Category: IELTS Reading

Land of the Rising Sun

A Japan has a significantly better record in terms of average mathematical attainment than England and Wales. Large sample international comparisons of pupils’ attainments since the 1960s have established that not only did Japanese pupils at age 13 have better scores of average attainment, but there was also a larger proportion of ‘low’ attainers in England, where, incidentally, the variation in attainment scores was much greater. The percentage of Gross National Product spent on education is reasonably similar in the two countries, so how is this higher and more consistent attainment in maths achieved?

B Lower secondary schools in Japan cover three school years, from the seventh grade (age 13) to the ninth grade (age 15). Virtually all pupils at this stage attend state schools: only 3 per cent are in the private sector. Schools are usually modern in design, set well back from the road and spacious inside. Classrooms are large and pupils sit at single desks in rows. Lessons last for a standardised 50 minutes and are always followed by a 10-minute break, which gives the pupils a chance to let off steam. Teachers begin with a formal address and mutual bowing, and then concentrate on whole-class teaching.

Classes are large – usually about 40 – and are unstreamed. Pupils stay in the same class for all lessons throughout the school and develop considerable class identity and loyalty. Pupils attend the school in their own neighbourhood, which in theory removes ranking by school. In practice in Tokyo, because of the relative concentration of schools, there is some competition to get into the ‘better’ school in a particular area.

C Traditional ways of teaching form the basis of the lesson and the remarkably quiet classes take their own notes of the points made and the examples demonstrated. Everyone has their own copy of the textbook supplied by the central education authority, Monbusho, as part of the concept of free compulsory education up to the age of 15. These textbooks are, on the whole, small, presumably inexpensive to produce, but well set out and logically developed. (One teacher was particularly keen to introduce colour and pictures into maths textbooks: he felt this would make them more accessible to pupils brought up in a cartoon culture.) Besides approving textbooks, Monbusho also decides the highly centralised national curriculum and how it is to be delivered.

D Lessons all follow the same pattern. At the beginning, the pupils put solutions to the homework on the board, then the teachers comment, correct or elaborate as necessary. Pupils mark their own homework: this is an important principle in Japanese schooling as it enables pupils to see where and why they made a mistake, so that these can be avoided in future. No one minds mistakes or ignorance as long as you are prepared to learn from them.

After the homework has been discussed, the teacher explains the topic of the lesson, slowly and with a lot of repetition and elaboration. Examples are demonstrated on the board; questions from the textbook are worked through first with the class, and then the class is set questions from the textbook to do individually. Only rarely are supplementary worksheets distributed in a maths class. The impression is that the logical nature of the textbooks and their comprehensive coverage of different types of examples, combined with the relative homogeneity of the class, renders work sheets unnecessary. At this point, the teacher would circulate and make sure that all the pupils were coping well.

E It is remarkable that large, mixed-ability classes could be kept together for maths throughout all their compulsory schooling from 6 to 15. Teachers say that they give individual help at the end of a lesson or after school, setting extra work if necessary. In observed lessons, any strugglers would be assisted by the teacher or quietly seek help from their neighbour. Carefully fostered class identity makes pupils keen to help each other – anyway, it is in their interests since the class progresses together.

This scarcely seems adequate help to enable slow learners to keep up. However, the Japanese attitude towards education runs along the lines of ‘if you work hard enough, you can do almost anything’. Parents are kept closely informed of their children’s progress and will play a part in helping their children to keep up with class, sending them to ‘Juku’ (private evening tuition) if extra help is needed and encouraging them to work harder. It seems to work, at least for 95 per cent of the school population.

F So what are the major contributing factors in the success of maths teaching?

Clearly, attitudes are important. Education is valued greatly in Japanese culture; maths is recognised as an important compulsory subject throughout schooling; and the emphasis is on hard work coupled with a focus on accuracy. Other relevant points relate to the supportive attitude of a class towards slower pupils, the lack of competition within a class, and the positive emphasis on learning for oneself and improving one’s own standard. And the view of repetitively boring lessons and learning the facts by heart, which is sometimes quoted in relation to Japanese classes, may be unfair and unjustified. No poor maths lessons were observed. They were mainly good and one or two were inspirational.

Questions 1-5
Reading Passage 1 has six sections, A—F. Choose the correct heading for sections B—F from the list of headings below.

List of Headings

i The influence of Monbusho
ii Helping less successful students
iii The success of compulsory education
iv Research findings concerning achievements in maths
v The typical format of a maths lesson
vi Comparative expenditure on maths education
vii Background to middle-years education in Japan
viii The key to Japanese successes in maths education
ix The role of homework correction

Example Answer:        Section A                      iv

1 Section
B 2 Section
C 3 Section
D 4 Section
E 5 Section F

Questions 6-9
DO the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?

YES                      if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO                        if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

6 There is a wider range of achievement amongst English pupils studying maths than amongst their Japanese counterparts.
7 The percentage of Gross National Product spent on education generally reflects the level of attainment in mathematics.
8 Private schools in Japan are more modern and spacious than state-run lower secondary schools.
9 Teachers mark homework in Japanese schools.

Questions 10-13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.

10 Maths textbooks in Japanese schools are
A cheap for pupils to buy.
B well organised and adapted to the needs of the pupils.
C written to be used in conjunction with TV programmes.
D not very popular with many Japanese teachers.

11 When a new maths topic is introduced,
A students answer questions on the board.
B students rely entirely on the textbook.
C it is carefully and patiently explained to the students.
D it is usual for students to use extra worksheets.

12 How do schools deal with students who experience difficulties?
A They are given appropriate supplementary tuition.
B They are encouraged to copy from other pupils.
C They are forced to explain their slow progress.
D They are placed in a mixed-ability class.

13 Why do Japanese students tend to achieve relatively high rates of success in maths?
A It is a compulsory subject in Japan.
B They are used to working without help from others.
C Much effort is made and correct answers are emphasised.
D There is a strong emphasis on repetitive learning

Biological Control of Pests

The continuous and reckless use of synthetic chemicals for the control of pests which pose a threat to agricultural crops and human health is proving to be counter-productive. Apart from engendering widespread ecological disorders, pesticides have contributed to the emergence of a new breed of chemical-resistant, highly lethal superbugs.

According to a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), more than 300 species of agricultural pests have developed resistance to a wide range of potent chemicals. Not to be left behind are the disease-spreading pests, about 100 species of which have become immune to a variety of insecticides now in use.

One glaring disadvantage of pesticides’ application is that, while destroying harmful pests, they also wipe out many useful non-targeted organisms, which keep the growth of the pest population in check. This results in what agroecologists call the ‘treadmill syndrome’. Because of their tremendous breeding potential and genetic diversity, many pests are known to withstand synthetic chemicals and bear offspring with a built-in resistance to pesticides.

The havoc that the ‘treadmill syndrome’ can bring about is well illustrated by what happened to cotton farmers in Central America. In the early 1940s, basking in the glory of chemical- based intensive agriculture, the farmers avidly took to pesticides as a sure measure to boost crop yield. The insecticide was applied eight times a year in the mid-1940s, rising to 28 in a season in the mid-1950s, following the sudden proliferation of three new varieties of chemical- resistant pests.

By the mid-1960s, the situation took an alarming turn with the outbreak of four more new pests, necessitating pesticide spraying to such an extent that 50% of the financial outlay on cotton production was accounted for by pesticides. In the early 1970s, the spraying frequently reached 70 times a season as the farmers were pushed to the wall by the invasion of genetically stronger insect species.

Most of the pesticides in the market today remain inadequately tested for properties that cause cancer and mutations as well as for other adverse effects on health, says a study by United States environmental agencies. The United States National Resource Defense Council has found that DDT was the most popular of a long list of dangerous chemicals in use.

In the face of the escalating perils from indiscriminate applications of pesticides, a more effective and ecologically sound strategy of biological control, involving the selective use of natural enemies of the pest population, is fast gaining popularity – though, as yet, it is a new field with limited potential. The advantage of biological control in contrast to other methods is that it provides a relatively low-cost, perpetual control system with a minimum of detrimental side-effects. When handled by experts, bio-control is safe, non-polluting and self-dispersing.

The Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control (CIBC) in Bangalore, with its global network of research laboratories and field stations, is one of the most active, non-commercial research agencies engaged in pest control by setting natural predators against parasites. CIBC also serves as a clearing-house for the export and import of biological agents for pest control world-wide.

CIBC successfully used a seed-feeding weevil, native to Mexico, to control the obnoxious parthenium weed, known to exert devious influence on agriculture and human health in both India and Australia. Similarly the Hyderabad-based Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), supported by CIBC, is now trying out an Argentinian weevil for the eradication of water hyacinth, another dangerous weed, which has become a nuisance in many parts of the world. According to Mrs Kaiser Jamil of RRL, ‘The Argentinian weevil does not attack any other plant and a pair of adult bugs could destroy the weed in 4-5 days.’ CIBC is also perfecting the technique for breeding parasites that prey on ‘disapene scale’ insects – notorious defoliants of fruit trees in the US and India.

How effectively biological control can be pressed into service is proved by the following examples. In the late 1960s, when Sri Lanka’s flourishing coconut groves were plagued by leaf-mining hispides, a larval parasite imported from Singapore brought the pest under control. A natural predator indigenous to India, Neodumetia sangawani, was found useful in controlling the Rhodes grass-scale insect that was devouring forage grass in many parts of the US. By using Neochetina bruci, a beetle native to Brazil, scientists at Kerala Agricultural University freed a 12- kilometre- long canal from the clutches of the weed Salvinia molesta, popularly called ‘African Payal’ in Kerala. About 30,000 hectares of rice fields in Kerala are infested by this weed.

Questions 14-17
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

14 The use of pesticides has contributed to
A a change in the way ecologies are classified by agroecologists.
B an imbalance in many ecologies around the world.
C the prevention of ecological disasters in some parts of the world.
D an increase in the range of ecologies which can be usefully farmed.

15 The Food and Agriculture Organisation has counted more than 300 agricultural pests which
A are no longer responding to most pesticides in use
B can be easily controlled through the use of pesticides.
C continue to spread disease in a wide range of crops.
D may be used as part of bio-control’s replacement of pesticides.

16 Cotton farmers in Central America began to use pesticides
A because of an intensive government advertising campaign.
B in response to the appearance of new varieties of pest.
C as a result of changes in the seasons and the climate.
D to ensure more cotton was harvested from each crop.

17 By the mid-1960s, cotton farmers in Central America found that pesticides
A were wiping out 50% of the pests plaguing the crops.
B were destroying 50% of the crops they were meant to protect.
C were causing a 50% increase in the number of new pests reported.
D were costing 50% of the total amount they spent on their crops.

Questions 18-21
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet, write

YES                         if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO                           if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN        if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

18 Disease-spreading pests respond more quickly to pesticides than agricultural pests do.
19 A number of pests are now born with an innate immunity to some pesticides.
20 Biological control entails using synthetic chemicals to try and change the genetic make-up of the pests’ offspring.
21 Bio-control is free from danger under certain circumstances.

Questions 22-26
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A—I, below.

