Researching The Origin Of Medieval Manuscripts - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 3 Academic Listening Test 6 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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Questions 31–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Researching the origin of medieval manuscripts
Background
- Medieval manuscripts – handwritten books produced between the fifth and fifteenth centuries
- Origin of many manuscripts unknown until 2009; scientists started using DNA testing
Animal hides – two types
Parchment
Sheep skin: white in colour and 31
Greasy – writing can't be erased so often used for 32
Vellum
Calf skin: most popular for prestigious work because you can get 33 lettering.
Preparation of hides
- Treated in barrels of lime – where this was not available, skins were 34 (removed hair → more flexible)
- Stretched tight on a frame
- Scraped to create same 35
- Vellum was 36 – for correct colour
Genetic testing – finding origins
Previously – analysed handwriting and 37 used by the writer
Now – using genetic data from 'known manuscripts' to create a 38
Uses of new data
Gives information on individual books
Shows the 39 of the book industry
Helps define 40 in medieval period
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | very thin / thin | The first was parchment, which is made of sheepskin. It has the quality of being very white, but also being thin | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript identifies parchment as the type of material made from sheepskin and explicitly states that it is thin. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies a physical quality of parchment made from sheepskin, which is that it is not thick. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's description of parchment. When talking about the physical characteristics of sheepskin parchment, the historian lists two main points: it is "very white" and it is "thin." The question asks for the second quality because "white in colour" is already provided in the notes. |
| Q32 | court documents | It has a naturally greasy surface, which meant it was hard to erase writing from it. This made it much sought after for court documents in medieval times | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that since writing on parchment cannot be easily removed or changed due to its greasy nature, it was highly desired for use in legal paperwork for the courts. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the specific legal records that were frequently written on parchment because it was hard to change the writing on them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'court documents' because the speaker notes that parchment's greasy surface made it difficult to erase writing, which was a desirable trait for official legal papers. Keywords like 'hard to erase' and 'sought after' link the physical property of the parchment to its use in these specific types of documents. |
| Q33 | high-quality | This was most often used for any very high-status documents because it provided the best writing surface, so scribes could achieve lettering of high quality | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that vellum was used for important papers because it was the easiest material to write on, which allowed the writers to produce very good (high quality) letters. Answer Explanation: The answer "high-quality" means that the letters written on the animal skin were made with a very high standard of skill and looked very professional and well-done. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "high-quality" because vellum (calfskin) was the preferred material for important or expensive (high-status) documents. This was because it had the best surface for writing, which helped the people whose job was to write (scribes) create letters that were of a very high standard or "high quality." |
| Q34 | buried | But if lime wasn't available, then the hides were buried | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that when the material called lime could not be found, the makers of the manuscripts put the animal skins under the dirt. Answer Explanation: The answer "buried" means the animal skins were placed under the ground as part of the cleaning and softening process. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "buried" because the historian describes two ways to prepare the skins. If the chemical "lime" was not available to use in barrels, the alternative method was to put the hides in the earth. This step was necessary to remove hair and make the skins more flexible. Key words to look for in the text are "lime," "available," and "hides." |
| Q35 | thickness | While on the frame, they were scraped with a moon-shaped knife in order to create a uniform thickness | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the people making the manuscripts used a special knife to cut or shave the skin so that it was the same measurement from top to bottom everywhere. Answer Explanation: The answer means how fat or deep an object is from one side to the other. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is thickness because the transcript explains that during the preparation of animal skins, a moon-shaped knife was used to scrape the material. This was done to make sure the whole piece of skin was 'uniform,' which is a synonym for 'same' used in the notes. Making something uniform in this context means making it the same size or depth all over. |
| Q36 | bleached / whitened | For parchment, that was the end of the process. But for vellum, there was an additional stage where it was bleached in order to achieve the desired color | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that vellum skin had one extra step compared to parchment. This step involved bleaching the skin so that it would become the color the makers wanted. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the vellum skin was treated to make it white or a very light color. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found by looking at the description of how vellum was prepared. The historian explains that after the skin was stretched and scraped, it went through an 'additional stage.' This extra step was being bleached, which was done specifically to get the 'desired color' or the right look for the document. |
| Q37 | dialect | Well, until recently, the only way historians and other academics were able to guess at origins was either through the analysis of the handwriting style or from the dialect in which the piece was written | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that in the past, researchers could only guess where a manuscript came from by studying the way it was written by hand or the specific language style (dialect) the writer used. Answer Explanation: The answer is the specific form of a language used in a particular region or by a specific group of people. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "dialect" because the transcript explains that before scientists started using DNA testing, they used two main methods to try to find the origin of a manuscript: looking at the handwriting style and looking at the dialect (the specific way of writing or speaking) used in the text. The question asks for the second method used alongside handwriting analysis. |
