is thin and may eventually wear off. One can usually tell an imitation by biting on it. The island of Mallorca in Spain is known for its imitation pearl industry.

C Regardless of the method used to acquire a pearl, the process usually takes several years. Mussels must reach a mature age, which can take up to 3 years, and then be implanted or naturally receive an irritant. Once the irritant is in place, it can take up to another 3 years for the pearl to reach its full size. Often, the irritant may be rejected, the pearl will be terrifically misshapen, or the oyster may simply die from disease or countless other complications. By the end of a 5 to 10 year cycle, only 50% of the oysters will have survived. And of the pearls produced, only approximately 5% are of a quality substantial enough for top jewelry makers.

D How can untrained eyes determine a pearl’s worth? Luster and size are generally considered the two main factors to look for. Luster, for instance, depends on the fineness and evenness of the layers. The deeper the glow, the more perfect the shape and surface, the more valuable they are. Size, on the other hand, has to do with the age of the oyster that created the pearl (the more mature oysters produce larger pearls) and the location in which the pearl was cultured. The South Sea waters of Australia tend to produce the larger pearls; probably because the water along the coastline is supplied with rich nutrients from the ocean floor. Also, the type of mussel being common to the area seems to possess a predilection for producing comparatively large pearls.

E In general, cultured pearls are less valuable than natural pearls, whereas imitation pearls have almost no value. One way that jewelers can determine whether a pearl is cultured or natural is to have a gem lab perform an X-ray of the pearl. If the X-ray reveals a nucleus, the pearl is likely a bead nucleated saltwater pearl. If no nucleus is present, but irregular and small dark inner spots indicating a cavity are visible, combined with concentric rings of organic substance, the pearl is likely a cultured freshwater pearl. Among cultured pearls, Akoya pearls from Japan are some of the most lustrous. Although imitation pearls look the part, they do not have the same weight or smoothness as real pearls, and their luster will also dim greatly.

F Historically, the world’s best pearls came from the Persian Gulf, especially around what is now Bahrain. The pearls of the Persian Gulf were naturally created and collected by breath-hold divers. Unfortunately, the natural pearl industry of the Persian Gulf ended abruptly in the early 1930s with the discovery of large deposits of oil. The water pollution resulting from spilled oil and indiscriminate overfishing of oysters essentially ruined the pristine waters of the Gulf that once produced pearls. Still, Bahrain remains one of the foremost trading centers for high quality pearls. In fact, cultured pearls are banned from the Bahrain pearl market, in an effort to preserve the location’s heritage. Nowadays, the largest stock of natural pearls probably resides in India. Ironically, much of India’s stock of natural pearls came originally from Bahrain. Unlike Bahrain, which has essentially lost its pearl resource, traditional pearl fishing is still practiced on a small scale in India.

G Pearls also come in many colours. The most popular colours are white, cream, and pink. Silver, black, and gold are also gaining interest. In fact, a deep lustrous black pearl is one of the rarest finds in the pearling industry, usually only being found in the South Sea near Australia. Thus, they can be one of the more costly items. Nowadays, pearls predominantly come from Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, China, India, the Philippines, and Tahiti. Japan, however, controls roughly 80% of the world pearl market, with Australia and China coming in second and third, respectively.

1
difficulties in the cultivation process
2
causes affecting the size of natural pearls
3
ancient customs around pearls
4
distinctions between cultured pearls and natural ones
5
Throughout history, people in _____ used pearls for medicine and philtres.
- A. America
- B. Philippines
- C. Australia
- D. Bahrain
- E. China
- F. Japan
- G. India
- H. Egypt
- I. Myanmar
- J. Persia
- K. Mallorca
6
There are essentially three types of pearls: natural, cultured and imitation. Natural and cultured pearls share a similar growing process, while imitation pearls are different. And _____ owns the reputation for its imitation pearl industry.
7
The country _____ usually produces the larger pearls due to the favourable environment along the coastline.
8
The nation of _____ manufactures some of the most glistening cultured pearls.
9
In the past, the country _____ in the Persian Gulf produced the world’s best pearls.
10
At present, the major remaining suppliers of natural pearls are in _____.
11
A cultured pearl’s centre is often significantly larger than that in a natural pearl.
- TRUE. TRUE
- FALSE. FALSE
- NOT GIVEN. NOT GIVEN
12
Imitation pearls are usually the same price as natural ones.
13
Akoya pearls from Japan glow more deeply than South Sea pearls from Australia.

Reading Passage 2: 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.

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.
20
Goya's Tapestry Cartoons: Before becoming a renowned portraitist, Goya created designs for tapestries after moving to Madrid. These cartoons did not feature true ________, but instead depicted various social ________. 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 ________ on his subjects.
21
23 Goya believed that his teaching role at the Royal Academy was more important than his work for the royal family.
- TRUE. TRUE
- FALSE. FALSE
- NOT GIVEN. NOT GIVEN
22
24 Robert Hughes believed that Goya balanced respect and truth in his portraits of authority figures.
23
25 Goya's illness directly caused him to change his subject matter from portraits to landscapes.
24
26 The 'Black Paintings' were originally intended for public display.