22 Disapene scale insects feed on
23 Neodumetia sangawani ate
24 Leaf-mining hispides blighted
25 An Argentinian weevil may be successful in wiping out
26 Salvinia molesta plagues

A forage grass              B rice fields              C coconut trees                 D fruit trees

E water hyacinth          F parthenium weed          G Brazilian beetles

H grass-scale insects      I larval parasites

Collecting Ant Specimens

Collecting ants can be as simple as picking up stray ones and placing them in a glass jar, or as complicated as completing an exhaustive survey of all species present in an area and estimating their relative abundances. The exact method used will depend on the final purpose of the collections. For taxonomy, or classification, long series, from a single nest, which contain all castes (workers, including majors and minors, and, if present, queens and males) are desirable, to allow the determination of variation within species. For ecological studies, the most important factor is collecting identifiable samples of as many of the different species present as possible. Unfortunately, these methods are not always compatible. The taxonomist sometimes overlooks whole species in favour of those groups currently under study, while the ecologist often collects only a limited number of specimens of each species, thus reducing their value for taxonomic investigations.

To collect as wide a range of species as possible, several methods must be used. These include hand collecting, using baits to attract the ants, ground litter sampling, and the use of pitfall traps. Hand collecting consists of searching for ants everywhere they are likely to occur. This includes on the ground, under rocks, logs or other objects on the ground, in rotten wood on the ground or on trees, in vegetation, on tree trunks and under bark. When possible, collections should be made from nests or foraging columns and at least 20 to 25 individuals collected. This will ensure that all individuals are of the same species, and so increase their value for detailed studies. Since some species are largely nocturnal, collecting should not be confined to daytime. Specimens are collected using an aspirator (often called a pooter), forceps, a fine, moistened paint brush, or fingers, if the ants are known not to sting. Individual insects are placed in plastic or glass tubes (1.5-3-0 ml capacity for small ants, 5-8 ml for larger ants) containing 75% to 95% ethanol. Plastic tubes with secure tops are better than glass because they are lighter, and do not break as easily if mishandled.

Baits can be used to attract and concentrate foragers. This often increases the number of individuals collected and attracts species that are otherwise elusive. Sugars and meats or oils will attract different species and a range should be utilised. These baits can be placed either on the ground or on the trunks of trees or large shrubs. When placed on the ground, baits should be situated on small paper cards or other flat, light-coloured surfaces, or in test-tubes or vials. This makes it easier to spot ants and to capture them before they can escape into the surrounding leaf litter.

Many ants are small and forage primarily in the layer of leaves and other debris on the ground. Collecting these species by hand can be difficult. One of the most successful ways to collect them is to gather the leaf litter in which they are foraging and extract the ants from it. This is most commonly done by placing leaf litter on a screen over a large funnel, often under some heat. As the leaf litter dries from above, ants (and other animals) move downward and eventually fall out the bottom and are collected in alcohol placed below the funnel. This method works especially well in rain forests and marshy areas. A method of improving the catch when using a funnel is to sift the leaf litter through a coarse screen before placing it above the funnel. This will concentrate the litter and remove larger leaves and twigs. It will also allow more litter to be sampled when using a limited number of funnels.

The pitfall trap is another commonly used tool for collecting ants. A pitfall trap can be any small container placed in the ground with the top level with the surrounding surface and filled with a preservative. Ants are collected when they fall into the trap while foraging. The diameter of the traps can vary from about 18 mm to 10 cm and the number used can vary from a few to several hundred. The size of the traps used is influenced largely by personal preference (although larger sizes are generally better), while the number will be determined by the study being undertaken. The preservative used is usually ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, as alcohol will evaporate quickly and the traps will dry out. One advantage of pitfall traps is that they can be used to collect over a period of time with minimal maintenance and intervention. One disadvantage is that some species are not collected as they either avoid the traps or do not commonly encounter them while foraging.

Questions 27-30
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                     if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                   if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN       if there is no information on this

27 Taxonomic research involves comparing members of one group of ants.
28 New species of ant are frequently identified by taxonomists.
29 Range is the key criterion for ecological collections.
30 A single collection of ants can generally be used for both taxonomic and ecological purposes.

Questions 31-36
Classify the following statements as referring to
A hand collecting
B using bait
C sampling ground litter
D using a pitfall trap

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet.

31 It is preferable to take specimens from groups of ants.
32 It is particularly effective for wet habitats.
33 It is a good method for species which are hard to find.
34 Little time and effort is required.
35 Separate containers are used for individual specimens.
36 Non-alcoholic preservative should be used.

Questions 37-40
Label the diagram below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

William Henry Perkin

William Henry Perkin was born on March 12, 1838, in London, England. As a boy, Perkin’s curiosity prompted early interests in the arts, sciences, photography, and engineering. But it was a chance stumbling upon a run-down, yet functional, laboratory in his late grandfather’s home that solidified the young man’s enthusiasm for chemistry.

As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of chemistry. His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher, Thomas Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches fired the young chemist’s enthusiasm further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15.

At the time of Perkin’s enrolment, the Royal College of Chemistry was headed by the noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann. Perkin’s scientific gifts soon caught Hofmann’s attention and, within two years, he became Hofmann’s youngest assistant. Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune.

At the time, quinine was the only viable medical treatment for malaria. The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856 demand for the drug was surpassing the available supply. Thus, when Hofmann made some passing comments about the desirability of a synthetic substitute for quinine, it was unsurprising that his star pupil was moved to take up the challenge.

During his vacation in 1856, Perkin spent his time in the laboratory on the top floor of his family’s house. He was attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste product. Despite his best efforts, however, he did not end up with quinine. Instead, he produced a mysterious dark sludge. Luckily, Perkin’s scientific training and nature prompted him to investigate the substance further. Incorporating potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline at various stages of the experimental process, he finally produced a deep purple solution. And, proving the truth of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur’s words ‘chance favours only the prepared mind’, Perkin saw the potential of his unexpected find.

Historically, textile dyes were made from such natural sources as plants and animal excretions. Some of these, such as the glandular mucus of snails, were difficult to obtain and outrageously expensive. Indeed, the purple colour extracted from a snail was once so costly that in society at the time only the rich could afford it. Further, natural dyes tended to be muddy in hue and fade quickly. It was against this backdrop that Perkin’s discovery was made.

Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to colour fabric, thus making it the world’s first synthetic dye. Realising the importance of this breakthrough, he lost no time in patenting it. But perhaps the most fascinating of all Perkin’s reactions to his find was his nearly instant recognition that the new dye had commercial possibilities.

Perkin originally named his dye Tyrian Purple, but it later became commonly known as mauve (from the French for the plant used to make the colour violet). He asked advice of Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar, who assured him that manufacturing the dye would be well worth it if the colour remained fast (i.e. would not fade) and the cost was relatively low. So, over the fierce objections of his mentor Hofmann, he left college to give birth to the modern chemical industry.

With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory not far from London. Utilising the cheap and plentiful coal tar that was an almost unlimited byproduct of London’s gas street lighting, the dye works began producing the world’s first synthetically dyed material in 1857. The company received a commercial boost from the Empress Eugenie of France, when she decided the new colour flattered her. Very soon, mauve was the necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country.

Not to be outdone, England’s Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a mauve gown, thus making it all the rage in England as well. The dye was bold and fast, and the public clamoured for more. Perkin went back to the drawing board.

Although Perkin’s fame was achieved and fortune assured by his first discovery, the chemist continued his research. Among other dyes he developed and introduced were aniline red (1859) and aniline black (1863) and, in the late 1860s, Perkin’s green. It is important to note that Perkin’s synthetic dye discoveries had outcomes far beyond the merely decorative. The dyes also became vital to medical research in many ways. For instance, they were used to stain previously invisible microbes and bacteria, allowing researchers to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax. Artificial dyes continue to play a crucial role today. And, in what would have been particularly pleasing to Perkin, their current use is in the search for a vaccine against malaria.

Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write:

TRUE                          if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                        if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN             if there is no information on this more than once.

1 Michael Faraday was the first person to recognize Perkin’s ability as a student of chemistry.
2 Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enroll in the Royal College of Chemistry.
3 Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.
4 Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous.
5 The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America.
6 Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product.
7 Perkin was inspired by the discoveries of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.

Questions 8-13
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer

Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

8 Before Perkin’s discovery, with what group in society was the colour purple associated?
9 What potential did Perkin immediately understand that his new dye had?
10 What was the name finally used to refer to the first color Perkin invented?
11 What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works?
12 In what country did Perkins newly invented colour first become fashionable?
13 According to the passage, which disease is now being targeted by researchers using synthetic dyes?

Is There Anybody Out There?

A The primary reason for the search is basic curiosity – the same curiosity about the natural world that drives all pure science. We want to know whether we are alone in the Universe. We want to know whether life evolves naturally if given the right conditions, or whether there is something very special about the Earth to have fostered the variety of life forms that we see around us on the planet. The simple detection of a radio signal will be sufficient to answer this most basic of all questions. In this sense, SETI is another cog in the machinery of pure science which is continually pushing out the horizon of our knowledge. However, there are other reasons for being interested in whether life exists elsewhere. For example, we have had civilisation on Earth for perhaps only a few thousand years, and the threats of nuclear war and pollution over the last few decades have told us that our survival may be tenuous. Will we last another two thousand years or will we wipe ourselves out? Since the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years, we can expect that, if other civilisations do survive in our galaxy, their ages will range from zero to several billion years. Thus any other civilisation that we hear from is likely to be far older, on average, than ourselves. The mere existence of such a civilisation will tell us that long-term survival is possible, and gives us some cause for optimism. It is even possible that the older civilisation may pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats to survival such as nuclear war and global pollution, and other threats that we haven’t yet discovered.

B In discussing whether we are alone, most SETI scientists adopt two ground rules. First, UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects] are generally ignored since most scientists don’t consider the evidence for them to be strong enough to bear serious consideration (although it is also important to keep an open mind in case any really convincing evidence emerges in the future). Second, we make a very conservative assumption that we are looking for a life form that is pretty well like us, since if it differs radically from us we may well not recognise it as a life form, quite apart from whether we are able to communicate with it. In other words, the life form we are looking for may well have two green heads and seven fingers, but it will nevertheless resemble us in that it should communicate with its fellows, be interested in the Universe, live on a planet orbiting a star like our Sun, and perhaps most restrictively, have a chemistry, like us, based on carbon and water.

C Even when we make these assumptions, our understanding of other life forms is still severely limited. We do not even know, for example, how many stars have planets, and we certainly do not know how likely it is that life will arise naturally, given the right conditions. However, when we look at the 100 billion stars in our galaxy (the Milky Way), and 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe, it seems inconceivable that at least one of these planets does not have a life form on it; in fact, the best educated guess we can make, using the little that we do know about the conditions for carbon-based life, leads us to estimate that perhaps one in 100,000 stars might have a life-bearing planet orbiting it. That means that our nearest neighbours are perhaps 100 light years away, which is almost next door in astronomical terms.

