Author: theieltsbridge

Reading Passage 1: Why pagodas don’t fall down

Questions 1-4: (YES, NO, NOT GIVEN)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 1: Only two Japanese pagodas have collapsed in 1400 years.  

Keywords for the question: only two, Japanese pagodas, collapsed, 1400 years,

In paragraph no. 1, the author says in lines 2-3, “ . .. . Records show that only two have collapsed during the past 1400 years.”

The sentence is a clear match with the statement in the question.

So, the answer is: YES

Question 2: The Hanshin earthquake of 1995 destroyed the pagoda at the Toji temple.

Keywords for the question: Hanshin earthquake, 1995, destroyed, pagoda, Toji temple,  

In paragraph no. 1, the author says in lines 4-7, “The disastrous Hanshin earthquake in1995 killed 6,400 people . . .. .. . Yet it left the magnificent five-storey pagoda at the Toji temple in nearby Kyoto unscathed, though  . ..” 

These liens suggest that the Hanshin earthquake did not destroy the pagoda at the Toji temple.

Here, unscathed = unharmed, untouched,

So, the lines contradict the statement made in the question.

So, the answer is: NO

Question 3:  The other buildings near the Toji pagoda had been built in the last 30 years.

Keywords for the question: other buildings, near, Toji temple, built, last 30 years,     

Only paragraph no. 1 talks about the making of the Toji temple. However, in this passage we cannot find any information that gives us idea whether other buildings near Toji temple were built in the last 30 years or not.  

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN       

Question 4:  The builders of pagodas knew how to absorb some of the power produced by severe weather conditions.

Keywords for the question: builders, knew, how to absorb, some of the power, produced by, severe weather conditions,   

Moving to paragraph no. 4 we find information about the builders’ knowledge about designing pagodas. Here, in lines 4-8, the author says, “When the pagoda reached Japan, however, its architecture was freely adapted to local conditions – they were built less high, typically five rather than nine storeys, made mainly of wood and the staircase was dispensed with because the Japanese pagoda did not have any practical use but became more of an art object. Because of the typhoons that batter Japan in the summer, Japanese builders learned to extend the eaves of buildings further beyond the walls.”

Here, typhoons = severe weather conditions, Japanese builders learned to extend the eaves of buildings further beyond the walls = The builders of pagodas knew how to absorb some of the power,

So, the answer is: YES

Questions 5-10: (Classifying statements)

[This type of question asks candidates to classify information from the given reading text. Candidates are given some statements from the text, and a list of options, which are listed as A, B, C etc. They must match the correct statements with the correct options.

N.B.: This question doesn’t follow any sequence. So, they should be answered after all other questions in the passage.]

Question 5:  easy interior access to top

Keywords for the question: easy interior access, top,     

In paragraph no. 4, lines 4-7 talk about the difference between Chinese and Japanese pagoda designs, “The Chinese built their pagodas in brick or stone, with inner staircases, and used them in later centuries mainly as watchtowers. When the pagoda reached Japan, however, its architecture was freely adapted to local conditions – they were built less high, typically five rather than nine storeys, made mainly of wood and the staircase was dispensed with because the Japanese pagoda did not have any practical use but became more of an art object.”

The lines suggest that Chinese pagodas had inner staircases for easy access to top. However, Japanese pagodas had no staircases because they did not have any practical use of staircases.

So, the answer is: B (only Chinese pagodas)

Question 6: tiles on eaves

Keywords for the question: tiles, eaves,

In the last sentence of paragraph no. 5, the writer mentions: “For the same reason, the builders of Japanese pagodas seem to have further increased their weight by choosing to cover these extended eaves not with the porcelain tiles of many Chinese pagodas but with much heavier earthenware tiles.”

So, both Chinese and Japanese pagodas use tiles on eaves, but they are different in styles.

So, the answer is: A (both Chinese and Japanese pagodas)

Question 7: use as observation post

Keywords for the question: used, observation post,   

In paragraph no. 4, the writer says in lines 2-4, “.. . . The Chinese built their pagodas . . .. . … and used them in later centuries as watchtowers.”

Here, watchtowers = observation post,

However, no Japanese pagodas are or were used as watchtowers.

So, the answer is: B (only Chinese pagodas)

Question 8: size of eaves up to half the width of the building

Keywords for the question: size of eaves, up to, half the width,

In paragraph no. 5 lines 1-2, the writer says, “The roof of a Japanese temple building can be made to overhang the sides of the structure by fifty per cent or more of the building’s overall width.”

In the description of Chinese pagodas, we do not find this about the size of eaves (roof-top).

Here, fifty per cent or more = up to half the width,

So, the answer is: C (only Japanese pagodas)

Question 9: original religious purpose

Keywords for the question: original, religious, purpose,  

At the beginning of paragraph no. 4 the writer states, “The multi-storey pagoda came to Japan from China in the sixth century. As in China, they were first introduced with Buddhism and were attached to important temples.”

Here, As in China = just like in China,

This means multi-storey pagoda has the original purpose of Buddhism in Japan as in China.  

So, the answer is: A (both Chinese and Japanese pagodas)

Question 10: floors fitting loosely over each other

Keywords for the question: floors, fitting, loosely, over, each other,  

Take a look at paragraph no. 7; this paragraph talks about the design of Japanese Pagoda’s central pillar known as shinbashira. Here, in lines 8-10, the author says, “ .. . What those early craftsmen had found by trial and error was that under pressure a pagoda’s loose stack of floors could be made to slither to and fro independent of one another.”

Here, loose stack of floors = floors fitting loosely over each other,

In the description of Chinese Pagodas, we do not find such conditions on floors.

So, the answer is: C (only Japanese pagodas)

Questions 11-13: (Multiple choice questions)

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question 11: In a Japanese pagoda, the shinbashira –

Keywords for the question: Japanese pagoda, shinbashira,

We find the details about shinbashira in paragraph no. 6 and 7.

In paragraph no. 6, the writer says, “Is the answer that, like a tall pine tree, the Japanese pagoda – with its massive trunk-like central pillar known as shinbashira – simply flexes and sways during a typhoon or earthquake? For centuries, many thought so. But the answer is not so simple because the startling thing is that the shinbashira actually carries no load at all. In fact, in some pagoda designs, it does not even rest on the ground,. . .. .” 

Here, carries no load at all and in some pagoda designs, it does not even rest on the ground mean that options A, B, and C are not correct.

Then, in paragraph no. 7, the writer says, “.. . The shinbashira, running up through a hole in the centre of the building, constrained individual storeys from moving too far… ..”

Here, constrained individual storeys from moving too far = stops the floors moving too far,

So, the answer is: D (stops the floors moving too far.)

Question 12: Shuzo Ishida performs experiments in order to –

Keywords for the question: Shuzo Ishida, performs, experiments, to,

In paragraph no. 7, the writer mentions about Shuzo Ishida in lines 3-5, “Mr Ishida, known to his students as ‘Professor Pagoda’ because of his passion to understand the pagoda, has built a series of models and tested them on a ‘shake-table’ in his laboratory.” 

Therefore, this can be understood from the lines that the reason for the experiment is to understand the pagoda.

We can gather that the possible answers are:

C. learn about the dynamics of pagodas  

Or,

D. understand ancient mathematics.

Then, in lines 5-6 of the same paragraph, the writer says, “The ancient craftsmen, apparently without the assistance of very advanced mathematics… . .. . ”

Therefore, it is clear that no ‘ancient mathematics’ was involved here. So, option D is not correct. 

So, the answer is: C (learn about the dynamics of pagodas.)

Question 13: The storeys of a Japanese pagoda are –

Keywords for the question: storeys, Japanese pagoda,  

The answer will be option C because we’ve already found it question no. 10. Take a look at paragraph no. 7; this paragraph talks about the design of Japanese Pagoda’s central pillar known as shinbashira. Here, in lines 8-10, the author says, “ .. . What those early craftsmen had found by trial and error was that under pressure a pagoda’s loose stack of floors could be made to slither to and fro independent of one another.”

Here, loose stack of floors = floors fitting loosely over each other,

So, the answer is: C (fitted loosely on top of each other.)

Reading Passage 2: The True Cost of Food

Questions 14-17 (Identifying information):

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question 14: a cost involved in purifying domestic water

Keywords for this question: cost, purifying, domestic water,

Here, ‘cost’ means the amount of money spent on something.

We can use a short technique here. Let’s find out some symbols such as $, £ or € that indicate ‘cost’.

If you scan the passage for these symbols, we can find out that paragraphs D and E contain the ‘$’ symbol. Now, we need to scan the information around the symbol and look for something that indicates ‘the purification of water’.

In paragraph E, take a look at these lines, “ . . . . £23m for the removal of the bug Cryptosporidium from drinking water by water companies; . . . .”

Here, the removal of the bug . . .. from drinking water = purifying domestic water,

So, the answer is: E

Question 15: the stages in the development of the farming industry

Keywords for this question: stages, development, farming industry,

The keyword here is ‘the stages’ which means we need to look for some linkers indicating ‘process’ such as First, Then, Next, After that etc.

In paragraph B, the writer says at the beginning, “First mechanisation, then mass use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, then monocultures, then battery rearing of livestock, and now genetic engineering – the onward march of intensive farming has seemed unstoppable in the last half-century, as the yields of produce have soared.”

The linkers indicate that the development of the farming industry started with mechanisation; then came the mass use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and after that came monocultures. Next, it was battery rearing of livestock and presently it is genetic engineering.

So, the answer is: B

Question 16: the term used to describe hidden costs

Keywords for this question: term, describe, hidden costs,

Here, we need to look for the term – word or phrase – that describes ‘hidden cost’.

Looking at paragraph C, we can find out the following sentences, “.. . . That is mainly because the costs of all this damage are what economists refer to as externalities: they are outside the main transaction …. . .”

Therefore, we can see that the term ‘externalities’ means the extra cost (they are outside the main transaction).

So, the answer is: C

Question 17: one effect of chemicals on water sources

Keywords for this question: effect, chemicals, water sources,

In paragraph B, take a look at the last lines, “. .. … Natural soil fertility is dropping in many areas because of continuous industrial fertiliser and pesticide use, while the growth of algae is increasing in lakes because of the fertiliser run-off.”

Here, industrial fertiliser and pesticide = chemicals, the growth of algae is increasing = one effect,

So, the answer is: B

Questions 18-21 (YES, NO, NOT GIVEN)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches the claim of the writer in the text- YESThe statement in the question contradicts the claim of the writer in the text- NOThe statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 18: Several species of wildlife in the British countryside are declining.

Keywords for this question: several species, wildlife, British countryside, declining, 

We can find the answer in paragraph B, take a close look at lines 4-7, “ . .. . But the damage it has caused has been colossal. In Britain, for example, many of our best-loved farmland birds, such as the skylark, the grey partridge, the lapwing and the corn bunting, have vanished from huge stretches of countryside, as have even more wild flowers and insects. 

Here, have vanished =  declining,

So, the answer is: YES

Question 19: The taste of food has deteriorated in recent years.

Keywords for this question: taste of food, deteriorated, recent years,  

There is a reference to the cost of food in recent years is found in paragraph A. However, no reference to the quality of food, especially the taste is found in this passage.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 20: The financial costs of environmental damage are widely recognised.

Keywords for this question: financial costs, environmental damage, widely recognised,

In paragraph C, in line no. 2, the author talks about the financial costs or environmental damage, “. . .. That is mainly because the costs of all this damage . . . .”

Then, in lines 5-6, the writer says, “ . .. . . To many, the costs may not even appear to be financial at all, but merely aesthetic- a terrible shame, but nothing to do with money.”

These lines suggest that many people may not recognise these costs as financial at all.

So, the answer is: NO

Question 21: One of the costs calculated by Professor Pretty was illness caused by food.

Keywords for this question: one, costs calculated, Professor Pretty, illness, caused by food, 

Paragraph E gives the detailed costs calculated by Professor Pretty. In line no. 6, the author mentions one of the calculations, “… £169m from food poisoning; … . .”

Here, food poisoning = illness caused by food,  

So, the answer is: YES

Questions 22-26 (Completing summary with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary using information from the passage with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Question 22: Professor Pretty concludes that our __________ are higher than most people realise, because we make three different types of payment.

Keywords for this question: Professor Pretty, concludes, higher than, most people realise, because, make three, types, payment,  

Let’s have a look at paragraph E. Here the writer says in lines 6-11, “Professor Pretty draws a simple but memorable conclusion from all this: our food bills are actually threefold. We are paying for our supposedly cheaper food in three separate ways: once over the counter, secondly through our taxes which provide the enormous subsidies propping up modern intensive farming, and thirdly to clean up the mess that modern farming leaves behind.”

Here, higher corresponds to threefold = three times as much/ triple, conclude = draw a conclusion, three different types= three separate ways, make payment = paying for, over the counter = in the shops,  

So, the answer is: food bills / food costs

Question 23: He feels it is realistic to suggest that Britain should reduce its reliance on _________.

Keywords for this question: feels, realistic, suggest, Britain, should reduce, reliance on,  

In paragraph F, the writer states in lines 1-4, “Breaking away from industrial agriculture as the solution to hunger may be very hard for some countries, but in Britain, where the immediate need to supply food is less urgent, and the costs and the damage of intensive farming have been clearly seen, it may be more feasible.” 

Here,

These lines indicate that Professor Pretty shows the attitude that breaking away from industrial agriculture is possible (realistic) though it may be very hard. This is because the need for food in Britain is not so urgent. However, the damage done by intensive farming has been more apparent.

So, the answer is: (modern) intensive farming / agriculture  

Question 24: Although most farmers would be unable to adapt to __________.

Keywords for this question: Although, most farmers, unable to adapt,  

Let’s have a look at paragraph G where the writer says in lines 2-3, “.. .. . Professor Pretty feels that organic farming would be too big a jump in thinking and in practices for many farmers.”

Here, would be too big a jump in thinking and in practices = would be unable to adapt

So, the answer is: organic farming

Question 25: Professor Pretty wants the government to initiate change by establishing what he refers to as a ___________.

Keywords for this question: Professor Pretty, wants, government, initiate change, establishing, refers to as,    

Again in paragraph G, the author states in lines 4-7, “.. . He is recommending the immediate introduction of a ‘Greener Food Standard’, which would push the market towards more sustainable environmental practices than the current norm, while not requiring the full commitment to organic production.”

Therefore, the lines indicate that Professor Pretty wants the government to start making change by introducing (establishing) Greener Food Standard.

So, the answer is: Greener Food Standard

Question 26: He feels this would help to change the attitudes of both __________ and ___________.

Keywords for this question: feels, would help, change, attitudes, both,  

In paragraph G, the writer says in the last lines, “… .. . It could go a long way, he says, to shifting consumers as well as farmers towards a more sustainable system of agriculture.”  

Here, shifting = change, a more sustainable system of agriculture = the attitudes… changed,

So, the answer is: (in either order)

farmers,

consumers,

Reading Passage 3: Makete Integrated Rural Transport Project

Questions 27-30: (List of headings):

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence. ]

Question 27: Section B

Section B contains two paragraphs.

In paragraph no. 1, the existing communication situation of Makete district has been explained which shows the need for an integrated transport system.

Then paragraph no. 2 starts with these lines, “Before solutions could be proposed, the problems had to be understood. Little was known about the transport demands of the rural households, so Phase I, between December 1985 and December 1987, focused on research.” 

Here, the problems had to be understood = the problems had to understood/ identified,  

So, the answer is: ii (Identifying the main transport problems)

Question 28: Section C

Section C contains four paragraphs which mostly talk about the primary solutions to the problems related to building a proper transport system.

Take a look at paragraph no. 1 where the writer states, “Having determined the main transport needs, possible solutions were identified which might reduce the time and burden. During Phase II, from January to February 1991, a number of approaches were implemented in an effort to improve mobility and access to transport.”

Here, possible solutions were identified = initial solutions had been identified,

Then, in the following paragraphs, the writer describes the initial improvements that came about.

So, the answer is: v (Initial improvements in mobility and transport modes)

Question 29: Section E

Section E contains one paragraph only.

In the last lines of section E the writer says, “….. . . It would have been difficult to respond to the requests of villagers and other rural inhabitants without the support and understanding of district authorities.”

Here, district authorities = district officials,

This means the project became a success because villagers and other rural inhabitants got support (co-operation) from district officials.

So, the answer is: x (Co-operation of district officials)

Question 30: Section F

Section F contains two small paragraphs.

The first paragraph explains how important this MIRTP has been for the rural people of Makete district of south-western Tanzania.

Then, in the last lines of the final paragraph, the author explains, “. . . The experiences from Makete will help in this initiative, and Makete District will act as a reference for future work.”

Here, will act as a reference for future work = as a future model,

So, the answer is: i (MIRTP as a future model)

Questions 31-35: (YES, NO, NOT GIVEN)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES

The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO

The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN]

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 31: MIRTP was divided into five phases.

Keywords for this question: MIRTP, divided into, five phases,  

If we skim all the sections of the passages, we can find only three phases in MIRTP.

Phase I is mentioned in Section B (line no. 6).

Phase II is mentioned in Section C (line no. 2).

Phase III is mentioned in Section D (line no. 2).

So, the answer is: NO

Question 32: Prior to the start of MIRTP, the Makete district was almost inaccessible during the rainy season.

Keywords for this question: prior to, start, MIRTP, Makete district, almost inaccessible, rainy season,

Take a close look at section B. In the first sentence the author states, “When the project began, Makete District was virtually totally isolated during the rainy season.”

Here, virtually totally isolated = almost inaccessible,

So, the answer is: YES

Question 33: Phase I of MIRTP consisted of a survey of household expenditure on transport.

Keywords for this question: Phase I, MIRTP, consisted of, survey, household expenditure, on transport,

The reference of the survey in Phase I is given in section B, paragraph no. 2. Here, in lines 3-4, the author mentions, “. .. . The socio-economic survey of more than 400 households in the district indicated that a household in Makete spent, on average, seven hours a day on transporting themselves and their goods, .. .. ..”

Therefore, the statement is a clear indication that the survey was on the time spent transporting the people of Makete and their goods, not on household expenditure on transport.

So, the answer is: NO

Question 34: The survey concluded that one-fifth or 20% of the household transport requirement as outside the local area.

Keywords for this question: survey, concluded, one-fifth, 20%, household transport requirement, outside the local area,  

In the last lines of section B paragraph no. 2, the author writes, “.. .. .. Interesting facts regarding transport were found: 95% was on foot; 80% was within the locality; and 70% was related to the collection of water and firewood and travelling to grinding mills.”

Here, 80% was within the locality = 20% was outside the locality,

So, the answer is: YES

Question 35: MIRTP hoped to improve the movement of goods from Makete district to the country’s capital.

Keywords for this question: MIRTP, hoped to, improved, movement of goods, Makete, country’s capital,

At first glance, it may seem that the answer might be in Section C.

However, in section C, the author says in the second paragraph, “However the difference from the conventional approach was that this time consideration was given to local transport needs outside the road network.”

The lines show the purpose of the MIRTP which is to make transportation of goods riskless and safer by improving the roads. However, there is no mention of hoping to improve to movement of goods from Makete to the capital of Tanzania, Dodoma.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Questions 36-39 (Completing sentences with correct endings)

[For this type of question, candidates need to match the beginning and ending of sentences. Candidates need to look for keywords in the sentence-beginnings and find the relative paragraphs and then sentences in the passage. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Question 36: Construction of footbridges, steps and handrails –

Keywords for this question: construction, footbridges, steps, handrails,

In section C, the author says in paragraph no. 3, “Most goods were transported along the paths that provide short-cuts up and down the hillsides, but the paths were a real safety risk and made the journey on foot even more arduous. It made sense to improve the paths by building steps, handrails and footbridges.”

Therefore, the sentences indicate that by constructing footbridges, steps and handrails, transportation up and down hillsides became easier using the improved paths.

So, the answer is: D (improved paths used for transport up and down hillsides.)

Question 37: Frequent breakdown of buses and trucks in Makete –

Keywords for this question: frequent, breakdown, buses and trucks,

Have a close look and Section D paragraph no. 4 where you will find the keywords ‘breakdown’ and ‘buses and trucks’. In lines 1-2 the writer mentions, “The efforts to improve the efficiency of the existing transport services were not very successful because most of the motorised vehicles in the district broke down and there were no resources to repair them.”

Here, were not very successful means the breaking down of vehicles hindered/hampered the attempts to make the prevailing transport services more efficient.

So, the answer is: I (hindered attempts to make the existing transport services more efficient.)

Question 38: The improvement of secondary roads and paths –

Keywords for this question: improvement, secondary roads, paths,

In section D, in paragraph no. 3, the author says, “Paths and secondary roads were improved only at the request of communities who were willing to participate in construction and maintenance.”

Here, willing to participate in construction and maintenance = willing to lend a hand / willing to co-operate.

So, the answer is: G (was done only at the request of local people who were willing to lend a hand.)

Question 39: The isolation of Makete for part of the year –

Keywords for this question: isolation, Makete, for part of the year,

In section D, paragraph no. 2, the writer says, “The road improvements and accompanying maintenance system had helped make the district centre accessible throughout the year.”

The lines suggest that road improvements have made it possible to access Makete in particular months of the year. So, it was no problem to go to Makete during the rainy season, thanks to the road improvements.

So, the answer is: E (was no longer a problem once the roads had been improved.)

Question 40: Multiple choice questions (Identifying the main purpose/aim of the passage)

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options that shows the main aim/purpose using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Which of the following phrases best describes the main aim of Reading Passage?

Keywords for this question: best describes, the main aim,  

Having a look at the different sections of the passage for all the questions (27-39), it is clear that the passage talks about Makete Integrated Rural Transport Project or MIRTP. The sections deal with the history behind the projects, the problems related to successfully execute the project, the importance of road improvements for Makete and the successful implementation and outcomes of the projects.

Therefore, the main aim of the passage is to show how MIRTP was implemented and how successful it was to change the lifestyle of the people of Makete.   

So, the answer is: B (to describe how MIRTP was implemented and how successful it was)

Reading Passage 1: Let’s Go Bats

Questions 1-4: (Identifying information):

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I would request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question 1: examples of wildlife other than bats which do not rely on vision to navigate by   

Keywords for the question: wildlife other than bats, do not rely on, vision, to navigate

In paragraph B, the author says in lines 3-4, “Obviously, the night-flying insects that they prey on must find their way about somehow. Deep-sea fish and whales have little or no light by day or by night. Fish and dolphins that live in extremely muddy water cannot see because, although there is light, it is obstructed and scattered”

Here, the writer talks about other insects and animals which don’t depend on eyesight, e.g. night flying insects, Deep-sea fish and whales, fish and dolphins who don’t depend on vision to navigate by.

So, the answer is: B

Question 2: how early mammals avoided dying out

Keywords for the question: early mammals, avoided, dying out,

In paragraph A, the author mentions in lines 8-11, “In the time when the dinosaurs dominated the daytime economy, our mammalian ancestors probably only managed to survive at all because they found ways of scraping a living at night.”

Here, our mammalian ancestors = early mammals, managed to survive = avoided dying out,

So, the answer is: A

Question 3:  why bats hunt in the dark

Keywords for the question: why, bats hunt, dark,    

In paragraph A, the author says in lines 5-6, “Given that there is a living to be made at night, and given that alternative daytime trades are thoroughly occupied, natural selection has favored bats that make a go of the night-hunting trade.”

The lines suggest that nature has favoured by selecting bats to go for a hunt at night time. It means bats are naturally night-hunters.

So, the answer is: A   

Question 4:  how a particular discovery has helped our understanding of bats

Keywords for the question: particular discovery, helped, understanding, bats,   

In paragraph E, the writer talks about the discovery of SONAR in lines 6-9, ” the underlying mathematical theories of radar and sonar are very similar; and much of our scientific understanding of the details of what bats are doing has come from applying radar theory to them.” 

So, the answer is: E

Question 5:  early military uses of echolocation

Keywords for the question: early military use, echolocation,    

In Paragraph D, lines 12-14 talk about the use of ‘echolocation’/ sonar/ radar in The Second World War. “.. .. . . Both sides in the Second World War relied heavily on these devices, under such codenames as Asdic (British) and Sonar (American), as well as Radar (American) or RDF (British), which uses radio echoes rather than sound echoes.”

So, the answer is: D

Questions 6-9: (Summary completion)

(In this kind of question candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.)

The title of the summary: Facial Vision

Blind people report that so-called ‘facial vision’ is comparable to the sensation of touch on theface. In fact, the sensation is more similar to the way in which pain from a 6. ________ arm or leg might be felt. The ability actually comes from perceiving 7. ________ through the ears. However, even before this was understood, the principle had been applied in the design of instruments which calculated the 8. _________ of the seabed. This was followed by a wartime application in devices for finding 9. _________ .

All the answers are found in paragraph D.

Question 6: Blind people report that so-called ‘facial vision’ is comparable to the sensation of touch on theface. In fact, the sensation is more similar to the way in which pain from a ________ arm or leg might be felt.

Keywords for the question: blind people, facial vision, sensation of touch, more similar to, pain, arm or leg, might be felt,     

In paragraph D lines 6-7, the writer says, “Experiments showed that, in fact, facial vision is nothing to do with touch or the front of the face, although the sensation may be referred to the front of the face, like the referred pain in a phantom limb.”

Here, may be referred to = more similar to, limb = arm or leg,

So, the answer is: phantom

Question 7: The ability actually comes from perceiving _________ through the ears.

Keywords for the question: ability, actually, comes from, perceiving, through, ears,  

In paragraph D lines 8-9, the author says, “The sensation of facial vision, it turns out, really goes in through the ears. Blind people, without even being aware of the fact, are actually using echoes of their own footsteps and of other sounds, to sense the presence of obstacles.”

Here, actually using / to sense the presence of = perceiving,  

So, the answer is: echoes/ obstacles

Question 8: However, even before this was understood, the principle had been applied in the design of instruments which calculated the _________ of the seabed.

Keywords for the question: before, this was understood, principle, applied, design of instruments, calculated, of the seabed,

In paragraph D lines 9-11 the writer says, “Before this was discovered, engineers had already built instruments to exploit the principle, for example, to measure the depth of the sea under a ship.”

Here, measure = calculated, sea under a ship = seabed,  

So, the answer is: depth

Question 9: This was followed by a wartime application in devices for finding _________ .

Keywords for the question: followed, by, wartime, application, devices, for finding,

In paragraph D lines 11-12, the writer states, “After this technique had been invented, it was only a matter of time before weapons designers adapted it for the detection of submarines.”

