Parliament's Peace Tower in Ottawa

Loading question...

You are in free guest mode. Timed Practice Revision List Attempt History Progress Tracking Create a free account to unlock these tools

Back to Questions

Prev Next

CELPIP Practice Reading: Reading for Information ID: #63131 Easy Parliament's Peace Tower in Ottawa

Read the following passage.

A. The story of the Peace Tower begins with a fire. At 8:37 p.m. on February 3, 1916, an alarm was raised that the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was burning. The fire probably started with a cigar smouldering in a wastebasket in the Reading Room, and it spread quickly through rooms finished in wood. Shortly after midnight the great bell in the old Victoria Tower crashed to the ground. By the next morning the building was a smoking ruin covered in ice, and only the Library survived, because its iron fire doors had been slammed shut.

B. A new Centre Block was built, and in 1927 the Peace Tower was dedicated at its front. It was named to honour the thousands of Canadians who gave their lives in the First World War. Unlike the old Victoria Tower, which was part of the first building, the Peace Tower is a campanile, or freestanding bell tower. Its walls are made of Nepean sandstone, and it rises about 92 metres. Also in 1927, the United Kingdom gave Canada the tower's clock to mark the 60th anniversary of Confederation, and there is one clock face on each side.

C. The tower holds a carillon of 53 bells that together weigh 54 tonnes. A carillonneur plays it from a keyboard, striking the keys with the fists and, for the larger bells, with the feet. The bells do not swing; instead, a clapper strikes each one. Near the base of the tower is the Memorial Chamber, a solemn marble room dedicated to Canadians who lost their lives in conflicts in many parts of the world. Its Books of Remembrance hold the names of more than 118,000 Canadians, and at 11 o'clock every morning one page was turned in each book.

D. Today the Centre Block is closed for a major project to restore and modernize it, so visitors meet a quieter tower. The large clock, which normally chimes every 15 minutes, is silent, and in the spring of 2022 a number of carillon bells were removed for restoration work. While the building is closed, the Books of Remembrance are displayed in the Parliament Welcome Centre. The flag on top is still replaced every weekday, except on statutory holidays and in poor weather. Canadian residents can ask for a flag that has flown on Parliament Hill, but the wait is now more than 100 years.

E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

ABCDE

- 1. The present tower stands on its own instead of forming part of the building behind it.

ABCDE

- 2. Apart from holidays and days of bad weather, a fresh flag goes up at the top from Monday to Friday.

ABCDE

- 3. The bells stay still while music comes from them.

ABCDE

- 4. One part of the old building escaped the flames because its metal doors were closed in time.

ABCDE

- 5. The United Kingdom sent the tower's timepiece to Canada as a present.

ABCDE

- 6. People living in Canada who request a flag from the Hill must wait over a century.

ABCDE

- 7. Each volume listing the dead had one page turned once a day.

ABCDE

- 8. No other set of tower bells in North America is as large as the one on Parliament Hill.

ABCDE

- 9. The blaze began in a room people used for reading.

A.I. Explanation:

Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Unlike the old Victoria Tower, which was part of the first building, the Peace Tower is a campanile, or freestanding bell tower.
Why this is correct: Look at Paragraph B. It compares the two towers. The old one belonged to the first building. It calls the Peace Tower a campanile, or freestanding bell tower, so it stands on its own.
Tips: Two paragraphs name the Victoria Tower. Find the one that compares it with the Peace Tower.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A also mentions the old Victoria Tower, but only its bell falling in the fire. It does not describe how the new tower stands.
C: Paragraph C is about the bells and the Memorial Chamber inside. It does not say how the tower is joined to the building.
D: Paragraph D tells visitors what has changed during the repairs. It says nothing about the shape of the tower.
E: You can find it in Paragraph B. The word freestanding tells you the tower stands alone.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: The flag on top is still replaced every weekday, except on statutory holidays and in poor weather.
Why this is correct: Read Paragraph D. The flag on top is replaced every weekday. The only breaks are statutory holidays and poor weather. Monday to Friday are the weekdays.
Tips: Paragraph C also has a daily task. Check what is being changed.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A describes the fire of 1916. No flag is mentioned.
B: Paragraph B gives the tower's height and walls. It says nothing about a flag at the top.
C: Paragraph C has something done every morning, but it is turning a page in each book. It is not changing a flag.
E: The weekday flag change appears in Paragraph D, with its two exceptions.
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: The bells do not swing; instead, a clapper strikes each one.
Why this is correct: Look at Paragraph C. The bells do not swing. A clapper strikes each one instead. So the bells stay still while the music plays.
Tips: Bells ring through this whole text. Pick the paragraph that explains how they make sound.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A has a bell too, but it crashed to the ground in the fire. That is not music.
B: Paragraph B calls the Peace Tower a bell tower. It does not explain how the bells make sound.
D: In Paragraph D, some bells were removed for repairs. How they are played is not explained there.
E: How the bells make their sound is explained in Paragraph C.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: By the next morning the building was a smoking ruin covered in ice, and only the Library survived, because its iron fire doors had been slammed shut.
Why this is correct: Go to the end of Paragraph A. Only the Library survived the fire. Its iron fire doors had been slammed shut. Doors made of iron that were slammed shut match metal doors closed in time.
Tips: Think about the flames that destroyed the old building. Check which part stayed safe, and why its doors mattered.
Why the other options are wrong:
B: Paragraph B is about the new building and the tower. It does not say what was saved from the fire.
C: Paragraph C describes the bells and a marble room. No doors are mentioned.
D: The Centre Block in Paragraph D is closed for repairs today. That has nothing to do with a fire.
E: The Library and its doors are in Paragraph A, at the end.
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Also in 1927, the United Kingdom gave Canada the tower's clock to mark the 60th anniversary of Confederation, and there is one clock face on each side.
Why this is correct: The clue is in Paragraph B. In 1927 the United Kingdom gave Canada the tower's clock. A timepiece is a clock, and gave means it was a present.
Tips: This is about where the tower's timepiece came from. Check who sent it and whether it was a present.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A gives an exact time for the fire alarm. It does not mention the tower's clock.
C: Paragraph C says a page was turned at 11 o'clock. That is a time of day, not a clock that was given.
D: Paragraph D also talks about the clock, but only that it is silent now. It does not say where it came from.
E: The gift of the clock from the United Kingdom is in Paragraph B.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: Canadian residents can ask for a flag that has flown on Parliament Hill, but the wait is now more than 100 years.
Why this is correct: The final sentence of Paragraph D has the answer. Canadian residents can ask for a flag that has flown on Parliament Hill. The wait is now more than 100 years. A century is 100 years.
Tips: Look for a waiting time, not a date.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A names Parliament Hill as the place of the fire. It says nothing about flags.
B: Paragraph B gives dates such as 1927 and a 60th anniversary. It has no waiting time.
C: Paragraph C gives numbers of bells and names. It does not mention flags for the public.
E: The long wait for a flag is in Paragraph D, in the last sentence.
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: Its Books of Remembrance hold the names of more than 118,000 Canadians, and at 11 o'clock every morning one page was turned in each book.
Why this is correct: Read Paragraph C. The Books of Remembrance hold the names of more than 118,000 Canadians. At 11 o'clock every morning one page was turned in each book. That is once a day.
Tips: This is about the volumes that list the dead. Check how often a page was turned.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A reports the fire and the ruins. No books are mentioned.
B: Paragraph B explains that the tower honours those who died in the war. It does not describe any books.
D: Paragraph D names the Books of Remembrance too, but only where they are shown now. It does not mention turning pages.
E: The daily turning of pages is in Paragraph C.
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: The tower holds a carillon of 53 bells that together weigh 54 tonnes.
Why this is correct: Paragraph C says the carillon has 53 bells weighing 54 tonnes. It does not compare it with any other carillon. You cannot tell if it has the most bells.
Tips: A number alone is not a comparison. Look for words like most or largest.
Why the other options are wrong:
A: Paragraph A mentions one bell in the old tower. It does not compare it with anything.
B: Paragraph B calls the Peace Tower a bell tower. It gives no bell count at all.
C: Paragraph C gives the count of 53 bells. It never says whether that is more than other carillons.
D: Paragraph D is about the repairs, including bells taken out. It makes no comparison.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: The fire probably started with a cigar smouldering in a wastebasket in the Reading Room, and it spread quickly through rooms finished in wood.
Why this is correct: Look at Paragraph A. The fire probably started with a cigar smouldering in a wastebasket in the Reading Room. A reading room is a place where people read.
Tips: Think about how the blaze began. Check which room it began in, and what people did there.
Why the other options are wrong:
B: Paragraph B tells how the new tower was built. It does not say where the fire began.
C: Paragraph C describes a marble room, the Memorial Chamber. That room is not where the fire started.
D: Paragraph D names the Parliament Welcome Centre as a place for the books. It is not linked to the fire.
E: Where the fire began is told in Paragraph A. It was the Reading Room.

With a free account: Retry and compare every attempt.

Be the first! No community answers here yet. Submit yours and help others learn.

Saving...

Nice work - now see how you scoredUnlock this tool with a free account

Sign up free to get this attempt scored with detailed AI feedback on your writing. Your text is saved in this browser and will be restored as a draft right after you sign up.

Sign up free to get this attempt scored with detailed AI feedback on your speaking. You can listen to your recording on this page as many times as you like.

This feature is for members. Your free account takes one minute to create, and it unlocks scoring, word meanings, comments and progress tracking.

You may need to record your answer once more after signing up. It takes less than a minute, and one more practice run only helps.