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IELTS Practice Reading # New Nation

The article below has been taken from TIME. You can read the entire article by clicking on the link. Today, we are looking at a part of it and try to cover the vocabulary that we come across.

Movies, and sometimes the people who make them, work on us at strange, subterranean levels we can’t even begin to comprehend. That’s why, even though relatively few people have seen it, few know quite how to feel about Nate Parker’sBirth of a Nation, which premiered here at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday to a rousing response from the audience, some seven months after its sensational Sundance unveiling. Parker’s debut picture—about Nat Turner, the enslaved African American who led a violent revolt against slave owners in 1831—is distinctive for one notable reason: Movies about the history of blacks in this country are rarely made, and if you rule out the usual suspects like Spike Lee and Lee Daniels—and count back to the days before 12 Years a Slave and Selma—they have rarely been made by people of color. But months ahead of its release in the United States, in October, The Birth of a Nation has also become infamous for a thornier reason: In 1999, while they were students at Penn State University, Parker and his roommate and wrestling teammate Jean Celestin—cowriter of The Birth of a Nation—were accused of raping a fellow student. Parker was acquitted. Celestin was found guilty, though the verdict was overturned. Their accuser committed suicide in 2012. In the context of this terrible blot, should Parker be lauded as a filmmaker? Should people show tacit support of him and his actions by seeing the film? Is his work, or his view on anything, in any way trustworthy?

WORDMEANING
 strange unusual or surprising; difficult to understand or explain.
 subterranean existing, occurring, or done under the earth's surface.
 comprehend grasp mentally; understand.
 relatively in relation, comparison, or proportion to something else.
 premiered give the first performance of.;(of a musical or theatrical work or a film) have its first performance
 rousing exciting; stirring;(of a fire) blazing strongly.
 response a verbal or written answer.;a reaction to something.
 audience the assembled spectators or listeners at a public event such as a play, film, concert, or meeting.;a formal interview with a person in authority.
 sensational causing great public interest and excitement.;very good indeed; very impressive or attractive.
 unveiling remove a veil or covering from, in particular uncover (a new monument or work of art) as part of a public ceremony.;show or announce publicly for the first time.
 enslaved make (someone) a slave.;cause (someone) to lose their freedom of choice or action.
 violent using or involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something;(especially of an emotion or a destructive natural force) very strong or power
 revolt take violent action against an established government or ruler; rebel.;cause to feel disgust.
 slave a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.;work excessively hard.
 distinctive characteristic of one person or thing, and so serving to distinguish it from other
 notable worthy of attention or notice; remarkable.;a famous or important person
 thornier having many thorns or thorn bushes.;causing distress, difficulty, or trouble.
 accused a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.
 acquitted free (someone) from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty.
.
conduct oneself or perform in a specified way.
 verdict a decision on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case or an inquest.
 overturned tip (something) over so that it is on its side or upside down.;abolish, invalidate, or reverse (a previous system, decision, situation, etc.)
 blot a dark mark or stain made by ink, paint, dirt, etc.;a procedure in which proteins or nucleic acids separated on a gel are transferred directly to an immobilizing medium for identification.
 tacit understood or implied without being stated.

