IELTS Reading: true, false, not given

Read the following passage and answer the questions below.

A Stradivarius is one of the violins, cellos, and other stringed instruments built by members of the Stradivari (Stradivarius) family, particularly Antonio Stradivari, during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed. The name "Stradivarius" has become a superlative often associated with excellence, and the fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction.

Depending on condition, instruments made during Stradivari's "golden period" from 1700 to about 1725 can be worth millions of dollars. In 2011, his "Lady Blunt" violin from 1721, which is in pristine condition, was sold at Tarisio auctions for £9.8 million.

These instruments are famous for the quality of sound they produce. However, the many blind tests from 1817 to the present have never found any difference in sound between Stradivari's violins and high-quality violins in comparable style of other makers and periods, nor has acoustic analysis. In a particularly famous test on a BBC Radio programme in 1977, the violinists Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman and the violin expert and dealer Charles Beare tried to distinguish between the "Chaconne" Stradivarius and three other violins, including one made in 1976, played behind a screen by a professional soloist. None of the listeners identified more than two of the four instruments. Two of the listeners identified the 20th-century violin as the Stradivarius.

Are the following statements true, false or not given?

1. The superior reputation of Stradivarius instruments has never been questioned.
2. The “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius is the most expensive violin every sold.
3. Tests have shown that experts are able to distinguish the famous Stradivarius sound.

PS. Thanks to those of you who wished me a nice holiday!

Comments

[Kha]

1. False
2. Not given
3. True

[Ahmed]

1-T
2-NG
3-F

[Tülin]

1-T
2-NG
3-F

[Mumtaz]

F
NG
F

[Hoang Yen]

1-T
2-NG
3-F

[Ferdi]

NG
NG
F

[hong nguyen]

T
NG
F

[van anh nguyen]

F
NG
F

[aaliyah]

1 false
2 not given
3 false

[marja23]

True
NG
False

[Jay]

FALSE
NOT GIVEN
FALSE

[Samah]

True
NG
False

[Trung Vu]

False - though this belief is disputed

Not Given

False - None of the listeners identified more than two of the four instruments. Two of the listeners identified the 20th-century violin as the Stradivarius.

[Mr Tool]

1. F
2. Not Given
3. F

[diemthanhvu]

TRUE
NOT GIVEN
FALSE

[Elnaz]

1.F
2.NG
3.F

[Melody Jiang]

1.F
2.NG
3.F

[crystal]

1. False
2.Not Given
3.Yes

[jasem]

1-False(According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed.

2-Not Given-Nothing mentioned about which one is the most expensive that sold.

3- False (the many blind tests from 1817 to the present have never found any difference in sound between Stradivari's violins and high-quality violins in comparable style of other makers and periods, nor has acoustic analysis).

[Ranbir]

Hello simon ....
Hope You Enjoyed Your holidays .
My Answers are
1.False
2.Notgiven
3.True .

[Lucy]

F
NG
F

[ZIAUL HUDA]

1-True- and the fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction.

2-Not Given-was sold at Tarisio auctions for £9.8 millionwas.
3-False--However, the many blind tests from 1817 to the present have never found any difference in sound

[vinod singh rathore]

false
not given
true

[Nuwan]

T
NG
F

[Mon Myat Thu]

False
NG
False

[Sana]

NG
T
N

[amtylmz]

T
NG
F

[Pearlyn]

1. F
2. NG
3. T

[Ko Sa Ri]

F
NG
F

[Nelly]

1. F
2. NG
3. T

[Mirinda]

F
NG
F

[jone]

hi every one! my answer is:
1/not given

2/true

3/false

thanks Simon :)

[Saeed]

False (... this belief is disputed. )
NG (A high price does not mean it is the highest.)
False (None of the listeners identified...)

[akhau]

1.F
2.NG
3.F

[entisar]

hi everyone,
I took IELTS exam on 03/08/2013
speaking test: part 1
about you, sleeping habits, my home.
Part 2:
situation when I was late, what is it, why you late, how you felt and what happened after that.
part 3: about time management, technology and time.
writing task 1:
bar charts compare air and water temperatures in three lakes in an European country in 2010, the charts for three seasons, summer, winter and autumn.
writing task 2: the typical situation between the teacher and students will no longer exist by the year 2050. to what extent do you agree or disagree?
wish me luck, and hopefully this will help you.

