The origins of tennis
Read The origins of tennis and check the IELTS Reading answers. The game of tennis has a very long history. It is officially still known as 'lawn tennis', partly because it was originally only played on grass, and also to distinguish it from the older game known as 'real tennis', from which the mod…
Passage preview
The game of tennis has a very long history. It is officially still known as 'lawn tennis', partly because it was originally only played on grass, and also to distinguish it from the older game known as 'real tennis', from which the modern game developed. Some people believe that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans played various versions of tennis. No drawings or descriptions of any tennis-like games have been discovered, but a couple of Arabic words dating from ancient Egyptian times are cited as evidence. The theory goes that the name 'tennis' is derived from the Egyptian town of Tinnis alongside the Nile, and the word 'racquet' evolved from the Arabic word for the palm of the hand, 'rahat'.
Vocabulary from this passage
11 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- aristocracy noun
A class of people holding high social rank or privileges, typically through birth or inherited titles
In medieval Europe, certain leisure pursuits were reserved for the wealthy aristocracy and denied to ordinary workers.
- avid adjective
Having a keen, enthusiastic interest in or devotion to an activity; eager and committed to it
She was an avid reader who devoured academic journals in her spare time.
- devise verb
To plan or invent a complex system, set of rules or piece of equipment through careful thought
Engineers are devising more efficient methods of storing solar energy for domestic use.
- dispute verb
To argue that a statement, claim or theory is incorrect or questionable, often on the basis of evidence
Many historians dispute the claim that the game originated in ancient Egypt rather than medieval France.
- diversion noun
An activity that takes the mind off serious or tedious concerns; a form of recreation or pastime
Indoor games provided a welcome diversion for the nobility during the harsh winter months.
- open-air pursuit noun
A leisure activity or sport carried out outdoors rather than indoors, often regarded as healthy and sociable
Hiking became a popular open-air pursuit among city workers seeking a break from their offices.
- patent verb
To obtain official legal protection giving an inventor the sole right to make, use or sell an invention
The engineers patented their new filtration design before presenting it to potential investors.
- resemblance noun
A way in which two things are similar in appearance or character; a shared likeness between objects
The early racquet bore a striking resemblance to the paddles now used in table tennis.
- standardise verb
To make something conform to a fixed level of quality, size or shape so that it is consistent everywhere
The governing body decided to standardise the rules so that tournaments in different countries were comparable.
- vulcanisation noun
A chemical process for hardening rubber by treating it with sulphur at high temperatures to increase its durability
Goodyear's invention of vulcanisation transformed the manufacture of waterproof footwear, tyres and sporting equipment.
- withstand verb
To remain undamaged or unaffected by physical force, extreme temperatures or difficult conditions over time
The new alloy was designed to withstand the immense pressure found in deep-sea exploration.
Answers with explanations
- 1. FALSE
The statement claims that a **few surviving documents** show a tennis-like game in the **ancient world**. The opening paragraph reports a belief in Egyptian, Greek and Roman tennis, but then says that **no drawings or descriptions** of any such game have been discovered; only two Arabic words are cited as evidence. Because the text directly denies that any records exist, the claim is contradicted rather than merely unsupported, so FALSE is correct and NOT GIVEN would be wrong. Answer: FALSE.
- 2. TRUE
The statement says an **early form** of tennis was played by hitting the ball with just the **hand**. The passage links the game to French monks playing **handball**, then says it took the name **jeu de paume**, meaning game of the hand or palm. Players only turned to gloves and paddles because playing with **bare hands** was uncomfortable, which confirms that they first struck the ball with the hand alone. The claim is fully supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 2-3: A
2: The statement says an **early form** of tennis was played by hitting the ball with just the **hand**. The passage links the game to French monks playing **handball**, then says it took the name **jeu de paume**, meaning game of the hand or palm. Players only turned to gloves and paddles because playing with **bare hands** was uncomfortable, which confirms that they first struck the ball with the hand alone. The claim is fully supported. Answer: TRUE.