Here, weapon designers adapted = wartime application, detection = finding,  

So, the answer is: submarines

Questions 10-13: (Completing sentences with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)

[For this type of question, candidates need to complete the sentences with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage. Candidates need to look for keywords in the sentence-beginnings and find the relative paragraphs and then sentences in the passage. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Question 10: Long before the invention of radar, ___________ had resulted in a sophisticated radar-like system in bats.

Keywords for the question: long before, invention, radar, resulted, sophisticated, radar-like system, bats,  

In paragraph E lines 1-3, the author mentions, “The Sonar and Radar pioneers didn’t know it then, but all the world now knows that bats, or rather natural selection working on bats, had perfected the system tens of millions of years earlier; and their ‘radar’ achieves feats of detection and navigation that would strike an engineer dumb with admiration.”

Here, millions of years earlier = long before, The Sonar and Radar pioneers didn’t know it then = before the invention of radar, had perfected = had resulted, the system = radar-like system,

So, the answer is: natural selection

Question 11: Radar is an inaccurate term when referring to bats because __________ are not used in their navigation system.

Keywords for the question: Radar, inaccurate term, referring to, bats, because, not used in, navigation system,   

Again, in paragraph E lines 4-5, the writer mentions, “It is technically incorrect to talk about bat ‘radar’, since they do not use radio waves.”

Here, technically incorrect = an inaccurate term, talk about bat = when referring to bats, since = because,

In this passage, radio waves also refer to echoes.

So, the answer is: radio waves/ echoes

Question 12: Radar and sonar are based on similar ___________.

Keywords for the question: Radar and sonar, based on, similar,

In paragraph E lines 5-6, the author says, “.. . . . But the underlying mathematical theories of radar and sonar are very similar; .. . … .”

So, the answer is: mathematical theories

Question 13: The word ‘echolocation’ was first used by someone working as a ___________.

Keywords for the question: ‘echolocation’, first used by, working, as a,

In paragraph E lines 7-9, the writer says, “The American zoologist Donald Griffin, who was largely responsible for the discovery of sonar in bats, coined the term ‘echolocation‘ to cover both sonar and radar; . . . ..  .”

Here, coined the term = first used,  

So, the answer is: zoologist

Reading Passage 2: MAKING EVERY DROP COUNT

Questions 14-20 (List of headings):

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence. ]

Question 14: Paragraph A

In the first lines of paragraph A, the writer says, “The history of human civilisation is entwined with the history of the ways we have learned to manipulate water resources.”

Then in lines 4-7, the writer mentions, “At the height of the Roman Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of pipes and well-built sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is provided in many parts of the industrial world today.”

Here, the Roman Empire, nine major systems = ancient water supplies,

So, the answer is: xi (A description of ancient water supplies)

Question 15: Paragraph C

Paragraph C narrates the dangers to physical condition as the result of a shortage of pure water. The writer mentions in lines 4-7, “.. … . . more than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water: some two and half billion do not have adequate sanitation services. Preventable water-related diseases kill an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 children every day, .. . .. . .”

So, the answer is: vii (the relevance to health)

Question 16: Paragraph D

Paragraph D details about the environmental effects of water-shortage.

In lines 4-7 the writer mentions, “. . .. … . more than 20% of all freshwater fish species are now threatened or endangered because dams and water withdrawals have destroyed the free-flowing river ecosystems where they thrive. Certain irrigation practices degrade soil quality and reduce agricultural productivity.”

So, the answer is: v (Environmental effects)

Question 17: Paragraph E

In paragraph E, take a look at the following sentences.

“. .. … however, the resource planners think about water is beginning to change.” (lines 1-2).

“The focus is slowly shifting back to the provision of basic human and environmental needs as top priority – .. ..” (lines 2-3)

“Some water experts are now demanding that existing infrastructure be used in smarter ways rather than building new facilities,. .. ..” (lines 4-5)

Here, resource planners/water experts = scientists, demanding = call, beginning to change/slowly shifting back, existing infrastructure be used in smarter ways = revision of policy,

So, the answer is: i (Scientists’ call for a revision of policy)

Question 18: Paragraph F

In paragraph F, take a close look at the following sentences.   

In lines 1-2 the writer mentions, “Fortunately – and unexpectedly – the demand for water is not rising as rapidly as some predicted.”

Then, in lines 3-5, the writer says, “Although population, industrial output, and economic productivity have continued to soar in developed nations, the rate at which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers and lacks has slowed.”

Here, unexpectedly = surprising, the rate.. .. has slowed = downward trend,

So, the answer is: ix (A surprising downward trend in demand for water)

Question 19: Paragraph G

Paragraph G opens with this question, “What explains this remarkable turn of events?”

This suggests that the author will give an explanation of the reasons behind this reduced use of water.

In lines 1-2 the writer mentions, “Two factors: people have figured out how to use water more efficiently, and communities are rethinking their priorities for water use.”

This means that there are two reasons behind reduced water use; first, people have found out ways to use water efficiently, and second, communities now think twice about their priorities for how to use water.

So, the answer is: ii (An explanation for reduced water use)

Question 20: Paragraph H

In paragraph H, we find that the writer feels the need to raise standards in use of water and planning for better infrastructure, “On the other hand, dams, aqueducts and other kinds of infrastructure will still have to be built, particularly in developing countries where basic human needs have not been met. But such projects must be built to higher specifications and with more accountability to local people and their environment than in the past. And even in regions where new projects seem warranted, we must find ways to meet demands with fewer resources, respecting ecological criteria and to smaller budget.”

Here, higher specifications = raise standards,

So, the answer is: x (The need to raise standards)

Questions 21-26 (YES, NO, NOT GIVEN)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches the claim of the writer in the text- YESThe statement in the question contradicts the claim of the writer in the text- NOThe statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 21: Water use per person is higher in the industrial world than it was in Ancient Rome.

Keywords for this question: water use, per person, higher, industrial world, Ancient Rome,

The last lines of paragraph A give us the answer to this question. The writer says here, “At the height of the Roman Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of pipes and well-built sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is provided in many parts of the industrial world today.”

Here, as much water per person . .. . . as is provided.. .. today means the supply of water is not higher; it is rather equal.

So, the answer is: NO

Question 22: Feeding increasing populations is possible due primarily to improved irrigation systems.

Keywords for this question: feeding, increasing populations, possible, due to, improved irrigation system,

In paragraph B the writer says in lines 5-7, “Food production has kept pace with soaring populations mainly because of the expansion of artificial irrigation systems that make possible the growth of 40% of the world’s food.”

Here, soaring = increasing, because of = due primarily to, artificial irrigation systems = improved irrigation systems,

So, the answer is: YES

Question 23: Modern water systems imitate those of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Keywords for this question: modern water systems, imitate, ancient Greeks and Romans,

In paragraph C the writer says in lines 2-3, “.. . … half of the world’s population still suffers, with water services inferior to those available to the ancient Greeks and Romans.”

However, we do not find any information that says modern water systems are a copied version of the Ancient Greek and Roman water systems.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 24: Industrial growth is increasing the overall demand for water.

Keywords for this question: industrial growth, increasing, overall demand, water,  

In paragraph F the writer argues in lines 3-5, “.. .. . Although population, industrial output and economic productivity have continued to soar in developed nations, the rate at which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers and lakes has slowed.”

Here, the rate . .. . has slowed = demand of water is decreasing.

Therefore, the lines directly contradict the information provided in question 24.

So, the answer is: NO

Question 25: Modern technologies have led to reduction in the domestic water consumption.

Keywords for this question: modern technologies, led to, reduction, domestic water consumption,   

In paragraph G the author states in lines 5-7, “.. . . . But since 1980, the amount of water consumed per person has actually decreased, thanks to a range of new technologies that help to conserve water in homes and industry.”

Here, thanks to a range of new technologies = modern technologies have led to,

Therefore, the lines directly match with the statement in question 25.  

So, the answer is: YES

Question 26: In the future, governments should maintain ownership of water infrastructures.

Keywords for this question: future, governments, should maintain, ownership, water infrastructures,

Information relating to government and water infrastructures can only be traced in paragraphs H and E.

In paragraph E, the writer only says: “Some water experts are now demanding that existing infrastructure be used in smarter ways rather than building new facilities.” There is no discussion about ownership whatsoever. 

In paragraph H:  “…dams, aqueducts and other kinds of infrastructure will still have to be built….”.  But again there is a clear indication of ownership here. Therefore, the sentences lack information about whether governments should maintain ownership of water infrastructures or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Reading Passage 3: The headline of the passage: EDUCATING PSYCHE

Questions 27-30: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question 27: The book Educating Psyche is mainly concerned with –

Keywords for this question: book, Educating Psyche, mainly, concerned with,  

The first line of paragraph no. 1 gives us the answer to this question, “Educating Psyche by Bernie Neville is a book which looks at radical new approaches to learning, describing the effects of emotion, imagination and the unconscious on learning.”

The answer can also be traced from paragraph no. 3 line no. 4-5, where the writer says, “. . .. . In suggestopedia, as he called his method, consciousness is shifted away from the curriculum. . .. . .”

Here, radical new approaches to learning = ways of learning which are not traditional, shifted away from the curriculum = out of traditional ways,

So, the answer is: D (ways of learning which are not traditional)

Question 28: Lozanov’s theory claims that then we try to remember things, –

Keywords for this question: Lozanov’s theory, claims, we try to remember things,

Take a look at paragraph no. 2 where the writer states, “Lozanov’s instructional technique is based on the evidence that the  connections made in the brain through unconscious processing are more durable than those made through conscious processing.”

Then he maintains to elucidate more about the theory  “ …we know from our experience that we often remember what we have perceived peripherally, long after we have forgotten what we set out to learn.”

Here, what we have perceived peripherally = unimportant details,

So, the answer is: A (unimportant details are the easiest to recall.)

Question 29: In this passage, the author uses the examples of a book and a lecture to illustrate that –

Keywords for this question: examples of a book and a lecture,

Again, take a look at paragraph no. 2, line no. 6-11 where the writer states, “.. . .. . If we think of a book we studied months or years ago, we find it easier to recall peripheral details… . .. than the content on which we were concentrating. If we think of a lecture we listened to with great concentration, we will recall the lecturer’s appearance and mannerism.. .. . .much more easily than the ideas we went to learn.”

These examples provided by the writer indicate that we remember insignificant things more easily than we remember things we aim to learn.  This supports Lozanov’s theory. Therefore, these examples agree with the idea that his theory is valid.

So, the answer is: B (his theory about methods of learning is valid.)

Question 30: Lozanov claims that teachers should train students to –

Keywords for this question: Lozanov claims, teachers should, train students, 

In lines 3-6 of paragraph no. 3, the writer maintains, “Lozanov, therefore, made indirect instruction (suggestion) central to his teaching system. In suggestopedia, as he called his method, consciousness is shifted away from the curriculum to focus on something peripheral. The curriculum then become peripheral and is dealt with by the reserve capacity of the brain.”

These lines indicate that he suggests making the curriculum unimportant by focusing on something else, in order to bear in mind the curriculum better.

So, the answer is: C (think about something other than the curriculum content.)

Questions 31-36: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this  – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 31: In the example of suggestopedic teaching in the fourth paragraph, the only variable that changes is the music.

Keywords for this question: suggestopedic teaching, fourth paragraph, only variable, changes, music,

In paragraph no. 4, the writer states, “… In the first part, the music is classical and the teacher reads the text slowly and solemnly, with attention to the dynamic of the music.”

“In the second part, they listen to baroque music while the teacher reads the text in a normal speaking voice.”

Moreover, the paragraph also informs us that in the initial part, students “follow the text in their books…. .” but in the second part “… they have their books closed.”

So, music is not the only variable that changes, their reading styles also change.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 32: Prior to the suggestopedia class, students are made aware that the language experience will be demanding.

Keywords for this question: prior to, suggestopedia class, students, made aware, language experience, will be demanding,

In paragraph no. 5, the author states, “ . . . Beforehand, the students have been carefully prepared for the language learning experience.  Through meeting with the staff and satisfied students they develop the expectation that learning will be easy and pleasant…”

Here, Beforehand = Prior to, learning will be easy and pleasant = learning will not be demanding,

The lines indicate that the students believe that the language experience will not require much effort or will not be so demanding.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 33: In the follow-up class, the teaching activities are similar to those used in conventional classes.

Keywords for this question: follow-up class, teaching activities, similar to, conventional classes,

In paragraph no. 6, the writer states, “. . . .There is a follow-up class at which the students are stimulated to recall the material presented.  The students… . . ..  focus on using the language to communicate (e.g. through games or improvised dramatisations).  Such methods are not unusual in language teaching.”

Here, teaching activities = methods, not unusual = similar to,

Therefore, the statement is a clear match to the question.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 34: As an indirect benefit, students notice improvements in their memory.

Keywords for this question: indirect benefit, students notice, improvements, memory,

Information speaking about the ‘benefit’ of the method for students only originates in paragraph no. 6.

However, the writer only states in the last lines of paragraph no. 6 that the students can learn more words: “ ..  …students can regularly learn 1000 new words of a foreign language during a suggestopedic session.”

Nothing is cited about any benefit to the memory of students.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 35: Teachers say they prefer suggestopedia to traditional approaches to language teaching.

Keywords for this question: teachers say, prefer, suggestopedia, to traditional approaches, language teaching,

Only paragraph no. 6 and the last paragraph inform us about suggestopedia and traditional approaches. However, in paragraph no. 6 we find out only the job of the teacher in the suggestopedia approach.  In the final paragraph, we learn that “…few teachers are able to emulate the spectacular results of Lozanov..” 

There is no clear reference to the exact approach or method of the teacher.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 36: Students in a suggestopedia class retain more new vocabulary than those in ordinary classes.

Keywords for this question: students, suggestopedia class, retain, more, new vocabulary, than, ordinary class,  

The last sentence of paragraph no. 6 says: “Another difference from conventional teaching is the evidence that students can regularly learn 1000 new words of a foreign language during a suggestopedic session, as well as grammar and idiom.” Therefore, the writer implies that this total of 1000 words is more than they would learn in an ordinary class.

Therefore, the statement is a clear match to the question.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 37-40 (Completing summary with a list of words)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Questions 37 and 38: Suggestopedia uses a less direct method of suggestion than other techniques such as hypnosis. However, Lozanov admits that a certain amount of 37. ___________ is necessary in order to convince students, even if this is just a 38. ___________.

Keywords for this question: suggestopedia, less direct method, than other techniques, hypnosis, Lozanov, admits, certain amount, necessary, to convince students, even, just,

The answers are found in paragraph no. 7, lines 5-8, “Lozanov acknowledges that the ritual surrounding suggestion in his own system is also a placebo, but maintains that without such a placebo people are unable or afraid to tap the reserve capacity of their brain. Like any placebo, it must be dispensed with authority to be effective.”

Here, acknowledges = admits,

So, the answers are:

• F (rituals)
• H (placebo)

Questions 39 and 40: Furthermore, if the method is to succeed, teachers must follow a set procedure. Although Lozanov’s method has become quite 39. ____________ , the result of most other teachers using this method have been 40. _____________.

Keywords for this question: furthermore, if, the method, to succeed, teachers must follow, set procedure, Lozanov’s methods, become, result, most other teachers, using this method,

The answers are found in Paragraph 8. This last paragraph starts with the writer saying, “While suggestopedia has gained some notoriety through success in the teaching of modern languages, few teachers are able to emulate the spectacular results of Lozanov and his associates.”

Here, notoriety = well-known (in a bad way),

So, the author explains to us that even though Lozanov’s method is successful/well known, the results obtain by most of the teachers using his system have not been very good/spectacular. Here we need 2 adjectives, one to describe Lozanov’s ‘method’, and the other for ‘the results.’

So, the answers are:

• K (well known)
• G (unspectacular)

Reading Passage 1 : Doctoring sales 

Questions 1-7: List of headings:

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question no. 1: Paragraph A

The last lines of the paragraph talk about what doctors expect from drug companies, “ . .. . ‘The last rep offered me a trip to Florida. What do you have?’ the physician asked. He was only half joking.”

Here, The last rep offered me a trip to Florida = the kind of offers the doctors get from drug companies, He was only half joking = He really expects a big offer,

So, the answer is: v (An example of what doctors expect from drug companies)

Question no. 2: Paragraph B

Paragraph B explains the different types of gifts that doctors get from pharmaceutical companies that include financial incentives. Take a look at the phrases and clauses like ‘a pair of tickets for a NY musical’, ‘a car trunk full of promotional gifts and gadgets’, ‘a budget that could buy lunches and dinners for a smell county’, ‘$200’, ‘a few $1000 honoraria to offer’.

Here, $200 and $1000 = financial incentives,

So, the answer is: vi (Gifts include financial incentives)

Question no. 3: Paragraph C

Paragraph C mainly raises the question of who is responsible for the promotions offered to the doctors; we find about the salespeople, the doctors or the industry but the writer is not sure who to blame. So, he/she raises the question, “ .. .. so are doctors to blame for the escalating extravagance of pharmaceutical marketing? Or is it the industry’s responsibility to decide the boundaries?

Here, refutes = the example directly contradicts the previous statement / Higher incomes need not mean more cars,

So, the answer is: iii (Who is responsible for the increase in promotions?)

Question no. 4: Paragraph D

Paragraph D clearly deals with the advantages of drug promotions as we find statements such as  ‘provide much-needed information and education to physicians’ (line 4), ‘primary sources of drug education for healthcare givers’(lines 5-6),  ‘salespeople have essentially become specialists in one drug or group of drugs’(lines7-8).

So, the answer is: ix (The positive side of drugs promotion)

Question no. 5: Paragraph E

Take a close look at the last few lines of paragraph E. The writer includes a comment made by a doctor, “ . .. Money well spent? It’s hard to tell. ‘I’ve been the recipient of golf balls from one company and I use them, but it doesn’t make me prescribe their medicine,’ says one doctor. ‘I tend to think I’m not influenced by what they give me.’”

Here, not influenced = not . . .. .persuaded,

So, the answer is: i (Not all doctors are persuaded)

Question no. 6: Paragraph F

This paragraph cites research done by the University of Washington and the author provides the result at the end of the paragraph, “ .. .. – the conclusion was that the availability of samples led them to dispense and prescribe drugs that differed from their preferred drug choice.”

Here, availability of samples led them to dispense and prescribe drugs = promotion works,

So, the answer is: vii (Research shows that promotion works)

Question no. 7: Paragraph G

The second and third lines of paragraph G give us the answer, “ . .. ..  And patients are the ones who pay – in the form of sky-rocketing prescription prices – for every pen that’s handed out, every free theatre ticket, and every steak dinner eaten.”

Here, patients are the ones who pay = patients are the real payers,

So, the answer is: x (Who really pays for doctors’ free gifts?)

Question 8-13: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 8: Sales representatives like Kim Schaefer work to a very limited budget.

Keywords for the question: Sales representatives, Kim Schaefer, work, very limited budget,   

In paragraph B, as we’ve already read for the previous question type, the writer gives a detailed explanation of the types of promotions sales representatives like Kim Schaefer offer to the doctors, “. .. . . a car trunk full of promotional gifts and gadgets, a budget that could buy lunches and dinners for a small country, hundreds of free drug samples and the freedom to give a physician $200 to prescribe her new product to the next six patients who fit the drug’s profile. And she also has a few $ 1,000 honoraria .. .. .. .. .”

These lines clearly indicate that sales representatives have a very big budget.

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 9: Kim Schaefer’s marketing technique may be open to criticism on moral grounds. 

Keywords for the question: Kim Schaefer’s marketing technique, open to criticism, moral grounds,   

The answer can be found in paragraph C where the author mentions in the very beginning, “ .. .. Selling pharmaceuticals is a daily exercise in ethical judgement. .. …”

Here, daily exercise = may be open to, ethical judgement = criticism on moral judgement,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 10: The information provided by drug companies is of little use to doctors.

Keywords for the question: information, provided by, drug companies, of little use, doctors,   

The answer to this question can be found in paragraph D, in lines 3-4 “ … . . Salespeople provide much-needed information and education to physicians. .. .. . .” 

Here, much-needed information and education = information and education is of great use, physicians = doctors,

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 11: Evidence of drug promotion is clearly visible in the healthcare environment.

Keywords for the question: evidence, drug promotion, clearly visible, healthcare environment,  

Take a look at these lines paragraph E, “. . .. Rarely do patients watch a doctor write with a pen that isn’t emblazoned with a drug’s name, or see a nurse use a tablet not bearing a pharmaceutical company’s logo.  . .. …”

The lines mean that patients watch a doctor to write a pen that is emblazoned (marked) with a drug’s name most of the time or see a nurse use a tablet that bears the pharmaceutical company’s logo most of the time. So, the evidence of drug promotion is clearly visible.

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 12: The drug companies may give free drug samples to patients without doctors’ prescriptions.  

Keywords for the question: drug companies, may give, free drug samples, patients, without doctors’ prescriptions,   

In paragraph F we find about ‘free drug samples’ in the beginning. However, it is not mentioned whether the drug companies may give them to patients without doctors’ prescriptions or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 13:  It is legitimate for drug companies to make money.

Keywords for the question: legitimate, drug companies, make money,  

In paragraph G the writer says in lines 4-5, “ . .. . In the end the fact remains that pharmaceutical companies have every right to make a profit . .. .. .”

Here, have every right = it is legitimate, make a profit = make money,

So, the answer is: YES

Reading Passage 2 : Do literate women make better mothers?

Questions 14-18: Completing summary with list of words

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Question no. 14: The Nicaraguan National Literacy Crusade aimed to teach large numbers of illiterate ___________ to read and write.

Keywords for the question: Nicaraguan National Literacy Crusade, aimed to teach, large numbers of illiterate, read and write,

Let’s scan the passage to find the KEYPHRASE ‘Nicaraguan National Literacy Crusade’. Paragraph no. 3 talks about this KEYPHRASE. So, there’s a high possibility to find the answers from here.

The writer says here, “In 1979, the government of Nicaragua established a number of social programmes, including a National Literacy Crusade. By 1985, about 300,000 illiterate adults from all over the country, many of whom had never attended primary school, had learnt how to read, write and use numbers.”

Here, adults = men and women,

So, the answer is: B (men and women)

Question no. 15: Public health experts have known for many years that there is a connection between child health and _________.

Keywords for the question: Public health experts, known, many years, connection between, child health and,  

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 1 (this happens rarely as this type of question generally follows a sequence). Anyway, in lines 1-2 the author of the text says, “Children in developing countries are healthier and more likely to survive past the age of five when their mothers can read and write. Experts in public health accepted this idea decades ago, . . . .”

Here, when their mothers can read and write = maternal literacy, Experts in public health = Public health experts, accepted this idea decades ago = have known for many years,

So, the answer is: F (maternal literacy)

Question no. 16: However, it has not previously been known whether these two factors were directly linked or not. This question has been investigated by __________ in Nicaragua.

 Keywords for the question: not previously been known, two factors, directly linked or not, This question, investigated by, Nicaragua,

First, take a look at lines 2-3 of paragraph no. 1, “. . .. . but until now no one has been able to show that a woman’s ability to read in itself improves her children’s chances of survival.”

Here, until now no one has been able to show = it has not previously been known, a woman’s ability to read & improves her children’s chances of survival = these two factors were directly linked,

Then, in paragraph no. 4, the writer mentions about the investigation, “… researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Central American Institute of Health in Nicaragua, the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua and the Costa Rican Institute of Health interviewed nearly 3,000 women, some of whom had learnt to read as children, some during the literacy crusade and some who had never learnt at all.”

Here, the research institutes are from a number of countries.

So, the answer is: C (an international research team)

Questions no. 17 & 18: As a result, factors such as 17. _________ and attitudes to children have been eliminated, and it has been shown that 18. __________ can in itself improve infant health and survival.

Keywords for the question: as a result, factors such as, attitudes to children, eliminated, shown that, itself improve, infant health and survival,

The answers can be found in paragraph no. 2. First, the writer says in the beginning, “. .. . . the fact that a woman has had an education may simply indicate her family’s wealth or that it values its children more highly. Now a long-term study carried out in Nicaragua has eliminated these factors .. . .. .”  

Then, the writer says, “. . .. . that teaching reading to poor adult women, who would otherwise have remained illiterate, has a direct effect on their children’s health and survival.”

Here, teaching reading to poor adult women = maternal literacy,

So, the answers are:

1. J (family wealth)
2. F (maternal literacy)

Questions 19-24: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 19: About a thousand of the women interviewed by the researchers had learnt to read when they were children.

Keywords for the question: about a thousand, women, interviewed by, researchers, learnt to read, when, children,   

The mention of women interviewed by researchers can be found in paragraph no. 4. The writer says here, “. . .. . interviewed nearly 3,000 women, some of whom had learnt to read as children, …  .”  

However, the number of women who learnt to read when being children is not mentioned.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 20: Before the National Literacy Crusade, illiterate women had approximately the same levels of infant mortality as those who had learnt to read in primary school.

Keywords for the question: Before, National Literacy Crusade, illiterate women, approximately the same levels of infant mortality, as, who had learnt to read, primary school,

Have a look at these lines in paragraph no. 5, “ . .. . In the late 1970s, the infant mortality rate for the children of illiterate mothers was around 110 deaths per thousand live births. At this point in their lives, those mothers who later went on to learn to read had a similar level of child mortality (105/1000). For women educated in primary school, however, the infant mortality rate was significantly lower, at 80 per thousand.”

So, the lines confirm that the levels of infant mortality were different for illiterate (110 per thousand) and literate women (80 per thousand); they weren’t the same.

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 21: Before and after the National Literacy Crusade, the child mortality rate for the illiterate women stayed at about 110 deaths for each thousand live births.

Keywords for the question: before and after, National Literacy Crusade, child mortality rate, illiterate women, stayed, about 110 deaths, each thousand live births,  

To find the answer to this question we have to read from two paragraphs. First, take a look at paragraph no. 5, “ .. . . . . In the late 1970s, the infant mortality rate for the children of illiterate mothers was around 110 deaths per thousand live births. . .. .”

Here, In the late 1970s = before,

Then, in paragraph no. 6, the author says, “In 1985, after the National Literacy Crusade had ended, .. .. .. the infant mortality figures for those who remained illiterate and for those educated in primary school remained more or less unchanged.”

Here, remained more or less unchanged = stayed at about 110 deaths for each thousand live births,

The lines are a clear match to the question.