[HH]

True
Not Given
False

[Phuc Le]

my anwer is:
True
Not Given
True

[Baddy]

Hello,

My answer is

1.True
2.Not Given
3.False

[Yan SU]

1. false
2. not given (By the way, is there a typo in "every sold"? Perhaps "ever sold"? )
3. false

[Zehra]

T
NG
F

[raja]

F
Ng
F

[Jeiru]

1.False
2.Not Given
3.True

[Shinichi]

T
NG
F

[Susie Q]

F
NG
F

[Sertac]

F
NG
F

[Felix]

F
NG
F

[Ko Sa Ri]

F
NG
NG

[Nguyen Thi Nhung]

Hi Simon,
My answer is:
1. True
2. Not Given
3. False

[Enes]

1–F
2–NG
3–F

[yoyo]

False
Not Given
True

[Enes]

I believe 1st question`s answer is placed in second sentence and the keywords are "defied" and "disputed".

[Phuong]

My answer is:
1.True
2.Not Given
3.False

[Chung]

My answer is
1. True
2. Not Given
3. False

[phuongbee]

1.F
2.NG
3.F

[Satish]

1.F
2.NG
3.T

[Eli]

Hi everyone!
1. T
2. NG
3. False

[Parisa]

1. false
2. not given
3. false

[MOSHE]

1F
2NG
3F

[kiran]

hi my answer is

F
NG
NG

[QIONG]

F
NG
F

[aaron]

F
NG
F

[Sana]

F
NG
T

[Hoa VN]

My answer is:
1. F
2. NG
3. F

[Khurram]

1. T
2. NG
3. F

[Neha]

1) False .( i found a bit tricky )
2) Not given
3)False

[Simon]

CORRECT ANSWERS FROM SIMON:

1. False (this belief is disputed = some people question it)

2. Not given

3. False

[KK]

False - though this belief is disputed

Not Given

False - None of the listeners identified more than two of the four instruments. Two of the listeners identified the 20th-century violin as the Stradivarius.

[Ko Sa Ri]

Hello,

I thought the answer of no. 3's 'False' at first. However, I wonder if the listeners were experts or not. They are indicated as 'listeners' not 'experts' in the passage. (It didn't indicate the only expert Charles Beare anywhere. Therefore, I think 'Not given' is another answer too.

Do I think too much (in detail)?

[Ko Sa Ri]

Awwww... Yeah.. The answer of no.3 is definately "False" for sure. Was confused. :):)

[Gina]

F
NG
F

[zyl]

False
Not given
False

[tranganh]

F
NG
F

[Jimmy]

True
Not Given
False

[Maryna]

1. False
2. Not Given
3. True

[PM]

1.False
2.NG
3.True

[asitrony]

As I am late to response, still can't ignore answering the questions:
1. False
2. Not given
3. FAlse

[Maryam]

False
Not given
False

[linhphan]

False
NG
NG

[shashwat]

false
NG
false

[Betül Özden]

false :)
not given :)
not given :(

[Ajay]

1 Not Given
2 True
3 False

[Jasur]

Hello SIMON!
My answer is:
1)not given;
2)true;
3)false;
I'll wait your answer!

[Common]

the mini tests like this are useful really. huge thanks for Mr Simon.
my answer is:
1. F
2.NG
3.F

[cherry]

1.T
2.NG
3.F

[YU]

1.T-based on those "strong words":superlative,excellence,widepread fame
2.NG
3.F-they tried

[aravi]

Dear Sir,
I am facing the exam on 29th Aug.
Pls. let me know that writing the letters "T", "F" or "NG" in answer script, instead of TRUE, FALSE and NOT GIVEN is accepted in the reading module.

[Usha]

Sir,

I have already appeated for the test and need to know if marking "T" , "F" and "NG" are valid? I did check with the invigilator and the examiner they said it was fine but am still worried

[shiling]

true
NG
false

[fajar felix]

possible to answer true "T" IN the real answer ?or false "F"?

[RAVIKANTH]

F
NG
F

[fikri]

1.TRUE
2.NOT GIVEN
3.FALSE

[sacredboy]

1. F
2. NG
3. F

[sarabjeet]

1 false
2 NG
3 false

[mostafa]

NG
T
T

[Jin Hee]

1. false
2. not given
3. false

[ali]

NG
NG
F

[Sam]

F
NG
F

[farhana]

f
ng
f