A Curator’s Defence of Difficult Exhibitions
About this practice test
An opinion essay in which a museum curator explains how difficult exhibitions can encourage careful attention and discussion while remaining accessible and hospitable.
What you’ll practice
Finding detail
Locate specific information and evidence.
Interpreting ideas
Connect main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
What to expect:
12 questions with explanations to review after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Yes / No / Not Given
How to approach this practice
Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.
A Curator’s Defence of Difficult Exhibitions
As a curator, I have learned that a difficult exhibition is not the same as a baffling one. A difficult show may ask for patience, care, and a willingness to pause. It may place an image beside a testimony, or a quiet object beside a violent history, so that the room does not give its meaning up too quickly. Some visitors dislike that feeling at first. I understand that. But I think a little resistance can be useful, because it stops us from skimming past what should be examined. When a show unsettles people, it can slow them down. They read more carefully, look twice, and often talk to one another before they leave. That is why I do not believe every exhibition should be instantly easy. Ease can be kind, but it can also be lazy. If everything is explained before the visitor arrives, there is little left for the visitor to do. I want people to work a little, not to struggle pointlessly, but to notice that meaning sometimes arrives in stages. This is also why I defend labels that guide without closing off interpretation. A label should not solve the work, but it should give a visitor something solid to hold. It can supply a date, a voice, or a fact that changes the way the object is seen. It should not, in my view, trap the visitor inside the curator's preferred conclusion. I do not want to tell people what they must conclude. I want to make room for thought, including the possibility that a work will remain unsettled. The strongest objection to difficult exhibitions is usually not that they are hard, but that they are provocative. Yet provocation is only useful when it has a purpose beyond itself. Without context, provocation is only noise, and I have no patience for noise dressed up as courage. Public disagreement is not always a sign of failure; sometimes it means the gallery has made a space where people feel permitted to speak. A complaint at the desk may be the beginning of a serious conversation, not the end of one. Of course, not every visitor arrives in the same mood or with the same background. A school group, a regular visitor, and someone who has never entered a gallery before may each need a different first step. That is another reason I resist the idea that one clear answer is enough. Difficulty becomes worthwhile only when it gives people a way to enter, not when it proves that the curator is cleverer than the public. A room can ask for effort and still remain fair. At the same time, difficulty must never become a performance of superiority. A room that merely shocks is empty after the shock passes. The best exhibitions I know are demanding and generous at once: they respect the visitor's intelligence while admitting that some subjects are painful, incomplete, or disputed. A difficult exhibition still has to be hospitable. It should offer a clear path in, spaces to rest, and enough order that a first-time visitor does not feel excluded. So I measure success differently from those who count only attendance figures. Numbers matter, but they are a poor judge of whether a show has mattered. I pay attention to the conversations that continue on the tram, the questions people carry home, and the return visit made by someone who first came in reluctantly. In my view, that is the proper defence of difficult exhibitions: not that they are difficult for its own sake, but that they make attention deeper, and therefore more humane.
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Question 1 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes museums should stay open late on weeknights for difficult exhibitions.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage talks about what a difficult exhibition should do for visitors, but it says nothing about opening hours or late-night access.
It should offer a clear path in, spaces to rest, and enough order that a first-time visitor does not feel excluded
Yes: Incorrect: opening hours are not discussed.
No: Incorrect: the statement is not contradicted; it is simply unmentioned.
Not Given: Correct: the writer gives no information about weeknight opening times.
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Question 2 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes difficult exhibitions can welcome first-time visitors.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says a difficult exhibition should be hospitable and should give enough order that a first-time visitor does not feel excluded.
A difficult exhibition still has to be hospitable
enough order that a first-time visitor does not feel excluded
Yes: Correct: the writer explicitly includes first-time visitors.
No: Incorrect: the passage says the opposite.
Not Given: Incorrect: the writer clearly addresses first-time visitors.
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Question 3 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes schools should take students to every difficult exhibition.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage mentions a school group and says different visitors may need different first steps, but it does not recommend that schools should take students to every difficult exhibition.