3: Table tennis appears only once, in a comparison: early players used a paddle **similar to the ones used in table tennis today**. That describes the shape of the equipment, not the history of the sport. The passage never says when **table tennis developed**, nor whether it arose at the same time as tennis, so the claim can be neither confirmed nor contradicted. Merely mentioning the topic is not enough for TRUE or FALSE. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 3. NOT GIVEN
Table tennis appears only once, in a comparison: early players used a paddle **similar to the ones used in table tennis today**. That describes the shape of the equipment, not the history of the sport. The passage never says when **table tennis developed**, nor whether it arose at the same time as tennis, so the claim can be neither confirmed nor contradicted. Merely mentioning the topic is not enough for TRUE or FALSE. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 3-4: F
3: Table tennis appears only once, in a comparison: early players used a paddle **similar to the ones used in table tennis today**. That describes the shape of the equipment, not the history of the sport. The passage never says when **table tennis developed**, nor whether it arose at the same time as tennis, so the claim can be neither confirmed nor contradicted. Merely mentioning the topic is not enough for TRUE or FALSE. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
4: The statement says tennis became popular with **all sections** of French society in the **14th and 15th centuries**. The passage gives the same period but adds that the game **remained exclusive to the upper classes** while it gained popularity. Being restricted to one social class directly contradicts being popular with every section of society, so this is a clear contradiction and not NOT GIVEN. Answer: FALSE.
- 4. FALSE
The statement says tennis became popular with **all sections** of French society in the **14th and 15th centuries**. The passage gives the same period but adds that the game **remained exclusive to the upper classes** while it gained popularity. Being restricted to one social class directly contradicts being popular with every section of society, so this is a clear contradiction and not NOT GIVEN. Answer: FALSE.
- 5. NOT GIVEN
The passage says that, as tennis became fashionable, **outdoor courtyards were modified into indoor courts**, which matches the period in the statement. However, it never compares the **size** of the two kinds of court, so the claim that the indoor courts were **larger** has neither support nor contradiction. The change is reported, but the comparison is added by the statement alone, which makes it NOT GIVEN. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 6. TRUE
The statement says attempts were made to **prevent French aristocrats** from playing. The passage describes the game as a **widespread diversion among the aristocracy** that both the pope and the French king **tried to ban**. A ban is an attempt to stop people playing, and the aristocracy is the group concerned, so the statement is an accurate paraphrase of the text. Answer: TRUE.
- 7. surfaces
The note sits under the Hampton Court court and says the ball may be **hit against** the ____ around the court. The paragraph on real tennis explains that the ball **can be bounced off any of the surfaces**, some of them slanted at odd angles, so a plural noun is needed. The word is copied directly from the passage and meets the one-word limit. Answer: surfaces.
- 8. net
The note says the ____ **is lower in the centre**. In the description of the real tennis court, the passage states that the **net** is just over 1.5 metres high at each end but **drops to just under a metre in the middle**. The gap needs a singular noun as the subject, and net is copied from the passage and fits the one-word limit. Answer: net.
- 9. rubber
Under **1850s**, the note says balls made out of ____ started to be used. The passage first says older balls were made of hair, wool or cork, then that **Goodyear's vulcanisation** allowed **rubber** to withstand heat and cold, **leading to rubber tennis balls** that players began to try in the 1850s. Rubber is the material, a noun that fits the gap and the one-word limit. Wool and cork describe the earlier balls. Answer: rubber.
- 10. rules
The note says Wingfield **published written** ____ for the game in **1874**. The passage states that he had the idea of **devising rules, which he published**, so the missing word is the noun rules. It is copied from the text and fits the one-word limit. The equipment he sold in sets comes in the following sentence and belongs to the next gap, so it is not the answer here. Answer: rules.
- 11. equipment
The note says he produced complete sets of tennis ____ **for sale**. The passage says he introduced **standardised equipment**, including racquets, balls, posts and a net, which he **patented and sold in sets**. The single noun covering all these items is equipment; racquets or balls name only parts of a set, so they do not fit the idea of complete sets. Answer: equipment.
- 12. shape
The note says he designed an **unusual** ____ for the court. The passage introduces the point with **Interestingly**, then says his original court **had the shape of an hourglass**, with the net across its narrowest section. A court that is narrow in the middle and wide at the ends is an unexpected design, and the noun that completes the gap is shape, copied from the text and within the one-word limit. Answer: shape.
- 13. tournament
The note asks for the first large ____ that was held in **1877**. The passage says a **major tennis tournament took place for the first time** in Wimbledon, London in 1877. Major paraphrases large and took place paraphrases was held, so the answer is the noun **tournament**, copied from the text and meeting the one-word limit. Answer: tournament.