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IELTS Reading Trainer • 15 Mins

The Story of the LEGO Brick

Target Level: B1 / Intermediate

👨‍🏫 For Teachers

Give learners 15 minutes to read the text and answer the 8 questions alone. Then check the answers together and read the Why notes.

🎯 For Learners

Read paragraphs A to D once. Then answer questions 1 to 8 and read the explanation after each answer.

Reading Passage: The Story of the LEGO Brick

4 Paragraphs • ~250 words

A vintage 1930s wooden car toy, simple design, neutral background.

A

In 1932 a carpenter called Ole Kirk Kristiansen started to make wooden toys in Billund, Denmark, such as cars, aeroplanes and yo-yos. Two years later he chose the name LEGO from two Danish words, leg godt, which mean "play well". He wanted the name to show good quality and that every child has a right to enjoyable play.

B

In 1949 the company launched its first building set, plastic bricks called Automatic Binding Bricks. Kristiansen's sons thought plastic was a bad idea for the business, but he believed the bricks could sell all over the world.

A close-up of two modern LEGO bricks connecting, showing the stud-and-tube design.

C

The early bricks were hollow, so models were not very stable. On 28 January 1958 the LEGO Group applied for a patent for a new design. The new design had studs on top and tubes underneath. LEGO calls the grip between them clutch power, and it keeps models stable and lets people build in endless ways.

D

The idea of plastic bricks did not start in Denmark. LEGO's own history says that a British company, Kiddicraft, invented plastic bricks, and that in the late 1940s the Kristiansens were shown some. LEGO asked Kiddicraft whether it minded the LEGO brick, and Kiddicraft did not object.

Practice Assessment

IELTS Reading Comprehension Tasks

8 Questions

Questions 1–2: True / False / Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Choose TRUE if the statement agrees, FALSE if it contradicts, or NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

1. Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s decision to manufacture plastic toys received immediate approval from his entire family.

____ TRUE ____ FALSE ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Kristiansen's wooden toys were sold in shops outside Denmark before 1940.

____ TRUE ____ FALSE ____ NOT GIVEN

Questions 3–4: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

3. Ole Kirk Kristiansen chose the name LEGO mainly to:

____ A. show that he was a skilled carpenter in Billund. ____ B. show that his toys were made of wood. ____ C. show that every child should be able to enjoy playing. ____ D. show that the company would soon sell its toys abroad.

4. What does the writer suggest about the 1958 patent?

____ A. It was mainly meant to make the bricks cheaper to produce. ____ B. It fixed a problem that stopped people building stable models. ____ C. It was the first time LEGO asked another company for permission. ____ D. It showed that the sons were right to doubt plastic.

Questions 5–6: Which Paragraph Contains This Information?

Choose the correct paragraph letter (A, B, C, or D). You may use any letter once.

5. The title the company gave its first set of plastic building pieces.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

6. A statement that plastic bricks were first invented in another country.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

7. The name LEGO gives to how firmly the studs and tubes hold together is ____ (type answer...) .

8. The first plastic bricks came from a company in Britain called ____ (type answer...) .

Reading: The Story of the LEGO Brick

The Story of the LEGO Brick

Reading Passage: The Story of the LEGO Brick

IELTS Reading Comprehension Tasks

Questions 1–2: True / False / Not Given

Questions 3–4: Multiple Choice

Questions 5–6: Which Paragraph Contains This Information?

Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion

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