The Rise and Fall of Detective Stories
Read The Rise and Fall of Detective Stories and check the IELTS Reading answers. The detective story is normally said to have begun in the fertile brain of the great American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49), especially in his stories featuring the detective C. Auguste Dupin. From 1859, Dupin had a…
Passage preview
The detective story is normally said to have begun in the fertile brain of the great American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49), especially in his stories featuring the detective C. Auguste Dupin. From 1859, Dupin had a counterpart in Monsieur Lecoq, created by the French author Emile Gaboriau. Despite these American and French origins, it was to Britain that detective fiction migrated, where it took root and flourished, becoming a characteristically British genre.
Vocabulary from this passage
7 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- eschew verb
To deliberately avoid, abstain from, or choose not to use something
Modern architects increasingly eschew decorative facades in favor of sustainable, energy-saving designs.
- incorruptibility noun
The quality of total moral honesty and complete refusal to accept bribes or act dishonestly
Public confidence in law enforcement depends heavily on the strict incorruptibility of senior officers.
- inevitable triumph noun
A victory or successful outcome that is completely certain and impossible to avoid
Many historians questioned whether the inevitable triumph of democratic governance was truly guaranteed.
- invariably beneficial adjective
Always producing helpful, advantageous, or favorable results without any exception
Economists debate whether international free trade agreements are invariably beneficial to developing nations.
- meagre adjective
Very small in quantity, quality, or financial amount and barely sufficient for basic needs
Rural clinics struggle to provide basic healthcare on meagre municipal budgets.
- plodding adjective
Slow, unimaginative, and laboriously thorough in a way that lacks inspiration or speed
Bureaucratic institutions often suffer from plodding decision-making procedures that delay urgent humanitarian relief.
- take root verb
To become established, accepted, or firmly settled within a particular society or setting
Renewable energy initiatives took root rapidly after municipal councils introduced local tax incentives.
Answers with explanations
- 1. FALSE
The statement claims that both named figures were **writers of detective stories**. Scanning the opening paragraph for the capitalized names reveals that Edgar Allan Poe created the **detective C. Auguste Dupin**, whereas Emile Gaboriau is identified as a **French author**. Because Dupin is a fictional character rather than an author, the claim that both men were writers directly contradicts the text. A direct **contradiction** confirms the statement is FALSE rather than NOT GIVEN.
- 2. TRUE
The candidate can scan the start of the second paragraph using the proper nouns **Sir Arthur Conan Doyle** and **Sherlock Holmes**. The passage explains that the genre's migration to Britain occurred specifically because of **one author and his great detective**. This backward reference directly links Conan Doyle's creation to the preceding sentence about detective fiction becoming a **characteristically British genre**. Because the text fully supports the causal link in the prompt, the correct answer is TRUE.
- 2-3: C
2: The candidate can scan the start of the second paragraph using the proper nouns **Sir Arthur Conan Doyle** and **Sherlock Holmes**. The passage explains that the genre's migration to Britain occurred specifically because of **one author and his great detective**. This backward reference directly links Conan Doyle's creation to the preceding sentence about detective fiction becoming a **characteristically British genre**. Because the text fully supports the causal link in the prompt, the correct answer is TRUE.
3: Scanning for character traits of Holmes leads to the description of his **eccentric** nature and his mixture of **endearing and less endearing habits**. While the author confirms the coexistence of both favorable and unfavorable traits, the text never evaluates whether the good qualities **outweigh** the bad ones. There is no comparative judgment offered anywhere in the passage. Because the text provides insufficient information to either confirm or contradict the claim, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 3. NOT GIVEN
Scanning for character traits of Holmes leads to the description of his **eccentric** nature and his mixture of **endearing and less endearing habits**. While the author confirms the coexistence of both favorable and unfavorable traits, the text never evaluates whether the good qualities **outweigh** the bad ones. There is no comparative judgment offered anywhere in the passage. Because the text provides insufficient information to either confirm or contradict the claim, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 3-4: NOT GIVEN
3: Scanning for character traits of Holmes leads to the description of his **eccentric** nature and his mixture of **endearing and less endearing habits**. While the author confirms the coexistence of both favorable and unfavorable traits, the text never evaluates whether the good qualities **outweigh** the bad ones. There is no comparative judgment offered anywhere in the passage. Because the text provides insufficient information to either confirm or contradict the claim, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
4: The prompt focuses on the reaction of police officials. Scanning for **Scotland Yard** leads to the discussion comparing Holmes to the **plodding and mediocre officials**. Although the author notes that real-life detectives were actually competent, the passage contains no information regarding whether historical police officers were **unhappy** or offended by their fictional depiction. Because the text is completely silent about the emotional reaction or stance of Scotland Yard personnel, the statement is NOT GIVEN.