| Q38 | baseline | Because these parchments and vellum are both made from animal hides, it was possible to subject them to DNA testing and to identify the genetic markers for the date and location of production. From this was created what is known as a baseline | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that because these old materials come from animals, scientists can test their DNA. By testing the books they already know about, they find certain genetic signs and use that information to make a standard called a 'baseline'. Answer Explanation: The answer 'baseline' refers to a starting point or a standard information set used to compare other things against. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the historian explains that researchers start with manuscripts whose origins are already known. By using DNA testing on these specific examples, they produce a 'baseline'. This allows them to compare this known genetic data with mystery manuscripts to find out where and when they were made. Key terms to notice include 'DNA testing', 'genetic markers', and 'comparison'. |
| Q39 | evolution | It can also shed light on the evolution of the whole of the manuscript production industry in medieval times | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the information from DNA testing can show us how the business of making books changed and grew during the middle ages. Answer Explanation: The answer means the process of how something changes and develops over a long period. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'evolution' because the historian explains that the new genetic data does more than identify single manuscripts; it provides information about the 'evolution of the whole of the manuscript production industry'. In the notes, 'book industry' is another way to say 'manuscript production industry'. The speaker uses the phrase 'shed light on', which means to clarify or show information about how this industry changed. |
| Q40 | trade routes | the new data in turn help historians establish which trade routes were in operation during the whole millennium | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that this new information helps history experts identify which paths for buying and selling were used during those thousand years. Answer Explanation: The answer means the paths or roads used by people who buy and sell goods to move their products from one place to another. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "trade routes" because the speaker mentions that the manuscript industry was a big business with goods moving all over the world. By using new DNA information, historians can figure out exactly which paths merchants used to travel and trade during the medieval period (referred to as the "millennium" in the text). |
Transcript
Historian: My presentation today is on how the science of genetics is being used to shed light on the origin of manuscripts, anything written by hand, produced in the medieval period. That is, the period between the 5th and 15th centuries AD. As many of you know, thousands of medieval handwritten books still exist today. Some of them have a clear provenance, that is, we know exactly where and when they were written. But the origin of many manuscripts has been a complete mystery. That is, until 2009, when geneticists started using DNA testing to shed light on their origins.
But before looking at the new research, I need to explain something about the way the manuscripts were produced, particularly what they were written on. Virtually all were written on treated animal skins, and there were essentially two types. The first was parchment, which is made of sheepskin. It has the quality of being very white, but also being thin. It has a naturally greasy surface, which meant it was hard to erase writing from it. This made it much sought after for court documents in medieval times.
The second type is vellum, which is calfskin. This was most often used for any very high-status documents because it provided the best writing surface, so scribes could achieve lettering of high quality.
So, once the animal hides had been chosen, they had to be prepared. Where the right materials were on hand, the skins were put into large barrels or vats of lime, where they were agitated or stirred frequently. But if lime wasn't available, then the hides were buried. Both these techniques were designed to cause the hair to slough off and the skins to become gelatinous and therefore more flexible.
The next stage was to put the hides on stretcher frames and pull them very tight. While on the frame, they were scraped with a moon-shaped knife in order to create a uniform thickness. For parchment, that was the end of the process. But for vellum, there was an additional stage where it was bleached in order to achieve the desired color.
So, what does all this preparation mean for the quest to identify the origins of mystery manuscripts? Well, until recently, the only way historians and other academics were able to guess at origins was either through the analysis of the handwriting style or from the dialect in which the piece was written. But these techniques have proved unreliable for a number of reasons.
It was thus decided to try to look at the problem from a different angle, to start from what is known. That is, the small number of manuscripts whose origins we do already know. Because these parchments and vellum are both made from animal hides, it was possible to subject them to DNA testing and to identify the genetic markers for the date and location of production. From this was created what is known as a baseline.
The next stage was to test the mystery manuscripts, finding their DNA characteristics and then making comparisons between the known and the mystery scripts. Genetic similarities and differences enabled the scientists to gain more information about the origins of the many manuscripts we had known virtually nothing about up to that point.
Now you might ask, what are the potential uses of this new information? Well, obviously, it can shed light on the origin of individual books and manuscripts. But that's not all. It can also shed light on the evolution of the whole of the manuscript production industry in medieval times. And because that was such a thriving business involving very large-scale movements right across the globe, the new data in turn help historians establish which trade routes were in operation during the whole millennium.
Now, if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer.