Sydney Opera House
Read Sydney Opera House and check the IELTS Reading answers. In 1956 the Premier of New South Wales, Australia, announced an international competition for the design of an opera house for Sydney. It attracted more than 200 entries from around the world and was won by Jørn Utzon, a relatively little…
Passage preview
In 1956 the Premier of New South Wales, Australia, announced an international competition for the design of an opera house for Sydney. It attracted more than 200 entries from around the world and was won by Jørn Utzon, a relatively little-known architect from Denmark. The story goes that during the judging of the competition, one judge, American architect Eero Saarinen, arrived in Sydney after the other three judges had started assessing the entries. He looked through their rejected entries and stopped at the Utzon design, declaring it to be outstanding.
Vocabulary from this passage
9 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- amend verb
To change something, especially a document or plan, in order to improve it.
In the passage:
Q5 says Utzon "changed his designs"; the passage says he "amended his original designs" (paragraph 3).
Synonyms: change, revise
- clad with adjective phrase
Covered on the outside with a layer of a particular material.
In the passage:
Q10 says "covering the outside walls"; the passage says the exterior "is mostly clad with granite" (paragraph 6).
Synonyms: covering, faced with
- contrary to adverb phrase
Opposite to what something suggests or what people expect.
In the passage:
"Contrary to its name, Sydney Opera House includes multiple performance venues": the writer corrects what the name suggests.
Synonyms: despite, in opposition to
Opposites: in line with
- cost overruns noun phrase
Spending on a project that goes beyond the amount planned.
In the passage:
"Cost overruns contributed to criticism of the project": the reason Utzon lost the government's support.
Synonyms: budget excess, overspending
Opposites: cost savings
- earn a reputation as verb phrase
To become known by other people for a particular quality or ability.
In the passage:
"Sydney Opera House has earned a reputation as a world-class performing-arts centre": a phrase for Writing about institutions.
Synonyms: gain a name as, become known as
- in accordance with adverb phrase
In a way that follows a rule, plan or wish.
In the passage:
The roof used techniques "in accordance with Utzon's vision": the roof was built to follow his plan.
Synonyms: according to, in line with
Opposites: in violation of
- integrity noun
Being complete and unchanged, with nothing damaged or taken away.
In the passage:
"Architectural integrity is maintained": here it means the design stays whole and unchanged, not honesty.
Synonyms: wholeness, soundness
Opposites: damage
- resident companies noun phrase
Performing groups that are permanently based at one theatre or venue.
In the passage:
Q11 says companies "have their home base" at the Opera House; the passage calls them "the four resident companies".
Synonyms: have their home base, permanent
Opposites: visiting
- sizeable adjective
Fairly large in size or amount.
In the passage:
"There is a sizeable outdoor forecourt": a precise word for describing size in Writing Task 1.
Synonyms: considerable, substantial
Opposites: tiny
Answers with explanations
- 1. FALSE
The statement says Utzon was **famous** before the Opera House. The passage says the opposite: he was **a relatively little-known architect**, so the statement is FALSE.
- 2. FALSE
The deciding phrase is **from the beginning**. Only the fourth judge, Saarinen, liked the design. He found it among **their rejected entries**, so the other three had already put it aside, and the statement is FALSE.
- 2-3: F
2: The deciding phrase is **from the beginning**. Only the fourth judge, Saarinen, liked the design. He found it among **their rejected entries**, so the other three had already put it aside, and the statement is FALSE.
3: Match **knowledge of boats** with **early exposure to shipbuilding** (and his maritime background), and **gave him the idea for parts** with **provided the inspiration for the design of the roof**. The two say the same, so TRUE.
- 3. TRUE
Match **knowledge of boats** with **early exposure to shipbuilding** (and his maritime background), and **gave him the idea for parts** with **provided the inspiration for the design of the roof**. The two say the same, so TRUE.
- 3-4: B
3: Match **knowledge of boats** with **early exposure to shipbuilding** (and his maritime background), and **gave him the idea for parts** with **provided the inspiration for the design of the roof**. The two say the same, so TRUE.
4: Mexico appears only as the place that gave him the **platform** idea. Nothing says he saw opera houses there or was **impressed** by them. For TRUE or FALSE the text would need to describe his reaction to buildings in Mexico, so NOT GIVEN.
- 4. NOT GIVEN
Mexico appears only as the place that gave him the **platform** idea. Nothing says he saw opera houses there or was **impressed** by them. For TRUE or FALSE the text would need to describe his reaction to buildings in Mexico, so NOT GIVEN.
- 5. TRUE
Match **changed his designs** with **amended his original designs**. The time words fit too: construction began in **1959** and he amended the designs **throughout the early 1960s**, which is after construction began. TRUE.
- 6. TRUE
**Defended Utzon's role** is a paraphrase of leading street protests **demanding that Utzon be reinstated as architect**. Seidler was the prominent figure who led them, so the statement is TRUE.
- 7. FALSE
**1973** is the year the building was completed, and it is in the same paragraph, which makes the statement tempting. But the passage says he left Australia in 1966 and **never returned**, even though others finished the building **in his absence**. FALSE.
- 8. 102 million
**Final cost** in the notes matches **having cost** in the last sentence of the paragraph about Utzon's resignation. The note already prints the dollar sign, so write **102 million**, not the original estimate of $7 million.
- 9. Sweden
**Over a million tiles** is **1,056,006** tiles, and **from** matches **manufactured in a factory in**. The country named there is **Sweden**.
- 10. granite
Look for **from Australia**. The note's **covering the outside walls** is **clad** and **exterior** in the passage. Tiles cover the roof 'shells', so the material on the walls is **granite**, the one quarried in Australia.
- 11. four
**Have their home base** is the paraphrase of **resident**. The sentence before it only says a large number of companies perform there, so the number you need is the one attached to resident companies: **four**.
- 12. forecourt
**At the foot of a wide staircase** points to the place people start climbing. The steps, **nearly 100 metres wide**, lead up from an outdoor space called the **forecourt**, so that is the gap word.
- 13. harbour
The note's **visible from foyers** matches **see ... from the theatre foyers**, and the openings in the wall made this possible for the first time. What patrons could now see is the **harbour**.