Reading Passage 3: New Zealand Home Textile Crafts of The 1930s to 1950s

Objects made by previous generations of women should be valued more highly. Domestic crafts do not build monuments to their makers, nor do they create wealth, and too often they have not survived. In consequence, the domestic crafts produced by mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers in New Zealand are often overlooked. But needlework should be preserved, for it helps to convey a sense of people’s identity and past beliefs in these remote islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Women of previous generations expected to sew; they had to dress their families in an era when few people could afford to buy what they were capable of making. For some women this work may have been unwelcome drudgery, but for others it was an opportunity to explore their identities, beliefs and dreams with the only means readily at hand—a needle, some thread, and a piece of fabric.

Textiles are frustrating to collect. They are fragile; they stain; they develop rust marks; they fray and rot. If they are used, they deteriorate; yet if they are merely stored, the owner does not fully enjoy the pleasure of possession. That is probably why they have not been a popular thing to collect compared, for example, to antique furniture or fine China, which are more durable investments. It is also true that domestic crafts are seldom signed. We like signatures because we can more readily assign value—and high prices—if we can identify the maker. But most women at this time would never have considered signing their work. They were not expecting it to be seen outside their homes, where the creator’s identity was never in doubt. And they probably did not even expect it to last very long.

It does not help that such work falls into the category of crafts either, rather than fine arts, because crafts are looked on too often as a poor cousin to true creativity. Worse, they are made in a domestic context, so do not belong in the consciously elevated tradition of craft objects which compete with the arts, such as furniture. If things are made to be useful, especially only within the home and by ordinary housewives, we seem to have agreed they cannot be art. Why not?

It might be argued that the collector of textiles is a little like an archaeologist. Archaeology is a combination of history and detective work, and it involves treasure that is often beautiful. Likewise, digging for the past is what textile collectors do in junk shops, and the objects they find are a way of understanding the past through physical evidence.

The domestic crafts of this period, the 1930-1950, cannot be separated from the women’s magazines that were so popular at the time. The primary purpose of these publications was to allow women to glimpse how more prosperous people lived, by showing them photographs of the interiors of their houses. In these days before television, magazines provided realistic and achievable inducements to social betterment. In parallel to this, women were provided with much more down-to-earth and useful means of improving their homes in the form of printed patterns, which were readily available from fabric shops at low cost from the 1920s and 1930s onwards. Mostly, such patterns were for everyday items that fulfilled some domestic purpose—aprons, tea cosies, curtains, bedspreads, chair covers and the like. With the benefit of hindsight, it is possible to distinguish this regulated tradition of needlework, governed by printed patterns, from the more individual work that women dreamed up themselves and whose form and execution were reflections of their own ideals and imagination. Although both schools have their merits, it is surely the latter tradition that will provide the collector with the greatest enjoyment. Most intriguing of all is work which suggests serendipity, even a certain element of chance, the piece having taken on a life of its own, determined perhaps by what resources were available at the time and the skill levels of the item’s maker. When it comes to needlework, flaws can be enjoyable, even failure may bring pleasure, and in this respect needlework can be contrasted with other art forms, where successful completion is paramount.

Some people collect out of a sense of nostalgia, a desire to evoke a comforting time that seems gentler than the present. But nostalgia should not always be trusted as it can be a sanitised form of history that blots out harsh reality. However, if a certain degree of nostalgia can be felt for the fabrics of the past, it is because they remind us of the care and attention with which women selected them. The texture of certain abstract patterned fabrics from the 1950s has the power to transport us all back to the dress and fabric shops of that time where women agonised over which choices to make, though they probably loved every minute of it. Old patchwork quilts in particular are evocative, because they represent an unknown family’s compressed history: pyjamas, ball gowns, smart summer frocks, school dresses, all thrown together, a jumble of decorative traditions, past ceremonies and dreams. Women of the past would often keep offcuts from their dressmaking and use them for patchwork, as a means of recording their family’s story for others to appreciate.

These may sound like nostalgic thoughts, but we should also remember how hard women’s lives were, that family life was not always idyllic, and that having no money was no fun. Such fabrics, then, should be seen as a wish for something better, a way of daydreaming about a life that would turn out well in the end.

