Lawrence Johnston and Hidcote Garden
Read Lawrence Johnston and Hidcote Garden and check the IELTS Reading answers. Today, the National Trust in the UK administers hundreds of public gardens, while sixty-odd years ago there was only one, Hidcote Manor near the English village of Chipping Campden. In 1949 Hidcote attracted a mere 600 v…
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Today, the National Trust in the UK administers hundreds of public gardens, while sixty-odd years ago there was only one, Hidcote Manor near the English village of Chipping Campden. In 1949 Hidcote attracted a mere 600 visitors and took all of £30 during its first public season. Nowadays, Hidcote is famous worldwide as a masterpiece of design and planting, attracting 150,000 visitors and raising nearly £1 million from entrance tickets annually.
Vocabulary from this passage
8 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- capture the imagination verb
To arouse intense interest, wonder, or creative curiosity among people or the wider community
The prospect of manned interplanetary space exploration continues to capture the imagination of young engineering students.
- contemporary tastes noun
The current preferences, stylistic standards, or artistic inclinations prevalent in modern society
Architects must reconcile historic heritage preservation requirements with contemporary tastes for energy-efficient, open living spaces.
- hail verb
To praise, acclaim, or describe someone or something enthusiastically as being extraordinary
Medical researchers hailed the clinical trial results as a monumental breakthrough in modern oncology treatment.
- ill-suited adjective
Inappropriate or lacking the necessary attributes and temperament for a designated role or circumstance
Traditional centralized supply chains are ill-suited to coping with sudden fluctuations in global commodity prices.
- impassioned adjective
Filled with or expressing intense emotion, deep conviction, and compelling personal warmth
The defense attorney presented an impassioned closing argument that profoundly swayed the jury's final verdict.
- intersperse verb
To scatter, insert, or distribute things at intervals among other items or occurrences
The economics professor interspersed dense statistical proofs with engaging case studies from the corporate sector.
- peculiar fascination noun
An unusual, distinct, or curious attraction that strongly captures someone's sustained attention
Deep-sea abyssal ecosystems hold a peculiar fascination for biologists studying organisms adapted to complete darkness.
- place faith in verb
To trust or rely upon an individual or organisation with complete belief in their competence
Voters place faith in independent judicial bodies to uphold democratic principles during political transitions.
Answers with explanations
- 27. B
The opening paragraph contrasts Hidcote's modest beginnings with its current status. In 1949, the garden attracted **a mere 600 visitors**, whereas today it is visited by **150,000 visitors** annually and generates substantial revenue. This dramatic growth in attendance demonstrates that its popularity has expanded substantially over time, supporting the option about increased popularity. The option claiming it is most popular with overseas visitors overstates the phrase "famous worldwide", the option regarding increased physical size is never mentioned, and the option claiming it is the largest garden misinterprets its historical status as the Trust's first garden.
- 28. A
In the second paragraph, the author contextualizes Johnston's achievement at the peak of his career. The text notes that Johnston could be ranked alongside Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West, creators of Sissinghurst, which is described as **his garden's only surviving equal**. Citing Sissinghurst as the sole comparable peer emphasizes Hidcote's outstanding stature, supporting the option about illustrating Hidcote's importance. The creators were peers rather than critics, ruling out the option about critics. They are not framed as Johnston's models, ruling out the inspiration option, and describing Sissinghurst as surviving directly contradicts the option claiming it no longer exists.
- 29. D
In the third paragraph, the author describes Johnston's relationship with his head gardener Nancy Lindsay. Although skilled, she had a knack for **taking offence** and held **impassioned views** that Johnston was ill-equipped to manage, prompting rumors that she **burned them to hurt her employer**. These frictions suggest personal conflict, supporting the option about having a disagreement. The option alleging an accident is entirely absent from the text, the option claiming she managed the property after his death misidentifies Graham Thomas's later tenure, and calling her a "skilled plantswoman" directly refutes the option claiming she lacked horticultural talent.
- 30. A
The third paragraph explains the modifications Graham Thomas introduced to make the estate commercially viable. Because Johnston's diaries were missing, Thomas planted new beds, with the result that visitors have **innocently been admiring Thomas's flower plantings, not Johnston's own**. The word **innocently** reveals that visitors are unaware that the floral displays are Thomas's creations, confirming the option stating the public does not realize his contribution. The option regarding a lack of commercial sense is contradicted by his deliberate business strategy, the diaries were unavailable to him, and visitors admired rather than disliked his additions.