D An alien civilisation could choose many different ways of sending information across the galaxy, but many of these either require too much energy, or else are severely attenuated while traversing the vast distances across the galaxy. It turns out that, for a given amount of transmitted power, radio waves in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz travel the greatest distance, and so all searches to date have concentrated on looking for radio waves in this frequency range. So far there have been a number of searches by various groups around the world, including Australian searches using the radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales. Until now there have not been any detections from the few hundred stars which have been searched. The scale of the searches has been increased dramatically since 1992, when the US Congress voted NASA $10 million per year for ten years to conduct a thorough search for extra-terrestrial life. Much of the money in this project is being spent on developing the special hardware needed to search many frequencies at once. The project has two parts. One part is a targeted search using the world’s largest radio telescopes, the American-operated telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and the French telescope in Nancy in France. This part of the project is searching the nearest 1000 likely stars with high sensitivity for signals in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz. The other part of the project is an undirected search which is monitoring all of space with a lower sensitivity, using the smaller antennas of NASA’s Deep Space Network.

E There is considerable debate over how we should react if we detect a signal from an alien civilisation. Everybody agrees that we should not reply immediately. Quite apart from the impracticality of sending a reply over such large distances at short notice, it raises a host of ethical questions that would have to be addressed by the global community before any reply could be sent. Would the human race face the culture shock if faced with a superior and much older civilisation? Luckily, there is no urgency about this. The stars being searched are hundreds of light years away, so it takes hundreds of years for their signal to reach us, and a further few hundred years for our reply to reach them. It’s not important, then, if there’s a delay of a few years, or decades, while the human race debates the question of whether to reply, and perhaps carefully drafts a reply.

Questions 14—17
Reading Passage 2 has five paragraphs, A-E. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-E from the headings below.
Write the correct number: i-vii, in boxes 14—17 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings
i. Seeking the transmission of radio signals from planets
ii. Appropriate responses to signals from other civilizations
iii. Vast distances to Earth’s closest neighbors
iv. Assumptions underlying the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence
v. Reasons for the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence
vi. Knowledge of extra-terrestrial life forms
vii. Likelihood of life on other planets

Example Answer
Paragraph A v

14. Paragraph B
15. Paragraph C
16. Paragraph D
17. Paragraph E

Questions 18-20
Answer the Questions Below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 18-20 on your answer sheet.

18. What is the life expectancy of Earth?
19. What kind of signals from other intelligent civilizations are SETI scientists searching for?
20. How many stars are the world’s most powerful radio telescopes searching?

Questions 21-26
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                              if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                            if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN                 if there is no information on this more than once.

21. Alien civilizations may be able to help the human race to overcome serious problems.
22. SETI scientists are trying to find a life form that resembles humans in many ways.
23. The Americans and Australians have co-operated on joint research projects.
24. So far SETI scientists have picked up radio signals from several stars.
25. The NASA project attracted criticism from some members of Congress.
26. If a signal from outer space is received, it will be important to respond promptly.

The History of the Tortoise

If you go back far enough, everything lived in the sea. At various points in evolutionary history, enterprising individuals within many different animal groups moved out onto the land, sometimes even to the most parched deserts, taking their own private seawater with them in blood and cellular fluids. In addition to the reptiles, birds, mammals and insects which we see all around us, other groups that have succeeded out of water include scorpions, snails, crustaceans such as woodlice and land crabs, millipedes and centipedes, spiders and various worms. And we mustn’t forget the plants, without whose prior invasion of the land none of the other migrations could have happened.

Moving from water to land involved a major redesign of every aspect of life, including breathing and reproduction. Nevertheless, a good number of thoroughgoing land animals later turned around, abandoned their hard-earned terrestrial re-tooling, and returned to the water again. Seals have only gone part way back. They show us what the intermediates might have been like, on the way to extreme cases such as whales and dugongs. Whales (including the small whales we call dolphins) and dugongs, with their close cousins the manatees, ceased to be land creatures altogether and reverted to the full marine habits of their remote ancestors. They don’t even come ashore to breed. They do, however, still breathe air, having never developed anything equivalent to the gills of their earlier marine incarnation. Turtles went back to the sea a very long time ago and, like all vertebrate returnees to the water, they breathe air. However, they are, in one respect, less fully given back to the water than whales or dugongs, for turtles still lay their eggs on beaches.

There is evidence that all modem turtles are descended from a terrestrial ancestor which lived before most of the dinosaurs. There are two key fossils called Proganochelys quenstedti and Palaeochersis talampayensis dating from early dinosaur times, which appear to be close to the ancestry of all modem turtles and tortoises. You might wonder how we can tell whether fossil animals lived on land or in water, especially if only fragments are found. Sometimes it’s obvious. Ichthyosaurs were reptilian contemporaries of the dinosaurs, with fins and streamlined bodies. The fossils look like dolphins and they surely lived like dolphins, in the water. With turtles it is a little less obvious. One way to tell is by measuring the bones of their forelimbs.

Walter Joyce and Jacques Gauthier, at Yale University, obtained three measurements in these particular bones of 71 species of living turtles and tortoises. They used a kind of triangular graph paper to plot the three measurements against one another. All the land tortoise species formed a tight cluster of points in the upper part of the triangle; all the water turtles cluster in the lower part of the triangular graph. There was no overlap, except when they added some species that spend time both in water and on land. Sure enough, these amphibious species show up on the triangular graph approximately half way between the ‘wet cluster’ of sea turtles and the ‘dry cluster’ of land tortoises. The next step was to determine where the fossils fell. The bones of P. quenstedti and P. talampayensis leave us in no doubt. Their points on the graph are right in the thick of the dry cluster. Both these fossils were dry-land tortoises. They come from the era before our turtles returned to the water.

You might think, therefore, that modem land tortoises have probably stayed on land ever since those early terrestrial times, as most mammals did after a few of them went back to the sea. But apparently not. If you draw out the family tree of all modem turtles and tortoises, nearly all the branches are aquatic. Today’s land tortoises constitute a single branch, deeply nested among branches consisting of aquatic turtles. This suggests that modem land tortoises have not stayed on land continuously since the time of P. quenstedti and P. talampayensis. Rather, their ancestors were among those who went back to the water, and they then re- emerged back onto the land in (relatively) more recent times.

Tortoises therefore represent a remarkable double return. In common with all mammals, reptiles and birds, their remote ancestors were marine fish and before that various more or less worm-like creatures stretching back, still in the sea, to the primeval bacteria. Later ancestors lived on land and stayed there for a very large number of generations. Later ancestors still evolved back into the water and became sea turtles. And finally they returned yet again to the land as tortoises, some of which now live in the driest of deserts.

Questions 27-30
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer

27. What had to transfer from sea to land before any animals could migrate?
28. Which TWO processes are mentioned as those in which animals had to make big changes as they moved onto land?
29. Which physical feature. possessed by their ancestors, do whales lack?
30. Which animals might ichthyosaurs have resembled?

Questions 31-33
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 31-33 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                          if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                        if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN             if there is no information on this more than once.

31 Turtles were among the first group of animals to migrate back to the sea.
32 It is always difficult to determine where an animal lived when its fossilized remains are incomplete.
33 The habitat of ichthyosaurs can be determined by the appearance of their fossilized remains.

Questions 34-39
Complete the flow-chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Write your answers in boxes 34-39 on your answer sheet.

Method of determining where the ancestors of turtles and tortoises come from

Step 1: 71 species of living turtles and tortoises were examined and a total of (34) …………….were taken from the bones of their forelimbs.
Step 2: The data was recorded on a (35) ………………. (necessary for comparing the information).
Outcome: Land tortoises were represented by a dense (36) ……………… of points towards the top. Sea turtles were grouped together in the bottom part.
Step 3: The same data was collected from some living (37) ……………… species and added to the other results. Outcome: The points for these species turned out to be positioned about (38) ……………… up the triangle between the land tortoises and the sea turtles.
Step 4: Bones of R quenstedti and P talampayensis were examined in a similar way and the results added.
Outcome: The position of the points indicated that both these ancient creatures were (39)………………….

Question 40
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.

According to the writer, the most significant thing about tortoises is that

A they are able to adapt to life in extremely dry environments.
B their original life form was a kind of primeval bacteria,
C they have so much in common with sea turtles.
D they have made the transition from sea to land more than once.

Reading Passage One

A Hearing impairment or other auditory function deficit in young children can have a major impact on their development of speech and communication, resulting in a detrimental effect on their ability to learn at school. This is likely to have major consequences for the individual and the population as a whole. The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss.

B A preliminary study in New Zealand has shown that classroom noise presents a major concern for teachers and pupils. Modern teaching practices, the organisation of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as air-conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teacher’s voice. Education researchers Nelson and Soli have also suggested that recent trends in learning often involve collaborative interaction of multiple minds and tools as much as individual possession of information. This all amounts to heightened activity and noise levels, which have the potential to be particularly serious for children experiencing auditory function deficit. Noise in classrooms can only exacerbate their difficulty in comprehending and processing verbal communication with other children and instructions from the teacher.

C Children with auditory function deficit are potentially failing to learn to their maximum potential because of noise levels generated in classrooms. The effects of noise on the ability of children to learn effectively in typical classroom environments are now the subject of increasing concern. The International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (l-INCE), on the advice of the World Health Organization, has established an international working party, which includes New Zealand, to evaluate noise and reverberation control for school rooms.

D While the detrimental effects of noise in classroom situations are not limited to children experiencing disability, those with a disability that affects their processing of speech and verbal communication could be extremely vulnerable. The auditory function deficits in question include hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD).

E Autism is considered a neurological and genetic life-long disorder that causes discrepancies in the way information is processed. This disorder is characterised by interlinking problems with social imagination, social communication and social interaction. According to Janzen, this affects the ability to understand and relate in typical ways to people, understand events and objects in the environment, and understand or respond to sensory stimuli. Autism does not allow learning or thinking in the same ways as in children who are developing normally.

Autistic spectrum disorders often result in major difficulties in comprehending verbal information and speech processing. Those experiencing these disorders often find sounds such as crowd noise and the noise generated by machinery painful and distressing. This is difficult to scientifically quantify as such extra-sensory stimuli vary greatly from one autistic individual to another. But a child who finds any type of noise in their classroom or learning space intrusive is likely to be adversely affected in their ability to process information.

F The attention deficit disorders are indicative of neurological and genetic disorders and are characterised by difficulties with sustaining attention, effort and persistence, organisation skills and disinhibition. Children experiencing these disorders find it difficult to screen out unimportant information, and focus on everything in the environment rather than attending to a single activity. Background noise in the classroom becomes a major distraction, which can affect their ability to concentrate.

G Children experiencing an auditory function deficit can often find speech and communication very difficult to isolate and process when set against high levels of background noise. These levels come from outside activities that penetrate the classroom structure, from teaching activities, and other noise generated inside, which can be exacerbated by room reverberation. Strategies are needed to obtain the optimum classroom construction and perhaps a change in classroom culture and methods of teaching. In particular, the effects of noisy classrooms and activities on those experiencing disabilities in the form of auditory function deficit need thorough investigation. It is probable that many undiagnosed children exist in the education system with ‘invisible’ disabilities. Their needs are less likely to be met than those of children with known disabilities.