25
What does the writer say about domestic crafts in the 1st paragraph?
- A. They can be sold for high prices today.
- B. They were used to tell stories in the past.
- C. They are sources of information about society.
- D. They have been well documented by historian.
26
What is the writer's main point in the second paragraph?
- A. Women sewed to make money.
- B. Women used to have larger families.
- C. Sewing was enjoyed as a social activity.
- D. Sewing could be a means of self-expression.
27
According to the writer, domestic crafts are not frequently collected because
- A. they are difficult to see.
- B. they are easily damaged.
- C. they provide little enjoyment.
- D. they have no practical use today.
28
What point does the writer make about signatures on textiles?
- A. Many women at that time could not sign their names.
- B. The signatures have faded over time and cannot be seen.
- C. The style of stitching served as an alternative to a signature.
- D. They were unnecessary since everyone would know the maker.
29
What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?
- A. suggesting that needlework is not a true art form
- B. challenging the usual distinction between ‘arts’ and crafts
- C. arguing that functional objects were seldom made in the home
- D. criticising the attitude of women today towards domestic crafts
30
Why does the writer compare textile collecting to archaeology?
- A. They both require hard work.
- B. They involve similar processes.
- C. They can both be done on a low budget.
- D. They are both undervalued in society today.
31
Women's magazines in this period mainly influenced the domestic crafts because of their aspirational character as they focused on the ______ element of society.
- A. skilful
- B. creative
- C. wealthy
- D. practical
- E. imperfect
- F. industrious
- G. detailed
32
At the same time, more ______ assistance came in the form of printed patterns.
33
The resulting aprons, and so on, can be contrasted with work that ______ side of the maker; of the two traditions, work that is less structured in nature is of greater interest to collectors.
34
Most interestingly, the writer points out that many appreciate work that is ______ and it is this characteristic that is believed to distinguish needlework from other arts.
35
Nostalgia can promote an unreliable image of the past.
36
In the 1950s, women chose fabric according to its durability.
37
Patchwork quilts are only of interest to the makers’ family.
38
Needlework was a way for women to escape the reality of their lives.

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1. C
C is correct because the passage discusses the challenges and problems faced when cultivating pearls, such as environmental factors and the delicate process.
2. D
D is correct because the passage explains that the size of natural pearls is affected by causes like the species of oyster and the conditions in which they grow.
3. A
A is correct because the passage describes ancient customs, such as how pearls were valued and used in rituals or as symbols.
4. B
B is correct because the passage points out the differences between cultured and natural pearls, for example, how they are formed and their internal structure.
5. J
J is correct because the passage says that people in Persia used pearls for medicine and philtres throughout history.
6. K
K is correct because the passage states that Mallorca is famous for its imitation pearl industry.
7. C
C is correct because the passage mentions that Australia usually produces larger pearls due to its good coastal environment.
8. F
F is correct because the passage says Japan is known for making some of the most glistening cultured pearls.
9. D
D is correct because the passage explains that Bahrain in the Persian Gulf used to produce the world’s best pearls.
10. G
G is correct because the passage says that India is now a major remaining supplier of natural pearls.
11. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage states that cultured pearls have a much larger centre than natural pearls.
12. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says imitation pearls are much cheaper than natural ones, not the same price.
13. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not compare the glow of Akoya pearls from Japan to South Sea pearls from Australia.
14. D
D is correct because this section describes a personal purchase that ended in an accident.
15. A
A is correct because this part explains why Goya’s work gives a complete picture of his country, mentioning his wide range of subjects and styles.
16. F
F is correct because this section contrasts Goya’s early, lighter works with his later, more mature and darker style.
17. E
E is correct because this part explains that Goya was successful as a portrait painter due to his skill in capturing both respect and truth in his subjects.
18. B
B is correct because this section refers to a specific artistic technique Goya developed early in his career, such as arranging figures and using light.
19. G
G is correct because this part claims that Goya’s final works stopped showing specific people and became more general.
20. portraits / roles / light
The correct words are 'portraits', 'roles', and 'light' because the passage says Goya’s tapestry cartoons did not feature true portraits but showed social roles, and he practised arranging figures and mastering the effect of light.
21. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says Goya did not think his teaching role was more important than his royal work.
22. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says Robert Hughes believed Goya balanced respect and truth in his portraits of powerful people.
23. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says Goya’s illness did not directly cause him to change from painting portraits to landscapes.
24. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says the 'Black Paintings' were not originally meant for public display.
25. C
C is correct because the passage says domestic crafts are sources of information about society, showing how people lived.
26. D
D is correct because the passage’s main point is that sewing was a way for women to express themselves.
27. B
B is correct because the passage says domestic crafts are not often collected because they are easily damaged.
28. D
D is correct because the passage says signatures were unnecessary since everyone knew who made the item.
29. B
B is correct because the writer is challenging the usual difference between 'arts' and crafts, suggesting needlework can be art.
30. B
B is correct because the writer says collecting textiles is like archaeology because both involve similar processes of discovery and study.
31. C
C is correct because the passage says women’s magazines influenced crafts by focusing on the wealthy part of society.
32. D
D is correct because the passage says practical help came from printed patterns.
33. B
B is correct because the passage contrasts structured work with work that shows the creative side of the maker.
34. E
E is correct because the passage says many people like work that is imperfect, and this makes needlework special.
35. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says nostalgia can give a false or unreliable picture of the past.
36. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say if women in the 1950s chose fabric for its durability.
37. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says patchwork quilts are interesting to more people than just the maker’s family.
38. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says needlework was a way for women to escape from their daily lives.

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Reading Passage 1: Pearls

Reading Passage 2: From Princes to Paupers: How Goya's Portraits Tell the Story of Spain

Reading Passage 3: New Zealand Home Textile Crafts of The 1930s to 1950s

Answer sheet

Answer key