The Maplehampton Scarecrow Competition: Reading Answers

IELTS General Test – Passage 12: The Maplehampton scarecrow competition – a great success! reading with answers explanation, location and pdf. This reading paragraph has been taken from our huge collection of Academic & General Training (GT) Reading practice test PDF’s.

The Maplehampton scarecrow competition – a great success!

There was once a time when farmers all over the country put scarecrows in fields of growing crops. A traditional scarecrow was a model – usually life-size – of a man or woman dressed in old clothes, and their purpose was to frighten the birds away; though how successful they were is a matter of opinion!

Maplehampton’s scarecrow competition took place on September 12th. Local farmers supplied everything needed to make a scarecrow – like pieces of wood to form a frame, and straw to stuff the scarecrow. The scarecrows were dressed in old clothes which the competitors brought with them.

The festival was held in the village hall, instead of outdoors as planned, due to the unusually high temperature. There were two classes, one for adults and one for children, all of them working in small teams. Over 20 teams took part, each creating one scarecrow. They were encouraged by an audience of around 50, and had ideas and guidance from local artist Tracey Sanzo.

The scarecrows were judged by a team of people from the village. The winning children’s team made a scarecrow that looked like a giant bird – which would surely keep every real bird away! The winning adult team’s scarecrow was dressed as an alien from another planet, and its face was painted to make it look very frightening – at least to human beings!

After the judging, many of the participants and the spectators had a picnic which they had brought. Some of the scarecrows then went home to their creators’ gardens. Alice Cameron, a local farmer, liked one of the scarecrows so much, she bought it to stand on her balcony: she said she didn’t need it to scare birds away from her crops, as only bird-scarers that made a noise were effective. She just wanted to be able to see it! The event raised over £300 for village funds.

Questions 6-14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? In boxes 6-14 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

6. Traditionally, most scarecrows were the same size as a human being.
7. The competition in September was the first one in Maplehampton.
8. The farmers who provided materials could take part in the competition.
9. Old clothes were supplied to the people who made the scarecrows.
10. The venue for the competition was changed because of the weather.
11. Competitors could get advice on making their scarecrows.
12. In the judges’ opinion, the scarecrow dressed as an alien was better than the giant bird.
13. The competition organisers supplied a picnic for the competitors and spectators.
14. Alice Cameron bought a scarecrow to frighten birds away from her crops.

________________

ALSO TRY:

1) IELTS 16 READING PASSAGE – JOBS IN ANCIENT EGYPT ↗

2) IELTS 16 READING PASSAGE – BINGHAM TOWN HALL MAPS ↗

3) IELTS 16 READING PASSAGE – HEALTH & SAFETY IN SMALL BUSINESSES ↗

4) IELTS 16 READING PASSAGE – QUALITIES THAT MAKE A GREAT BARISTA ↗

5) IELTS 16 READING PASSAGE – RUNNING A MEETING ↗

________________

Answers with Explanation

Check out The Maplehampton scarecrow competition – a great success! reading answers below with explanations and locations given in the text.

6. TRUE
7. NOT GIVEN
8. NOT GIVEN
9. FALSE
10. TRUE
11. TRUE
12. NOT GIVEN
13. FALSE
14. FALSE

Have any doubts??? Discuss in the comments ...