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About the White Horse of Uffington Reading Passage
This passage describes the White Horse of Uffington, a 110-meter-long figure of a horse cut into the chalk hillside at Uffington in Oxfordshire, England. It explores the figure's age, the techniques used to date it, the traditions surrounding its maintenance, and theories about why it was created. The passage is taken from Cambridge IELTS 14, Academic Test 2, Passage 1.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the passage below.
The passage contains two question types:
True/False/Not Given (Questions 1–7) and Sentence Completion (Questions 8–13).
The White Horse of Uffington — Full Reading Passage
Paragraph A
One of Britain's oldest and most puzzling monuments is the White Horse of Uffington, a stylised figure of a horse about 110 metres long, carved into the chalk hillside of the Berkshire Downs in Oxfordshire. Because the chalk lies only a short distance below the turf, it can be exposed simply by removing the overlying grass and soil. Such chalk figures are found only in Britain, mainly in the south of England, where the underlying chalk is close to the surface.
Paragraph B
The White Horse is the most striking of all the chalk figures, and has long attracted the attention of historians and archaeologists. Traditionally, the horse was thought to be Saxon in origin, representing the standard of the Germanic Saxon tribe that conquered the area in the 5th century AD. The Saxons had a white horse as their emblem, so this explanation seemed reasonable. However, there were those who contested this interpretation, arguing that the figure was more ancient in origin.
Paragraph C
A detailed study of the figure undertaken in the 1990s established that it dates back to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, around 3,000 years ago. This was determined through a technique called Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, which revealed when the chalk was last exposed to light. The study found that the horse had been regularly maintained through a process called 'regrassing', in which the outline of the figure is recut to prevent it from being obscured by encroaching grass and vegetation. Without such maintenance, the figure would disappear within a few decades.
Paragraph D
Until recent times, the task of maintaining the White Horse was the responsibility of local farmers, who were also expected to host a festivity or fair at regular intervals. These fairs, held every seven years, drew large crowds and were important social occasions. Evidence suggests that the scouring and upkeep of the figure were closely bound up with local community life, reinforcing the idea that the horse held deep cultural significance for those who lived nearby.
Paragraph E
The creation of such a figure would have been a major undertaking, requiring the coordinated effort of a large number of people. The question of who built it, and why, remains the subject of debate. Some researchers believe that the horse was created during the Bronze Age as a territorial marker, a boundary sign for a local tribal group. Others argue that it is more likely to be of Iron Age origin, given the similarities between the stylised design of the Uffington horse and the depictions of horses found on Iron Age coins and metalwork.
Paragraph F
Several theories have been put forward about the purpose the horse may have served. Some historians have suggested that it was a religious site, connected to the cult of the horse goddess Epona, who was worshipped across Celtic Europe. Others have proposed that it served as a landmark visible from great distances, perhaps designed to be seen from the air or, as one researcher has suggested, to be visible to the moon. A further theory holds that the horse was used as a gathering place for ritual ceremonies.
Paragraph G
The valley below the White Horse, known as the Manger, has its own legends and significance. Local folklore describes a giant who sleeps beneath the hill and the horse coming to life at night to feed in the Manger. Dragon Hill, a flat-topped natural mound nearby, is traditionally said to be the spot where St George slew the dragon, and the bare chalk patch on its summit is explained as the place where the dragon's blood fell and prevented grass from growing. The Uffington White Horse and the landscape around it clearly formed an important processional and ritual space for the communities that created and maintained it over millennia.
The White Horse of Uffington Reading Questions and Answers
True/False/Not Given — Questions 1–7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
Write:
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. The White Horse of Uffington is carved from the chalk that lies beneath the surface of the hillside.
2. The White Horse of Uffington is the largest chalk figure in Britain.
3. OSL dating showed that the White Horse was created during the Saxon period.
4. Local farmers were once responsible for maintaining the White Horse.
5. The fairs connected to the White Horse were held every ten years.
6. The researchers who studied the horse in the 1990s believed it was a territorial marker.
7. The area surrounding the White Horse was used for ritual purposes over a long period of time.
Sentence Completion — Questions 8–13
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
8. The White Horse is formed by removing turf from the hillside to expose the underlying __________ .
9. The process of recuting the outline of the figure to stop it being overgrown is known as __________ .
10. In the past, __________ were responsible for maintaining the White Horse and hosting fairs.
11. Some researchers link the Uffington horse's style to artwork from the __________ period.
12. One theory suggests the horse was designed to be visible to the __________ .
13. The landscape around the White Horse is believed to have served as a __________ and ritual space.
