Ielts Reading Question
Trojan War is an excellent story. There is however a lack of consistency among the different versions of
the story available. The war had long been believed to have actually happened. But what is the story?
In the traditional accounts, Paris, son of the Trojan king, ran off with Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta,
whose brother Agamemnon then led a Greek expedition against Troy. The ensuing war lasted for more
than 9 years. In the end the Greeks said they would withdraw. But they actually left behind a large
wooden horse with a raiding party concealed inside. When the Trojans brought the horse into their city,
the hidden Greeks opened the gates to their comrades, who then destroyed Troy, brutally killed its men,
and carried off its women. This version was recorded centuries later; the extent to which it reflects
actual historical events is not known.
For most ancient Greeks, indeed, the Trojan War was much more than a myth. It was an era-defining
moment in their distant past. In the past, even respected scholars were willing to believe that this war
actually happened. In the second half of the 5th Century BC, Herodotus, the so-called 'Father of History',
placed the Trojan War almost 800 years before his own time. Eratosthenes, a mathematician, was more
specific, dating the war at 1184/3 BC. Modern scholars, however, have tended to be more skeptical.
Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text,
choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, or
choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
1. Different people interpret the Trojan war story differently.
a. True b. False c. Not Given
2. The Trojan War lasted for 10 years.
a. True b. False c. Not Given
3. The war ended when the Greeks accepted their defeat.
a. True b. False c. Not Given
4. For the ancient Greeks the Trojan war was very important.
a. True b. False c. Not Given