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 22: The women who had learnt to read through the National Literacy Crusade showed the greatest change in infant mortality levels.

Keywords for the question: women, had learnt to read, through National Literacy Crusade, showed, greatest change, infant mortality levels,  

Take a look at lines 3-5 of paragraph no.6, “ . .. . . For those women who learnt to read through the campaign, the infant mortality rate was 84 per thousand, an impressive 21 points lower than for those women who were still illiterate. … .. .”

This is a clear match with the question as literate women showed a great decreasing change of 21 points in infant mortality rate.

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 23: The women who had learnt to read through the National Literacy Crusade had the lowest rates of child mortality.

Keywords for the question: women, who, learnt to read, through, National Literacy Crusade, had, lowest rates, child mortality,  

In the sixth paragraph, the writer says, “ . .. .For those women who learnt to read through the campaign, the infant mortality rate was 84 per thousand . .. . ”

Again, in the fifth paragraph, the writer says that the rate before the Crusade was ‘80 per thousand’ for women educated in primary school. Then, in the sixth paragraph, the writer says that it “remained more or less unchanged”. 

So, it can be understood from those points that the women who got educated in primary school had the lower rates of child mortality than who had learnt to read through the National Literacy Crusade. Therefore, the question contradicts the information in the passage.

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 24: After the National Literacy Crusade, the children of the women who remained illiterate were found to be severely malnourished.

Keywords for the question: After, National Literacy Crusade, children of the women, remained illiterate, found, severely malnourished,

In the last line of paragraph no.6 the writer mentions, “ . .. . . . The children of the newly-literate mothers were also better nourished than those of women who could not read.”

However, we find no information which indicates that those children were severely malnourished.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Questions 25-26: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers for previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 25 & 26: Which TWO important implications drawn from the Nicaraguan study are mentioned by the writer of the passage?

Keywords for the question: TWO, important implications, drawn from, Nicaraguan study, mentioned, by the writer,

A. It is better to educate mature women than young girls.
B. Similar campaigns in other countries would be equally successful.
C. The effects of maternal literacy programmes can be seen very quickly.
D. Improving child health can quickly affect a country’s economy.
E. Money spent on female education will improve child health.

Let’s have a look at paragraphs no. 8, 9 and 10 as they talk about the Nicaraguan study.

In paragraph no. 8, the writer says in lines 2-4, “ . .. . there is increasing evidence that female education, at any age, is “an important health intervention in its own right’.” So, women of all ages can be educated. Therefore, option A is wrong.

In paragraph no. 10, in the beginning, the writer says, “Cleland warns that the Nicaraguan crusade was special in many ways, and similar campaigns elsewhere might not work as well.” Therefore, option B is wrong.

In paragraph no. 9, the writer says, “We’ve known for a long time that maternal education is important,’ says John Cleland of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. ‘But we thought that even if we started educating girls today, we’d have to wait a generation for the pay off. The Nicaraguan study suggests we may be able to bypass that.” Here, we may be able to bypass that = the effects of maternal literacy programmes can be seen really soon. Therefore, option C is correct.

In paragraph no. 8 the writer says in the end, “ .. . .. The results of the study lend support to the World Bank’s recommendation that education budgets in developing countries should be increased, not just to help their economies, but also to improve child health.”

There is no information about the link between improving child health and a country’s economy. Therefore, option D is wrong and option E is correct.

So, the answers are: (in either order)

C (The effects of maternal literacy programmes can be seen very quickly.)

E (Money spent on female education will improve child health.)

Reading Passage 3 : Questions 27-30: List of headings:

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question no. 27: Section A

In Section A the writer mentions the survey he conducted in lines 3-5, “ . .. ..  A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent. … . .”

Here, A survey = research, a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent = how common bullying is,

So, the answer is: iv (Research into how common bullying is in British schools)

Question no. 28: Section B

Section B highlights the effect of bullying on children. Take a look at lines 1-3, “ . .. .  Bullying is clearly unpleasant, and can make the child experiencing it feel unworthy and depressed. In extreme cases it can even lead to suicide, though this is thankfully rare. .. . .  …”

Here, unpleasant, feel unworthy and depressed & it can even lead to suicide = effect of bullying on the children involved,

So, the answer is: vi (The effect of bullying on the children involved)

Question no. 29: Section C

For this question, we have to skim the whole section and we will find the reactions from schools to enquiries about bullying. Take a look at these lines, ‘schools would often deny the problem’, ‘There is no bullying at this school’ has been a common refrain’, ‘There is not much bullying here, but when it occurs we have a clear policy for dealing with it’.

So, the answer is: v (The reaction from schools to enquiries about bullying)f

Question no. 30: Section D

This particular section starts with this line, “Three factors are involved in this change.”

Here, this change = developments that have led to a new approach,

If we scan the lines, we find the factors being “an awareness of the severity of the problem”, “a number of resources to help tackle bullying” and “evidence that these materials work and that schools can achieve something”.

So, the answer is: vii (Developments that have led to a new approach by schools)

Questions 31-34: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 31: A recent survey found that in British secondary schools –

Keywords for the question: recent survey, British secondary schools,

The writer says at the end of section A, “A Survey I conducted . .. . . .. . . . There was less bullying in secondary schools, with about one in twenty-five suffering persistent bullying, but these cases may be particularly recalcitrant.”

So, the answer is: B (there was less bullying than in primary schools.)

Question no. 32: Children who are bullied –

Keywords for the question: children, bullied,

In paragraph B, take a look at lines 3-5, “. .. . Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships as adults,  .. .. .”

Here, experience difficulties with interpersonal relationship = difficulty forming relationship, adults = later life,

So, the answer is: D (may have difficulty forming relationships in later life.)

Question no. 33: The writer thinks that the declaration ‘There is no bullying at this school’ –

Keywords for the question: writer thinks, declaration, ‘There is no bullying at this school’,

The answer can be found in the beginning of paragraph C. The writer says here, “ .. . .. and little help was available to teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem. ‘There is no bullying at this school’ has been a common refrain, almost certainly untrue.. .. .”

Here, little help was available = lack of knowledge and resources,

So, the answer is: D (reflected a lack of knowledge and resources.)

Question no. 34: What were the findings of research carried out in Norway?

Keywords for the question: findings, research, carried out in Norway,    

The writer says in paragraph C in lines 10-12, “. .. .. In Norway, after an intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved.. .. .. .”

Here, was halved = declined by 50%,  

So, the answer is: A (Bullying declined by 50% after an anti-bullying campaign.)

Questions 35-39: Summary completion:

[In this kind of question candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers for fill in the gaps.]

Question no. 35: The most important step is for the school authorities to produce a ________ which makes the school’s attitude towards bullying quite clear.

Keywords for the question: most important step, for, school authorities, produce, makes, school’s attitude, towards, bullying, quite clear,   

The answer can be found at the beginning of paragraph E. The writer says here, “Evidence suggests that a key step is to develop a policy on bullying, saying clearly what is meant by bullying,. . .”

Here, a key step = the most important step, to develop = to produce, saying clearly = makes. . .. . ..attitude towards bullying quite clear,

So, the answer is: policy

Question no. 36: It should include detailed _________ as to how the school and its staff will react if bullying occurs.

Keywords for the question: it, should include, detailed, how, school and its staff, will react, bullying occurs,    

The answer can be found at the end of paragraph E. The writer says here, “. . .. and giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it occurs, what records will be kept, who will be informed, what sanctions will be employed, . .”

Here, what will be done if it occurs = how the school and its staff will react if bullying occurs,

So, the answer is: (explicit) guidelines  

Question no. 37: In addition, action can be taken through the ___________. This is particularly useful in the early part of the process, as a way of raising awareness and encouraging discussion. On its own, however, it is insufficient to bring about a permanent solution.

Keywords for the question: in addition, action, can be taken, through, particularly, useful, if, early part, process, as a way, raising awareness, and encouraging discussion, however, insufficient, bring about, permanent solution,   

In the second paragraph of section E, the author mentions, “Other actions can be taken to back up the policy. There are ways of dealing with the topic through the curriculum, using video, drama and literature. These are useful for raising awareness, and can best be tied in to early phases of development, while the school is starting to discuss the issue of bullying… .”

Here, Other actions can be taken = In addition, action can be taken, useful for raising awareness = a way of raising awareness,

So, the answer is: (school) curriculum

Question no. 38: Effective work can also be done with individual pupils and small groups. For example, potential ___________of bullying can be trained to be more self-confident. Or again, in dealing with group bullying, a ‘no blame’ approach, which avoids confronting the offender too directly, is often effective.

Keywords for the question: effective work, individual pupils, small groups, potential, bullying, trained, more self-confident, dealing, group bullying, ‘no blame’ approach, avoids, confronting, offender, too directly, often effective,     

The answer can be found in the third paragraph in section E. The writer says here, “. . .. There are also ways of working with individual pupils, or in small groups. Assertiveness training for pupils who are liable to be victims is worthwhile, . .”

Here, There are also ways of working = Effective work can also be done, liable to be = potential, Assertiveness training = can be trained to be more self-confident,

So, the answer is: victims

Question no. 39: Playground supervision will be more effective if members of staff are trained to recognise the difference between bullying and mere ___________.

Keywords for the question: playground supervision, more effective, if, members of staff, trained, recognise, difference, between bullying,  

In section E, take a look at paragraph no. 4 where the author mentions, “ . .. One helpful step is to train lunchtime supervisors to distinguish bullying from playful fighting, and help them break up conflicts. 

Here, supervisors to distinguish = members of staff are trained to recognise the difference,

So, the answer is: playful fighting

Question no. 40: Multiple choice questions (choosing a title for the passage)

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 40: Which of the following is the most suitable title for Reading Passage 3?

Keywords for the question: most suitable title,

If we study the subheading closely, we can find the main idea of the passage which is ‘How can it (bullying) be prevented?’ In this passage, the writer first discusses the problem of persistent bullying in British Education institutions and then proposes some preventive measures.

So, the answer is: D (Bullying: from crisis management to prevention)

Reading Passage 1 : Questions 1-5: Identifying information:

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 1: the location of the first cinema

Keywords for the question: location, first cinema,

In paragraph A, read these lines carefully, “The Lumière Brothers opened their Cinematographe, at 14 Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, to 100 paying customers over 100 years ago, on December 8, 1985. Before the eyes of the stunned, thrilled audience, photographs came to life and moved across a flat screen.”

The following paragraphs (especially paragraph C) gives indication that 14 Boulevard des Capucines in Paris was the first location in the world to show a cinema.

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 2: how cinema came to focus on stories

Keywords for the question: how, cinema, focus on stories, 

The first few lines of paragraph I indicate the answer as the writer explains here, “Cinema might, for example, have become primarily a documentary form. Or it might have developed like television -as a strange noisy transfer of music, information and narrative. But what happened was that it became, overwhelmingly, a medium for telling stories.

So, the answer is: I

Question no. 3: the speed with which cinema has changed

Keywords for the question: speed, cinema, changed,   

Skim paragraph J to find how fast cinema has changed, “And it has all happened so quickly. Almost unbelievably, it is a mere 100 years since that train arrived and the audience screamed and fled, convinced by the dangerous reality of what they saw, and, perhaps, suddenly aware that the world could never be the same again -that, maybe, it could be better, brighter, more astonishing, more real than reality.”

Here, it is a mere 100 years mean that cinema has progressed very fast during 100 years.

So, the answer is: J

Question no. 4: how cinema teaches us about other cultures

Keywords for the question: how, cinema, teaches, other cultures,   

The answer can be found in lines 1-6 of paragraph E. The writer says here, “One effect of this realism was to educate the world about itself. For cinema makes the world smaller. Long before people travelled to America or anywhere else, they knew what other places looked like; they knew how other people worked and lived. . .. .. .”

Here, they knew what other places looked like; they knew how other people worked and lived = cinema teaches us about other cultures,

So, the answer is: E

Question no. 5: the attraction of actors in films

Keywords for the question: attraction, actors, films,  

The first lines of paragraph G give us the answer, “The ‘star’ was another natural consequence of cinema. The cinema star was effectively born in 1910. Film personalities have such an immediate presence that inevitably, they become super-real. .. ..”

Here, Film personalities = actors, an immediate presence = attractions,

So, the answer is: G

Question 6-9: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 6: It is important to understand how the first audiences reacted to the cinema.

Keywords for the question: important, understand, how, first audiences, reacted to, cinema,

The answer is found in lines 4-9 of paragraph B, “ . .. . But it is worth trying, for to understand the initial shock of those images is to understand the extraordinary power and magic of cinema, the unique, hypnotic quality that has made films the most dynamic, effective art form of the 20th century.”

Here, it is worth trying = it is important, the initial shock of those images = how the first audiences reacted to the cinema,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 7: The Lumiere Brothers’ film about the train was one of the greatest films ever made.

Keywords for the question: Lumiere Brothers’ film, train, one of, greatest films ever made,

Paragraph C gives a detailed explanation of The Lumiere Brothers’ film about the train. Here, these lines may confuse you, “ . .. Yet the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, one of the greatest of all film artists, described the film as a ‘work of genius’.”

You need to read the question again; it asks about the film, not the film artists.

In this passage, there is no information about whether this film is one of the greatest films ever made or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 8: Cinema presents a biased view of other countries.

Keywords for the question: cinema, presents, biased view, other countries,   

In paragraph E we find the information that cinema can make us aware about other countries. So, we can guess that the answer to this question should be found in the same paragraph. However, it does not say anywhere that cinema gives a biased view of other countries.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 9: Storylines were important in very early cinema. 

Keywords for the question: storylines, important, very early cinema,   

In paragraph D H lines 5-7 say, “ . .. . All that mattered at first was the wonder of movement. … . .”

Here, All that mattered at first = all that was important in very early cinema,

So, it was the wonder of movement, not the storylines.

So, the answer is: NO

Questions 11-13: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 10: The writer refers to the film of the train in order to demonstrate –

Keywords for the question: the film of train, to demonstrate,  

Take a look at these lines paragraph C where the writer talks about the film about the moving train presented by the Lumiere Brothers, “. . .. ‘As the train approached,’ wrote Tarkovsky, ’panic started in the theatre: people jumped and ran away. That was the moment when cinema was born. The frightened audience could not accept that they were watching a mere picture..  … .”

Clearly, the writer explains the impact of the early films as mass people reacted with astonishment.

So, the answer is: B (the impact of early films)

Question no. 11: In Tarkovsky’s opinion, the attraction of the cinema is that it –

Keywords for the question: Tarkovsky’s opinion, attraction, cinema, it,

Take a look at lines 7-9 in paragraph D, “. . .. For Tarkovsky, the key to that magic dynamic image of the real flow of events. .  ..”

Here, that magic dynamic image = attraction of the cinema, real flow of events = passing of time,

So, the answer is: C (illustrates the passing of time)

Question no. 12: When cinema first began, people thought that –    

Keywords for the question: when, cinema, first begun, people, thought,   

The answer can be found in paragraph H as the author says here, “.. .. When the Lumiere Brothers and other pioneers began showing off this new invention, it was by no means obvious how it would be used. All that mattered at first was the wonder of movement. Indeed, some said that, once this novelty had worn off, cinema would fade away. .. . .”

Here, by no means obvious = the future was uncertain,

So, the answer is: D (its future was uncertain)

Question no. 13: What is the best title for this passage?

Keywords for the question: best title,  

During answering all the 12 questions, we have found out that the passage highlights the introduction, the development and different impacts of the cinema. Only two paragraphs in this passage talk about stars/ film artists, the dominance of Hollywood and a short comparison between cinema and novels.

The best choice from the four options has to be ‘The power of the big screen (cinema)’.

So, the answer is: D (The power of the big screen)

Reading Passage 2 : Motivating Employees under Adverse Conditions

Questions 14-18: List of headings:

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question no. 14: Key Point Two

Take a close look at the first lines of Key Point Two, “The literature on goal-setting theory suggests that managers should ensure that all employees have specific goals and receive comments on how well they are doing in those goals.”

Here, all employees have specific goals = establish targets, receive comments on how well they are doing in those goals = give feedbacks,

So, the answer is: vii (Establish targets and give feedback)

Question no. 15: Key Point Three

The answer can be found in lines 1-4 of Key Point Three. Here, the writer says, “Regardless of whether goals are achievable or well within management’s perceptions of the employee’s ability, if employees see them as unachievable they will reduce their effort. Managers must be sure, therefore, that employees feel confident that their efforts can lead to performance goals. .. .. .”

Here, if employees see them as unachievable they will reduce their effort = targets should not be unrealistic,

So, the answer is: iii (Ensure targets are realistic)

Question no. 16: Key Point Four

The answer can be found in lines 1-3 of Key Point Four. Take a look at these lines, “Since employees have different needs, what acts as a reinforcement for one may not for another. Managers could use their knowledge of each employee to personalise the rewards over which they have control. .. .. .”

Here, personalise the rewards over which they have control = match rewards to individuals,

So, the answer is: ii (Match rewards to individuals)

Question no. 17: Key Point Five

The answer can be found in the very first sentence of Key Point Five. The writer says here, “Managers need to make rewards contingent on performance. . .. .. ”

Here, performance = achievement, contingent = reliant/linked,

So, the answer is: iv (Link rewards to achievement)

Question no. 18: Key Point Six

The answer can be found in the first lines of Key Point Six. The author says here, “The way rewards are distributed should be transparent so that employees perceive that rewards or outcomes are equitable and equal to the inputs given.  .. ..”

Here, The way rewards are distributed = reward system, transparent = fair,

So, the answer is: i (Ensure the reward system is fair)

Questions 19-24: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 19: A shrinking organisation tends to lose its less skilled employees rather than its more skilled employees.

Keywords for the question: shrinking organisation, tends to lose, less skilled employees, than, more skilled employees,

The answer can be found in the ‘THE CHALLENGE’ section in the first paragraph. The writer says here, “. . .. . When an organization is shrinking, the best and most mobile workers are prone to leave voluntarily. …they are the ones….with the highest skills and experience.” 

Here, the lines clearly suggest that the less skilled workers have a lower chance to lose their jobs than the highly skilled ones.

Here, most mobile workers = more skilled workers,

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 20: It is easier to manage a small business than a large business.

Keywords for the question: easier to manage, small business, than, large business,  

In ‘KEY POINT ONE’, small and large businesses are mentioned but we do not find any comparison on managing them.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 21: High achievers are well suited to team work.

Keywords for the question: high achievers, well suited, team work,

The answer can be found in ‘KEY POINT ONE’, in lines 7-8. The author says here, “ . .. . High achievers will do best when the job provides moderately challenging goals and where there is independence and feedback.”

Here, where there is independence = not teamwork but work with freedom,

The line clearly contradicts the question.

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 22: Some employees can feel manipulated when asked to participate in goal-setting.

Keywords for the question: some employees, can feel, manipulated, asked to participate, goal-setting,  

The last few lines of ‘KEY POINT TWO’ provide us with the answer to this question as the author explains here, “ . .. . If participation and the culture are incongruous, employees are likely to perceive the participation process as manipulative and be negatively affected by it.”

Here, manipulative = manipulated,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 23: The staff appraisal process should be designed by employees.

Keywords for the question: staff appraisal process, should be, designed, by employees,

‘KEY POINT THREE’ mentions about ‘staff appraisal process’. Take a look at the last lines, “. .. . For managers, this means that employees must have the capability of doing the job and must regard the appraisal process as valid.”
However, it’s not mentioned whether the process should be designed by employees or managers.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 24: Employees’ earnings should be disclosed to everyone within the organisation.

Keywords for the question: employees’ earnings, should be disclosed, to everyone, within, organisation,

In ‘KEY POINT FIVE’ the writer mentions employees’ earnings. Here, in lines 5-6, the writer says, “ . .. . Eliminating the secrecy surrounding pay by openly communicating everyone’s remuneration, publicising performance bonuses and allocating annual salary increases in a lump sum … .. . . . make rewards more visible and potentially more motivating.”

Here, make rewards more visible = should be disclosed to everyone,

So, the answer is: YES

Questions 25-27: Matching places/names/groups from list of descriptions:

[The rules for finding answers to this sort of question are simple. Just find the name of the person/places/groups, read around it carefully and try to match with the given list of descriptions. Then, give a quick look to check whether there is another statement or idea provided by the same person in the text. If there is, check the reference carefully and decide your answer. Remember, the questions will not follow any sequential order. Do the reverse method when the statements are in questions]

Question no. 25: high achievers

Keywords for the question: high achievers,

We find points made about high achievers in ‘KEY POINT ONE’ where the writer mentions where and why we should select high achievers. Then, in ‘KEY POINT TWO’ in lines 3-4, the writer says, “ . .. . For those with high achievement needs, typically a minority in any organisation, the existence of external goals is less important because high achievers are already internally motivated. .. . .”

Here, For those with high achievement needs = high achievers, the existence of external goals is less important = they have less need of external goals.

So, the answer is: B (They have less need of external goals.)

Question no. 26: clerical workers

Keywords for the question: clerical workers,    

The answer can be found in ‘KEY POINT SIX’ in lines 7-8, “ . . .. the clerical workers considered factors such as quality of work performed and job knowledge near the top of their list, . .. .”

Here, quality of work performed = quality of their work, the top of their list = important,

So, the answer is: C (They think that the quality of their work is important.)

Question no. 27: production workers

Keywords for the question: production workers,   

In ‘KEY POINT SIX’, take a look at line no. 13, “.. .. . For example, production workers rated advancement very highly, . .. ..”

Here, advancement = promotion, very highly = to be important,  

So, the answer is: A (They judge promotion to be important.)

Reading Passage 3 : The Search for the Anti-aging Pill

Questions 27-32: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 28: Studies show drugs available today can delay the process of growing old.

Keywords for the question: studies show, drugs available today, delay, process, growing old,

Take a look at the first sentence of the first paragraph where the writer says, “As researchers on aging noted recently, no treatment on the market today has been proved to slow human aging . .. . .”

Here, no treatment = drugs available, slow human aging = delay to process of growing old,

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 29: There is scientific evidence that eating fewer calories may extend human life.

Keywords for the question: scientific evidence, eating fewer calories, may extend, human life,

In the first paragraph, the writer says in lines 3-5, “ . .. . But one intervention, consumption of a low-calorie* yet nutritionally balanced diet, works incredibly well in a broad range of animals, increasing longevity and prolonging good health. … .. .”

Here, consumption of a low-calorie .. .. .. balanced diet = eating fewer calories, prolonging good health = may extend human life,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 30: Not many people are likely to find a caloric-restricted diet attractive.

Keywords for the question: not many people, likely, find, caloric-restricted diet, attractive,

Lines 2-3 of paragraph no. 2 says, “ . .. . . Few mortals could stick to that harsh a regimen, especially for years on end.. . .. .”

Here, Few mortals = not many people, that harsh a regimen = calorie-restricted diet, could stick = likely to find . .. attractive,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 31: Diet-related diseases are common in older people.

Keywords for the question: diet-related diseases, common, older people,

Lines 6-7 talks about some common diet-related diseases, “ . .. . . age-related disorders (such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, heart disease and cancer) …. . .”

However, we don’t find any comment on whether diet-related diseases are common in older people.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 32: In experiments, rats who ate what they wanted, led shorter lives than rats on a low-calorie diet.

Keywords for the question: experiments, rats, ate, what they wanted, led, shorter lives, than, low-calorie-diet,

Have a look at paragraph no. 3 (in the The benefits of caloric restriction section) where the author talks about the results of the experiment done on rats, “ . .. . they found that rats fed a low-calorie diet lived longer on average than free-feeding rats and also had a reduced incidence of conditions that become increasingly common in old age. .. .. .”

Here, rats fed a low-calorie diet lived longer = rats which ate what they wanted did not live longer compared to rats which ate a low-calorie diet, 

So, the answer is: YES

Questions 33-37: Classifying groups

[This type of question asks candidates to classify information from the given reading text. Candidates are given some groups from the text, and a list of options, which are listed as A, B, C etc. They must match the correct groups with the correct options.

N.B.: This question doesn’t follow any sequence. So, they should be answered after all other questions in the passage.]

Question no. 33: Monkeys were less likely to become diabetic.

Keywords for the question: monkeys, less likely, become diabetic,  

Paragraphs no. 5 and 6 talk about experiments on monkeys. Here, in paragraph no. 6, the writer says in lines 3-4, “The calorie-restricted animals .  .. . .. .. .. .. they have more normal blood glucose levels (pointing to a reduced risk for diabetes, which is marked by unusually high blood glucose levels). .. .. ..”

Here, pointing to a reduced risk for diabetes = less likely to become diabetic,

So, the answer is: A (caloric-restricted monkeys)

Question no. 34: Monkeys experienced more chronic disease.

Keywords for the question: monkeys, more, chronic disease,     

The writer says in paragraph no. 6 in lines 4-6, “.. .. … . it has recently been shown that rhesus monkeys kept on caloric-restricted diets for an extended time (nearly 15 years) have less chronic disease. … .. .”

The lines suggest that monkeys kept on calorie-restricted diet experienced less chronic disease compared to control monkeys.

So, the answer is: B (control monkeys)

Question no. 35: Monkeys have been shown to experience a longer than average life span.

Keywords for the question: monkeys, shown to experience, longer, than average life span,

The writer says in paragraph no. in lines 6-8, “. .. .. They and the other monkeys must be followed still longer, however, to know whether low-calorie intake can increase both average and maximum life spans in monkeys.. .. .. .”

Here, must be followed still longer = result is pending, maximum life spans = longer than average life span,

So, the answer is: C (neither caloric-restricted monkeys nor control monkeys)

Question no. 36: Monkeys enjoyed a reduced chance of heart disease.

Keywords for the question: monkeys, enjoyed, reduced chance, heart disease,    

The answer can be found at the beginning of paragraph no. 6. The writer says here, “The caloric-restricted animals also look better on indicators of risk for age-related diseases. For example, they have lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels (signifying a decreased likelihood of heart disease) . .”

Here, a decreased likelihood of heart disease = a reduced chance of heart disease,

So, the answer is: A (caloric-restricted monkeys)

Question no. 37: Monkeys produced greater quantities of insulin. 

Keywords for the question: monkeys, produced, greater quantities, insulin,   

In paragraph no. 5, the author mentions, “. . .. calorie-restricted monkeys have lower body temperatures and levels of the pancreatic hormone insulin. … … .”

This means the level of insulin is greater in control monkeys.

So, the answer is: B (control monkeys)

Questions 38-40: Completing FLOW-CHART with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS:

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS to complete some notes on the given flow-chart. For this type of question, first, skim the passage to find the keywords in the paragraph concerned with the answer, and then scan to find the exact word.

[TIPS: Here, scanning technique will come in handy. Target the keywords of the questions to find the answers. Remember to focus on Proper nouns, random Capital letters, numbers, special characters of text etc.]

Title of the flow-chart: How a calorie-restriction mimetic works

All the answers are found in the last section (How a prototype caloric-restriction mimetic works).

Question no. 38:

CR mimetic

↓

less __________ is processed

Keywords for the question: CR mimetic, less, processed,     

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 8 in lines 2-3. The writer says here, “. . .. calorie restriction minimizes the amount of glucose entering cells and decreases ATP generation. .. . .”

Here, minimizes the amount of glucose = less glucose is processed,  

So, the answer is: glucose

Question no. 39 & 40:

production of ATP is decreased
↙	↘
Theory 1:	Theory 2:
cells less damaged by disease because          fewer __________ are emitted	cells focus on ____________         because food is in short supply

Keywords for the question: production of ATP, decreased, Theory 1, cells, damaged, disease, fewer, omitted, Theory 2, cells, focus on, food, short supply,   

The answers can be found in paragraph no.6.

The writer says first in lines 7-9, “. . .. One possibility relates to the ATP-making machinery’s emission of free radicals, which are thought to contribute to aging and to such age-related diseases as cancer by damaging cells. Reduced operation of the machinery should limit their production and thereby constrain the damage… . .”

Here, One possibility = theory 1, Reduced operation of the machinery = fewer free radicals are emitted,

So, the answer for q. 39 is free radicals.

Then, the writer says, “ . .. .. Another hypothesis suggests that decreased processing of glucose could indicate to cells that food is scarce (even if it isn’t) and induce them to shift into an anti-aging mode that emphasizes preservation of the organism over such ‘luxuries’ as growth and reproduction.”

Here, Another hypothesis = theory 2, food is scarce = food is in short supply, emphasizes = focus on,

So, the answer for q. 40 is preservation.

 So, the answers are:

• free radicals
• preservation

Reading Passage 1: Advantages of public transport

Questions 1-5: List of headings

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph which will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

N.B.: This passage has 12 paragraphs and the last 5 paragraphs are marked as A, B, C, D & E. You need to find out answers for the last 5 marked paragraphs for this question type.

Question no. 1: Paragraph A

The first lines talk about politics (people power), “In fact, Newman believes the main reason for adopting one sort of transport over another is politics: ‘The more democratic the process, the more public transport is favored.’ .. .”

Then the writer explains how a project became successful due to politics, “ . .. . Some years ago, federal money was granted to build a new road. However, local pressure groups forced a referendum over whether to spend the money on light rail instead. The rail proposal won and the railway worked spectacularly well.”

Here, politics & democratic process indicates to people power.  

So, the answer is: ii (A successful exercise in people power)

Question no. 2: Paragraph B

The answer can be found in the first and last lines of paragraph B.

At the beginning the writer says in line no. 1, “In the UK, travel times to work had been stable for at least six centuries, .. .. .”

Then, in the last lines the writer says, “ .. . .. However, public infrastructure did not keep pace with urban sprawl, causing massive congestion problems which now make commuting times far higher.”

Here, commuting times far higher = an increase in travelling time.

So, the answer is: vii (Increases in travelling time)

Question no. 3: Paragraph C

The answer can be found in lines 1-3 of paragraph C. The author mentions here, “There is a widespread belief that increasing wealth encourages people to live farther out where cars are the only viable transport. The example of European cities refutes that. They are often wealthier than their American counterparts but have not generated the same level of car use.”

Here, refutes = the example directly contradicts the previous statement / Higher incomes need not mean more cars

So, the answer is: iv (Higher incomes need not mean more cars)

Question no. 4: Paragraph D

The answer can be found in lines 2-3 of paragraph D. The writer says here, “. .. . which used Melbourne as an example. It found that pushing everyone into the city centre was not the best approach. . .. ..”

Here, pushing everyone into the city centre was not the best approach = Avoiding an overcrowded centre,

So, the answer is: i (Avoiding an overcrowded centre)

Question no. 5: Paragraph E

The answer can be found in lines 4-6 of paragraph E. The author says here, “. . .. . The explanation for this seems to be that it is valuable to place people working in related fields together. ‘The new world will largely depend on human creativity, and creativity flourishes where people come together face-to-face.’”

Here, valuable to place people working in related fields together = benefits of working together in cities,

So, the answer is: iii (The benefits of working together in cities)

Question 6-10: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this  – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 6: The ISTP study examined public and private systems in every city in the world.

Keywords for the question: ISTP study, examined, public and private systems, every city in the world,  

The answer can be traced in lines 1-3 of paragraph no. 1, “A new study conducted for the World Bank by Murdoch University’s Institute for Science and Technology Policy (ISTP) has demonstrated that public transport is more efficient than cars. The study compared the proportion of wealth poured into transport by thirty-seven cities around the world. . . .. ”

Here, the lines suggest that the study compared public and private systems in 37 countries, not every city in the world. 

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 7: Efficient cities can improve the quality of life for their inhabitants.

Keywords for the question: efficient cities, can improve, quality of life, inhabitants,

The first last lines of paragraph no. 1 say, “ . .. .. Professor Peter Newman, ISTP Director, pointed out that these more efficient cities were able to put the difference into attracting industry and jobs or creating a better place to live.”

Here, creating a better place to live = improves the quality of life for their inhabitants,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 8: An inner-city tram network is dangerous for car drivers.

Keywords for the question: inner-city tram network, dangerous for, car drivers,  

In paragraph no. 3 we can see the mention of ‘inner-city tram network’ of Melbourne in line no. 3. However, no information can be found about whether an inner-city tram network is dangerous for car drivers or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 9: In Melbourne, people prefer to live in the outer suburbs. 

Keywords for the question: Melbourne, people, prefer, live, outer suburbs,  

In paragraph no. 3, take a look at the last lines, “ .. . The explosion in demand for accommodation in the inner suburbs of Melbourne suggests a recent change in many people’s preferences as to where they live.”

Here, demand for accommodation in the inner suburbs = people prefer to live in the inner suburbs,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 10: Cities with high levels of bicycle usage can be efficient even when public transport is only averagely good. 

Keywords for the question: cities, high levels of bicycle usage, can be efficient, public transport, only averagely good,  

Take a close look at paragraph no. 5 as the author mentions in lines 1-3, “Bicycle use was not included in the study but Newman noted that the two most ‘bicycle friendly’ cities considered – Amsterdam and Copenhagen – were very efficient, even though their public transport systems were ‘reasonable but not special’.”

Here, ‘bicycle friendly’ cities = Cities with high levels of bicycle usage, public transport systems were ‘reasonable but not special’ = public transport is only averagely good,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 11-13: Matching places/names from list of descriptions:

[The rules for finding answers to this sort of question are simple. Just find the name of the person/places, read around it carefully and try to match it with the given list of descriptions. Then, give a quick look to check whether there is another statement or idea provided by the same person in the text. If there is, check the reference carefully and decide your answer. Remember, the questions will not follow any sequential order. Do the reverse method when the statements are in question.]

Question no. 11: Perth

Keywords for the question: Perth,

Take a look at paragraph no. 2 where the writer mentions about Perth. Lines 1-3 say, “ . .. .. . Western Australian city of Perth is a good example of a city with minimal public transport. As a result, 17% of its wealth went into transport costs. Some European and Asian cities, on the other hand, spent as little as 5%. .. .”

Here, minimal public transport = limited public transport system, 17% of its wealth went into transport costs = inefficient,

So, the answer is: F (inefficient due to a limited public transport system)

Question no. 12: Auckland   

Keywords for the question: Auckland,  

In paragraph no. 7, the writer says in lines 2-3, “ . .. . Newman accepts it would be hard for a city as hilly as Auckland to develop a really good rail network.. .. .”

Here, it would be hard = inappropriate,  

So, the answer is: D (hilly and inappropriate for rail transport system)

Question no. 13: Portland

Keywords for the question: Portland,

Lines 2-5 in paragraph A says, “. … He considers Portland, Oregon, a perfect example of this. Some years ago, federal money was granted to build a new road. However, local pressure groups forced a referendum over whether to spend the money on light rail instead. The rail proposal won and the railway worked spectacularly well. . .. .”

Here, federal money was granted to build a new road = government wanted to build road,

local pressure groups forced a referendum over whether to spend the money on light rail instead = local people wanted rail road,

rail proposal won = move from road to light rail transport system, worked spectacularly well = profitable,

So, the answer is: C (profitably moved from road to light rail transport system)

Reading Passage 2 : GREYING POPULATION STAYS IN THE PINK

Questions 14-22: Completing summary with list of words:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Question no. 14 & 15: Research carried out by scientists in the United States has shown that the proportion of people over 65 suffering from the most common age-related medical problems is 14. _________ and that the speed of this change is 15. ________.

Keywords for the question: research, United States, proportion, people over 65, suffering from, most common age-related medical problems, speed, change,  

In paragraph no. 2 the author states in lines 1-6, “In the last 14 years, the National Long-term Health Care Survey has gathered data on the health and lifestyles of more than 20,000 men and women over 65. Researchers, now analysing the results of data gathered in 1994, say arthritis, high blood pressure and circulation problems – the major medical complaints in this age group – are troubling a smaller proportion every year. And the data confirms that the rate at which these diseases are declining continues to accelerate… . . .”

Here, men and women over 65 = people over 65, the major medical complaints in this age group = the most common age-related medical problems, the rate = the proportion,

are declining = falling (B), to accelerate =  the speed is increasing (I)

So, the answers are:

1. B (falling)
2. I (increasing)

Question no. 16: It also seems that these diseases are affecting people _________ in life than they did in the past.

Keywords for the question: seems, these diseases, affecting people, in life, than, in the past,   

For this question’s answer, we have to look at paragraph no. 3. Here, in lines 2-3, the writer says, “ . . .. He says the problems doctors accepted as normal in a 65-year-old in 1982 are often not appearing until people are 70 or 75.”

Here, the problems = these diseases, often not appearing until people are 70 or 75 = often affecting people later in life (70 or 75).

So, the answer is: F (later)

Question no. 17 & 18: This is largely due to developments in 17. ________ but other factors such as improved 18. _________  may also be playing a part.

Keywords for the question: largely, due to, developments, but, other factors such as, improved, may be, playing a part,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 4. Here, the writer says in lines 1-4, “Clearly, certain diseases are beating a retreat in the face of medical advances. But there may be other contributing factors. Improvements in childhood nutrition in the first quarter of the twentieth century, for example, gave today’s elderly people a better start in life than their predecessors.”

Here, in the face of medical advances = developments in medicine, other contributing factors = other factors, Improvements in childhood nutrition = improved nutrition,

So, the answers are:

1. M (medicine)
2. J (nutrition)

Question no. 19: Increases in some other illnesses may be due to changes in personal habits and to ________.

Keywords for the question: increases, some other illnesses, may be, due to, changes, personal habits,  

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 5. The author says here in lines 1-3, “On the downside, the data also reveals failures in public health that have caused surges in some illnesses. An increase in some cancers and bronchitis may reflect changing smoking habits and poorer air quality, say the researchers. . .. .”

Here, An increase in some cancers and bronchitis = Increases in some other illnesses, smoking habits = personal habits, poorer air quality = pollution,

So, the answer is: N (pollution)

Question no. 20: The research establishes a link between levels of _________ and life expectancy.

Keywords for the question: research, establishes, link between, levels of, life expectancy,  

In paragraph no. 6 the author writes in the beginning, “One interesting correlation Manton uncovered is that better-educated people are likely to live longer. .. .. .”

Here, correlation = link, likely to live longer = life expectancy,

better-educated people = education,

So, the answer is: K (education)

Question no. 21 & 22: It also shows that there has been a considerable reduction in the number of elderly people who are 21. _________ which means that the 22. _________ involved in supporting this section of the population may be less than previously predicted.

Keywords for the question: considerable reduction, number of elderly people, who are, means, involved in, supporting, this section of population, may be, less than, previously predicted,

In paragraph no. 7, the writer says in lines 4-9, “.. .. . That represents a significant drop in the number of disabled old people in the population. If the trends apparent in the United States 14 years ago had continued, researchers calculate there would be an additional one million disabled elderly people in today’s population. According to Manton, slowing the trend has saved the United States government’s Medicare system more than $200 billion, suggesting that the greying of America’s population may prove less of a financial burden than expected.”

Here, significant drop = considerable reduction, disabled old people = elderly people who are disabled (G), may prove less = may be less, financial burden = cost (A),

So, the answers are:

• G (disabled)
• A (cost)

Questions 23-26: Completing/Matching sentences with correct endings:

[For this type of question, candidates need to match the beginning and ending of sentences. Candidates need to look for keywords in the sentence-beginnings and find the relative paragraphs and then sentences in the passage. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Question no. 23: Home medical aids

Keywords for the question: home medical aids,   

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 8. The writer says here, “The increasing self-reliance of many elderly people is probably linked to a massive increase in the use of simple home medical aids. .. . . .”

Here, increasing self-reliance of many elderly people = old people to be more independent,

So, the answer is: G (allow old people to be more independent.)

Question no. 24: Regular amounts of exercise

Keywords for the question: regular amounts of exercise,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 9. In this paragraph, the writer says, “Maintaining a level of daily physical activity may help mental functioning, says Carl Cotman, a neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine. He found that rats that exercise on a treadmill have raised levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor coursing through their brains. Cotman believes this hormone, which keeps neurons functioning, may prevent the brains of active humans from deteriorating.”

Here, Maintaining a level of daily physical activity = Regular amounts of exercise, may prevent the brains of active humans from deteriorating = help prevent mental decline,

So, the answer is: E (may help prevent mental decline.)

Question no. 25: Feelings of control over life

Keywords for the question: feelings, control over life,

Here, bulk cargo means heavy or large goods transported from one place to other.

The author says in paragraph no. 10, “ . .. . found a connection between self-esteem and stress in people over 70. In laboratory simulations of challenging activities such as driving, those who felt in control of their lives pumped out lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.”

Here, felt in control of their lives = feelings of control over life, lower levels of stress hormones = reduce stress in difficult situations,

So, the answer is: H (can reduce stress in difficult situations.)

Question no. 26: Feelings of loneliness

Keywords for the question: feelings of loneliness,    

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 11 in lines 1-2, “ . .. . Seeman found that elderly people who felt emotionally isolated maintained higher levels of stress hormones even when asleep. … . .”

Here, felt emotionally isolated = feelings of loneliness, maintained higher levels of stress hormones = cause rise in levels of stress hormones,

So, the answer is: C (may cause rises in levels of stress hormones.)

Reading Passage 3 : Numeration

Questions 27-31: Completing/Matching sentences with correct endings

[For this type of question, candidates need to match the beginning and end of sentences. Candidates need to look for keywords in the sentence-beginnings and find the relative paragraphs and then sentences in the passage. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Question no. 27: A developed system of numbering –

Keywords for the question: developed system, numbering,

In paragraph no. 2, the writer mentions the reason for the need of a developed system of numbering. In line no. 3 take a look at the phrase ‘our ancestors’. Then in lines 7-8, the writer says, “. . . . As they began to settle, grow plants and herd animals, the need for a sophisticated number system became paramount. … .”

Here, they (our ancestors) = people, to settle, grow plants and herd animals = began farming, sophisticated number system = developed system of numbering,

So, the answer is: B (was necessary when people began farming.)

Question no. 28: An additional hand signal –

Keywords for the question: additional, hand signal, 

Paragraph no. 3 highlights the use of hand signals and discusses some types of hand signals first. Then, in lines 5-8 the writer explains, “ . ..  For example, when using the one, two, many type of system, the word many would mean, ‘Look at my hands and see how many fingers I am showing you’. This basic approach is limited in the range of numbers that it can express, but this range will generally suffice when dealing with the simpler aspects of human existence.

Here, the one, two, many type of system = additional hand signal, limited in the range of numbers = range of number word was restricted,

So, the answer is: E (was used when the range of number words was restricted.)

Question no. 29: In seventh-century Europe, the ability to count to a certain number –

Keywords for the question: seventh-century, Europe, ability, count, certain number,  

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 4 where the keywords ‘seventh-century’ and ‘Europe’ can be found. In lines 6-8 the author says, “ . .. The average person in the seventh century in Europe was not as familiar with numbers as we are today. In fact, to qualify as a witness in a court of law a man had to be able to count to nine!”

Here, to qualify as a witness in a court of law = to fulfill a civic role, had to be able to = was necessary,

So, the answer is: A (was necessary in order to fulfill a civic role.)

Question no. 30: Thinking about numbers as concepts separate from physical objects –

Keywords for the question: thinking, numbers, concepts, separate from, physical objects,   

The answer is in paragraph no.5. First, the writer says at the beginning of the paragraph, “Perhaps the most fundamental step in developing a sense of number is not the ability to count, but rather to see that a number is really an abstract idea instead of a simple attachment to a group of particular objects.”

Here, an abstract idea = concepts, group of particular objects = physical objects,

Then, in the final lines of paragraph no. 5, the writer says, “… .. . When the number 4 can be registered in the mind as a specific word, independent of the object being referenced, the individual is ready to take the first step toward the development of a notational system for numbers and, from there, to arithmetic.”

Here, the first step toward the development of a notational system for numbers and, from there, to arithmetic = development of arithmetic,

So, the answer is: C (was necessary for the development of arithmetic.)

Question no. 31: Expressing number differently according to class of item –

Keywords for the question: expressing number, differently, according to, class of item,

The writer says in paragraph no. 6, “ .. . . Traces of the very first stages in the development of numeration can be seen in several living languages today. The numeration system of the Tsimshian language in British Columbia contains seven distinct sets of words for numbers according to the class of the item being counted: for counting flat objects and animals, for round objects and time, for people, for long objects and trees, for canoes, for measures, and for counting when no particular object is being numerated. .. . ..”  

Here, Traces of the very first stages in the development of numeration = characteristics of early numeration systems,  

So, the answer is: G (was a characteristic of early numeration systems.)

Questions 32-40: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE

The statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSE

If there is no information on this  – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 32: For the earliest tribes, the concept of sufficiency was more important than the concept of quantity.

Keywords for the question: earliest tribes, sufficiency, more important, than, quantity,

Let’s read the second paragraph. The author mentions here in lines 2-4, “ . .. Even the earliest of tribes had a system of numeration that, if not advanced, was sufficient for the tasks that they had to perform. Our ancestors had little use for actual numbers; . . . .”

Here, was sufficient for the tasks that they had to perform = the concept of sufficiency was more important, Our ancestors had little use for actual numbers = the concept of quantity was less important,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 33: Indigenous Tasmanians used only four terms to indicate numbers of objects.

Keywords for the question: Indigenous Tasmanians, used, only four terms, indicate, numbers of objects,

The answer can be traced in lines 1-2 of paragraph no. 3, “ . .. The indigenous peoples of Tasmania were only able to count one, two, many; . .. .”

Here, The indigenous peoples of Tasmania = Indigenous Tasmanians, able to count = used, one, two, many = three terms,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 34: Some peoples with simple number systems use body language to prevent misunderstanding of expressions of number.

Keywords for the question: some people, simple number systems, use, body language, to prevent, misunderstanding, expressions of number,

Again, in the third paragraph, lines 3-4 say, “ . . . But in real situations the number and words are often accompanied by gestures to help resolve any confusion. . .. .”

Here, often accompanied by gestures = use body languages, resolve any confusion = prevent misunderstanding of expressions,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 35: All cultures have been able to express large numbers clearly.

Keywords for the question: all cultures, have been able, to express, large numbers, clearly, 

The writer says in paragraph no. 4 in line no. 1, “The lack of ability of some cultures to deal with large numbers is not really surprising. .. . …”

Here, lack of ability of some cultures to deal with large numbers = Not all cultures have been able to express large numbers clearly,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 36: The word ‘thousand’ has Anglo-Saxon origins.

Keywords for the question: word ‘thousand’, Anglo-Saxon origins,    

The author talks about the Anglo-Saxon language in paragraph no. 4 providing a list of words and their origins. We can find only the numbers 10 and 100, but there is no discussion about the origin of the number ‘thousand’.  

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 37: In general, people in seventh-century Europe had poor counting ability.

Keywords for the question: in general, people, seventh-century, Europe, poor counting ability,   

At the end of paragraph no. 4 the writer says, “ . .. The average person in the seventh century in Europe was not as familiar with numbers as we are today. .. ..”

Here, The average person in the seventh century = In general, people in seventh-century Europe, not as familiar with numbers = poor counting ability,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 38: In the Tsimshian language, the number for long objects and canoes is expressed with the same word.

Keywords for the question: Tsimshian language, number for long objects, canoes, expressed, same word,     

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 6. The writer says here in lines 2-5, “. . .. The numeration system of the Tsimshian language in British Columbia contains seven distinct sets of words for numbers according to the class of the item being counted: for counting flat objects and animals, for round objects and time, for people, for long objects and trees, for canoes, for measures, and for counting when no particular object is being numerated.… .. ..”

Here, seven distinct sets of words = not same words,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 39: The Tsimshian language contains both older and newer systems of counting.

Keywords for the question: Tsimshian language, contains, both older and newer systems, counting,

After the information about listing seven distinct sets of words for numbers according to the class of item in the Tsimshian language, the author says in lines 6-7, “It seems that the last is a later development while the first six groups show the relics of an older system.” 

This means the Tsimshian language has both old and new systems for counting.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 40: Early peoples found it easier to count by using their fingers rather than a group of pebbles.

Keywords for the question: early peoples, found, easier, to count, using, fingers, rather than, group of pebbles,    

In the final paragraph, the author mentions in lines 2-3, “ . .. . it is possible to count by matching the items being counted against a group of pebbles, grains of corn, or the counter’s fingers. .. ..”

However, there is no mention regarding whether early people found it easier to count by using their fingers or a group of pebbles.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Reading Passage 1: AUSTRALIA’S SPORTING SUCCESS

Questions 1-7: Identifying information

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 1: A reference to the exchange of expertise between different sports

Keywords for the question: exchange, expertise, between different sports,

The answer can be found in paragraph B. At the beginning the writer says in lines 1-3, “. . .. .The AIS employs more than 100 sports scientists and doctors, and collaborates with scores of others in universities and research centres. AIS scientists work across a number of sports, .. .. .”

Here, collaborates = work together, scientists and doctors = experts, a number of sports = different sports, work across = exchange,

This sentence suggests that Australian sports scientists and doctors share their expertise across different sports.

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 2: An explanation of how visual imaging is employed in investigation

Keywords for the question: how, visual imaging, employed, investigation,  

In the middle of paragraph C the writer explains how the visual imaging works to help in the investigation. Read carefully lines 6-10, “ . .. . To demonstrate how the system works, Bruce Mason at AIS shows off the prototype of a 3D analysis tool for studying swimmers. A wire-frame model of a champion swimmer slices through the water, her arms moving in slow motion. Looking side-on, Mason measures the distance between strokes. From above, he analyses how her spine swivels. When fully developed, this system will enable him to build a biomechanical profile for coaches to use to help budding swimmers.”

Here, prototype of a 3D analysis tool = visual imaging tool,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 3: A reason for narrowing the scope of research activity

Keywords for the question: reason, narrowing, scope, research activity,

At the end of paragraph B, Peter Fricker, chief of science at AIS explains why the scope of research activity needs to be narrowed. Read lines 5-7, “ .. .. . They all focus on one aim: winning.‘ We can’t waste our time looking at ethereal scientific questions that don’t help the coach work with an athlete and improve performance,’. … .”

Here, We can’t waste our time = we must narrow the scope of research activity,

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 4: How some AIS ideas have been reproduced

Keywords for the question: how, some AIS ideas, reproduced,

Paragraph F details about some AIS ideas that had been copied in different times, “ .. . . Some years ago, the AIS unveiled coolant-lined jackets for endurance athletes. At the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, these sliced as much as two per cent off cyclists’ and rowers’ times. Now everyone uses them. The same has happened to the ‘altitude tent’, developed by AIS to replicate the effect of altitude training at sea level.”

Here, Now everyone uses them = all other countries have copied them, replicate = copy / reproduced,

So, the answer is: F

Question no. 5: How obstacles to optimum achievement can be investigated

Keywords for the question: how, obstacles, optimum achievement, can be investigated,

The answer can be found in paragraph D where Bruce Mason at AIS explains how obstacles to highest achievement can be investigated. First, take a look at lines 1-4, “. .. . He points out the data on the swimmers in second and third place, which shows that the one who finished third actually swam faster. So why did he finish 35 hundredths of a second down? ‘His turn times were 44 hundredths of a second behind the other guy,’ says Mason. ‘If he can improve on his turns, he can do much better.’ . .. .”

Then take a look at lines 6-9, “ . .. . With the Cooperative Research Centre for Micro Technology in Melbourne, they are developing unobtrusive sensors that will be embedded in an athlete’s clothes or running shoes to monitor heart rate, sweating, heat production or any other factor that might have an impact on an athlete’s ability to run.”

These lines suggest the way of investigating the obstacles / obstructions to optimum / best achievement / result.

So, the answer is: D

Question no. 6: An overview of the funded support of athletes

Keywords for the question: overview, funded support, athletes,  

The answer is found in lines 5-7 of paragraph A, “ . .. . Another body, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), finances programmes of excellence in a total of 96 sports for thousands of sportsmen and women.”

Here, finances = funded support,

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 7: How performance requirements are calculated before an event

Keywords for the question: how, performance requirements, calculated, before, event,

The first few lines of paragraph E give us the answer, “ . .. .. Well before a championship, sports scientists and coaches start to prepare the athlete by developing a ‘competition model’, based on what they expect will be the winning times.”

Here, Well before a championship = before an event, prepare the athlete by developing a ‘competition model’ = performance requirements are calculated,

So, the answer is: E

Questions 8-11: Classifying groups

[This type of question asks candidates to classify information from the given reading text. Candidates are given some groups from the text, and a list of options, which are listed as A, B, C etc. They must match the correct groups with the correct options.

N.B.: This question doesn’t follow any sequence. So, they should be answered after all other questions in the passage.]

Question no. 8: cameras

Keywords for the question: cameras,

In paragraph C lines 11-14 say, “. .. . . Mason’s contribution to sport also includes the development of the SWAN (SWimming ANalysis) system now used in Australian national competitions. It collects images from digital cameras running at 50 frames a second and breaks down each part of a swimmer’s performance into factors that can be analysed individually – . …. .”

Here, It collects images from digital cameras means cameras are currently exclusively used by Australians.  

So, the answer is: A (are currently exclusively used by Australians)

Question no. 9: sensors  

Keywords for the question: sensors,

In paragraph D lines 6-9 talk about the use of sensors in the future, “. .. . With the Cooperative Research Centre for Micro Technology in Melbourne, they are developing unobtrusive sensors that will be embedded in an athlete’s clothes or running shoes to monitor heart rate, sweating, heat production or any other factor that might have an impact on an athlete’s ability to run.”

So, the answer is: B (will be used in the future by Australians)

Question no. 10: protein tests  

Keywords for the question: protein tests,

The answer to this question can also be found in paragraph D, “ … . . After years of experimentation, AIS and the University of Newcastle in New South Wales developed a test that measures how much of the immune-system protein immunoglobulin A is present in athletes’ saliva. If IgA levels suddenly fall below a certain level, training is eased or dropped altogether. Soon, IgA levels start rising again, and the danger passes. Since the tests were introduced, AIS athletes in all sports have been remarkably successful at staying healthy.” 

This means protein tests are currently used by AIS athletes (Australians).

So, the answer is: A (are currently exclusively used by Australians)

Question no. 11: altitude tents

Keywords for the question: altitude tents,

Take a look at these lines paragraph F, “. . .. Some years ago, the AIS unveiled coolant-lined jackets for endurance athletes. At the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, these sliced as much as two per cent off cyclists’ and rowers’ times. Now everyone uses them. The same has happened to the ‘altitude tent’, developed by AIS to replicate the effect of altitude training at sea level..”

Here, everyone uses them & The same has happened to mean that altitude tents are used by both Australians and their rivals.

So, the answer is: C (are currently used by both Australians and their rivals)

Questions 12-13: Short answer to open questions (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)

[In this kind of questions candidates have to answer some questions, only with some conditions like NO MORE THAN THREE/TWO WORDS and/or A NUMBER or, ONE WORD ONLY. Each question has keywords which will lead to the answer. This question type generally follows a sequence.]

Question no. 12: What is produced to help an athlete plan their performance in an event?  

Keywords for the question: produced, help, athlete, plan, performance, event,

The answer can be found at the beginning of paragraph E, “.. .. Well before a championship, sports scientists and coaches start to prepare the athlete by developing a ‘competition model’, based on what they expect will be the winning times.”

Here, prepare = start to produced, Well before a championship & what they expect will be the winning times = plan their performance in an event,

So, the answer is: (a) competition model

Question no. 13: By how much did some cyclists’ performance improve at the 1996 Olympic Games?

Keywords for the question: how much, some cyclists’ performance, improve, 1996 Olympic Games,

The KEYPHRASE ‘how much’ indicates that the answer has to be a number. Take a look at paragraph F in lines 2-3, “ .. .. At the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, these sliced as much as two per cent off cyclists’ and rowers’ times.”

Here, sliced . . .. . off = performance improve by,

So, the answer is: (by) 2 per cent/ percent/ %

Reading Passage 2: DELIVERING THE GOODS

Questions 14-17: Identifying information

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 14: a suggestion for improving trade in the future

Keywords for the question: suggestion, improving trade, in the future,

A special TIP: questions like this one where you have to find ‘a solution for the coming days / future’, you should take a look at the last two paragraphs. You will always find your answers there.

For this question, we have to go to the last paragraph and search for solutions or suggestions to improve trade in the future. Take a look at the last lines of paragraph I, “ .. . .. Bringing these barriers down would help the world’s economies grow even closer.”

Here, Bringing these barriers down = a suggestion, would help = indicates the future, the world’s economies grow even closer = improving trade,

So, the answer is: I

Question no. 15: the effects of the introduction of electronic delivery

Keywords for the question: effects, introduction of electronic delivery,

The answer can be found in paragraph F. Here, lines 2-5 say, “. . .. . Computer software can be ‘exported’ without ever loading it onto a ship, simply by transmitting it over telephone lines from one country to another, so freight rates and cargo-handling schedules become insignificant factors in deciding where to make the product. .. .. .”

Here, simply by transmitting it over telephone lines = electronic delivery, so freight rates and cargo-handling schedules become insignificant factors in deciding where to make the product = the effects,

So, the answer is: F

Question no. 16: the similar cost involved in transporting a product from abroad or from a local supplier

Keywords for the question: similar cost, transporting, product, from abroad, from a local supplier,  

The answer can be found in paragraph E. Take a look at these lines, “. . .. . Computer manufacturers in Japan or Texas will not face hugely bigger freight bills if they import drives from Singapore rather than purchasing them on the domestic market. , .. .. .”

Here, import drives from Singapore = transporting a product from abroad, domestic market = local supplier,

Also, Computer manufacturers in Japan or Texas will not face hugely bigger freight bills means that companies do not want to spend more money on products that are priced the same in a local or foreign market.

So, the answer is: E

Question no. 17: the weakening relationship between the value of goods and the cost of their delivery

Keywords for the question: weakening relationship, between, value of goods, the cost of their delivery,

The answer can be found in paragraph D. At the beginning the writer says in lines 1-2, “. . .. . Over time, however, world output has shifted into goods whose worth is unrelated to their size and weight., .. .. .”

Then the writer says again in the end, “. .. thanks to technological advances such as lightweight components, manufactured goods themselves have tended to become lighter and less bulky. As a result, less transportation is required for every dollar’s worth of imports or exports.”

Here, goods whose worth is unrelated to their size and weight = the price of some goods does not match with their size and weight,

Also, less transportation is required for every dollar’s worth of imports or exports = the relationship between value of goods and their transportation cost is becoming weak,

So, the answer is: D

Questions 18-22: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE

The statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSE

If there is no information on this  – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 18: International trade is increasing at a greater rate than the world economy.

Keywords for the question: international trade, increasing, greater rate, than, world economy,

The answer can be found in the first lines of paragraph A. The writer says, “International trade is growing at a startling pace. While the global economy has been expanding at a bit over 3% a year, the volume of trade has been rising at a compound annual rate of about twice that.”

Here, is growing = is increasing, global economy = world economy,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 19: Cheap labour guarantees effective trade conditions.

Keywords for the question: cheap labour, guarantees, effective trade conditions,

The answer can be found in paragraph B. At the end of the paragraph the writer says, “. . .. . Cheap labour may make Chinese clothing competitive in America, but if delays in shipment lie up working capital and cause winter coats to arrive in spring, trade may lose its advantages.”

Here, the writer means that cheap labour may work as a contributory factor but it cannot guarantee an effective trade condition; delivery in proper time guarantees that.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 20: Japan imports more meat and steel than France.

Keywords for the question: Japan, imports, more meat and steel, than France,

We can find the words Japan, France, meat and steel, in paragraph C. However, we can’t find any comparison on the import of meat and steel between Japan and France.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 21: Most countries continue to prefer to trade with nearby nations.

Keywords for the question: most countries, continue to prefer, trade, nearby nations,

The answer can be found at the very beginning of paragraph D. The author says in line no. 1, Countries still trade disproportionately with their geographic neighbours.”

Here, still trade = continue to prefer to trade, geographical neighbours = nearby nations,

The line is a clear match to the question.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 22: Small computer components are manufactured in Germany.

Keywords for the question: small computer components, manufactured, Germany,

Information about computer components is included in paragraph E. However, Germany is not mentioned in this paragraph. 

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Questions 23-26: Completing summary with list of words:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Title of the summary: THE TRANSPORT REVOLUTION

Question no. 23: Modern cargo-handling methods have had a significant effect on ___________ as the business of moving freight around the world becomes increasingly streamlined.

Keywords for the question: modern cargo-handling methods, significant effect, moving freight, around the world, increasingly streamlined,  

The answer can be found in paragraph D. The writer says here, “. . .. Over time, however, world output has shifted into goods whose worth is unrelated to their size and weight. Today, it is finished manufactured products that dominate the flow of trade, and, thanks to technological advances such as lightweight components, manufactured goods themselves have tended to become lighter and less bulky. .”

Here, dominate = significant effect, streamlined = manufactured goods themselves have tended to become lighter and less bulky, technological advances = modern cargo-handling methods,

So, the answer is: G (trade)

Question no. 24: Manufacturers of computers, for instance, are able to import ___________ from overseas, rather than having to rely on a local supplier.

Keywords for the question: manufactures, computers, able to import, from overseas, than, rely on, local supplier,

The answer can be found in paragraphs D and E. In paragraph D, the writer talks about ‘lightweight components’ as manufactured goods. Then in paragraph E, the writer says, “ . . . Computer manufacturers in Japan or Texas will not face hugely bigger freight bills if they import drives from Singapore rather than purchasing them on the domestic market.”

Here, Computer manufacturers in Japan = manufacturers of computers, drives = components, Singapore = overseas, domestic market = local supplier,

So, the answer is: B (components)

Question no. 25: The introduction of __________ has meant that bulk cargo can be safely and efficiently moved over long distances.

Keywords for the question: introduction, meant, bulk cargo, safely, efficiently, moved, long distances, 

Here, bulk cargo means heavy or large goods transported from one place to other.

The author says in paragraph G, “ . .. .  Forty years ago, the process of exporting or importing involved a great many stages of handling, which risked portions of the shipment being damaged or stolen along the way. The invention of the container crane made it possible to load and unload containers without capsizing the ship and the adoption of standard container sizes allowed almost any box to be transported on any ship.”

Here, the invention of the container crane = the introduction of container ships with crane, without capsizing = safely and efficiently,

So, the answer is: C (container ships)

Question no. 26: While international shipping is now efficient, there is still a need for governments to reduce __________ in order to free up the domestic cargo sector.

Keywords for the question: international shipping, efficient, still a need, governments, reduce, in order to, free up, domestic cargo sector,   

The answer can be found in paragraph H where the writer talks about tariffs. The writer says here, “ . .. . The shipping container transformed ocean shipping into a highly efficient, intensely competitive business. But getting the cargo to and from the dock was a different story. National governments, by and large, kept a much firmer hand on truck and railroad tariffs than on charges for ocean freight. This started changing, however, in the mid-1970s, when America began to deregulate its transportation industry. First airlines, then road haulers and railways, were freed from restrictions on what they could carry, where they could haul it and what price they could charge. Big productivity gains resulted.”

Here, the writer explains how lowering truck and railroad tariffs can increase productivity and suggests that government should reduce tariffs.

So, the answer is: A (tariffs)

Reading Passage 3: Climate change and the Inuit

Questions 27-32: List of headings:

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph which will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question no. 27: Paragraph B

In paragraph B the writer mentions the reaction of the Inuit community to climate change. In lines 3-4 the writer says, “.. .. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outside experts tell them what’s happening.”

Here, they are not content means the Inuit people are not happy.

Again, in the last few lines, the writer mentions, “ .. . . they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itself.”

So, the answer is: i (The reaction of the Inuit community to climate change)

Question no. 28: Paragraph C

Paragraph C highlights the harsh and challenging landscape of the polar desert known as the North Pole. Take a look at phrases and sentences like ‘vast, treeless polar desert’, ‘some idea of the hardships’, ‘Farming is out of the question and nature offers meagre pickings’, ‘The environment tested them to the limits’ etc.

So, the answer is: vi (A difficult landscape)

Question no. 29: Paragraph D

For this question, we have to go to the last part of Paragraph D. The writer explains here about the alternative sources of necessary supplies, “ . .. . Provisions available in local shops have to be flown into Nunavut on one of the most costly air networks in the world, or brought by supply ship during the few ice-free weeks of summer. It would cost a family around £7,000 a year to replace meat they obtained themselves through hunting with imported meat. ….. .”

Here, Provisions = essential supplies, imported meat = alternative sources of supplies,

So, the answer is: iii (Alternative sources of essential supplies)

Question no. 30: Paragraph E

The first lines of paragraph E says, “While the Inuit may not actually starve if hunting and trapping are curtailed by climate change, there has certainly been an impact on people’s health. . .. .”

Here, impact = negative effects, people’s health = well-being,  

So, the answer is: vii (Negative effects on well-being)

Question no. 31: Paragraph F

The first few lines of paragraph F gives us the answer to this question, “With so much at stake, the Inuit are determined to play a key role in teasing out the mysteries of climate change in the Arctic. Having survived there for centuries, they believe their wealth of traditional knowledge is vital to the task. And Western scientists are starting to draw on this wisdom,. .. ..”

Here, Western scientists are starting to draw on this wisdom = respect for limit opinion grows,

So, the answer is: iv (Respect for limit opinion grows)

Question no. 32: Paragraph G

In paragraph G, take a look at lines 2-5, “. .. . . Others, however, point out that the first weather stations in the far north date back just 50 years. There are still huge gaps in our environmental knowledge, and despite the scientific onslaught, many predictions are no more than best guesses. .. .. .”

Here, date back just 50 years, There are still huge gaps, many predictions are no more than best guesses all mean that the knowledge or understanding of climate change is limited.

So, the answer is: ii (Understanding of climate change remains limited)

Questions 33-40: Summary completion (with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS):

[In this kind of question candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers for fill in the gaps.]

Question no. 33: If you visit the Canadian Arctic, you immediately appreciate the problems faced by people for whom this is home. It would clearly be impossible for the people to engage in __________as a means of supporting themselves.

Keywords for the question: visit the Canadian Arctic, immediately appreciate, problems, would be clearly impossible, to engage in, means of supporting themselves,

The answer can be found at the beginning of paragraph C. The writer says here, The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that’s covered with snow for most of the year. Venture into this terrain and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers meagre pickings. . .. .”

Here, Venture into this terrain = if you visit the Canadian Arctic, get some idea of the hardships = you immediately appreciate the problems, out of the question = clearly be impossible for the people to engage,

So, the answer is: farming

Question no. 34 & 35: For thousands of years they have had to rely on catching 34. _________ and 35. _________ as a means of sustenance.

Keywords for the question: thousands of years, rely on, catching, as a means of sustenance,   

The writer says in paragraph C in lines 4-5, “. .. .. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by exploiting sea mammals and fish. .. .. .”

Here, 4,500 years ago = thousands of years ago, surviving by exploiting = have had to rely on catching . .. . as a means of sustenance,

So, the answers are: (in any order)

sea mammals

fish

Question no. 36: The harsh surroundings saw many who tried to settle there pushed to their limits, although some were successful. The _________ people were an example of the latter and for them the environment did not prove unmanageable.

Keywords for the question: harsh surroundings, tried to settle, pushed to their limits, although, some, successful, example, latter, environment, did not prove unmanageable,   

The answer can be found at the end of paragraph C. The writer says here, “. . .. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the colonists were successful, sometimes they failed and vanished. But around a thousand years ago, one group emerged that was uniquely well adapted to cope with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, . .”

Here, tested them to the limits = many who tried to settle there pushed to their limits, one group emerged that was uniquely well adapted to cope with = some were successful, an example = these,

So, the answer is: Thule

Question no. 37: For the present inhabitants, life continues to be a struggle. The territory of Nunavut consists of little more than ice, rock and a few __________ .

Keywords for the question: present inhabitants, life, struggle, territory of Nunavut, consists of, little more than ice, rock, few,  

In the beginning of paragraph D, the author mentions, “. . .. Life for the descendants of the Thule people is still harsh. Nunavut is 1.9 million square kilometres of rock and ice, and a handful of islands around the North Pole.. .”

Here, the descendants of the Thule people = the present inhabitants, harsh = struggle, a handful of = a few,

So, the answer is: islands

Question no. 38 & 39: In recent years, many of them have been obliged to give up their 38. _________ lifestyle, but they continue to depend mainly on 39. _________ for their food and clothes.

Keywords for the question: recent years, have been obliged to give up, lifestyle, but, continue to, depend mainly on, for food and clothes,    

The answer can be found in paragraph D. The writer says here in lines 3-5, “. . .. Over the past 40 years, most have abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in the territory’s 28 isolated communities, but they still rely heavily on nature to provide food and clothing.. . .”

Here, Over the past 40 years = in recent years, most have abandoned = many of them have been obliged to give up, ways = lifestyle, still rely heavily on = but they continue to depend on,

So, the answers are:

• nomadic
• nature

Question no. 40: _________ produce is particularly expensive.

Keywords for the question: produce, particularly expensive,   

Again, the answer can be found in paragraph D. The author says here in lines 6-9, “. . .. Provisions available in local shops have to be flown into Nunavut on one of the costliest air networks in the world, or brought by supply ship during the few ice-free weeks of summer. It would cost a family around £7,000 a year to replace meat they obtained themselves through hunting with imported meat.. .”

Here, Provisions available in local shops have to be flown = supplies are imported, £7,000 a year = particularly expensive, 

So, the answer is: Imported (must use capital letter)

Reading Passage 1: The Impact of Wilderness Tourism

Questions 1-3: List of headings

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question no. 1: Section A

Section A contains two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, take a look at line no. 7, “ . .. these regions are fragile (i.e. highly vulnerable to abnormal pressures). . .”

Then, in the second paragraph, the author of the passage says, “Tourists are drawn to these regions by their natural landscape beauty and the unique cultures of their indigenous people. And poor governments in these isolated areas have welcomed the new breed of ‘adventure tourist’, grateful for the hard currency they bring. For several years now, tourism has been the prime source of foreign exchange in Nepal and Bhutan. Tourism is also a key element in the economies of Arctic zones such as Lapland and Alaska and in desert areas such as Ayers Rock in Australia and Arizona’s Monument Valley.”

Here, Tourists are drawn to these regions by their natural landscape beauty and the unique cultures of their indigenous people, poor governments in these isolated areas have welcomed the new breed of ‘adventure tourist’, grateful for the hard currency they bring = the reason for the expansion of tourism there,

So, the answer is: iii (Fragile regions and the reasons for the expansion of tourism there)

Question no. 2: Section B

Section B explains how wilderness tourism has negatively affected areas such as mountains, deserts and arctic regions. Look at these lines from the first paragraph, “ .. ..  When hill-farmers, for example, can make more money in a few weeks working as porters for foreign trekkers than they can in a year working in their fields, . .. .. .. . In some hill-regions, this has led to a serious decline in farm output and a change in the local diet, because there is insufficient labour to maintain terraces and irrigation systems and tend to crops. The result has been that many people in these regions have turned to outside supplies of rice and other foods.”

Then, in the second paragraph, the writer talks about the effects in the Arctic region, “ .. . However, as some inhabitants become involved in tourism, they no longer have time to collect wild food; this has led to increasing dependence on bought food and stores. … . .”

So, the answer is: v (Some of the disruptive effects of wilderness tourism)

Question no. 3: Section C

In section C, the first few lines of the second paragraph indicate the answer to this question, “In the Swiss Alps, communities have decided that their future depends on integrating tourism more effectively with the local economy. .. ..”

Here, integrating tourism more effectively with the local economy = How local communities can balance their own needs with the demands of wilderness tourism,

Also, in the third paragraph, in lines 3-4, the writer talks more about the integration, “ . . . But some Arctic communities are now operating tour businesses themselves, thereby ensuring that the benefits accrue locally. … ..”

Here, Arctic communities are now operating tour businesses themselves = How local communities can balance their own needs with the demands of wilderness tourism,

So, the answer is: ii (How local communities can balance their own needs with the demands of wilderness tourism)

Question 4-9: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 4: The low financial cost of selling up wilderness tourism makes it attractive to many countries.

Keywords for the question: low financial cost, selling up, wilderness tourism, makes, attractive, many countries,

The answer lies in section A, in beginning of the first paragraph, “ .. . . Countries all across the world are actively promoting their ‘wilderness’ regions – such as mountains. Arctic lands, deserts, small islands and wetlands – to high-spending tourists. The attraction of these areas is obvious: by definition, wilderness tourism requires little or no initial investment. . …”

Here, wilderness tourism requires little or no initial investment = low financial cost of selling up wilderness tourism,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 5: Deserts, mountains and Arctic regions are examples of environments that are both ecologically and culturally fragile.

Keywords for the question: Deserts, mountains and Arctic regions, examples of environments,

The answer is in the first paragraph of section A in lines 7-8, “ .. .. these regions are fragile (i.e. highly vulnerable to abnormal pressures) not just in terms of their ecology, but also in terms of the culture of their inhabitants. . ..”

Here, not just in terms of their ecology, but also in terms of the culture of their inhabitants = both ecologically and culturally,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 6: Wilderness tourism operates throughout the year in fragile areas.

Keywords for the question: wilderness tourism, operates, throughout the year, fragile areas,

The last lines of paragraph no. 1 in section A gives us the answer, “ . .. . Consequently, most human activities, including tourism, are limited to quite clearly defined parts of the year.”

Here, limited to quite clearly defined parts of the year = tourism does not operate throughout the year in fragile areas,

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 7: The spread of tourism in certain hill-regions has resulted in a fall in the amount of food produced locally.

Keywords for the question: spread of tourism, certain hill-regions, resulted, fall in the amount of food, produced locally,

In section B, lines 2-8 of the first paragraph says, “. . .. When hill-farmers, for example, can make more money in a few weeks working as porters for foreign trekkers than they can in a year working in their fields, it is not surprising that many of them give up their farm-work, which is thus left to other members of the family. In some hill-regions, this has led to a serious decline in farm output and a change in the local diet, because there is insufficient labour to maintain terraces and irrigation systems and tend to crops. .. ..”

Here, the lines suggest that many farming communities have left their jobs of farming as they can earn more money by selling pottery to the travellers due to the spread of tourism. This has resulted in a serious decline in farm output (resulted in a fall in the amount of food produced locally).

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 8: Traditional food-gathering in desert societies was distributed evenly over the year.

Keywords for the question: traditional food-gathering, desert societies, distributed evenly, over the year,

In section B, in the second paragraph, take a look at the first few lines, “In Arctic and desert societies, year-round survival has traditionally depended on hunting animals and fish and collecting fruit over a relatively short season. . .. .”

Here, hunting animals and fish and collecting fruit = traditional food-gathering, over a relatively short season = NOT distributed evenly over the year,

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 9: Government handouts do more damage than tourism does to traditional patterns of food-gathering.

Keywords for the question: government handouts, do more damage, than, tourism does, traditional patterns, food-gathering,

We find the mention of ‘government handouts’ in line no. 6 in the second paragraph of section B. However, we find NO COMPARISON on whether ‘government handouts’ do more damage to traditional patterns of food-gathering than tourism does.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 10-13: Completing table: ONE WORD ONLY

[In this type of question, candidates need to fill in the gaps in a table with ONE WORD ONLY. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Title of the table: The positive ways in which some local communities have responded to tourism

Question no. 10:

People/Location: Swiss Pays d’Enhaut

Activity: Revived production of ___________.

Keywords for the question: Swiss Pays d’Enhaut, revived, production,

Take a look at section C. In paragraph no. 2, the writer says, “ . .. .. Local concern about the rising number of second home developments In the Swiss Pays d’Enhaut resulted in limits being imposed on their growth. There has also been a renaissance in communal cheese production in the area, providing the locals with a reliable source of income that does not depend on outside visitors.”

Here, renaissance in communal cheese production = revived production of cheese,

So, the answer is: cheese

Question no. 11:

People/Location: Arctic communities

Activity: Operate ___________ businesses.

Keywords for the question: Arctic communities, operate, businesses,   

Again, in section C, take a look at paragraph no. 3. In lines 3-4, the writer says, “ . .. But some Arctic communities are now operating tour businesses themselves, thereby ensuring that the benefits accrue locally. … .”

So, the answer is: tourism/tourist/tour

Question no. 12:

People/Location: Acoma and San Ildefonso

Activity: Produce and sell ___________.

Keywords for the question: Acoma and San Ildefonso, produce, sell,

In paragraph no. 4 of section C, the author says in lines 3-4, “ .. . The Acoma and San Ildefonso pueblos have established highly profitable pottery businesses, ….”

Here, businesses = produce and sell,

So, the answer is: pottery  

Question no. 13:  

People/Location: Navajo and Hopi

Activity: Produce and sell ___________.

Keywords for the question: Navajo and Hopi, produce, sell,   

In paragraph no. 4 of section C, the author says in lines 4-5, “ .. . while the Navajo and Hopi groups have been similarly successful with Jewellery.”

Here, similarly successful = successful in producing and selling,

So, the answer is: jewelry/ jewellery  

Reading Passage 2 : Flawed Beauty: the problem with toughened glass

Questions 14-17: Matching statements with a list of people

[In this type of question, candidates need to relate statements that are given by or link to people in the passage. The rules for finding answers to this sort of question are simple. Just find the name of the person and read around it carefully. Then, give a quick look to check whether there is another statement or idea provided by the same person in the text. If there is, check the reference carefully and decide your answer. Remember, the questions may not follow any sequential order.]

Question no. 14: Brian Waldron

Keywords for the question: Brian Waldron

At the very first paragraph, the nickel sulphide failure of a glass pane in the town of Cirencester in the UK is mentioned.

Then, in the next paragraph (paragraph no. 2) we can see a comment made by Brian Waldron. “The glass industry is aware of the issue,’ says Brian Waldron, .. .. .. .. But he insists that cases are few and far between. ‘It’s a very rare phenomenon.’ he says.”

Here, very rare phenomenon = very unusual,

So, the answer is: G (claims that nickel sulphide failure is very unusual)

Question no. 15: Trevor Ford

Keywords for the question: Trevor Ford

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 3, in lines 10-14, “ .. . .  ‘What you hear is only the tip of the iceberg,’ says Trevor Ford, a glass expert at Resolve Engineering in Brisbane. Queensland. He believes the reason is simple: ‘No-one wants bad press.’”

Here, No-one wants bad press = publicity about nickel sulphide has been suppressed,

So, the answer is: A (suggests that publicity about nickel sulphide failure has been suppressed)

Question no. 16: Graham Dodd

 Keywords for the question: Graham Dodd

The answer to this question can be found in paragraph no. 8, in lines 6-15, “ .. . . It could happen just months after manufacture, or decades later, although if the glass is heated – by sunlight, for example – the process is speeded up. Ironically, says Graham Dodd, of consulting engineers Arup in London, the oldest pane of toughened glass known to have failed due to nickel sulphide inclusions was in Pilkington’s glass research building in Lathom, Lancashire. The pane was 27 years old.”

Here, decades later & 27 years old = most extreme case of delayed failure,

So, the answer is: H (refers to the most extreme case of delayed failure)

Questions no. 17: John Barry

Keywords for the question: John Barry

In the final paragraph (paragraph no. 10), the writer mentions the work of John Berry in lines 7-12, “ .. .. . John Barry, an expert in nickel sulphide contamination at the University of Queensland, analysed every glass pane in the building. Using a studio camera, a photographer went up in a cradle to take photos of every pane. … .”

Here, analysed every glass pane in the building = closely examined all the glass in one building,

So, the answer is: C (closely examined all the glass in one building)

Questions 18-24: Completing summary with list of words

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

The title of the summary: Toughened Glass

Question no. 18: Toughened glass is favoured by architects because it is much stronger than ordinary glass, and the fragments are not as ________ when it breaks.

Keywords for the question: toughened glass, favoured by architects, because, much stronger than, ordinary glass, fragments, not, when it breaks,

In paragraph no. 4, the writer mentions the reason why architects favour toughened glass in lines 4-11, “ .. . .. This glass has five times the strength of standard glass, and when it does break it shatters into tiny cubes rather than large, razor-sharp shards. Architects love it because large panels can be bolted together to make transparent walls, and turning it into ceilings and floors is almost as easy.”

Here, five times the strength of standard glass = much stronger than ordinary glass, Architects love it = Toughened glass is favoured by architects, rather than large, razor-sharp shards = the fragments are not as sharp when it breaks,

So, the answer is: F (sharp)

Question no. 19: However, it has one disadvantage: it can shatter _________.

Keywords for the question: however, one disadvantage, can shatter,

In paragraph no. 8 the writer says in lines 4-5, “ . .. .  the stresses this unleashes can shatter the whole sheet. The time that elapses before failure occurs is unpredictable.

Here, The time that elapses before failure occurs is unpredictable = it can shatter unexpectedly,

So, the answer is: I (unexpectedly)

Question no. 20: This fault is a result of the manufacturing process. Ordinary glass is first heated, then cooled very ________.

Keywords for the question: this fault, result, manufacturing process, ordinary glass, first heated, then cooled, very,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 5. At the beginning, the writer says, “It is made by heating a sheet of ordinary glass to about 620°C to soften it slightly, allowing its structure to expand, and then cooling it rapidly with jets of cold air. . . . .”

Here, rapidly = quickly,  

So, the answer is: C (quickly)

Question no. 21: The outer layer ________ before the inner layer, and the tension between the two layers which is created because of this makes the glass stronger.

Keywords for the question: outer layer, before, inner layer, tension between the two layers,  created, because of this, makes, glass, stronger,   

In paragraph no. 5, look closely at lines 5-11, “ .. . . This causes the outer layer of the pane to contract and solidify before the interior. When the interior finally solidifies and shrinks, it exerts a pull on the outer layer that leaves it in permanent compression and produces a tensile force inside the glass. .. .”

Here, before the interior = before the inner layer,

So, the answer is: K (contracts)

Question no. 22: However, if the glass contains nickel sulphide impurities, crystals of nickel sulphide are formed. These are unstable and can expand suddenly, particularly if the weather is ________. If this happens, the pane of glass may break.

Keywords for the question: however, if, glass contains, nickel sulphide impurities, crystals of nickel sulphide, formed, unstable, can expand, suddenly, particularly, if, weather, if this happens, pane of glass, may break,   

The answer can be found in two places. First, in paragraph no. 6, the writer provides a hint of heat that can cause damage to glass, “ .. . As the glass is heated, these atoms react to form tiny crystals of nickel sulphide. Just a tenth of a gram of nickel in the furnace can create up to 50,000 crystals.”

Then, in paragraph no. 8, in lines 5-10, the writer says, “ . .. .  The time that elapses before failure occurs is unpredictable. It could happen just months after manufacture, or decades later, although if the glass is heated – by sunlight, for example – the process is speeded up. .. ..”

Here, sunlight, for example = warm weather, the process is speeded up = can expand suddenly,

So, the answer is: E (warm)

Question no. 23: The frequency with which such problems occur is _________ by glass experts. Furthermore, the crystals cannot be detected without sophisticated equipment.

Keywords for the question: frequency, such problems occur, by glass experts, furthermore, crystals, cannot be, detected, without, sophisticated equipment,  

The last part of paragraph no. 8 and the complete paragraph no. 9 indicates that there is a big dispute over the issue of the frequency with which such problems occur.

The writer says in paragraph no. 8, “ .. … Ironically, says Graham Dodd, of consulting engineers Arup in London, the oldest pane of toughened glass known to have failed due to nickel sulphide inclusions was in Pilkington’s glass research building in Lathom, Lancashire. The pane was 27 years old.” So, here, one expert (Graham Dodd) is saying that such problems happen after a long time.

Now, in the next paragraph (paragraph no. 9), the writer also says, “Data showing the scale of the nickel sulphide problem is almost impossible to find. The picture is made more complicated by the fact that these crystals occur in batches. So even if on average, there is only one inclusion in 7 tonnes of glass, if you experience one nickel sulphide failure in your building, that probably means you’ve got a problem in more than one pane. Josie says that in the last decade he has worked on over 15 buildings with the number of failures into double figures.” Here, another expert (Barrie Josie) is saying that over the last 10 years he found such problems 2 times more than previous times.

This suggests that the frequency with which such problems (failure due to nickel sulphide inclusions) occur is disputed among glass experts.

So, the answer is: L (disputed)

Questions 25-26: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUEThe statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSEIf there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 24: Little doubt was expressed about the reason for the Bishops Walk accident.

Keywords for the question: little doubt, expressed about, reason, the Bishops Walk accident,  

In the last line of paragraph no.1, the writer comments on the Bishops Walk accident. “  .. . . they found that minute crystals of nickel sulphide trapped inside the glass had almost certainly caused the failure.”

Here, almost certainly caused the failure = little doubt about the reason,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 25: Toughened glass has the same appearance as ordinary glass.

Keywords for the question: toughened glass, same appearance, as, ordinary glass,   

In this passage, we find how ordinary glass is processed into toughened glass. However, there is no comparison of the appearance between toughened glass and ordinary glass.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 26: There is plenty of documented evidence available about the incidence of nickel sulphide failure.

Keywords for the question: plenty of documented evidence, available, about, incidence of nickel sulphide failure,   

In the first lines of paragraph no. 9 the writer states, “Data showing the scale of the nickel sulphide problem is almost impossible to find. … .”

Here, almost impossible to find = there is not enough documented evidence about the incidence of nickel sulphide failure,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Reading Passage 3 : The effects of light on plant and animal species

Questions 27-33: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUEThe statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSEIf there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 27: There is plenty of scientific evidence to support photoperiodism.

Keywords for the question: plenty of, scientific evidence, support, photoperiodism, 

Take a look at lines 5-6 in paragraph no. 2, “ . .. . The seasonal impact of day length on physiological responses is called photoperiodism, and the amount of experimental evidence for this phenomenon is considerable. .. .. .”

Here, experimental evidence = scientific evidence, considerable = plenty of,  

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 28: Some types of bird can be encouraged to breed out of season.

Keywords for the question: some types, bird, can be encouraged, breed, out of season,

In paragraph no. 2, lines 7-8 say, “ . .. For example, some species of birds’ breeding can be induced even in midwinter simply by increasing day length artificially (Wolfson 1964). .. .”

Here, some species of birds = some types of bird, induced = encouraged, even in midwinter = out of season,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 29: Photoperiodism is restricted to certain geographic areas.

Keywords for the question: Photoperiodism, restricted, certain geographic areas,

In paragraphs no. 2, 3 and 4 the writer mentions ‘temperate zones’ – areas of the world that have a temperate climate. However, no mention of any geographical restriction of photoperiodism can be found in this passage.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 30: Desert annuals are examples of 1ong-day plants.

Keywords for the question: desert annuals, examples, long-day plants,

In paragraph no. 4 the writer says at the end, “. .. . . For example, desert annuals germinate, flower and seed whenever suitable rainfall occurs, regardless of the day length.”

Here, regardless of the day length = day-neutral,

This means desert annuals are examples of day-neutral plants, NOT long-day plants.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 31: Bamboos flower several times during their life cycle.

Keywords for the question: bamboos, flower, several times, during, life cycle,

At the beginning of paragraph no. 5, the author writes, “Bamboos are perennial grasses that remain in a vegetative state for many years and then suddenly flower, fruit and die (Evans 1976). … ..”

Here, suddenly flower, fruit and die = flower one time during life cycle,

Then, the writer provides some statistics to support the sentence.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 32: Scientists have yet to determine the cue of Chusquea abietifolia’s seasonal rhythm.

Keywords for the question: scientists, yet to determine, cue, Chusquea abietifolia’s seasonal rhythm

Again, in paragraph no. 5, the writer says in lines 3-6, “. .. Every bamboo of the species Chusquea abietifolia on the island of Jamaica flowered, set seed and died during 1884. The next generation of bamboo flowered and died between 1916 and 1918, which suggests a vegetative cycle of about 31 years. The climatic trigger for this flowering cycle is not yet known, but the adaptive significance is clear.” 

Here, The climatic trigger for this flowering cycle = Chusquea abietifolia’s seasonal rhythm, not known yet = Scientists have yet to determine,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 33: Eastern hemlock is a fast-growing plant.

Keywords for the question: Eastern hemlock, fast-growing plant,

For this question, we need to go to the final paragraph. In the beginning of the paragraph, the writer says in lines 2-3, “ .. . .. Shade-tolerant plants have lower photosynthetic rates and hence have lower growth rates than those of shade-intolerant species. .. .”

Then, in line no. 7, the writer says, “ . .. . For example, eastern hemlock seedlings are shade-tolerant.”

As eastern hemlock is shade-tolerant plant, it has lower growth rate (slow-growing plant).

So, the answer is: FALSE

Questions 34-40: Completing sentences with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write a maximum of three words to complete sentences on the given topic. For this type of question, first, skim the passage to find the keywords in the paragraph concerned with the answer, and then scan to find the exact word.

[TIPS: Here scanning technique will come in handy. Target the keywords of the questions to find the answers. Remember to focus on Proper nouns, random Capital letters, numbers, special characters of text etc.]

Question no. 34: Day length is a useful cue for breeding in areas where ________ are unpredictable.

Keywords for the question: day length, useful cue, breeding, areas, unpredictable,     

The writer says in paragraph no. 2 in lines 2-5, “ .. . .. Day length is an excellent cue, because it provides a perfectly predictable pattern of change within the year. In the temperate zone in spring, temperatures fluctuate greatly from day to day, but day length increases steadily by a predictable amount. . .. ”

Here, excellent cue = useful cue, fluctuate greatly from day to day = unpredictable,  

So, the answer is: temperatures

Question no. 35: Plants which do not respond to light levels are referred to as _________.

Keywords for the question: plants, do not respond, light levels, referred to, as,   

First, in lines 5-7, the writer explains the term that deals with response to light levels, “ .. . The seasonal impact of day length on physiological responses is called photoperiodism, and the amount or experimental evidence for this phenomenon is considerable. .. . ”

Then, in lines 11-12 of the same paragraph, the writer says, “ . .. . Plants which flower after a period of vegetative growth, regardless of photoperiod, are known as day-neutral plants.”

Here, regardless of photoperiod = do not respond to light levels, known as =  referred to as,

So, the answer is: day-neutral (plants)  

Question no. 36: Birds in temperate climates associate longer days with nesting and the availability of __________.

Keywords for the question: birds, temperature climates, associate, longer days, nesting, availability of,

Let’s have a close look at paragraph no. 3. Here, the author of the passage says in lines 4-6, “ . .. . Thus many temperate-zone birds use the increasing day lengths in spring as a cue to begin the nesting cycle, because this is a point when adequate food resources will be assured.”

Here, temperate-zone birds = Birds in temperate climates, increasing day lengths = longer days, will be assured = availability,

So, the answer is: (adequate) food (resources)   

Question no. 37: Plants that flower when days are long often depend on _________ to help them reproduce.

Keywords for the question: plants, flower, days are long, often, depend on, help them reproduce,    

The answer to this question can be traced in paragraph no. 4, in lines 3-4, “ . .. Long-day plants are adapted for situations that require fertilization by insects, or a long period of seed ripening. .. .”

Here, Long-day plants = Plants that flower when days are long, require = depend on,

So, the answer is: (fertilization/fertilisation by) insects

Question no. 38: Desert annuals respond to ________ as a signal for reproduction.

Keywords for the question: desert annuals, respond, as a signal, reproduction,      

The answer can be found in the last lines paragraph no. 4, “ .. . Day-neutral plants have an evolutionary advantage when the connection between the favourable period for reproduction and day length is much less certain. For example, desert annuals germinate, flower and seed whenever suitable rainfall occurs, regardless of the day length.”

Here, germinate, flower and seed = respond,

So, the answer is: (suitable) rainfall

Question no. 39: There is no limit to the photosynthetic rate in plants such as___________.

Keywords for the question: no limit, photosynthetic rate, plants, such as,   

In paragraph no. 6, the last few lines say, “ . .. Some plants reach maximal photosynthesis at one-quarter full sunlight, and others, like sugarcane, never reach a maximum, but continue to increase photosynthesis rate as light intensity rises.”

Here, never reach a maximum = no limit to the photosynthetic rate,

So, the answer is: sugarcane  

Question no. 40: Tolerance to shade is one criterion for the ________ of plants in forestry and horticulture.

Keywords for the question: tolerance to shade, one criterion, plants in forestry and horticulture,

The first two lines of the final paragraph give us the answer to this question. The author says here, “ . .. . Plants in general can be divided into two groups: shade-tolerant species and shade-intolerant species. This classification is commonly used in forestry and horticulture.

Here, shade-tolerant species and shade-intolerant species = tolerance to shade,

So, the answer is: classification

Reading Passage 1 : Early Childhood Education

Questions 1-4: Identifying information

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 1: details of the range of family types involved in an education programme

Keywords for the question: range of family types, involved in, education programme,  

In section D, we find two paragraphs. At the end of the first paragraph, in lines 11-17, the author says, “ .. . . The four-year pilot study included 380 families who were about to have their first child and who represented a cross-section of socio-economic status, age and family configurations. They included single-parent and two-parent families, families in which both parents worked, and families with either the mother or father at home.”

Here, single-parent and two-parent families, families in which both parents worked, and families with either the mother or father at home = details of the range of family types, 

So, the answer is: D

Question no. 2: reasons why a child’s early years are so important

Keywords for the question: reason, why, child’s early years, so important,   

Both the paragraphs in section B provide details about the importance of the early years of a child. In the first paragraph, the writer says, “ …  .. by the age of three, most children have the potential to understand about 1000 words .. .. .”

Then, in the second paragraph, the writer says again, “. .. . research has shown that while every child is born with a natural curiosity, it can be suppressed dramatically during the second and third years of life. Researchers claim that the human personality is formed during the first two years of life, and during the first three years children learn the basic skills they will use in all their later learning both at home and at school.”

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 3: reasons why an education programme failed

Keywords for the question: reasons, why, education programme, failed,    

Section C contains two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, the writer talks about the ‘Headstart’ education programme.

Then, in the second paragraph, the writer says at the beginning, “Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing.”

Here, results have been disappointing = the education programme failed,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 4: a description of the positive outcomes of an education programme

Keywords for the question: description, positive outcomes, education programme,    

In section E, the author of the passage says in the beginning, in lines 1-7, “At the age of three, the children who had been involved in the ‘Missouri’ programme were evaluated alongside a cross-section of children selected from the same range of socio-economic backgrounds and family situations, and also a random sample of children that age. The results were phenomenal.”

Here, the results were phenomenal = positive outcomes,

Then, in the following lines, the writer provides a detailed description of the positive outcomes.  

So, the answer is: E

Question 6-9: Classifying groups

[This type of question asks candidates to classify information from the given reading text. Candidates are given some groups from the text, and a list of options, which are listed as A, B, C etc. They must match the correct groups with the correct options.

N.B.: This question doesn’t follow any sequence. So, they should be answered after all other questions in the passage.]

Question no. 5: was administered to a variety of poor and wealthy families

Keywords for the question: administered to, variety of, poor and wealthy families,   

In section E, the author says about the ‘Missouri’ programme in lines 4-5 of the first paragraph, “ .. .. a cross-section of children selected from the same range of socio-economic backgrounds and family situations .. .”

Then, in the second paragraph, the writer says in the last lines, “ .. . . That interaction was not necessarily bad in poorer families.”

Moreover, in section D, take a look at these lines in the first paragraph, “ . .. . The ‘Missouri’ programme was predicated on research showing that .. … . The four-year pilot study included 380 families who were about to have their first child and who represented a cross-section of socio-economic status, age and family configurations. . .. . ”

Here, a cross-section of socio-economic status = both poor and wealthy families,

This means the ‘Missouri’ programme was administered to a variety of poor and wealthy families.

So, the answer is: B (the ‘Missouri’ programme)

Question no. 6: continued with follow-up assistance in elementary schools

Keywords for the question: continued with, follow-up assistance, elementary schools,  

We can learn from the passage that both the ‘Headstart’ and ‘Missouri’ programmes aimed at children’s early education before the age of three. So, logically, neither the ‘Headstart’ nor the ‘Missouri’ programme continued with further assistance in elementary schools.

So, the answer is: D (neither the ‘Missouri’ nor the ‘Headstart’ programme)

Question no. 7: did not succeed in its aim

Keywords for the question: did not succeed, its aim,  

Section C contains two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, the writer talks about the ‘Headstart’ programme.

Then, in the second paragraph, the writer says at the beginning, “Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing.”

Here, results have been disappointing = the education programme failed or did not succeed in its aim,

So, the answer is: A (the ‘Headstart’ programme)

Question no. 8: supplied many forms of support and training to parents

Keywords for the question: supplied, many forms of, support and training, parents,    

The writer gives details about the ‘Missouri’ programme in section D, “ . . . a pilot programme was launched in Missouri in the US that focused on parents as the child’s first teachers… .. The programme involved trained parent-educators visiting the parent’s home and working with the parent, or parents, and the child. Information on child development, and guidance on things to look for and expect as the child grows were provided, plus guidance in fostering the child’s intellectual, language, social and motor-skill development.”

Here, Information on child development, and guidance on things to look for and expect as the child grows were provided, plus guidance in fostering the child’s intellectual, language, social and motor-skill development = the many forms of support and training supplied to parents,

So, the answer is: B (the ‘Missouri’ programme)

Question no. 9: received insufficient funding

Keywords for the question: received, insufficient funding,    

In section C, we find about the sufficient funding for the ‘Headstart’ programme, “Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing. . ..” So, the ‘Headstart’ programme received substantial or sufficient funding.

Then, in section D, in the second paragraph, the writer provides a detailed description of guidance and support provided to parents and children by the ‘Missouri’ programme. This means the programme received more than sufficient funding.

So, the answer is: D (neither the ‘Missouri’ nor the ‘Headstart’ programme)

Question no. 10: was designed to improve pre-schoolers’ educational development

Keywords for the question: was designed, improve, pre-schoolers’ educational development,  

In section D, the author of the passage says that the ‘Missouri’ programme  “ .. . . included 380 families who were about to have their first child . .. .”. Moreover, this programme lasted 

in 4 years. In these 4 years, the programme provided training and support to the parents and  medical check-ups for the children. So, this is understood that this programme was designed to improve the pre-schooler’s (first child) educational development.

Moreover, in section C, the writer says that ‘Headstart’ programme “ . .. . took children into pre-school institutions at the age of three and was supposed to help the children of poorer families succeed in school.”

Therefore, we can realize that both the programmes were designed to improve pre-scholers’ educational development.

So, the answer is: C (both the ‘Missouri’ and the ‘Headstart’ programme)

Questions 11-13: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 11: Most ‘Missouri’ programme three-year-olds scored highly in areas such as listening, speaking, reasoning and interacting with others.

Keywords for the question: most ‘Missouri’ programme, three-year-old, scored, highly, areas, such as, listening, speaking, reasoning, interacting with others,  

The first paragraph in section E provides us with the answer to this question. The writer presents the phenomenal results of the ‘Missouri’ programme here, “ . . . The results were phenomenal. By the age of three, the children in the programme were significantly more advanced in language development than their peers, had made greater strides in problem solving and other intellectual skills, and were further along in social development, in fact, the average child on the programme was performing at the level of the top 15 to 20 per cent of their peers in such things as auditory comprehension, verbal ability and language ability.”

Here, auditory comprehension = listening, verbal ability = speaking, problem solving = reasoning, social development = interacting with others,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 12: ‘Missouri’ programme children of young, uneducated, single parents scored less highly on the tests.    

Keywords for the question: ‘Missouri’ programme children, young, uneducated, single parents, scored, less highly, tests,

In the second paragraph of section E, the writer says, “ . . ..  Most important of all, the traditional measures of ‘risk’, such as parents’ age and education, or whether they were a single parent, bore little or no relationship to the measures of achievement and language development. Children in the programme performed equally well regardless of socio-economic disadvantages. . ..”

Here, performed equally well regardless of socio-economic disadvantages = scored equal, not less highly,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 13: The richer families in the ‘Missouri’ programme had higher stress levels.

Keywords for the question: richer families, ‘Missouri’ programme, had, higher stress levels,

The explanation regarding the ‘Missouri’ programme was given in section D and E. However, there was no mention of stress levels in the richer families here.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Reading Passage 2 : Disappearing Delta

Questions 14-17: List of headings

[In this question type, IELTS candidates are provided with a list of headings, usually identified with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc,). A heading will refer to the main idea of the paragraph or section of the text. Candidates must find out the equivalent heading to the correct paragraphs or sections, which are marked with alphabets A, B, C and so forth. Candidates need to write the appropriate Roman numerals in the boxes on their answer sheets. There will always be two or three more headings than there are paragraphs or sections. So, some of the headings will not be used. It is also likely that some paragraphs or sections may not be included in the task. Generally, the first paragraph is an example paragraph that will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question no. 14: Paragraph B

The first part of paragraph B guides us to the answer to this question. The writer says here, “Up to now, people have blamed this loss of delta land on the two large dams at Aswan in the south of Egypt, which hold back virtually all of the sediment that used to flow down the river. Before the dams were built, the Nile flowed freely, . .. . .”

Here, the highlighted points suggest that the two large dams built in Aswan have interrupted the natural flow of sediment in the river Nile.

So, the answer is: iv (Interrupting a natural process)

Question no. 15: Paragraph D

Paragraph D explains the effects of irrigation in the river Nile on sedimentation as the writer says here, “Once north of Cairo, most of the Nile water is diverted into more than 10,000 kilometres of irrigation canals . . .. . The water in the irrigation canals is still or very slow-moving and thus cannot carry sediment’, Stanley explains. The sediment sinks to the bottom of the canals and then is added to fields by farmers or pumped with the water into the four large freshwater lagoons that are located near the outer edges of the delta. .. ..”

So, the answer is: i (Effects of irrigation on sedimentation)

Question no. 16: Paragraph E

Paragraph E explains how pollutants found in the river water are becoming a threat to food production. The writer says here, “ .. . . by the time the sediment has come to rest in the fields and lagoons, it is laden with municipal, industrial and agricultural waste from the Cairo region, which is home to more than 40 million people. ‘Pollutants are building up faster and faster,’ says Stanley.”

Again, take a look at these lines from the same paragraph, “ . .. . Since that time the concentration of mercury has increased significantly. Lead from engines that use leaded fuels and from other industrial sources has also increased dramatically. These poisons can easily enter the food chain, affecting the productivity of fishing and farming. .. .”

Here, productivity of fishing and farming = food production,

So, the answer is: v (The threat of food production)

Question no. 17: Paragraph F

The last few lines of paragraph F indicate the answer. The writer says here, “ .. . .. He says, however, that in the long term an alternative process such as desalination may have to be used to increase the amount of water available. ‘In my view, Egypt must devise a way to have more water running through the river and the delta,’ says Stanley. Easier said than done in a desert region with a rapidly growing population.”

Here, Easier said than done = the solutions may take quite a long time and efforts,

So, the answer is: viii (Looking at the long-term impact)

Questions 19-24: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 18: Coastal erosion occurred along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast before the building of the Aswan dams.

Keywords for the question: coastal erosion, occurred, Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, before, building, Aswan dams,

The answer can is found in the last few lines of paragraph A, “ . .. In the past, land scoured away from the coastline by the currents of the Mediterranean Sea used to be replaced by sediment brought down to the delta by the River Nile, but this is no longer happening.”

Here, land scoured away from the coastline = coastal erosion occurred,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 19: Some people predicted that the Aswan dams would cause land loss before they were built.

Keywords for the question: some people, predicted, Aswan dams, would cause, land loss, before, built,

The first lines of paragraph B may confuse you here, as the writer says here, “Up to now, people have blamed this loss of delta land on the two large dams at Aswan in the south of Egypt, .. ..”

We should understand here, the lines suggest that people now blame the Aswan dams for the land loss. However, the question asks us whether people predicted it before the construction of Aswan dams. We don’t find any such information here. 

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 20: The Aswan dams were built to increase the fertility of the Nile delta.

Keywords for the question: Aswan dams, built, to increase, fertility, Nile delta,   

The reasons for building Aswan dams are provided in lines 15-19 of paragraph B, “ . .. . . the Aswan dams were constructed in the 20th century to provide electricity and irrigation, and to protect the huge population centre of Cairo and its surrounding areas from annual flooding and drought, . .. .”

These lines suggest that the Aswan dams were not built to improve the fertility of the Nile delta.

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 21: Stanley found that the levels of sediment in the river water in Cairo were relatively high.

Keywords for the question: Stanley, found, levels of sediments, river water, Cairo, relatively high,  

Take a close look at the last few lines of paragraph C where Stanley compares the level of sediment in the Nile delta in Cairo and the Mediterranean, “ . .. ‘There is still a lot of sediment coming into the delta, but virtually no sediment comes out into the Mediterranean to replenish the coastline. So this sediment must be trapped on the delta itself.”

Here, the delta = the Nile delta in Cairo, a lot of sediment = relatively high level of sediment,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 22: Sediment in the irrigation canals on the Nile delta causes flooding.

Keywords for the question: sediment, irrigation canals, Nile delta, causes, flooding,

Paragraph D talks about the impact of irrigation on sedimentation in the delta and paragraph E deals with the threats of pollutants in food production. No cause of flooding is found here.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN  

Question no. 23: Water is pumped from the irrigation canals into the lagoons.

Keywords for the question: water, pumped, irrigation canals, into, lagoons,

The answer can be found in paragraph D, in lines 7-11, “ . .. . The sediment sinks to the bottom of the canals and then is added to fields by farmers or pumped with the water into the four large freshwater lagoons that are located near the outer edges of the delta. .. .. .”