IELTS BAND7

Development And Security Of A Country # Practice Reading

Development (the act or process of developing; growth; progress) comes in many forms and serves multiple (consisting of, having, or involving several or many individuals, parts,elements, relations, etc) purposes (the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc). Over the last few months, the Central government has initiated (the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc) a series of steps to upgrade (an increase or improvement) communications (the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs)and transport (to carry, move, or convey from one place to another) infrastructure (the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization) in areas affected by naxalite (a member of an extreme Maoist group in India that originated in 1967in West Bengal and which employs tactics of agrarian terrorism and direct action)activity. The larger project is to not only usher in development in the tribal (of, relating to, or characteristic of a tribe )areas and improve the living conditions of populations (the total number of persons inhabiting a country, city, or any district or area)in hilly and forest terrains (a tract of land, especially as considered with reference to its natural features, military advantages, etc.), but also facilitate (to make easier or less difficult) security (freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence) operations (an act or instance, process, or manner of functioning or operating) against Maoists, who specialise (to pursue some special line of study, work, etc.; have a specialty )in ambushes (an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise)and hit-and-retreat (a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemy’s defense and/or retaliation)tactics (the art or science of disposing military or naval forces for battle and maneuvering them in battle.). Hundreds of mobile phone towers have been erected (upright in position or posture)along the Red Corridor, and roads and bridges are being built to connect naxalite-affected districts (a division of territory, as of a country, state, or county, marked off foradministrative, electoral, or other purposes). Ending the isolation (the complete separation from others of a person suffering from contagious or infectious disease)of some of the villages in remote areas of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand is, no doubt, part of a strategy (a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.) to win over local populations and wean (to withdraw (a person, the affections, one’s dependency, etc.) from some object, habit, form of enjoyment, or the like) them away from the influence (the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others)of armed groups of Maoists. But, coming as it does with heavy deployment (to arrange in a position of readiness, or to move strategically or appropriately)of Central police forces, such infrastructure (the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization) development (the act or process of developing; growth; progress)is suspect (to doubt or mistrust)in the eyes of many villagers in the tribal regions (an extensive, continuous part of a surface, space, or body). The ‘development’ is often seen more as an effort (an earnest or strenuous attempt)to allow access (the ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use;admittance)to tribal areas for security personnel (a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work)in pursuit (an effort to secure or attain; quest) of Maoists rather than as an attempt to open up the outside world to the villages. Invariably, the state is seen as an external agency waiting to wield (to exercise (power, authority, influence, etc.), as in ruling or dominating)its authority (a person or body of persons in whom authority is vested, as a governmental agency) and extend its reach without allowing substantial (of ample or considerable amount, quantity, size, etc) consequential (following as an effect, result, or outcome; resultant; consequent) benefits (something that is advantageous or good)to the villages.

SOURCE- The Hindu

IELTSBAND7

Multiple-Choice Task # Strategies

We have already talked about how to answer the completion tasks of IELTS reading section. This time let us talk about the strategies for solving multiple-choice tasks.
Multiple choice task are used to test a varied range of your reading skills. Some of them may require you to comprehend (understand) the main point or a specific point. You are given four options and you may be asked either to select only one or more than one options.
Note- The questions are given in the same order as the information in the passage.
How to answer such questions correctly and quickly?

Elimination is important
The first thing you need to do is, remove the options you think are logically incorrect. Next, remove the ones which although might be right grammatically but are not correct meaning wise. In the end, you will be left with the correct answer.
Find the reason
Once you have found the right answer, make sure it fits in well grammatically i.e. either completes the sentence perfectly or gives an appropriate reason or explanation. Once you have found the correct answer, make sure to check that other options are wrong.

If you are unable to find the answer, do not waste time. Remember you have got only 40 minutes to answer three passages (in case of academic and five or six in case of general) and each question is of only one mark. But make sure you mark an answer as there is no negative marking for wrong answers.
IELTSBAND7

Reading @IELTS Or TOEFL ?

Reading section is although common in both the exams, there is certain amount of difference on how both of them, test your skill.

TOEFL

There are three to five sections of twenty minutes each. The reading material is academic in nature. The questions asked are of multiple choices. The reading passage deals with topics you would study in your initial years in university. For example : natural sciences, social sciences, business or arts. You need not to know about these topics. What TOEFL checks is, whether you can understand a completely different topic or not. You are required to attempt all the sections of it. Although there might be a chance that you are not graded on one of them they could be used for experimental reasons.

IELTS

The reading sections consist of 40 questions. There will be variety of questions asked in order to check your various reading skills like skimming, reading for detail, recognizing writers’ opinions, attitude etc.

There are two versions to it :

IELTS Academic :  It includes three long texts. They could range from descriptive to factual to discursive or analytical. The texts are usually taken from books, magazines or journals. These are selected for non-specialist audience but are perfect for those trying to enter into a university.

IELTS General : The reading material in this module includes general materials available. For example, magazines, advertisements, newspapers, handbooks, guidelines etc. You would be usually reading extracts of these. They would be what you are likely to encounter in your daily life.

No matter what test you take, to get high marks in reading section, all you need to do is read, read a lot, enjoy it and read more.

IELTSBAND7

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