A school group, a regular visitor, and someone who has never entered a gallery before may each need a different first step
Yes: Incorrect: the passage does not make this claim.
No: Incorrect: the passage does not contradict it; it simply does not say that schools should take students to every exhibition.
Not Given: Correct: there is no recommendation that every difficult exhibition should be a school trip.
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Question 4 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes difficult exhibitions can make visitors slow down and think more carefully.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says, "When a show unsettles people, it can slow them down. They read more carefully," which directly supports the statement.
When a show unsettles people, it can slow them down. They read more carefully
Yes: Correct: the writer says difficult shows can slow people down and deepen attention.
No: Incorrect: the passage says the opposite.
Not Given: Incorrect: the writer clearly states this view.
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Question 5 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes visitor numbers are the best way to judge an exhibition.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says, "Numbers matter, but they are a poor judge of whether a show has mattered," so attendance is not presented as the best measure.
Numbers matter, but they are a poor judge of whether a show has mattered
Yes: Incorrect: the writer explicitly says numbers are a poor judge.
No: Correct: the writer rejects attendance figures as the main measure.
Not Given: Incorrect: the passage clearly gives the writer's view.
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Question 6 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes curators should tell visitors exactly what conclusion to reach.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says, "I do not want to tell people what they must conclude," which directly contradicts the statement.
I do not want to tell people what they must conclude
Yes: Incorrect: the writer rejects this approach.
No: Correct: the writer says curators should not tell people what to conclude.
Not Given: Incorrect: the writer clearly states an opposing view.
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Question 7 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes every difficult exhibition should be designed mainly to shock visitors.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer warns that a room which merely shocks is empty, so shock alone is not the aim of a difficult exhibition.
A room that merely shocks is empty after the shock passes
Yes: Incorrect: the writer argues against shock for its own sake.
No: Correct: the writer says shock alone is not enough.
Not Given: Incorrect: the passage clearly gives the writer's opposing view.
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Question 8 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes online versions of exhibitions are better than visiting the gallery in person.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage discusses difficult exhibitions, labels, and public reaction, but it says nothing about online versions versus in-person visits.
A difficult exhibition still has to be hospitable
Yes: Incorrect: the passage does not compare online and in-person formats.
No: Incorrect: there is no contradiction because the issue is not discussed.
Not Given: Correct: the writer does not mention online exhibitions at all.
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Question 9 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes labels should guide visitors without giving a final interpretation.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says, "A label should not solve the work," and explains that labels should guide without trapping the visitor in one conclusion.
A label should not solve the work, but it should give a visitor something solid to hold
Yes: Correct: the writer wants labels to guide, not close interpretation.
No: Incorrect: the passage says labels should not solve the work.
Not Given: Incorrect: the writer clearly states this position.
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Question 10 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes provocation is useful even when it has no context.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer rejects context-free provocation, saying, "Without context, provocation is only noise," so the statement contradicts the passage.
Without context, provocation is only noise, and I have no patience for noise dressed up as courage
Yes: Incorrect: the writer says provocation needs context.
No: Correct: the passage says provocation without context is only noise.
Not Given: Incorrect: the writer clearly gives an opposing view.
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Question 11 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes difficult exhibitions should always include audio guides.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage mentions labels, paths, and spaces to rest, but it never mentions audio guides or says they are required.
A difficult exhibition still has to be hospitable
Yes: Incorrect: audio guides are never mentioned.
No: Incorrect: the passage does not deny audio guides; it leaves them unmentioned.
Not Given: Correct: the writer does not discuss audio guides at all.
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Question 12 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes public disagreement can show that visitors are engaging with an exhibition.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says that public disagreement can mean the gallery has made a space where people feel able to speak, which matches the statement.
Public disagreement is not always a sign of failure; sometimes it means the gallery has made a space where people feel permitted to speak
Yes: Correct: the writer sees disagreement as possible evidence of engagement.
No: Incorrect: the passage presents the opposite view.
Not Given: Incorrect: the writer clearly addresses disagreement.
What to review next
Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.
Before you practise: a worked example
Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.
The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?
The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.
This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.