The lines suggest that water is pumped from the irrigation canals into the four lagoons.

So, the answer is: YES

Questions 24-26: Completing summary with a list of words

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Question no. 24: In addition to the problem of coastal erosion, there has been a marked increase in the level of _________ contained in the silt deposited in the Nile delta.

Keywords for the question: in addition to, problem, coastal erosion, marked increase, level of, silt, deposited, Nile delta,

The point of coastal erosion is discussed in paragraph A and B. Then, paragraph C and D mainly discusses the point of sedimentation process. After that, in paragraph E, the writer talks in details about the problem created by waste and pollutants, “ . . . But by the time the sediment has come to rest in the fields and lagoons it is laden with municipal, industrial and agricultural waste from the Cairo region, which is home to more than 40 million people. ‘Pollutants are building up faster and faster,’ says Stanley.

Here, building up faster and faster = marked increase,

So, the answer is: F (pollutants)

Questions no. 25 & 26: To deal with this, Stanley suggests the use of 25. _________ in the short term, and increasing the amount of water available through 26. ________ in the longer term.

Keywords for the question: deal with, Stanley suggests, use of, short term, increasing, amount of water, available through, longer term,  

In paragraph F, we find the short-term and long-term solutions to the problem. In lines 9-11, the writer states, “ . .. . In the immediate future, Stanley believes that one solution would be to make artificial floods to flush out the delta waterways, in the same way that natural floods did before the construction of the dams. .. ..”

Here, In the immediate future = short-term solution,  

Then, right after that, the writer says again, “ . .. He says, however, that in the long term an alternative process such as desalination may have to be used to increase the amount of water available. .. ..”

Here, in the long term = long-term solution,

So, the answers are:

• A (artificial floods)
• B (desalination)

Reading Passage  3 : The Return of Artificial Intelligence

Questions 27-31: Identifying information:

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here. Please, do not read the questions first.]

Question no. 27: how AI might have a military impact

Keywords for the question: AI, military impact,     

The answer lies in the middle of paragraph E, in lines 3-4, “ . .. HNC claim that their system, based on a cluster of 30 processors, could be used to spot camouflaged vehicles on a battlefield . . ..”

Here, spot camouflaged vehicles on a battlefield = might have a military impact,  

So, the answer is: E

Question no. 28: the fact that AI brings together a range of separate research areas

Keywords for the question: AI, brings together, a range of, separate, research areas,

Lines 3-5 in paragraph B gives us the answer to this question, “ . .. . The expression provided an attractive but informative name for a research programme that encompassed such previously disparate fields as operations research, cybernetics, logic and computer science.  …”

Here,

encompassed = linked/included,

operations research, cybernetics, logic and computer science = a range of separate research areas,

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 29: the reason why AI has become a common topic of conversation again

Keywords for the question: reason, why, AI, become, common topic of conversation, again,  

In paragraph a, take a look at the first few lines, “After years in the wilderness, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) seems poised to make a comeback. AI was big in the 1980s but vanished in the 1990s. It re-entered public consciousness with the release of AI, a movie about a robot boy. This has ignited public debate about AI, . .. .”

Here, make a comeback = has become . .. . . again, re-entered public consciousness = has become a common topic of conversation again,

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 30: how AI could help deal with difficulties related to the amount of information available electronically

Keywords for the question: how, AI, could help, deal with, difficulties, amount of information, available, electronically,

Paragraph F talks about new companies who may deal with humongous amount of information using AI in the coming future, “Another factor that may boost the prospects for AI in the near future is that investors are now looking for firms using clever technology, rather than just a clever business model, to differentiate themselves. In particular, the problem of information overload, exacerbated by the growth of e-mail and the explosion in the number of web pages, means there are plenty of opportunities for new technologies to help filter and categorise information – classic AI problems. . .. .”

Here, the problem of information overload = difficulties related to the amount of information available electronically,

So, the answer is: F

Question no. 31: where the expression AI was first used

Keywords for the question: where, expression AI, first used,  

Take a close look at the first lines of paragraph B, “The field was launched, and the term ‘artificial intelligence’ coined at a conference in 1956 by a group of researchers that included Marvin Minsky, John McCarthy, Herbert Simon and Alan Newell, all of whom went on to become leading figures in the field.. . .”

Here, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ coined = expression AI was first used,

So, the answer is: B

Questions 32-37: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUEThe statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSEIf there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 32: The researchers who launched the field of AI had worked together on other projects in the past.

Keywords for the question: researchers, launched, field of AI, worked together, other projects, in the past,

In paragraph B, the first lines talk about the researchers who launched the field of AI, “The field was launched, and the term ‘artificial intelligence’ coined at a conference in 1956 by a group of researchers that included Marvin Minsky, John McCarthy, Herbert Simon and Alan Newell, all of whom went on to become leading figures in the field. . .. .”

However, whether they worked together in any other projects in the past was not mentioned.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 33: In 1985, AI was at its lowest point.

Keywords for the question: 1985, AI, lowest point,   

In paragraph C, the first line says, “ . .. . Most researchers agree that AI peaked around 1985. ..”

Here, peaked around 1985 = was at its highest point,  

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 34: Research into agent technology was more costly than research into neural networks.

Keywords for the question: research, agent technology, more costly, research, neural networks,      

We find the mention of agent technology and neural networks in the last lines of paragraph C, “ . .. By the late 1980s, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on.”

However, no comparison has been made here between neural networks and agent technology.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 35: Applications of AI have already had a degree of success.

Keywords for the question: applications of AI, already had, a degree of success,  

In paragraph D, the first indicates the answer, “Ironically, in some ways AI was a victim of its own success. .. ..”

The sentence suggests that AI has been successful in some cases and its own success led to some problems.

Here, in some ways = a degree of, 

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 36: The problems waiting to be solved by AI have not changed since 1967.

Keywords for the question: the problems, waiting to be solved, AI, not changed, since 1967,     

For this question, we have to look at both paragraphs C and D.

First, in paragraph C, the author of the passage says in lines 3-5, “ .. .. Marvin Minsky said in  1967 that within a generation the problem of creating ‘artificial intelligence’ would be  substantially solved. . .. .”  

Then, in line no. 6, the author says, “ . .. It proved to be a false dawn. .. .” This means AI could not solve the problem and as a result, “ . .. . By the late 1980, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on.”

After that, in paragraph D, the author says in lines 6-8, “ . .. Meanwhile, the technologies that made it onto the market, such as speech recognition, language translation and decision-support software, were no longer regarded as AI. Yet all three once fell well within the umbrella of AI research.”

So, the problems (that AI was meant to solve) were no longer considered as AI problems.

Therefore, the problems waiting to be solved by AI have changed since 1967.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 37: The film 2001: A Space Odyssey reflected contemporary ideas about the potential of AI computers.

Keywords for the question: film 2001: A Space Odyssey, reflected, contemporary ideas, potential of AI computers,    

To find the answer to this question, let’s go to paragraph G, where the author mentions the name of the movie, “The 1969 film, 2001: A space Odyssey, featured an intelligent computer called  HAL 9000. As well as understanding and speaking English, HAL could play chess and even learned to lipread. HAL thus encapsulated the optimism of the 1960s that intelligent computers would be widespread by 2001. . .. ”

Here, encapsulated the optimism of the 1960s = reflected contemporary ideas,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 38-40: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 38: According to researchers, in the late 1980s there was a feeling that –

Keywords for the question: according to researchers, late 1980s, a feeling,      

The answer can be found in paragraph C in lines 7-11. The author says here, “. . .. ‘There was undue optimism in the early 1980s.’ says David Leake, a researcher at Indiana University. ‘Then when people realised there were hard problems, there was retrenchment. By the late 1980s, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on.’”

Here, undue = overstressed/ too much (so the expectation was too much), people realised there were hard problems, there was retrenchment = original expectations of AI may not have been justified, (and so, the funding for AI research became poor),

So, the answer is: B (original expectations of AI may not have been justified)

Question no. 39: In Dr Leake’s opinion, the reputation of AI suffered as a result of –

Keywords for the question: Dr. Leake’s opinion, reputation, suffered, as a result of,      

Again, take a look at lines 8-11 in paragraph C, where we find the opinion of Dr. Leake, “‘Then when people realised there were hard problems, there was retrenchment. By the late 1980s, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on.’”

Here, people realised there were hard problems, = people’s perception about AI changed, retrenchment / AI was being avoided= the reputation of AI suffered,

So, the answer is: A (changing perceptions)

Question no. 40: The prospects for AI may benefit from–

Keywords for the question: prospects for AI, may, benefit from,       

The answer can be found in paragraph F, in lines 1-3, “Another factor that may boost prospects for AI in the near future is that investors are looking for firms using clever technology, rather than just a clever business model, to differentiate themselves. … .”

Here, may boost prospects for AI = The prospects for AI may benefit from,

investors are looking for firms using clever technology, rather than just a clever business model, to differentiate themselves = new investment priorities,

So, the answer is: D (new investment priorities)

Reading Passage 1 : BAKELITE

Questions 1-3: Summary completion:

[In this kind of question candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Question no. 1: Some plastics behave in a similar way to ________. In that they melt under heat and can be moulded into new forms.

Keywords for the question: some plastics, behave, similar way, melt, under heat, can be moulded, new forms,

The answer can be found in lines 4-5 paragraph no. 2, “ . .. . Some are ‘thermoplastic’, which means that, like candlewax, they melt when heated and can then be reshaped. … . .”

Here, like = in a similar way, they melt when heated = they melt under heat, reshaped = moulded into new forms,

So, the answer is: candlewax

Question no. 2: Bakelite was unique because it was the first material to be both entirely ________ in origin, and thermosetting.

Keywords for the question: Bakelite, unique, first material, both, entirely, in origin, thermosetting,

The answer can be found in lines 5-7 in paragraph no. 2. The author says here, “Others are ‘thermosetting’: like eggs, they cannot revert to their original viscous state, and their shape is thus fixed for ever Bakelite had the distinction of being the first totally synthetic thermosetting plastic..”

Here, distinction = unique, totally = entirely,

So, the answer is: synthetic

Question no. 3: There were several reasons for the research into plastics in the nineteenth century, among them the great advances that had been made in the field of _________ and the search for alternatives to natural resources like ivory.

Keywords for the question: several reasons, research into plastics, nineteenth century, great advances, in the field of, search for alternatives, natural resources, ivory,

Paragraph no. 3 gives us the answer to this question. The writer says here, “The history of today’s plastics begins with the discovery of a series of semi-synthetic thermoplastic materials in the mid-nineteenth century. The impetus behind the development of these early plastics was generated by a number of factors – immense technological progress in the domain of chemistry, coupled with wider cultural changes, and the pragmatic need to find acceptable substitutes for dwindling supplies of ‘luxury’ materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory.”

Here, mid-nineteenth century = nineteenth century, immense technological progress = great advances, the domain of = the field of, acceptable substitutes = alternatives, 

So, the answer is: chemistry

Questions 4-8: Completing FLOW-CHART with ONE WORD ONLY

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write ONE WORD ONLY to complete some notes on the given flow-chart. For this type of question, first, skim the passage to find the keywords in the paragraph concerned with the answer, and then scan to find the exact word.

[TIPS: Here, the scanning technique will come in handy. Target the keywords of the questions to find the answers. Remember to focus on Proper nouns, random Capital letters, numbers, special characters of text etc.]

N.B.: All the answers for this flow-chart can be found in paragraph no. 5 as this paragraph describes the ‘production of bakelite’.

Question no. 4: stage one resin, called _________

Keywords for the question: phenol, formaldehyde, combine, vaccum, stage one resin, called,

The answer can be found in lines 1-3 of paragraph no. 5. The writer says here, “The original patent outlined a three-stage process, in which phenol and formaldehyde (from wood or coal) were initially combined under vacuum inside a large egg-shaped kettle. The result was a resin known as Novalak, which became soluble and malleable when heated. .. ..”

Here, The result was a resin = stage one resin, known as = called,

So, the answer is: Novalak

Question no. 5: __________ (e.g. cotton, asbestos)

Keywords for the question: e.g. cotton, asbestos, catalysts,

The answer can be found in lines 5-6 of paragraph no. 5. The author says here, “. . .. . Other substances were then introduced: including fillers, such as woodflour, asbestos or cotton, which increase strength and moisture resistance, catalysts .. .. .. ”

Here, such as woodflour, asbestos or cotton = e.g. cotton, asbestos,  

So, the answer is: fillers

Question no. 6: ___________

Keywords for the question: ammonia, formaldehyde,

The answer can be found in line no. 8 of paragraph no. 5. The author states here, “. . .. . hexa, a compound of ammonia and formaldehyde which supplied the additional .. … .. ”

So, the answer is: hexa

Question no. 7: ________ Bakelite

Keywords for the question: stage two resin, cool until hardened, break up, grind, powder,

The answer can be found in lines 8-10 of paragraph no. 5. The author says here, “. . .. . supplied the additional formaldehyde necessary to form a thermosetting resin. This resin was then left to cool and harden, and ground up a second time. The resulting granular powder was raw Bakelite, … . .”

Here, form a thermosetting resin = stage two resin, left to cool and harden = cool until hardened, ground up a second time = grind, resulting granular powder = powder,

So, the answer is: raw

Question no. 8: apply intense heat and _________

Keywords for the question: heat, pour into mould, apply, intense heat,

The answer can be found in lines 11-13 of paragraph no. 5. The author says here, “. . .. . In the last stage, the heated Bakelite was poured into a hollow mould of the required shape and subjected to extreme heat and pressure, thereby ‘setting’ its form for life. .. .. .”

Here, heated Bakelite was poured into a hollow mould = heat, pour into mould, subjected to = apply, extreme = intense,

So, the answer is: pressure

Question 9-10: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers for previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 9 & 10: Which TWO of the following factors influencing the design of Bakelite objects are mentioned in the text?

Keywords for the question: TWO, factors, influencing, design, Bakelite objects,

If we look at paragraph no. 6, we can see that the writer says in lines 5-8, “. .. .. . Moulds had to be carefully designed so that the molten Bakelite would flow evenly and completely into the mould. Sharp corners proved impractical and were thus avoided, giving rise to the smooth, ‘streamlined’ style popular in the 1930s. … . .”

Here, flow evenly and completely into the mould . .. . . giving rise to the smooth, ‘streamlined’ style = ease with which the resin could fill the mould,

So, one of the answers is B (the ease with which the resin could fill the mould)

Again, in lines 2-5 of the same paragraph, the writer says, “. . .. The object could not be designed so that it was locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract. A common general rule was that objects should taper towards the deepest part of the mould, and if necessary the product was moulded in separate pieces. . .”

Here, could not be designed so that it was locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract = problem about removing the object, objects should taper towards the deepest part of the mould = facility with which the object could be removed from the mould,

Therefore, another answer is C (the facility with which the object could be removed from the mould)

So, the answers are: (in any order)

B (the ease with which the resin could fill the mould)

C (the facility with which the object could be removed from the mould)

Questions 11-13: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 11: Modern-day plastic preparation is based on the same principles as that patented in 1907.

Keywords for the question: modern-day plastic preparation, based on, same principles, patented, 1907,

Take a look at the last lines of paragraph no. 4 where the author of the text writes, “ . .. On 13 July 1907, Baekeland took out his famous patent describing this preparation, the essential features of which are still in use today.”

Here, essential features = principles, still in use today = modern-day plastic preparation, On 13 July 1907, Baekeland took out his famous patent = patented in 1907,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 12: Bakelite was immediately welcomed as a practical and versatile material.   

Keywords for the question: Bakelite, immediately welcomed, practical, versatile material,

In paragraph no. 7, the writer says in the first line, “Baekeland’s invention, although treated with disdain in its early years, .. .. .”

Here, treated with disdain = was not welcomed, its early years = immediately,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 13:  Bakelite was only available in a limited range of colours.

Keywords for the question: Bakelite, only available, limited range of colours,

Line no. 6 in paragraph no. 7 says, “. … and consumers everywhere relished its dazzling array of shades, . .. .”

Here, dazzling array of shades = unlimited range of colours,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Reading Passage 2 : What’s so funny?

Questions 14-20: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUEThe statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSEIf there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 14: Arthur Koestler considered laughter biologically important in several ways. 

Keywords for the question: Arthur Koestler, laughter, biologically important, several ways,   

In paragraph no. 1 the author states in the last lines, “.. .. . The writer Arthur Koestler dubbed it the luxury reflex: ‘unique in that it serves no apparent biological purpose’.”

Here, serves no apparent biological purpose = biologically not important at all,

This means the question directly contradicts the text.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 15: Plato believed humour to be a sign of above-average intelligence. 

Keywords for the question: Plato, believed, humour, sign, above-average intelligence,   

In paragraph no. 2 the author states in lines 1-2, “ . .. . Plato expressed the idea that humour is simply a delighted feeling of superiority over others. .. .. .”

Here, we do not find any comment made by Plato in relation to intelligence.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 16: Kant believed that a successful joke involves the controlled release of nervous energy.

Keywords for the question: Kant, believed, successful joke, controlled release, nervous energy,   

The answer to this question can be found in lines 2-4 in paragraph no. 2, “ . .. Kant and Freud felt that joke-telling relies on building up a psychic tension which is safely punctured by the ludicrousness of the punch line. . .. .”

Here, psychic tension = nervous energy, safely punctured = controlled release,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 17: Current thinking on humour has largely ignored Aristotle’s view on the subject.

Keywords for the question: current thinking, humour, largely ignored, Aristotle’s view,

Lines 4-6 in paragraph no. 2 gives us the answer to this question, “ .. . . But most modern humour theorists have settled on some version of Aristotle’s belief that jokes are based on a reaction to or resolution of incongruity, when the punchline is either a nonsense or, though appearing silly, has a clever second meaning.”

Here, most modern humour theorists = current thinkers, have settled on = have agreed on, some version of Aristotle’s belief = some of Aristotle’s view,

The lines suggest that current thinking on humour has agreed on some of Aristotle’s view on the subject.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 18: Graeme Ritchie’s work links jokes to artificial intelligence.

Keywords for the question: Graeme Ritchie’s work, links, jokes, artificial intelligence,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 3. The author says here in lines 1-3, “Graeme Ritchie, a computational linguist in Edinburgh, studies the linguistic structure of jokes in order to understand not only humour but language understanding and reasoning in machines.. . .. .”

Here, studies the linguistic structure of jokes = Graeme Ritchie’s work, in order to understand = links, language understanding and reasoning in machines = artificial intelligence,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 19: Most comedians use personal situations as a source of humour.

Keywords for the question: most comedians, use, personal situations, as, source of humour,

The last lines of paragraph no. 3 talks about what a comedian does when delivering a joke, “ .. .. . A comedian will present a situation followed by an unexpected interpretation that is also apt.”

However, it doesn’t say anything about using personal situation as a source of humour.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 20: Chimpanzees make particular noises when they are playing.

Keywords for the question: chimpanzees, particular noises, when, playing,   

In paragraph no.5 the author mentions the sound chimpanzees make in lines 4-5, “ . .. .. Chimpanzees have a ‘play-face’ – a gaping expression accompanied by a panting ‘ah, ah’ noise… .. .”

Here, play-face = when they are playing, a panting ‘ah, ah’ noise = particular noises,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 21-23: Labeling a diagram:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to label a diagram with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage. Keywords are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. However, we should not be surprised if the sequence is not maintained. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Question no. 21: Right prefrontal cortex lights up – area of brain linked to _________

Keywords for the question: Right prefrontal cortex, lights up, area, linked to,

In paragraph no. 8, the writer says in lines 3-4, “ . .. . His scans showed that at the beginning of a joke the listener’s prefrontal cortex lit up, particularly the right prefrontal believed to be critical for problem solving.”

Here, lit up = lights up, right prefrontal = right prefrontal cortex, believed to be critical for = linked to,

So, the answer is: problem solving   

Question no. 22: _________ become active too  

Keywords for the question: become, active, too,  

Again, in paragraph no. 8, the writer says in lines 4-5, “ . .. But there was also activity in the temporal lobes at the side of the head .. .. .”

Here, activity = become active, also = too, 

So, the answer is: temporal lobes   

Question no. 23: Orbital prefrontal cortex is activated – involved with ___________

Keywords for the question: Orbital prefrontal cortex, activated, involved with,

Once again, in paragraph no. 8, the writer says in lines 6-8, “.. .. . Then when the punchline arrived, a new area sprang to life – the orbital prefrontal cortex. This patch of brain tucked behind the orbits of the eyes is associated with evaluating information.”

Here, sprang to life = activated, associated with = involved with,

So, the answer is: evaluating information   

Questions 24-27: Completing/Matching sentences with correct endings

[For this type of question, candidates need to match the beginning and end of sentences. Candidates need to look for keywords in the sentence-beginnings and find the relative paragraphs and then sentences in the passage. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Question no. 24: One of the brain’s most difficult tasks is to –

Keywords for the question: one of, brain’s, most difficult tasks,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 9. In this paragraph, the writer says in lines 1-2, “Making a rapid emotional assessment of the events of the moment is an extremely demanding job for the brain, animal or human. .. .. .”

Here, Making a rapid emotional assessment of the events of the moment = respond instantly to whatever in happening, extremely demanding job = one of the most difficult tasks,

So, the answer is: C (respond instantly to whatever is happening.)

Question no. 25: Because of the language they have developed, humans –

Keywords for the question: because of, language, they, developed, humans,  

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 10. In this paragraph the author writes in lines 1-4, “ . .. All warm-blooded animals make constant tiny adjustments in arousal in response to external events, but humans, who have developed a much more complicated internal life as a result of language, respond emotionally not only to their surroundings, but to their own thoughts. .. .. .”

Here, who have developed a much more complicated internal life as a result of language = because of the language they have developed, respond emotionally = react to,

So, the answer is: A (react to their own thoughts.)

Question no. 26: Individual responses to humour

Keywords for the question: individual responses, humour,     

The last lines of paragraph no. 10 gives us the answer, “ . .. Whether a joke gives pleasure or pain depends on a person’s outlook.”

Here, Whether a joke gives pleasure or pain = Individual responses to humour, depends on = relate to, person’s outlook = person’s subjective views,

So, the answer is: F (relate to a person’s subjective views.)

Question no. 27: Peter Derks believes that humour –

Keywords for the question: Peter Derks, believes, humour,  

The last paragraph says, “ .. . As Peter Derks, a psychologist at William and Mary College in Virginia, says: ‘I like to think of humour as the distorted mirror of the mind. It’s creative, perceptual, analytical and lingual. If we can figure out how the mind processes humour, then we’ll have a pretty good handle on how it works in general.”

Here, the mind = the brain, we’ll have a pretty good handle on how it works in general = we may get valuable information about the operation of the brain,

So, the answer is: D (may provide valuable information about the operation of the brain.)

Reading Passage 3 : The Birth of Scientific English   

Questions 28-34: Summary completion

[In this kind of questions candidates are given a summary for one, two, or three paragraphs with some fill-in-the-blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Question no. 28: In Europe, modem science emerged at the same time as the nation state. At first, the scientific language of choice remained _________.

Keywords for the question: Europe, modern science, emerged, same time, nation state, at first, scientific language of choice, remained,

The final lines of the first paragraph have the answer to this question. Here, the writer of the passage says in lines 12-18, “ . . .. .. Given the prominence of scientific English today, it may seem surprising that no one really knew how to write science in English before the 17th century. Before that, Latin was regarded as the lingua franca¹ for European intellectuals.”

Here, no one really knew how to write science in English before the 17th century = modem science emerged at the same time as the nation state, Before that = At first, lingua franca¹= scientific language of choice, (here, the number 1 with lingua franca means there’s a footnote at the end of the page to explain the phrase)

So, the answer is: Latin

Question no. 29: It allowed scientists to communicate with other socially privileged thinkers while protecting their work from unwanted exploitation. Sometimes the desire to protect ideas seems to have been stronger than the desire to communicate them, particularly in the case of mathematicians and __________.

Keywords for the question: allowed scientists, communicate, other socially privileged thinkers, protecting, work, unwanted exploitation, desire, protect ideas, seems to have been stronger, than, desire to communicate them, particularly, mathematicians,    

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 6 where the author says, “A second reason for writing in Latin may, perversely, have been a concern for secrecy. Open publication had dangers in putting into the public domain preliminary ideas which had not yet been fully exploited by their ‘author’. This growing concern about intellectual property rights was a feature of the period – it reflected both the humanist notion of the individual, rational scientist who invents and discovers through private intellectual labour, and the growing connection between original science and commercial exploitation. There was something of a social distinction between ‘scholars and gentlemen’ who understood Latin, and men of trade who lacked a classical education. And in the mid-17th century it was common practice for mathematicians to keep their discoveries and proofs secret, by writing them in cipher, in obscure languages, or in private messages deposited in a sealed box with the Royal Society. Some scientists might have felt more comfortable with Latin precisely because its audience, though in national, was socially restricted. Doctors clung the most keenly to Latin as an ‘insider language’.”

Here, keep their discoveries and proofs secret = the desire to protect ideas,

So, the answer is: doctors

Questions no. 30 & 31: In Britain, moreover, scientists worried that English had neither the 30. ____________ nor the 31. ____________ to express their ideas.

Keywords for the question: thinking, numbers, concepts, separate from, physical objects,   

The answers to these questions are in paragraph no.7. Let’s have a look, “A third reason why the writing of original science in English was delayed may have been to do with the linguistic inadequacy of English in the early modern period. English was not well equipped to deal with the scientific argument. First, it lacked the necessary technical vocabulary. Second, it lacked the grammatical resources required to represent the world in an objective and impersonal way, and to discuss the relations, such as cause and effect, that might hold between complex and hypothetical entities.”

Here, First, it lacked & Second, it lacked = English had neither . .. .. nor  . ….. ,

So, the answers are: (in any order)

technical vocabulary

grammatical resources

Question no. 32: This situation only changed after 1660 when scientists associated with the _____________ set about developing English. 

Keywords for the question: earliest tribes, sufficiency, more important, than, quantity,

Let’s have a look at paragraph no. 8. Here, the writer says in the first few lines, “Fortunately, several members of the Royal Society possessed an interest in language and became engaged in various linguistic projects. Although a proposal in 1664 to establish a committee for improving the English language came to little, the society’s members did a great deal to foster the publication of science in English and to encourage the development of a suitable writing style. Many members of the Royal Society also published monographs in English. . . .. .”

Here, in 1664 = after 1600, improving the English language = developing English,

So, the answer is: Royal Society

Questions no. 33 & 34: An early scientific journal fostered a new kind of writing based on short descriptions of specific experiments. Although English was then overtaken by 33. ___________, it developed again in the 19th century as a direct result of the 34. ____________.

Keywords for the question: Indigenous Tasmanians, used, only four terms, indicate, numbers of objects,

The answer can be traced in the final paragraph as the writer explains here, “The 17th century was thus a formative period in the establishment of scientific English. In the following century, much of this momentum was lost as German established itself as the leading European language of science. It is estimated that by the end of the 18th century 401 German scientific journals had been established as opposed to 96 in France and 50 in England. However, in the 19th century, scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth as the industrial revolution created the need for new technical vocabulary, and new, specialised, professional societies were instituted to promote and publish in the new disciplines.”

Here, much of this momentum was lost .. . .. . German established itself as the leading European language of science = English was overtaken by German, scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth = it developed again,

So, the answers are:

• German
• industrial revolution

Questions 35-37: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this  – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 35: There was strong competition between scientists in Renaissance Europe.  

Keywords for the question: strong competition, scientists, Renaissance Europe,  

In the second paragraph, we find information about Renaissance in Europe and competition, “The European Renaissance (c. 14th-16th century) is sometimes called the ‘revival of learning’, a time of renewed interest in the ‘lost knowledge’ of classical times. At the same time, however, scholars also began to test and extend this knowledge. The emergent nation states of Europe developed competitive interests in world exploration and the development of trade. . .. .. “

Here, we find information about competitive interest in world exploration. However, there is NO INFORMATION about strong competition between scientists.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 36: The most important scientific development of the Renaissance period was the discovery of magnetism. 

Keywords for the question: most important scientific development,  Renaissance period, discovery of magnetism,   

The answer can be found at the later part of paragraph no. 2 where the writer says, “ . .. .. . Such expansion, which was to take the English language west to America and east to India, was supported by scientific developments such as the discovery of magnetism (and hence the invention of the compass), improvements in cartography and – perhaps the most important scientific revolution of them all – the new theories of astronomy and the movement of the Earth in relation to the planets and stars, developed by Copernicus (1473-1543).”

Here, perhaps the most important scientific revolution of them all = The most important scientific development of the Renaissance period,

So, the most important scientific development of the Renaissance period was the new theories of astronomy and the movement of the Earth in relation to the planets and stars; NOT the discovery of magnetism.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 37: In 17th-century Britain, leading thinkers combined their interest in science with an interest in how to express ideas. 

Keywords for the question: 17th century Britain, leading thinkers, combined, interest, science, an interest, how to express ideas,    

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 10 and at the beginning of the final paragraph. So, our answer should be here. Let’s have a look.

“In 1665 a new scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions, was inaugurated. Perhaps the first international English-language scientific journal, it encouraged a new genre of scientific writing, that of short, focused accounts of particular experiments.

The 17th century was thus a formative period in the establishment of scientific English. ….. …”

Here, it encouraged a new genre of scientific writing, that of short, focused accounts of particular experiments = leading thinkers combined their interests in science by writing in the new scientific journal (an interest in how to express ideas).  

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 38-40: Completing table: with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

[In this type of questions candidates need to fill in the gaps in a table with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Skimming and scanning, both reading skills are essential for this question-type.]

Science written in the first half of the 17th century
Language used	Latin	English
Type of science	Original	38 _____________
Examples	39 _____________	Encyclopaedias
Target audience	International scholars	40 ____________, but socially wider

Question no. 38:

Keywords for the question: English, type of science,  

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 4. The writer says here, “Across Europe similar academies and societies arose, creating new national traditions of science. In the initial stages of the scientific revolution, most publications in the national languages were popular works, encyclopaedias, educational textbooks and translations. Original science was not done in English until the second half of the 17th century.

Here, national languages = English,

These lines suggest that although Original science used Latin in the first half of the 17th Century, popular science works were published in English. Original science used English in the second half of the 17th Century.

So, the answer is: popular

Question no. 39:

Keywords for the question: Latin, original, examples,

At the end of paragraph no. 4, the writer says, “ . ……. ..  For example, Newton published his mathematical treatise, known as the Principia, in Latin, but published his later work on the properties of light – Opticks – in English.”

Here, For example = examples, his mathematical treatise = original work,

So, the answer is: Principia/ the Principia/ Newton’s Principia/ mathematical treatise

Question no. 40:

Keywords for the question: English, Encyclopedias, target audience, socially wider,     

In paragraph no. 5, the author mentions, “ . .. . Latin was suitable for an international audience of scholars, whereas English reached a socially wider, but more local, audience. Hence, popular science was written in English.”

So, the answer is: local/ more local/ local audience  

Reading Passage 1: Johnson’s Dictionary

Questions 1-3: Choosing options from a list

[In this type of questions candidates are asked to choose some options (mostly THREE, FOUR or FIVE) for a question from a given list. The answer-finding process is similar to other questions – find the keywords in the text and look around it. This question doesn’t necessarily maintain any sequence.]

Which THREE of the following statements are true of Johnson’s Dictionary?

A. It avoided all scholarly words.
B. It was the only English dictionary in general use for 200 years.
C. It was famous because of the large number of people involved.
D. It focused mainly on language from contemporary texts.
E. There was a time limit for its completion.
F. It ignored work done by previous dictionary writers.
G. It took into account subtleties of meaning.
H. Its definitions were famous for their originality.

Keywords for the question: THREE, true, Johnson’s Dictionary,

Answers to questions 1-3 can all be found in paragraph no. 6. Let’s have a look there.

In the first few lines of paragraph no. 6, the writer says, “The work was immense; filling about .. . … . Johnson wrote the definitions of over 40,000 words, and illustrated their many meanings with some 114.000 quotations drawn from English writing on every subject, from the Elizabethans to his own time.”

Here, his own time = contemporary, 

This line matches with –

D. It focused mainly on language from contemporary texts.

Also, in the same paragraph, look at lines 8-9, “ . .. He did not expect to achieve complete originality. Working to a deadline, he had to draw . .. . .. .”

Here, Working to a deadline = There was a time limit, 

This line matches with –

E. There was a time limit for its completion.

Once again, in paragraph no. 6, take a look at these lines (13-16), “ . .. . Unlike his predecessors, Johnson treated English very practically, as a living language, with many different shades of meaning.

Here, many different shades of meaning = subtleties of meaning,

This line matches with –

G. It took into account subtleties of meaning.

So, the answers are: (in any order)

D, E, G

Questions 4-7: Summary completion

[In this kind of question candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Question no. 4: In 1764 Dr Johnson accepted the contract to produce a dictionary. Having rented a garret, he took on a number of __________ who stood at a long central desk.

Keywords for the question: 1764, Dr Johnson, accepted, contract, to produce, dictionary, rented, garret, took on, a number of, who, stood, long central desk, 

At the end of paragraph no. 4, the author writes, “ . . .. Johnson signed the contract for the Dictionary with the bookseller Robert Dosley at a breakfast held at the Golden Anchor Inn near Holbom Bar on 18 June 1764. He was to be paid £ 1.575 in instalments, and from this he took money to rent 17 Gough Square, in which he set up his ‘dictionary workshop’.”

Here, Johnson signed the contract for the Dictionary = Dr Johnson accepted the contract to produce a dictionary,

Then, at the beginning of paragraph no. 5, the author says, “James Boswell, his biographer described the garret where Johnson worked as ‘fitted up like a counting house’ with a long desk running down the middle at which the copying clerks would work standing up. . .. . .”

Here, work standing up = stood at,

So, the answer is: (copying) clerks

Question no. 5: Johnson did not have a _________ available to him, but eventually produced definitions of in excess of 40,000 words written down in 80 large notebooks.

Keywords for the question: did not have, eventually, produced, definitions, in excess of, 40000 words, written down, 80 large notebooks,  

The answer can be found in paragraph no.6. At the beginning of the paragraph, the author mentions, “The work was immense; filling about eighty large notebooks (and without a library to hand). Johnson wrote the definitions of over 40,000 words, . .. .. .”

Here, without = did not have, to hand = available,

So, the answer is: library

Question no. 6: On publication, the Dictionary was immediately hailed in many European countries as a landmark. According to his biographer, James Boswell, Johnson’s principal achievement was to bring ___________ to the English language.

Keywords for the question: immediately hailed, European countries, landmark, biographer, James Boswell, principal achievement, bring, to the English language,   

In paragraph no. 7, the writer says, “After many vicissitudes the Dictionary was finally published on 15 April 1775. It was instantly recognised as a landmark throughout Europe. . . .. .”

Here, instantly recognised = immediately hailed, throughout Europe = in many European countries,

Then, at the end of paragraph no. 8, we find the comment of James Boswell, “ . .. .. It is the corner-stone of Standard English, an achievement which, in James Boswell’s words, ‘conferred stability on the language of his country’.”

Here, in James Boswell’s words = According to his biographer James Boswell, conferred = was to bring, on the language of his country = to the English language,

So, the answer is: stability

Question no. 7: As a reward for his hard work, he was granted a _________ by the king.

Keywords for the question: reward, for, hard work, granted, by the King,  

In the last paragraph (paragraph no. 9), the author says, “The Dictionary, together with his other writing, made Johnson famous and so well esteemed that his friends were able to prevail upon King George III to offer him a pension. .. .”

Here, offer him = he was granted, King George III = the King,

So, the answer is: pension

Questions 8-13: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSE
If there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 8: The growing importance of the middle classes led to an increased demand for dictionaries.

Keywords for the question: growing importance, middle classes, led to, increased demand, dictionaries,

In paragraph no. 3, the first few lines say, “Beyond the practical need to make order out of chaos, the rise of dictionaries is associated with the rise of the English middle class, who were anxious to define and circumscribe the various worlds to conquer – lexical as well as social and commercial. .. .. .”

Here, rise of the English middle class = growing importance of the middle classes, associated with = led to, the rise of dictionaries = increased demand for dictionaries,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 9: Johnson has become more well known since his death.

Keywords for the question: Johnson, become, more well known, since, death,  

In paragraph no. 3, lines 8-13 say, “ . .. . It is highly appropriate that Dr Samuel Johnson, the very model of an eighteenth-century literary man, as famous in his own time as in ours, should have published his dictionary at the very beginning of the heyday of the middle class.”

Here, as famous in his own time as in ours = Johnson was as well known in his time as after his death, not more, not less,

So, the question contradicts the information in the text.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 10: Johnson had been planning to write a dictionary for several years.

Keywords for the question: Johnson, planning to write, dictionary, several years,

Paragraph no. 4 talks about Johnson’s decision about writing a dictionary. However, it doesn’t mention anywhere whether he had been planning to write it for several years or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 11: Johnson set up an academy to help with the writing of his Dictionary.

Keywords for the question: Johnson, set up, academy, to help, writing of his Dictionary,

At the end of paragraph no. 4, the writer says, “… .. . He was to be paid £ 1,575 in instalments, and from this he took money to rent 17 Gough Square, in which he set up his ‘dictionary workshop’.”

Here, dictionary workshop = not an academy,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 12: Johnson only received payment for his Dictionary on its completion.  

Keywords for the question: Johnson, only received, payment, for, Dictionary, on its completion,  

Again, in the same lines, the author says, “ . .. . He was to be paid £ 1,575 in instalments, and from this he took money to rent 17 Gough Square, in which he set up his ‘dictionary workshop’.”

This means Dr Johnson had already taken money from the amount he was to be paid. So, he already received money before the completion of the Dictionary project.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 13: Not all of the assistants survived to see the publication of the Dictionary.

Keywords for the question: not, all, assistants, survived, to see, publication, Dictionary,

At the end of paragraph no. 5, the author says, “ . .. . He was also helped by six assistants, two of whom died whilst the Dictionary was still in preparation.”

Here, two of whom died whilst the Dictionary was still in preparation = two of the assistants died before the publication of the Dictionary, means two of them did not survive,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Reading Passage 2: Nature or Nurture?

Questions 14-19: Identifying information

[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question no. 14: a biological explanation of the teacher-subjects’ behaviour

Keywords for the question: biological explanation, teacher-subjects’ behaviour,  

At the beginning of paragraph F, the writer provides a biological explanation of the behaviour displayed by the teacher-subjects, “One’s first inclination might be to argue that there must be some sort of built-in animal aggression instinct that was activated by the experiment, and that Milgram’s teacher- subjects were just following a genetic need to discharge this pent-up primal urge onto the pupil by administering the electrical shock. .. ..”

Here, some sort of built-in animal aggression instinct & teacher- subjects were just following a genetic need = biological explanation about the teacher-subjects’ behaviour,

So, the answer is: F

Question no. 15: the explanation Milgram gave the teacher-subjects for the experiment

Keywords for the question: explanation, Milgram gave, teacher-subjects, for, experiment,  

The last half of paragraph A gives us the answer, “. .. .. .  Specifically, Milgram told each volunteer ‘teacher-subject’ that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, and was designed to test whether or not punishing pupils for their mistakes would have a positive effect on the pupils’ ability to learn.”

Here, Milgram told each volunteer ‘teacher-subject’ = the explanation Milgram gave the teacher-subjects,

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 16: the identity of the pupils

Keywords for the question: identity, pupils,

In paragraph B, we can find the identity of the pupils in line no. 6, “ . .. . The supposed ‘pupil‘ was in reality an actor hired by Milgram . . .. .”

Here, an actor = the identity of the pupils,  

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 17: the expected statistical outcome

Keywords for the question: expected, statistical outcome,

The answer can be found in paragraph D. Take a close look at the last half of the paragraph, “ . .. . . The overwhelming consensus was that virtually all the teacher-subjects would refuse to obey the experimenter. The psychiatrists felt that ‘most subjects would not go beyond 150 volts’ and they further anticipated that only four per cent would go up to 300 volts. Furthermore, they thought that only a lunatic fringe of about one in 1.000 would give the highest shock of 450 volts.”

Here, consensus = expected statistical outcome,

Then the writer provides some figures about what people would do regarding providing electric shocks to test subjects.

So, the answer is: D

Question no. 18: the general aim of sociobiological study

Keywords for the question: general aim, sociobiological study,

The last few lines of paragraph I provides the answer, “ . .. Put another way, sociobiology is concerned with elucidating the biological basis of all behaviour.”

Here, is concerned with = general aim,

So, the answer is: I

Question no. 19: the way Milgram persuaded the teacher-subjects to continue

Keywords for the question: way, Milgram, persuaded, teacher-subjects, continue,  

The answer lies in paragraph C. The writer says in lines 3-7, “ . .. .. . Many of the teacher-subjects balked at administering the higher levels of punishment, and turned to Milgram with questioning locks and/or complaints about continuing the experiment. In these situations, Milgram calmly explained that the teacher-subject was to ignore the pupil’s cries for mercy and carry on with the experiment. .. .. .”

Here, Milgram calmly explained = Milgram persuaded the teacher-subjects calmly,

So, the answer is: C

Questions 20-22: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers for previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 20: The teacher-subjects were told that they were testing whether –

Keywords for the question: teacher-subjects, were told, testing whether,

We can find the answer in lines 5-7 of paragraph A, “ . .. .. Milgram told each volunteer ‘teacher-subject’ that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, and was designed to test whether or not punishing pupils for their mistakes would have a positive effect on the pupils’ ability to learn.”

Here, punishing pupils for their mistakes = punishment, positive effect = helps, ability to learn = learning,

So, the answer is: B (punishment helps learning.)

Question no. 21: The teacher-subjects were instructed to –

Keywords for the question: teacher-subjects, were instructed,

The answer can be found in the last lines of paragraph B, “ . .. . Milgram told the teacher-subject to ignore the reactions of the pupil, and to administer whatever level of shock was called for, as per the rule governing the experimental situation of the moment.”

Here, to administer whatever level of shock was called for = give punishment, as per the rule = according to a rule,

So, the answer is: D (give punishment according to a rule.)

Question no. 22: Before the experiment took place the psychiatrists –

Keywords for the question: before, experiment took place, psychiatrists,

To find the answer to this question we have to look at two paragraphs. First, take a look at paragraph D where we find the mention of psychiatrists, “Prior to carrying out the experiment, Milgram explained his idea to a group of 39 psychiatrists and asked them to predict the average percentage of people in an ordinary population who would be willing to administer the highest shock level of 450 volts. The overwhelming consensus was that virtually all the teacher-subjects would refuse to obey the experimenter. . .. . .”

These lines suggest that the psychiatrists predicted that no teacher-subjects were willing to obey the experimenter.

However, in the following paragraph (paragraph E), the writer says at the beginning, “What were the actual results? Well, over 60 per cent of the teacher-subjects continued to obey Milgram up to the 450-volt limit! . .. .”

These lines suggest that a big number of the teacher-subjects actually continued to obey the experimenter (Milgram).

This means the psychiatrists underestimated the teacher-subjects’ willingness to comply with experimental procedure.

So, the answer is: C (underestimated the teacher-subjects’ willingness to comply with experimental procedure.)

Questions 23-26: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – TRUEThe statement in the question contradicts with the information in the passage – FALSEIf there is no information on this – NOT GIVEN

For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 23: Several of the subjects were psychology students at Yale University.

Keywords for the question: several, subjects, psychology students, Yale University,   

In paragraph A, the writer talks about the teacher-subjects in lines 5-6, “ . .. Specifically, Milgram told each volunteer ‘teacher-subject’ that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, . .. . .”

Here, we have no clue about the identity of the teacher-subjects.  

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 24: Some people may believe that the teacher-subjects’ behaviour could be explained as a positive survival mechanism.

Keywords for the question: some people, may believe, teacher-subjects’ behaviour, could be explained, as, positive, survival mechanism,

To find the answer to this question, we have to travel all the way to paragraph F where we find about a claim made by someone, “ . .. . A modern hard-core sociobiologist might even go so far as to claim that this aggressive instinct evolved as an advantageous trait, having been of survival value to our ancestors in their struggle against the hardships of life on the plains and in the caves, ultimately finding its way into our genetic make-up as a remnant of our ancient animal ways.”

Here, aggressive instinct = teacher-subjects’ behaviour, an advantageous trait = a positive survival mechanism,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question no. 25: In a sociological explanation, personal values are more powerful than authority.

Keywords for the question: sociological explanation, personal values, more powerful, than authority,

Have a close look at these lines from paragraph H, “Thus, in this explanation the subject merges his unique personality and personal and moral code with that of larger institutional structures, surrendering individual properties like loyalty, self-sacrifice and discipline to the service of malevolent systems of authority.”

Here, merges = as equal as, unique personality and personal and moral code = personal values,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 26: Milgram’s experiment solves an important question in sociobiology.

Keywords for the question: Milgram’s experiment, solves, important question, sociobiology,    

The answer can be found in paragraph I in the first few lines, “Here we have two radically different explanations for why so many teacher-subjects were willing to forgo their sense of personal responsibility for the sake of an institutional authority figure. The problem for biologists, psychologists and anthropologists is to sort out which of these two polar explanations is more plausible. . .. ..”

This means biologists, psychologists and anthropologists are not sure about which explanation is more plausible or reasonable.

So, Milgram’s experiment did not solve the question in sociobiology.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Reading Passage 3: The Truth about the Environment  

Questions 27-32: YES, NO, NOT GIVEN:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches with the claim of the writer in the text- YES
The statement in the question contradicts with the claim of the writer in the text- NO
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN

TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question no. 27: Environmentalists take a pessimistic view of the world for a number of reasons.

Keywords for the question: Environmentalists, pessimistic view, world, for, a number of reasons,

The answer can be found in the first paragraph, “For many environmentalists, the world seems to be getting worse. They have developed a hit-list of our main fears: that natural resources are running out; that the population is ever growing, leaving less and less to eat; that species are becoming extinct in vast numbers, and that the planet’s air and water are becoming ever more polluted.”

Here, the world seems to be getting worse = pessimistic view, main fears = a number of reasons,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 28: Data on the Earth’s natural resources has only been collected since 1972.

Keywords for the question: data, Earth’s natural resources, only, been collected, since 1972,

In the second paragraph, the writer says in the beginning, “But a quick look at the facts shows a different picture. First, energy and other natural resources have become more abundant, not less so, since the book The Limits to Growth’ was published in 1972 by a group of scientists. … .”

The lines suggest that a book was published in 1972. However, there is no information about when the data on the Earth’s natural resources were collected.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 29: The number of starving people in the world has increased in recent years.

Keywords for the question: number of starving people, world, increased, recent years,

In the second paragraph, the writer says in lines 3-5, “ … . Second, more food is now produced per head of the world’s population than at any time in history. Fewer people are starving. . .. . .” 

Here, Fewer people are starving = the number of starving people …. has decreased in recent years,

So, the answer is: NO

Question no. 30: Extinct species are being replaced by new species.

Keywords for the question: extinct species, being replaced, new species,

Lines 4-6 in paragraph no. 2 says, “ .. . Third, although species are indeed becoming extinct, only about 0.7% of them are expected to disappear in the next 50 years, not 25-50%, as has so often been predicted.. . .. .”

Here, the writer confesses that species are becoming extinct. However, we find no information about their replacement with new species.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question no. 31: Some pollution problems have been correctly linked to industrialisation.

Keywords for the question: some pollution problems, correctly linked, industrialisation,

Lines 4-6 in paragraph no. 2 says, 7-9, “ . .. . And finally, most forms of environmental pollution either appear to have been exaggerated, or are transient – associated with the early phases of industrialisation and therefore best cured not by restricting economic growth, but by accelerating it. .. .. .”

Here, most forms of environmental pollution = Some pollution problems, correctly linked = transient – associated, the early phases of industrialisation = industrialisation,

So, the answer is: YES

Question no. 32: It would be best to attempt to slow down economic growth.

Keywords for the question: best to attempt, slow down, economic growth,

In paragraph no. 5, take a look at the first few lines, “. .. . . Secondly, environmental groups need to be noticed by the mass media. They also need to keep the money rolling in.  .. .. .”

Here, keep the money rolling in = continue economic growth as it is,

So, the answer is: NO

Questions 33-37: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is found as the last question so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about the title.]

Question no. 33: What aspect of scientific research does the writer express concern about in paragraph 4?

Keywords for the question: aspect, scientific research, concern about, paragraph 4,  

The answer can be found in paragraph 4, “One is the lopsidedness built into scientific research. Scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems. That may be wise policy, but it will also create an impression that many more potential problems exist than is the case.”

Here, lopsidedness = leaning on one side (selection of areas of research)

So, the answer is: C (the selection of areas to research)

Question no. 34: The writer quotes from the Worldwide Fund for Nature to illustrate how –

Keywords for the question: writer, quotes, Worldwide Fund for Nature, illustrate, how,    

The writer says in paragraph no. 5, “ . .. .  In 1997, for example, the World Wide Fund for Nature issued a press release entitled: ‘Two thirds of the world’s forests lost forever’. The truth turns out to be nearer 20%.”

Here, Two thirds of the world’s forests = 66.66% of the world’s forests,

This means the World Wide Fund for Nature exaggerates or overstresses their claims.

So, the answer is: D (environmental groups can exaggerate their claims.)

Question no. 35: What is the writer’s main point about lobby groups in paragraph 6?

Keywords for the question: writer’s main point, lobby groups, paragraph 6,

The writer says in paragraph no. 6, “. .. .. A trade organisation arguing for, say, weaker pollution controls is instantly seen as self-interested. Yet a green organisation opposing such a weakening is seen as altruistic, even if an impartial view of the controls in question might suggest they are doing more harm than good.”

Here, the writer points out that some organisations get more criticism compared to some other.

So, the answer is: C (Some receive more criticism than others.)

Question no. 36: The writer suggests that newspapers print items that are intended to –

Keywords for the question: newspapers, print, items, intended to,    

The answer can be found at the beginning of paragraph no. 7. The writer says here, “A third source of confusion is the attitude of the media. People are clearly more curious about bad news than good. Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants. .. ..”

Here, to provide = to print items, what the public wants = meet their readers’ expectations,

So, the answer is: B (meet their readers’ expectations.)

Question no. 37: What does the writer say about America’s waste problem?

Keywords for the question: America’s waste problem,   

The answer is found in paragraph no. 8 where the writer says, “ .. . People worry that the endless rise in the amount of stuff everyone throws away will cause the world to run out of places to dispose of waste. Yet, even if America’s trash output continues to rise as it has done in the past, and even if the American population doubles by 2100, all the rubbish America produces through the entire 21st century will still take up only one-12,000th of the area of the entire United States.”

Here, the writer suggests that the trash problem in America is not as serious as it has been told. 

So, the answer is: B (It is not as important as we have been led to believe.)

Questions 38-40: Completing summary with list of words

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete a summary with a list of words taken from the passage. Candidates must write the correct letter (not the words) as the answers. Keywords and synonyms are important to find answers correctly. Generally, this type of question maintains a sequence. Find the keywords in the passage and you are most likely to find the answers.]

Question no. 38 & 39: The writer admits that global warming is a 38. __________ challenge, but says that it will not have a catastrophic impact on our future, if we deal with it in the 39. _______ way.

Keywords for the question: recent years, have been obliged to give up, lifestyle, but, continue to, depend mainly on, for food and clothes,    

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 2 in lines 10-13. The writer says here, “. . .. One form of pollution – the release of greenhouse gases that causes global warming – does appear to be a phenomenon that is going to extend well into our future, but its total impact is unlikely to pose a devastating problem. A bigger problem may well turn out to be an inappropriate response to it.”

Here, a phenomenon that is going to extend well into our future = long-term phenomenon,

A bigger problem may well turn out to be an inappropriate response to it = it will not have a catastrophic impact on our future, if we deal with it in the right way.

So, the answers are:

• E (long-term)
• D (right)

Question no. 40: If we try to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases, he believes that it would only have a minimal impact on rising temperatures. He feels it would be better to spend money on the more ___________ health problem of providing the world’s population with clean drinking water.

Keywords for the question: produce, particularly expensive,   

In paragraph no. 11 the author says, “ . .. . Yet the cost of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, for the United States alone, will be higher than the cost of solving the world’s single, most pressing health problem: providing universal access to clean drinking water and sanitation. Such measures would avoid 2 million deaths every year, and prevent half a billion people from becoming seriously ill.”

Here, reducing carbon dioxide emissions = reduce the levels of greenhouse gases, single most pressing health problem = urgent health problem, universal access to clean drinking water and sanitation = providing the world’s population with clean drinking water,

So, the answer is: I (urgent)