- 4. NOT GIVEN
The prompt focuses on the reaction of police officials. Scanning for **Scotland Yard** leads to the discussion comparing Holmes to the **plodding and mediocre officials**. Although the author notes that real-life detectives were actually competent, the passage contains no information regarding whether historical police officers were **unhappy** or offended by their fictional depiction. Because the text is completely silent about the emotional reaction or stance of Scotland Yard personnel, the statement is NOT GIVEN.
- 5. FALSE
The statement asserts that Holmes was modelled on a real investigator hired by the police. Scanning for **Scotland Yard** and **real life** reveals the author's statement that such consultants were **pure fiction**. The text explicitly states that there were **never any brilliant private detectives** consulted when official investigations failed. This outright denial directly contradicts the premise that Holmes was based on an actual consulting detective. Because the claim is contradicted, the answer is FALSE.
- 6. TRUE
The question asks whether Conan Doyle's stories misrepresented historical crime. Scanning the third paragraph for **19th-century British society** reveals that the stories were set almost exclusively among the wealthy elite. The contrast marker **whereas in fact** highlights that actual historical crimes stemmed from **poverty and gangs** in the slums of London. Conan Doyle's focus on high society therefore directly **fails to reflect** true social conditions. Because the text confirms this distortion, the answer is TRUE.
- 7. FALSE
Scanning the fourth paragraph for the dates **1920s and 30s** and the mention of **female characters** directs the reader to the genre's stereotypes. The passage reports that women were frequently portrayed in a **simplistic, two-dimensional way**, with only **a few female detective writers** offering realistic portrayals. The prompt's claim that **most writers** began including interesting women directly contradicts the evidence that two-dimensional portrayals predominated. Because the claim is contradicted by the facts, the answer is FALSE.
- 8. FALSE
Scanning the fifth paragraph for the capitalized name **Agatha Christie** leads to the sentence analyzing author incomes. The author notes that typical interwar writers earned **rather meagre** royalties of **a few hundred pounds**, but precedes this by explicitly stating **apart from a few superstars such as Agatha Christie**. Christie is singled out as an exception who did not suffer these modest earnings. Claiming she received only that sum directly contradicts the passage, making FALSE the correct response.
- 9. imitations
The gap follows an adjective and requires a **plural noun** that describes the books written by the named American authors. Scanning the sixth paragraph for **Rex Stout and Ellery Queen** locates the sentence assessing their output. The text states that their novels were **mere imitations** of British models and were **seldom wholly successful**, which matches the table's phrasing. The word limit requires ONE WORD ONLY, so the lifted noun **imitations** grammatically completes the noun phrase.
- 10. violence
The gap follows the prepositional phrase "were full of" and requires an **uncountable noun** or **plural noun** indicating the content of Hammett and Chandler's works. Scanning for the author names **Hammett and Chandler** leads to the discussion of the hard-boiled genre. The passage states that **violence** **appeared throughout their works**, which paraphrases being filled with that element. The single lifted word **violence** satisfies the instruction of ONE WORD ONLY and fits the grammatical structure cleanly.
- 11. political
The gap precedes the singular noun "message" and requires an **attributive adjective**. Scanning the same sentence in paragraph six for mentions of societal unfairness highlights the phrase **expose the inequality**. The passage notes that the authors' novels were characterized by a **political agenda** aimed at revealing this social reality. The word **political** functions as the modifier in the gap, perfectly matching the table's summary while strictly adhering to the ONE WORD ONLY limit.
- 12. twists
The gap follows the quantifier "many" and requires a **plural countable noun**. Scanning the seventh paragraph for the proper noun **P. D. James** and the time cue **around 1960** locates the discussion of modern changes. The author states that she preferred writing narratives that were **full of unexpected twists**, which directly paraphrases having many plot surprises. Lifting the exact plural noun **twists** fits the sentence structure perfectly and satisfies the ONE WORD ONLY restriction.
- 13. beneficial
The gap follows the linking structure "seen as" and requires a descriptive **adjective**. Scanning the final paragraph for modern attitudes toward science locates the reference to **scientific developments**. The text explains that the historical belief that such progress was **invariably beneficial** has since waned, meaning it is no longer universally viewed that way. The single word **beneficial** is lifted verbatim from the text, fits the grammatical slot accurately, and complies with the ONE WORD ONLY instruction.