- 31. C
At the end of the third paragraph, the author cites Russell Page's praise of the summer house's half-hardy plants to contrast Johnston's delicate styling with Graham Thomas's bold commercial management. Thomas demolished the structure because he feared its subtle displays **would not capture the public's imagination**. Page's endorsement highlights what was discarded, serving as an illustration of Thomas's populist management, which supports the option about exemplifying Thomas's approach. Page visited decades before Thomas and did not evaluate him, ruling out the evaluation option; Page was not a rival, ruling out criticism; and no common misconception is addressed.
- 32. D
The summary sentence discusses the lecture series that triggered the return of the journals. Scanning the fourth paragraph reveals that the current head gardener gave public lectures focusing on **Hidcote's lost early designs**, appealing to the audience for information. The phrase **lost early designs** matches the option denoting original plans far better than options relating to future developments or opportunities. These lectures directly prompted an anonymous recipient to mail the notebooks. Therefore, the option representing original plans correctly fills the gap in terms of both meaning and context.
- 33. A
The sentence identifies the most beneficial records inside the recovered notebooks. In the fourth paragraph, the author singles out Johnston's personal illustrations as the greatest treasure, citing **detailed sketches by Johnston himself** that show how sections related and evolved across seasons. The noun **sketches** directly corresponds to the option representing drawings. This option is superior to options like plantings or poems because the text specifically emphasizes his visual, structural illustrations as the most helpful element for understanding seasonal changes. Thus, the option representing drawings is correct.
- 34. C
The gap requires a noun phrase identifying what Johnston's notebooks omitted. Continuing in the fourth paragraph, the writer explains that the journals are unusual because they never mention interpersonal topics like **relationships, loves and longings**. This catalogue of personal emotions and domestic attachments directly defines an individual's private existence, matching the option representing private life. The passage contrasts this omission with practical estate records. Because the text explicitly notes the absence of romantic and personal disclosures, the option denoting private life is the only logically sound choice.
- 35. G
The gap requires a plural noun describing glamorous individuals who stayed at Hidcote. Scanning the fifth paragraph, the author highlights entries describing daily estate life alongside notable figures, recording that **that day's guests** included **the famous novelist Edith Wharton** visiting for lunch. Prominent figures arriving for social calls are accurately described as well-known callers or guests, which corresponds to the option representing visitors. This option captures the social glamour of Johnston's circle far better than options relating to craftsmen or future plans.
- 36. F
The gap requires a category of skilled tradespeople listed in the estate notes. In the fifth paragraph, the text describes practical directories recorded by Johnston, mentioning **local stone masons and glaziers, or repairers of broken china** located as far away as France. Stonemasons, glaziers, and porcelain restorers represent specialized manual trades, corresponding precisely to the option denoting craftsmen. France provides the international context described as a foreign country. Thus, the option representing craftsmen is the only appropriate match for these professional artisans.
- 37. YES
The statement reflects the writer's opinion regarding whether horticulture qualifies as an artistic medium. In the final paragraph, the author describes Hidcote's central vista as a masterpiece, declaring it **the design I regard as the greatest in British art in the past century**. By defining a landscape design as a preeminent work of British art, the writer explicitly endorses the view that garden design constitutes a legitimate artistic discipline. Because the author's stated viewpoint directly supports the proposition, the answer is YES rather than NO or NOT GIVEN.
- 38. NOT GIVEN
The statement claims that Johnston's authentic layout ought to be preserved without alteration. In the sixth paragraph, the writer discusses the Trust's dilemmas following the rediscovery of the diaries, noting that Johnston's preferred plants are difficult to source and may conflict with modern tastes. However, while the author outlines the practical challenges of historical accuracy, they never assert that Hidcote **should be retained** in its original form, nor do they argue against adaptation. Because the writer takes no definitive normative stance on whether strict preservation is necessary, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 39. NO
The statement asserts that Thomas Mawson exerted the primary creative influence on Johnston. In the final paragraph, the writer firmly addresses this attribution, stating: **I do not believe the fashionable guess nowadays that Johnston was informed by books on contemporary, design by Britain's Thomas Mawson**. The author dismisses Mawson as **an altogether less innovative mind** and attributes Johnston's aesthetic to continental travels and personal flair instead. Because the writer explicitly rejects the idea that Mawson influenced Johnston, the claim directly contradicts the author's opinion, making the answer NO rather than NOT GIVEN.
- 40. YES
The statement tests the writer's view on whether the garden mirrors Johnston's personal background. In the concluding sentence, the author highlights the factors that shaped Hidcote, concluding: **It is Johnston's own origins, the events of his life, and his individual design flair that contribute to making Hidcote so unique**. Here, the phrase **the events of his life** directly corresponds to **life experience**, while shaping its unique character confirms that the garden reflects them. Because the author explicitly affirms this connection between biography and landscape, the statement matches the writer's perspective, making the answer YES.