H The New Zealand Government has developed a New Zealand Disability Strategy and has embarked on a wide-ranging consultation process. The strategy recognises that people experiencing disability face significant barriers in achieving a full quality of life in areas such as attitude, education, employment and access to services. Objective 3 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is to ‘Provide the Best Education for Disabled People’ by improving education so that all children, youth learners and adult learners will have equal opportunities to learn and develop within their already existing local school. For a successful education, the learning environment is vitally significant, so any effort to improve this is likely to be of great benefit to all children, but especially to those with auditory function disabilities.

I A number of countries are already in the process of formulating their own standards for the control and reduction of classroom noise. New Zealand will probably follow their example. The literature to date on noise in school rooms appears to focus on the effects on schoolchildren in general, their teachers and the hearing impaired. Only limited attention appears to have been given to those students experiencing the other disabilities involving auditory function deficit. It is imperative that the needs of these children are taken into account in the setting of appropriate international standards to be promulgated in future.

Questions 1-6
Reading Passage 1 has nine sections, A-l. Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

1 an account of a national policy initiative
2 a description of a global team effort
3 a hypothesis as to one reason behind the growth in classroom noise
4 a demand for suitable worldwide regulations
5 a list of medical conditions which place some children more at risk from noise than others
6 the estimated proportion of children in New Zealand with auditory problems

Questions 7-10
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage.

7 For what period of time has hearing loss in schoolchildren been studied in New Zealand?
8 In addition to machinery noise, what other type of noise can upset children with autism?
9 What term is used to describe the hearing problems of schoolchildren which have not been diagnosed?
10 What part of the New Zealand Disability Strategy aims to give schoolchildren equal opportunity?

Questions 11 and 12
Choose TWO letters, A-F. Write the correct letters in boxes 11 and 12 on your answer sheet.

The list below includes factors contributing to classroom noise.
Which TWO are mentioned by the writer of the passage?

A current teaching methods
B echoing corridors
C cooling systems
D large class sizes
E loud-voiced teachers
F playground games

Question 13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in box 13 on your answer sheet.

What is the writer’s overall purpose in writing this article?
A to compare different methods of dealing with auditory problems
B to provide solutions for overly noisy learning environments
C to increase awareness of the situation of children with auditory problems
D to promote New Zealand as a model for other countries to follow

Cambridge IELTS Test 1 to 17

Venus in Transit

A On 8 June 2004, more than half the population of the world were treated to a rare astronomical event. For over six hours, the planet Venus steadily inched its way over the surface of the Sun. This ‘transit’ of Venus was the first since 6 December 1882. On that occasion, the American astronomer Professor Simon Newcomb led a party to South Africa to observe the event. They were based at a girls’ school, where – it is alleged – the combined forces of three schoolmistresses outperformed the professionals with the accuracy of their observations.

B For centuries, transits of Venus have drawn explorers and astronomers alike to the four corners of the globe. And you can put it all down to the extraordinary polymath Edmond Halley. In November 1677, Halley observed a transit of the innermost planet, Mercury, from the desolate island of St Helena in the South Pacific. He realised that, from different latitudes, the passage of the planet across the Sun’s disc would appear to differ. By timing the transit from two widely-separated locations, teams of astronomers could calculate the parallax angle – the apparent difference in position of an astronomical body due to a difference in the observer’s position. Calculating this angle would allow astronomers to measure what was then the ultimate goal: the distance of the Earth from the Sun. This distance is known as the ‘astronomical unit’ or AU.

C Halley was aware that the AU was one of the most fundamental of all astronomical measurements. Johannes Kepler, in the early 17th century, had shown that the distances of the planets from the Sun governed their orbital speeds, which were easily measurable. But no-one had found a way to calculate accurate distances to the planets from the Earth. The goal was to measure the AU; then, knowing the orbital speeds of all the other planets round the Sun, the scale of the Solar System would fall into place. However, Halley realised that Mercury was so far away that its parallax angle would be very difficult to determine. As Venus was closer to the Earth, its parallax angle would be larger, and Halley worked out that by using Venus it would be possible to measure the Sun’s distance to 1 part in 500. But there was a problem: transits of Venus, unlike those of Mercury, are rare, occurring in pairs roughly eight years apart every hundred or so years. Nevertheless, he accurately predicted that Venus would cross the face of the Sun in both 1761 and 1769 – though he didn’t survive to see either.

D Inspired by Halley’s suggestion of a way to pin down the scale of the Solar System, teams of British and French astronomers set out on expeditions to places as diverse as India and Siberia. But things weren’t helped by Britain and France being at war. The person who deserves most sympathy is the French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil. He was thwarted by the fact that the British were besieging his observation site at Pondicherry in India. Fleeing on a French warship crossing the Indian Ocean, Le Gentil saw a wonderful transit – but the ship’s pitching and rolling ruled out any attempt at making accurate observations. Undaunted, he remained south of the equator, keeping himself busy by studying the islands of Mauritius and Madagascar before setting off to observe the next transit in the Philippines. Ironically after travelling nearly 50,000 kilometres, his view was clouded out at the last moment, a very dispiriting experience.

E While the early transit timings were as precise as instruments would allow, the measurements were dogged by the ‘black drop’ effect. When Venus begins to cross the Sun’s disc, it looks smeared not circular – which makes it difficult to establish timings. This is due to diffraction of light. The second problem is that Venus exhibits a halo of light when it is seen just outside the Sun’s disc. While this showed astronomers that Venus was surrounded by a thick layer of gases refracting sunlight around it, both effects made it impossible to obtain accurate timings.

F But astronomers laboured hard to analyse the results of these expeditions to observe Venus transits. Johann Franz Encke, Director of the Berlin Observatory, finally determined a value for the AU based on all these parallax measurements: 153,340,000 km. Reasonably accurate for the time, that is quite close to today’s value of 149,597,870 km, determined by radar, which has now superseded transits and all other methods in accuracy. The AU is a cosmic measuring rod, and the basis of how we scale the Universe today. The parallax principle can be extended to measure the distances to the stars. If we look at a star in January – when Earth is at one point in its orbit – it will seem to be in a different position from where it appears six months later. Knowing the width of Earth’s orbit, the parallax shift lets astronomers calculate the distance.

G June 2004’s transit of Venus was thus more of an astronomical spectacle than a scientifically important event. But such transits have paved the way for what might prove to be one of the most vital breakthroughs in the cosmos – detecting Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars.

Questions 14-17
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information?

14 examples of different ways in which the parallax principle has been applied
15 a description of an event which prevented a transit observation
16 a statement about potential future discoveries leading on from transit observations
17 a description of physical states connected with Venus which early astronomical instruments failed to overcome

Questions 18-21
Look at the following statements (Questions 18-21) and the list of people below. Match each statement with the correct person, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet.

18 He calculated the distance of the Sun from the Earth based on observations of Venus with a fair degree of accuracy.
19 He understood that the distance of the Sun from the Earth could be worked out by comparing observations of a transit.
20 He realised that the time taken by a planet to go round the Sun depends on its distance from the Sun.
21 He witnessed a Venus transit but was unable to make any calculations.

List of People

A Edmond Halley
B Johannes Kepler
C Guillaume Le Gentil
D Johann Franz Encke

Questions 22-26
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                                if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                              if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN                   if there is no information on this

22 Halley observed one transit of the planet Venus.
23 Le Gentil managed to observe a second Venus transit.
24 The shape of Venus appears distorted when it starts to pass in front of the Sun.
25 Early astronomers suspected that the atmosphere on Venus was toxic.
26 The parallax principle allows astronomers to work out how far away distant stars are from the Earth.

A Neuroscientist Reveals How To Think Differently

In the last decade a revolution has occurred in the way that scientists think about the brain. We now know that the decisions humans make can be traced to the firing patterns of neurons in specific parts of the brain. These discoveries have led to the field known as neuroeconomics, which studies the brain’s secrets to success in an economic environment that demands innovation and being able to do things differently from competitors. A brain that can do this is an iconoclastic one. Briefly, an iconoclast is a person who does something that others say can’t be done.

This definition implies that iconoclasts are different from other people, but more precisely, it is their brains that are different in three distinct ways: perception, fear response, and social intelligence. Each of these three functions utilizes a different circuit in the brain. Naysayers might suggest that the brain is irrelevant, that thinking in an original, even revolutionary, way is more a matter of personality than brain function. But the field of neuroeconomics was born out of the realization that the physical workings of the brain place limitations on the way we make decisions. By understanding these constraints, we begin to understand why some people march to a different drumbeat.

The first thing to realize is that the brain suffers from limited resources. It has a fixed energy budget, about the same as a 40 watt light bulb, so it has evolved to work as efficiently as possible. This is where most people are impeded from being an iconoclast. For example, when confronted with information streaming from the eyes, the brain will interpret this information in the quickest way possible. Thus it will draw on both past experience and any other source of information, such as what other people say, to make sense of what it is seeing. This happens all the time. The brain takes shortcuts that work so well we are hardly ever aware of them. We think our perceptions of the world are real, but they are only biological and electrical rumblings. Perception is not simply a product of what your eyes or ears transmit to your brain. More than the physical reality of photons or sound waves, perception is a product of the brain.

Perception is central to iconoclasm. Iconoclasts see things differently to other people. Their brains do not fall into efficiency pitfalls as much as the average person’s brain. Iconoclasts, either because they were born that way or through learning, have found ways to work around the perceptual shortcuts that plague most people. Perception is not something that is hardwired into the brain. It is a learned process, which is both a curse and an opportunity for change. The brain faces the fundamental problem of interpreting physical stimuli from the senses. Everything the brain sees, hears, or touches has multiple interpretations. The one that is ultimately chosen is simply the brain’s best theory. In technical terms, these conjectures have their basis in the statistical likelihood of one interpretation over another and are heavily influenced by past experience and, importantly for potential iconoclasts, what other people say.

The best way to see things differently to other people is to bombard the brain with things it has never encountered before. Novelty releases the perceptual process from the chains of past experience and forces the brain to make new judgments. Successful iconoclasts have an extraordinary willingness to be exposed to what is fresh and different. Observation of iconoclasts shows that they embrace novelty while most people avoid things that are different.

The problem with novelty, however, is that it tends to trigger the brain’s fear system. Fear is a major impediment to thinking like an iconoclast and stops the average person in his tracks. There are many types of fear, but the two that inhibit iconoclastic thinking and people generally find difficult to deal with are fear of uncertainty and fear of public ridicule. These may seem like trivial phobias. But fear of public speaking, which everyone must do from time to time, afflicts one-third of the population. This makes it too common to be considered a mental disorder. It is simply a common variant of human nature, one which iconoclasts do not let inhibit their reactions.

Finally, to be successful iconoclasts, individuals must sell their ideas to other people. This is where social intelligence comes in. Social intelligence is the ability to understand and manage people in a business setting. In the last decade there has been an explosion of knowledge about the social brain and how the brain works when groups coordinate decision making. Neuroscience has revealed which brain circuits are responsible for functions like understanding what other people think, empathy, fairness, and social identity. These brain regions play key roles in whether people convince others of their ideas. Perception is important in social cognition too. The perception of someone’s enthusiasm, or reputation, can make or break a deal. Understanding how perception becomes intertwined with social decision making shows why successful iconoclasts are so rare.

Iconoclasts create new opportunities in every area from artistic expression to technology to business. They supply creativity and innovation not easily accomplished by committees. Rules aren’t important to them. Iconoclasts face alienation and failure, but can also be a major asset to any organization. It is crucial for success in any field to understand how the iconoclastic mind works.

Questions 27-31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

27 Neuroeconomics is a field of study which seeks to
A cause a change in how scientists understand brain chemistry.
B understand how good decisions are made in the brain.
C understand how the brain is linked to achievement in competitive fields.
D trace the specific firing patterns of neurons in different areas of the brain.

28 According to the writer, iconoclasts are distinctive because
A they create unusual brain circuits
B their brains function differently
C their personalities are distinctive
D they make decisions easily

29 According to the writer, the brain works efficiently because
A it uses the eyes quickly
B it interprets data logically
C it generates its own energy
D it relies on previous events

30 The writer says that perception is
A a combination of photons and sound waves
B a reliable product of what your senses transmit
C a result of brain processes
D a process we are usually conscious of

31 According to the writer, an iconoclastic thinker
A centralises perceptual thinking in one part of the brain
B avoids cognitive traps
C has a brain that is hardwired for learning
D has more opportunities than the average person

Questions 32-37
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 32-37 on your answer sheet, write

YES                            if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO                              if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN           if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

32 Exposure to different events forces the brain to think differently.
33 Iconoclasts are unusually receptive to new experiences.
34 Most people are too shy to try different things.
35 If you think in an iconoclastic way, you can easily overcome fear.
36 When concern about embarrassment matters less, other fears become irrelevant.
37 Fear of public speaking is a psychological illness.

Questions 38-40
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-E, below.

38 Thinking like a successful iconoclast is demanding because it
39 The concept of the social brain is useful to iconoclasts because it
40 Iconoclasts are generally an asset because their way of thinking

A requires both perceptual and social intelligence skills.
B focuses on how groups decide on an action.
C works in many fields, both artistic and scientific.
D leaves one open to criticism and rejection.
E involves understanding how organisations manage people.

ATTITUDES TO LANGUAGE

It is not easy to be systematic and objective about language study. Popular linguistic debate regularly deteriorates into invective and polemic. Language belongs to everyone, so most people feel they have a right to hold an opinion about it. And when opinions differ, emotions can run high. Arguments can start as easily over minor points of usage as over major policies of linguistic education.

Language, moreover, is a very public behaviour, so it is easy for different usages to be noted and criticised. No part of society or social behaviour is exempt: linguistic factors influence how we judge personality, intelligence, social status, educational standards, job aptitude, and many other areas of identity and social survival. As a result, it is easy to hurt, and to be hurt, when language use is unfeelingly attacked.

In its most general sense, prescriptivism is the view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community. The view is propounded especially in relation to grammar and vocabulary, and frequently with reference to pronunciation. The variety which is favoured, in this account, is usually a version of the ‘standard’ written language, especially as encountered in literature, or in the formal spoken language which most closely reflects this style. Adherents to this variety are said to speak or write ‘correctly’; deviations from it are said to be ‘incorrect!

All the main languages have been studied prescriptively, especially in the 18th century approach to the writing of grammars and dictionaries. The aims of these early grammarians were threefold: (a) they wanted to codify the principles of their languages, to show that there was a system beneath the apparent chaos of usage, (b) they wanted a means of settling disputes over usage, and (c) they wanted to point out what they felt to be common errors, in order to ‘improve’ the language. The authoritarian nature of the approach is best characterised by its reliance on ‘rules’ of grammar. Some usages are ‘prescribed,’ to be learnt and followed accurately; others are ‘proscribed,’ to be avoided. In this early period, there were no half-measures: usage was either right or wrong, and it was the task of the grammarian not simply to record alternatives, but to pronounce judgement upon them.

These attitudes are still with us, and they motivate a widespread concern that linguistic standards should be maintained. Nevertheless, there is an alternative point of view that is concerned less with standards than with the facts of linguistic usage. This approach is summarised in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language change. In the second half of the 18th century, we already find advocates of this view, such as Joseph Priestley, whose Rudiments of English Grammar (1761) insists that ‘the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any language! Linguistic issues, it is argued, cannot be solved by logic and legislation. And this view has become the tenet of the modern linguistic approach to grammatical analysis.

In our own time, the opposition between ‘descriptivists’ and ‘prescriptivists’ has often become extreme, with both sides painting unreal pictures of the other. Descriptive grammarians have been presented as people who do not care about standards, because of the way they see all forms of usage as equally valid. Prescriptive grammarians have been presented as blind adherents to a historical tradition. The opposition has even been presented in quasi-political terms – of radical liberalism vs elitist conservatism.

Questions 1-8
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-8 in your answer sheet, write:

YES                                if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO                                  if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN               if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1 There are understandable reasons why arguments occur about language.
2 People feel more strongly about language education than about small differences in language usage.
3 Our assessment of a person’s intelligence is affected by the way he or she uses language.
4 Prescriptive grammar books cost a lot of money to buy in the 18th century.
5 Prescriptivism still exists today.
6 According to descriptivists it is pointless to try to stop language change.
7 Descriptivism only appeared after the 18th century.
8 Both descriptivists and prescriptivists have been misrepresented.

Questions 9-12
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-l, below.

The language debate

According to (9) …………. there is only one correct form of language. Linguists who take this approach to language place great importance on grammatical (10) ……………………. Conversely, the view of (11) ………….., such as Joseph Priestley, is that grammar should be based on (12) ………………….

A descriptivists                     
B language expert                   
C popular speech                           
D formal language
E evaluation                         
F rules                                         
G modern linguists                       
H prescriptivists
I change

Question 13
Choose the correct letter A. B, C or D.

What is the writer’s purpose in Reading Passage?

A to argue in favour of a particular approach to writing dictionaries and grammar books
B to present a historical account of differing views of language
C to describe the differences between spoken and written language
D to show how a certain view of language has been discredited

TIDAL POWER

A Operating on the same principle as wind turbines, the power in sea turbines comes from tidal currents which turn blades similar to ships’ propellers, but, unlike wind, the tides are predictable and the power input is constant. The technology raises the prospect of Britain becoming self-sufficient in renewable energy and drastically reducing its carbon dioxide emissions. If tide, wind and wave power are all developed, Britain would be able to close gas, coal and nuclear power plants and export renewable power to other parts of Europe. Unlike wind power, which Britain originally developed and then abandoned for 20 years allowing the Dutch to make it a major industry, undersea turbines could become a big export earner to island nations such as Japan and New Zealand.

B Tidal sites have already been identified that will produce one sixth or more of the UK’s power – and at prices competitive with modern gas turbines and undercutting those of the already ailing nuclear industry. One site alone, the Pentland Firth, between Orkney and mainland Scotland, could produce 10% of the country’s electricity with banks of turbines under the sea, and another at Alderney in the Channel Islands three times the 1,200 megawatts of Britain’s largest and newest nuclear plant, Sizewell B, in Suffolk. Other sites identified include the Bristol Channel and the west coast of Scotland, particularly the channel between Campbeltown and Northern Ireland.

C Work on designs for the new turbine blades and sites are well advanced at the University of Southampton’s sustainable energy research group. The first station is expected to be installed off Lynmouth in Devon shortly to test the technology in a venture jointly funded by the department of Trade and Industry and the European Union. AbuBakr Bahaj, in charge of the Southampton research, said: The prospects for energy from tidal currents are far better than from wind because the flows of water are predictable and constant. The technology for dealing with the hostile saline environment under the sea has been developed in the North Sea oil industry and much is already known about turbine blade design, because of wind power and ship propellers. There are a few technical difficulties, but I believe in the next five to ten years we will be installing commercial marine turbine farms.’ Southampton has been awarded £215,000 over three years to develop the turbines and is working with Marine Current Turbines, a subsidiary of IT power, on the Lynmouth project. EU research has now identified 106 potential sites for tidal power, 80% round the coasts of Britain. The best sites are between islands or around heavily indented coasts where there are strong tidal currents.

D A marine turbine blade needs to be only one third of the size of a wind generator to produce three times as much power. The blades will be about 20 metres in diameter, so around 30 metres of water is required. Unlike wind power, there are unlikely to be environmental objections. Fish and other creatures are thought unlikely to be at risk from the relatively slow-turning blades. Each turbine will be mounted on a tower which will connect to the national power supply grid via underwater cables. The towers will stick out of the water and be lit, to warn shipping, and also be designed to be lifted out of the water for maintenance and to clean seaweed from the blades.

E Dr Bahaj has done most work on the Alderney site, where there are powerful currents. The single undersea turbine farm would produce far more power than needed for the Channel Islands and most would be fed into the French Grid and be re-imported into Britain via the cable under the Channel.

F One technical difficulty is cavitation, where low pressure behind a turning blade causes air bubbles. These can cause vibration and damage the blades of the turbines. Dr Bahaj said: ‘We have to test a number of blade types to avoid this happening or at least make sure it does not damage the turbines or reduce performance. Another slight concern is submerged debris floating into the blades. So far we do not know how much of a problem it might be. We will have to make the turbines robust because the sea is a hostile environment, but all the signs that we can do it are good.’

Questions 14-17
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information?
NB You may use any letter more than once.

14 the location of the first test site
15 a way of bringing the power produced on one site back into Britain
16 a reference to a previous attempt by Britain to find an alternative source of energy
17 mention of the possibility of applying technology from another industry

Questions 18-22
Choose FIVE Letters A-J

Which FIVE of the following claims about tidal power are made by the writer?

A It is a more reliable source of energy than wind power.
B It would replace all other forms of energy in Britain.
C Its introduction has come as a result of public pressure.
D It would cut down on air pollution.
E It could contribute to the closure of many existing power stations ln Britain.
F It could be a means of increasing national income.
G It could face a lot of resistance from other fuel industries.
H It could be sold more cheaply than any other type of fuel.
I It could compensate for the shortage of inland sites for energy production.
J It is best produced in the vicinity of coastlines with particular features.

Questions 23-26
Label the diagram below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

An Undersea Turbine

INFORMATION THEORY – THE BID IDEA

A In April 2002 an event took place which demonstrated one of the many applications of information theory. The space probe, Voyager I, launched in 1977, had sent back spectacular images of Jupiter and Saturn and then soared out of the Solar System on a one-way mission to the stars. After 25 years of exposure to the freezing temperatures of deep space, the probe was beginning to show its age. Sensors and circuits were on the brink of failing and NASA experts realised that they had to do something or lose contact with their probe forever. The solution was to get a message to Voyager I to instruct it to use spares to change the failing parts. With the probe 12 billion kilometres from Earth, this was not an easy task. By means of a radio dish belonging to NASA’s Deep Space Network, the message was sent out into the depths of space. Even travelling at the speed of light, it took over 11 hours to reach its target, far beyond the orbit of Pluto. Yet, incredibly, the little probe managed to hear the faint call from its home planet, and successfully made the switchover.

B It was the longest-distance repair job in history, and a triumph for the NASA engineers. But it also highlighted the astonishing power of the techniques developed by American communications engineer Claude Shannon, who had died just a year earlier. Born in 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan, Shannon showed an early talent for maths and for building gadgets, and made breakthroughs in the foundations of computer technology when still a student. While at Bell Laboratories, Shannon developed information theory, but shunned the resulting acclaim. In the 1940s, he single-handedly created an entire science of communication which has since inveigled its way into a host of applications, from DVDs to satellite communications to bar codes – any area, in short, where data has to be conveyed rapidly yet accurately.

C This all seems light years away from the down-to-earth uses Shannon originally had for his work, which began when he was a 22-year-old graduate engineering student at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1939. He set out with an apparently simple aim: to pin down the precise meaning of the concept of ‘information’. The most basic form of information, Shannon argued, is whether something is true or false – which can be captured in the binary unit, or ‘bit’, of the form 1 or 0. Having identified this fundamental unit, Shannon set about defining otherwise vague ideas about information and how to transmit it from place to place. In the process he discovered something surprising: it is always possible to guarantee information will get through random interference – ‘noise’ – intact.

D Noise usually means unwanted sounds which interfere with genuine information. Information theory generalises this idea via theorems that capture the effects of noise with mathematical precision. In particular, Shannon showed that noise sets a limit on the rate at which information can pass along communication channels while remaining error-free. This rate depends on the relative strengths of the signal and noise travelling down the communication channel, and on its capacity (its ‘bandwidth’). The resulting limit, given in units of bits per second, is the absolute maximum rate of error-free communication given signal strength and noise level. The trick, Shannon showed, is to find ways of packaging up – ‘coding’ – information to cope with the ravages of noise, while staying within the information-carrying capacity – ‘bandwidth’ – of the communication system being used.

E Over the years scientists have devised many such coding methods, and they have proved crucial in many technological feats. The Voyager spacecraft transmitted data using codes which added one extra bit for every single bit of information; the result was an error rate of just one bit in 10,000 – and stunningly clear pictures of the planets. Other codes have become part of everyday life – such as the Universal Product Code, or bar code, which uses a simple error-detecting system that ensures supermarket check-out lasers can read the price even on, say, a crumpled bag of crisps. As recently as 1993, engineers made a major breakthrough by discovering so-called turbo codes – which come very close to Shannon’s ultimate limit for the maximum rate that data can be transmitted reliably, and now play a key role in the mobile videophone revolution.

F Shannon also laid the foundations of more efficient ways of storing information, by stripping out superfluous (‘redundant’) bits from data which contributed little real information. As mobile phone text messages like ‘I CN C U’ show, it is often possible to leave out a lot of data without losing much meaning. As with error correction, however, there’s a limit beyond which messages become too ambiguous. Shannon showed how to calculate this limit, opening the way to the design of compression methods that cram maximum information into the minimum space.

Questions 27-32
Reading Passage 3 has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information?

27 an explanation of the factors affecting the transmission of information
28 an example of how unnecessary information can be omitted
29 a reference to Shannon`s attitude to fame
30 details of a machine capable of interpreting incomplete information
31 a detailed account of an incident involving information theory
32 a reference to what Shannon initially intended to achieve in his research

Questions 33-37
Complete the notes below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer

The Voyager l Space Probe

The probe transmitted pictures of both (33) ……………….,and ……………. , then left the (34) ……………. The freezing temperatures were found to have a negative effect on parts of the space probe. Scientists feared that both the (35)……………….. and ………………… were about to stop working. The only hope was to tell the probe to replace them with (36)…………………….. – but distance made communication with the probe difficult. A (37)………………….. was used to transmit the message at the speed of light. The message was picked up by the probe and the switchover took place.

Questions 38-40
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet write

TRUE                      if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE                    if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN         if there is no information on this

38. The concept of describing something as true or false was the starting point for Shannon in his attempts to send messages over distances.
39. The amount of information that can be sent in a given time period is determined with reference to the signal strength and noise level.
40. Products have now been developed which can convey more information than Shannon had anticipated as possible.

Section 1: Helping pupils to choose optional subjects when they are aged 14-15: what some pupils say

Questions 1-6: 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 1: This pupil is interested in the subject despite the way it is taught.

Keywords for this question: interested in, the subject, despite, way it is taught,    

In paragraph D, Violeta says in lines 3-5, “ . . . the teacher is very knowledgeable, though I think we spend too much time listening to her: I’d like to meet more people working in the sector, and learn from their experience.”

Here, though I think we spend too much time listening to her = despite the way it is taught,

like to meet more people working in the sector, and learn from their experience = This pupil is interested in the subject,

So, the answer is: D

Question 2: This pupil is hoping to have a career that makes use of the subject.  

Keywords for this question: hoping, a career, refund, makes use of the subject,       

In paragraph B, Lucy says in the final lines, “ . . . My plan is to study history at university, and maybe go into the diplomatic service, so l can apply a knowledge of history.”

Here, My plan is to study history at university, and maybe go into the diplomatic service = hoping to have a career that makes use of the subject,

So, the answer is: B                

Question 3: This pupil finds the subject harder than they expected.

Keywords for this question: finds the subject harder, than, expected,  

In paragraph C, Mark says in lines 3-4, “ . . . . I didn’t think I’d have any problem with it, but I was quite wrong! . .. .”

Here, I didn’t think I’d have any problem with it, but I was quite wrong = harder than they expected,

So, the answer is: C   

Question 4: This pupil finds the lessons very entertaining.

Keywords for this question: finds the lessons, very entertaining,

In paragraph E, Walid says in lines 2-3, “ . . . I was afraid the lessons might be a bit dull. I needn’t have worried, though – our teacher gets us to do lots of fun things, so there’s no risk of getting bored. . .. . .”

Here, our teacher gets us to do lots of fun things, so there’s no risk of getting bored = finds the lessons very entertaining,

So, the answer is: E   

Question 5: This pupil appreciates the benefit of doing challenging work.

Keywords for this question: appreciates, benefit, doing challenging work,

In paragraph A, Krishnan says in lines 2-4, “ . . . Mr Peckham really pushes us, and offers us extra assignments, to help us improve. That’s good for me, because otherwise I’d be quite lazy.”

Here, offers us extra assignments, to help us improve. That’s good for me, because otherwise I’d be quite lazy = appreciates the benefit of doing challenging work,

So, the answer is: A

Question 6: This pupil has realised the connection between two things.

Keywords for this question: realised, connection between two things,  

In paragraph B, Lucy says in lines 1-2, “ . . . History is my favourite subject, and it’s fascinating to see how what we learn about the past is relevant to what’s going on in the world now. .. . .. .”

Here, it’s fascinating to see how what we learn about the past is relevant to what’s going on in the world now = has realised the connection between two things,

So, the answer is: B

It’s almost time for the next Ripton Festival  

Questions 8-14:  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 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. This question type generally follows a sequence. So, scanning skill is effective here.]

Question 7: The festival is held every year. 

Keywords for this question: held, every year,

The answer is in the very first lines where the writer says, “As usual, the festival will be held in the last weekend of June, this year on Saturday to Monday, 27-29 June. . . .. . .. .”   

Here, As usual = like every year,

This means the festival is a yearly event.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 8: This year’s festival focuses on the town’s history.

Keywords for this question: This year’s festival, focuses, town’s history,  

In lines 2-3 of the passage, the writer says, “ . . .. . .. . The theme is Ripton through the ages. Scenes will be acted out showing how the town has developed since it was first established. . .. .”

Here, The theme = This year’s festival focuses, Ripton through the ages = the town’s history,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 9: Goods displayed in the craft fair are unlike ones found in shops.  

Keywords for this question: goods, displayed in the craft fair, unlike ones, found in shops,

The second paragraph talks about the craft fair. However, there is no comparison of goods with other shops.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 10: The barbecue will be cancelled if it rains.

Keywords for this question: barbecue, will be cancelled, if it rains,

We find a discussion about ‘barbecue’ in paragraph no. 3, and the writer says in line no. 2, “ .. . he barbecue will be held in Palmer’s Field, or in the town hall if there’s rain. . . .. .. .”

Here, in the town hall if there’s rain = The barbecue will NOT be cancelled if it rains, it will take place in the town hall instead.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 11: Adults can attend the barbecue at any time without charge.

Keywords for this question: Adults can attend, barbecue, any time without charge,

In paragraph no. 3, lines 3-4 say, “ . . . Entry for under 16s is free all day; adults can come for free until 6 pm and pay £5 after that.. . . .”

Here, adults can come for free until 6 pm and pay £5 after that = Adults can attend the barbecue without charge until 6 pm, but after that they have to pay.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 12: Amateur musicians will perform during the whole of the barbecue.

Keywords for this question: Amateur musicians, will perform, during, whole of the barbecue,    

The final lines of paragraph no. 3 say, “. .. . with local amateur bands in the afternoon and professional musicians in the evening.”

Here, local amateur bands in the afternoon = Amateur musicians will perform in the afternoon only,

So the answer is: FALSE

Question 13: Seating is available for watching the boat races.

Keywords for this question: seating, available, for watching the boat races,  

In the fourth paragraph, lines 2-3 say, “ . .. . The spectator area by the bridge has plenty of room to stand and cheer the boats home, in addition to a number of benches. .. . .. . .”

Here, in addition to a number of benches = There will be some seats for watching the boat race,

So the answer is: TRUE

Question 14: People attending the festival will be asked to donate some money. 

Keywords for this question: People attending the festival, will be asked, donate some money,

In the final line of the passage, it says, “All money raised by the festival will go to support the sports clubs in Ripton.”

However, there is NO MENTION of any donation by people.

So the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Section 2: Reducing injuries on the farm

Questions 15-20: Completing the table

[In this type of question candidates need to fill in the gaps in a table. For this table, candidates need to write ONE WORD ONLY to fill in the blanks. Scanning skill is essential for this type of question.]

Question 15:

Risk factor: Heavy loads

Examples of farm activities: lifting sacks of _________.  

Keywords for this question: heavy loads, lifting sacks,

Take a look at lines 1-4 in paragraph no. 2 where the author says, “The first risk relates to the carrying of an excessive load or weight. This places undue demands on the spine and can cause permanent damage. Examples of tasks that involve this risk are moving 50-kilogramme fertiliser bags from one site to another or carrying heavy buckets of animal feed around fields.”  

Here, an excessive load or weight = heavy loads, moving .. .. . from one site to another = lifting, bags = sacks,

So, the answer is: fertilizer/ fertilizer  

Questions 16, 17, 18:

Risk factor: Awkward posture

Examples of farm activities: lifting a restless 16. _________. 

Examples of farm activities: moving something around a big 17. _________. 

Risk reduction measures to consider: Buy particular 18. ________ to help with support.

Keywords for this question: Awkward posture, lifting a restless, moving something, around a big, buy, particular, help with support,

In paragraph no. 3, the author says, “If a load is bulky or hard to grasp, such as a lively or agitated animal, it will be more difficult to hold while lifting and carrying. The holder may adopt an awkward posture, which is tiring and increases the risk of injury. Sometimes a load has to be held away from the body because there is a large obstacle in the area and the person lifting needs to be able to see where their feet are going. This results in increased stress on the back; holding a load at arm’s length imposes about five times the stress of a close-to-the-body position. In such cases, handling aids should be purchased that can take the weight off the load and minimise the potential for injury.”

Here, lively or agitated = restless, a load has to be held away from the body = moving something around, large = big, should be purchased = buy, can take the weight off the load = help with support,

So, the answers are:

1. animal
2. obstacle
3. aids

Questions 19 & 20:

Risk factor: A lot of 19. ________ while working

Examples of farm activities: fixing a fallen 20. _________. 

Keywords for this question: a lot of, while working, fixing a fallen,

The first few lines of the final paragraph say, “Another risk that relates to awkward posture is repetitive bending when carrying out a task. An example might be repairing a gate that has collapsed onto the ground.  .. . . . . .”

Here, repetitive = a lot of, when carrying out a task = while working, repairing = fixing, has collapsed onto the ground = fallen,

So, the answers are:

1. bending
2. gate

Good customer service in retail

Questions 21-27: Completing sentences

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write NO MORE THAN TWO 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 21: A _________ approach to selling is fine as long as you do not irritate the customer.  

Keywords for this question: approach, selling, fine, as long as, do not irritate, the customer,   

The answer can be found in lines 1-2 of the second paragraph, “Some customers just want to browse and not be bothered by sales staff. Try to be sensitive to how much help a customer wants; be proactive in offering help without being annoying. .. .. .”

Here, offering help without being annoying = fine as long as you do not irritate the customer,

So, the answer is: proactive

Question 22: Recommend additional products and _______ without being too forceful.

Keywords for this question: recommend, additional products, without being, too forceful,  

The final few lines of the second paragraph say, “. .. . . Suggest a product that naturally accompanies what the customer is considering or point out products for which there are special offers, but don’t pressure a customer into buying an item they don’t want.”

Here, Suggest a product & point out products = Recommend additional products, don’t pressure a customer = without being too forceful,

So, the answer is: special offers

Question 23: Know how to compare similar products which have different __________ .  

Keywords for this question: know, how to compare, similar products, have different,   

In the opening of the third paragraph, the writer mentions, “Build up a comprehensive knowledge of all the products in your shop, including the pros and cons of products that are alike but that have been produced under a range of brand names.”

Here, Build up a comprehensive knowledge = know, the pros and cons = how to compare, products that are alike = similar products, a range of = different,

So, the answer is: brand names

Question 24: Avoid _________ by always saying more than ‘no’.  

Keywords for this question: avoid, by, always saying, more than ‘no’, 

In lines 4-6 of the third paragraph, the writer says, “ . .  …. .. . . Negativity can put customers off instantly. If a customer asks a question to which the answer is ‘no’, do not just leave it at that – follow it with a positive, for example: ‘we’re expecting more of that product in on Tuesday’.”

Here, If a customer asks a question to which the answer is ‘no’, do not just leave it at that = avoid . . .. ..  .. . by always saying more than ‘no’,

So, the answer is: negativity

Question 25: Keep an eye on the __________ of goods on the shelves.   

Keywords for this question: keep an eye, on, goods on the shelves,

In the fourth paragraph, lines 1-3 say, “Meanwhile, if you see a product in the wrong place on a shelf, don’t ignore it – put it back where it belongs. This attention to presentation keeps the shop tidy, giving the right impression to your customers. .. . .. . . .. .”

Here, if you see a product in the wrong place on a shelf, don’t ignore it – put it back where it belongs = keep an eye,  

These lines suggest that the presentation of the right products should be given attention.

So, the answer is: presentation  

Question 26: If a customer has problems paying with their ________, handle the problem with care.

Keywords for this answer: if, a customer, problems, paying with, handle, problem, with care,  

In the fifth paragraph, the first few lines say, “When necessary, be discreet. For example, if the customer’s credit card is declined at the till, keep your voice down and enquire about an alternative payment method quietly so that the customer doesn’t feel humiliated. .. .. .. .” 

Here, When necessary, be discreet & keep your voice down and enquire about an alternative payment method quietly so that the customer doesn’t feel humiliated = handle the problem with care,

declined at the till = has problems paying with,

So, the answer is: credit card

Question 27: Any __________ from a customer should not affect how you treat them.   

Keywords for this answer: any, from a customer, should not affect, how you treat them,  

In the sixth paragraph, the writer says, “Finally, good manners are probably the most important aspect of dealing with customers. Treat each person with respect at all times, even when you are faced with rudeness.”

Here, Treat each person with respect at all times = should not affect how you treat them,

So, the answer is: rudeness

Section 3: Plastic is no longer fantastic

Questions 28-34:  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 28: Paragraph A  

In section A, the first few lines talk about Carlos Ferrando’s experience of visiting a museum and watching a piece of artwork about plastic waste. Then, in the final lines, the writer says, “ .. . .. .. . The artwork, designed to raise public awareness, left Ferrando angry – and fuelled with entrepreneurial ideas.”

Here, left Ferrando angry = it was a very disturbing experience for Ferrando,   

So, the answer is: vi (A disturbing experience)

Question 29: Paragraph B

Let’s read lines 1-3 of Paragraph B. The author of the text says here, “Ferrando runs a Spanish-based design company, Closca, that produces an ingenious foldable bicycle helmet. But he has now also designed a stylish glass water bottle with a stretchy silicone strap and magnetic closure mechanism. .. .. .” 

Here, produces an ingenious foldable bicycle helmet & he has now also designed a stylish glass water bottle = two inventions,

If you read further inside this paragraph, you will find some physical details of both products.  

So, the answer is: iv (Two inventions and some physical details)

Question 30: Paragraph C

Let’s read lines 1-2 of Paragraph C. The author of the passage says, “The intention is to persuade people to stop buying water in plastic bottles, thus saving consumers money and reducing the plastic waste piling up in our oceans. . .. .. . .”

Here, The intention =  the reasons, saving consumers money and reducing the plastic waste piling up in our oceans = reasons for the need of Ferrando’s product,

So, the answer is: ii (The reasons why Ferrando’s product is needed)

Question 31: Paragraph D

To find an answer to this question, we must skim-read paragraph D. In lines 2-6, the writer explains, “ . .. .. .. Three decades ago, conspicuous consumption – the purchase of luxuries, such as handbags, shoes, cars, etc. on a lavish scale – heightened people’s social status. Indeed, the closing decades of the 20th century were a time when it seemed that anything could be turned into a commodity. Hence the fact that water became a consumer item, sold in plastic bottles, instead of just emerging, for free, from a tap.”

Here, Three decades ago & the closing decades of the 20th century were a time = looking back,

it seemed that anything could be turned into a commodity. Hence the fact that water became a consumer item, sold in plastic bottles = why water was bottled,

So, the answer is: viii (Looking back at why water was bottled)

Question 32: Paragraph E

In Paragraph E, take a look at lines 6-9. The writer says here, “ . .. . Some teenagers currently think that these stainless-steel vacuum-insulated water bottles that are coming back onto the market are ultra ‘cool’; never mind the fact that they feel oddly out-of-date to anyone over the age of 40 or that teenagers in the 1970s would have avoided ever being seen with one.”

Here, we can clearly see that one generation (the current teenagers) thinks that stainless-steel vacuum-insulated water bottles are ‘cool’ while the other generation (anyone over the age of 40) thinks that stainless-steel vacuum-insulated water bottles are ‘out-of-date’.

So, the answer is: v (The contrasting views of different generations)

Question 33: Paragraph F

In Paragraph F, have a look at lines 3-7, “ . .. .. . . it can be very hard for any design entrepreneur to really take off in the global mass market, though not as hard as it might have been in the past. If an entrepreneur had wanted to fund a smart invention a few decades ago, he or she would have had to either raise a bank loan, borrow money from a family member or use a credit card. Things have moved on slightly since then.”

Here, though not as hard as it might have been in the past. = The past was the time when opportunities were limited to raise a fund, 

So, the answer is: i (A time when opportunities were limited)

Question 34: Paragraph G

In Paragraph G, take a close look at lines 10-12, “ . .. . Using this approach, none of the donors has a stake in his idea, nor does he have any debt. Instead, it is almost a pre-sale of the product, in a manner that tests demand in advance and creates a potential crowd of enthusiasts. . .. .”

Here, none of the donors has a stake in his idea, nor does he have any debt = A no-risk solution,

So, the answer is: iii (A no-risk solution)

Questions 35-37:  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. This question type generally follows a sequence. So, scanning skill is effective here.]

Question 35: What does Ferrando say about his glass water bottle?

Keywords for this answer: What, Ferrando, say about, glass water bottle,  

In paragraph C, in lines 6-8, Ferrando says, “ . . .. .. .. ‘We are trying to create a sense that being environmentally sophisticated is a status symbol,’ he adds. ‘We want people to clip their bottles onto what they are wearing, to show that they are recycling – and to look cool.’ ”

Here, to show that they are recycling – and to look cool =  he wants people to be proud to show it,

So, the answer is: D (He wants people to be proud to show it.)

Question 36: What does the writer find fascinating about Ferrando’s story?

Keywords for this question: What, the writer, find fascinating, about Ferrando’s story,

To find an answer to this question, we have to read paragraph D and the opening of paragraph E, as the writer explains here, “Ferrando’s story is fascinating because it seems like an indicator of something unexpected. Three decades ago, conspicuous consumption – the purchase of luxuries, such as handbags, shoes, cars, etc. on a lavish scale – heightened people’s social status. Indeed, the closing decades of the 20th century were a time when it seemed that anything could be turned into a commodity. Hence the fact that water became a consumer item, sold in plastic bottles, instead of just emerging, for free, from a tap.”

These lines suggest that three decades ago people’s social status was based on the purchase of luxuries. So, using a plastic water bottle was also a symbol of status.

Then, in paragraph E, the first few lines say, “Today, though, conspicuous extravagance no longer seems desirable among consumers. Now, recycling is fashionable – as is cycling rather than driving. Plastic water bottles have become so common that they do not command status; . .. . .. .. ”

These lines suggest that at present, however, people’s attitude has changed regarding buying things for social status; and nowadays anything can be a commodity; and using plastic water bottles have so common that it doesn’t hold any social status anymore.

So, the answer is: D (the change it is revealing in people’s attitudes)

Question 37: What does the writer suggest about Closca’s bike helmet?

Keywords for this question: What, the writer, suggest, about, Closca’s bike helmet,  

In the opening of paragraph F, the writer says, “It is uncertain whether Clesca will succeed in its goal. Although its foldable bike helmet is available in some outlets in New York, including the Museum of Modern Art, . . .”

Here, foldable bike helmet = functional value,

available in .. . .. . the Museum of Modern Art = artistic value,

So, the answer is: A (It has both functional and artistic value.)

Questions 37-40:  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 from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Title of the summary: Funding a smart invention

Question 38: Thirty years ago, the methods used by creators to fund their projects involved getting money from the bank or from someone in the ___________.

Keywords for this question: Thirty years ago, methods used by creators, fund their projects, getting money from the bank, from someone in the,      

In lines 5-7 of Paragraph F, the writer mentions, “ . .. If an entrepreneur had wanted to fund a smart invention a few decades ago, he or she would have had to either raise a bank loan, borrow money from a family member or use a credit card. . … .. . ..”

Here, an entrepreneur = creators,

a few decades ago = Thirty years ago,

raise a bank loan = getting money from the bank,

from a family member = from someone in the family,

So, the answer is: family

Question 39: In order to get immediate funding, the method Ferrando took was to use a well-known ____________ to advertise his product and request financial support.

Keywords for this question: to get immediate funding, method Ferrando took, use a well-known, to advertise his product, request financial support,

In Paragraph G, the answer lies in lines 4-5. Here, the writer mentions, “ . .. Ferrando posted details about his water-bottle venture on a large, recognised platform for funding creative projects.”

Here, posted details about his water-bottle venture = use .. … . to advertise his product,

recognised = well-known,

for funding = request financial support,

So, the answer is: platform

Question 40: In addition, Ferrando advised his donors that his company would create bottles in two colours, followed by a __________ bottle once they had received a more significant amount.

Keywords for this question: In addition, Ferrando advised his donors would create bottles in two colours, followed by a, bottle, once they had received, more significant amount,

Again, in paragraph G, in lines 8-10, the writer explains, “ … . . .. . If he received the funds, he stated that the company would produce bottles in grey and white; if $60,000 was raised, a multicoloured one would be made. … .. . . .”     

Here, grey and white = two colours,

if $60,000 was raised = if Ferrando’s company received a more significant amount,

So, the answer is: multicoloured/ multi-coloured/ multi-colored

Section 1: New cycle path to Marsh brook Country Park

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 1: what still needs to be done 

Keywords for this question: still, needs to be done,       

Paragraph E provides detail about the works that still need to be done. Take a look at these lines, “. . .. work is continuing to improve the signs along it, such as warnings when the path approaches a road. New hedges and trees will also be planted along the stretches of the path, . .. . ..”

Here, work is continuing to improve & will also be means the works that still need to be done.

So, the answer is: E

Question 2: the original suggestion for creating the path

Keywords for this question: original suggestion, creating the path,

In paragraph C, the writer of the text says in lines 2-3, “ . .. . Cycle Atherton proposed the 12-kilometre-long cycle path initially,  . . .. .”              

Here, proposed the 12-kilometre-long cycle path initially = original suggestion for creating the path,

So, the answer is: C   

Question 3: a reason why the path opened early

Keywords for this question: reason, path opened early,   

The answer can be found in paragraph B. Read lines 3-4 carefully, “ . .. . The cycle path was completed ahead of schedule – partly thanks to perfect weather for construction – and under budget.” 

Here, The cycle path was completed ahead of schedule = reason why the path opened early,

So, the answer is: B               

Question 4: people who no longer need to get to the park by car

Keywords for this question: people, no longer need, get to the park, by car,     

In section D take a look at lines 3-4, “ . . ..  At 2.5 metres wide, it is also suitable for users of wheelchairs, mobility scooters and buggies, who have not previously had access to the park without using motor vehicles.”

Here, suitable for users of wheelchairs, mobility scooters and buggies who have not previously had access to the park without using motor vehicles = people who no longer need to get to the park by car,

So, the answer is: D               

Question 5: the route of the path

Keywords for this question: route of the path,    

Have a look at the first lines of paragraph A, “A new dual-purpose cycle and pedestrian route has been built from Atherton bus station to the country park’s main entrance at Marshbrook.  .. … ..”

Here, from Atherton bus station to the country park’s main entrance at Marshbrook = the route of the path,

So, the answer is: A

Question 6: the length of the path  

Keywords for this question: length of the path,   

In paragraph C the writer says in lines 2-3, “ .. .. . Cycle Atherton proposed the 12-kilometre-long cycle path initially, .. … .”

Here, 12-kilometre-long = the length of the path,

So, the answer is: C

Question 7: who paid for the path    

Keywords for this question: who paid,   

In paragraph B, the writer says in the first lines, “Funding for the cycle path has come largely from the country and town councils, while almost a third of it was raised through crowdfunding. .. ..” 

Here, Funding = paid for the path,

So, the answer is: B

Study dramatic arts at Thornley   

Questions 8-14: 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 8: The college has introduced new courses since it opened.

Keywords for this question: college, introduced, new courses, since, opened,     

In paragraph no. 1 the writer says in lines 2-4, “…. . .. . For fifty years we have been providing top-quality courses for actors, directors, producers, musicians and everyone else who wishes to work professionally in the theatre or related industry. … .. .”    

These lines suggest that the age of college is fifty years and it provides courses related to films and dramas. However, whether the college has introduced some new courses since its opening or not is NOT mentioned here.  

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN  

Question 9: The college provides training for work in the film industry.

Keywords for this question: college, provides, training for work, film industry,     

In lines 4-5 of paragraph no. 1, the writer says, “ . .. .. We also have expertise in preparing students for the specialised requirements of TV, film and radio. . ..”

Here, preparing students for the specialised requirements = training for work, film = the film industry,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 10: Students have the chance to work with relevant professionals.

Keywords for this question: students, chance, work with, relevant professionals,  

In paragraph no. 2, take a look at these lines, “ . . .. . and we also collaborate with some of the country’s best directors, writers and actors to create challenging, inspiring and exciting projects with our students.”

Here, we also collaborate with . … to create .. … with our students = students of this college have the chance to work with,  

the country’s best directors, writers, and actors = relevant professionals,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 11: Many more people apply to study at the college than are accepted.  

Keywords for this question: many more people, apply to study, than, accepted,     

In paragraph no. 3, lines 2-3 say, “ .. . . Every year, we receive two thousand applications for the one hundred places on our degree courses. .. .. .”  

Here, two thousand applications for the one hundred places = many more people apply . .. .. than are accepted,  

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 12: Theatre 500 was created by students.

Keywords for this question: Theatre 500, created, by students,      

We can find the answer to this question in paragraph no. 4. Here, in lines 1-2, the author of the text says, “To make our fiftieth anniversary this year, we are putting on a production of Theatre 500. Written by two staff members . .. ..”

Here, Written by two staff members = it was created by people who work in the theatre, not by the students,

So the answer is: FALSE

Question 13: The new building and the council building were designed by the same architects.

Keywords for this question: new building, council building, designed by, same architects,   

In paragraph no. 5, the writer of the text talks about the new building (Our new premises) and in lines 3-4 the writer says, “ . .. For the last two years, we have been developing designs with Miller Furbank Architects for our new home, .. . ..”

Here, our new home = the new building,

This means Miller Furbank Architects has been designing the new building. However, there is NO INFORMATION about who designed the council building.  

So the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 14: Local groups will be charged for using college premises.

Keywords for this question: local groups, will be charged for, using college premises,    

In the final paragraph, the first lines say, “We have been talking to cultural organisations in the district, and considering how we can bring cost-free benefits to the local community, as well as to our students. .. ..”

Here, considering how we can bring cost-free benefits to the local community = local groups will NOT be charged for using college premises,

So the answer is: FALSE

Section 2:How to make your working day more enjoyable

Questions 15-21: Completing sentences with ONE WORD ONLY

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write a maximum of one word 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 15: Bringing a personal ________ to work will make the place feel more homely.  

Keywords for this question: bringing, personal, will make, place, feel more homely,    

In the second paragraph, the author of the text says in lines 2-4, “ . .. . Get some green plants or a family photo for your desk. File all those add bits of paper or throw them away. All of these little touches can make your work environment feel like it’s yours. .. . .”   

Here, family = personal, make your work environment feel like it’s yours = will make the place feel more homely,

So, the answer is: photo

Question 16: It is important to check the position of all _______ before use to avoid pulling any muscles.   

Keywords for this question: important to check, position, before use, avoid, pulling, any muscles,      

Again, in paragraph no. 2, read lines 4-5, “ .. . Make sure any screens you have are at a suitable height so you’re not straining your neck and shoulders.”

Here, Make sure = it is important to check, at a suitable height = check the position, not straining your neck and shoulders = avoid pulling any muscles,  

So, the answer is: screens

Question 17: Leaving the office in the middle of the day may help to raise ________ later on.

Keywords for this question: leaving, office, middle of the day, may help, raise, later on,

Take a look at lines 1-3 in paragraph no. 3, “Humans need a change of environment every now and then to improve productivity. Go out at lunchtime for a quick walk. If you have the option, it’s a good idea to work from home occasionally. . . .”

Here, improve = raise, Go out at lunchtime & work from home occasionally = leaving the office in the middle of the day, 

So, the answer is: productivity

Question 18: It is advisable to avoid checking a ______ during breaks.

Keywords for this question: advisable, avoid checking, during breaks,     

Lines 1-3 of the fourth paragraph say, “Use coffee time to get to know a colleague you don’t usually speak to. There’s no point in getting away from starting at one thing though, only to replace it with another; so leave your mobile alone! . .. .”

Here, coffee time = breaks, leave your mobile alone = it is advisable to avoid checking mobile,  

So, the answer is: mobile

Question 19: Getting involved in _______ at work may have negative results.

Keywords for this question: Getting involved in, work, may have, negative results,     

The last few lines of paragraph no. 4 say, “.. . .. Another tip is to try and stay out of office gossip. In the long run it could get you in more trouble than you realise.”

Here, could get you in more trouble than you realise = may have negative results,

So, the answer is: gossip

Question 20: Having a few _______ available can help people concentrate better at work.  

Keywords for this question: having, few, available, help people, concentrate, better,      

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 5. Here, in lines 1-3, the author of the text says, “ .. . . If you can keep some healthy snacks in your desk because if you have something you can nibble on, it will make you work more effectively and you’ll enjoy it more. .. . .”

Here, keep some = having a few, it will make you work more effectively and you’ll enjoy it more = can help people concentrate better at work,

So, the answer is: snacks

How to get promoted  

Questions 21-27: Completing notes

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete different notes 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.]

Title of the notes: Steps to take to achieve a promotion

Question 21:

First step: examine past successes and any _________ that would help gain promotion

Keywords for this question: First step, examine past successes, would help, gain promotion,

In the second paragraph, the writer of the text says in lines 2-3, “ . .. .. Take an honest look at yourself – your achievements and also your skills, particularly those you could exploit to take on a different role.”  

Here, achievements = past successes, those you could exploit to take on a different role = that would help gain promotion,   

So, the answer is: skills

Question 22:

Set up a meeting with your boss to talk about:

• how best to use your high level of ________ in future

Keywords for this question: set up, meeting, your boss, talk about, how best to use, high level, in future,    

In paragraph no. 3, the writer says in the beginning, “Your boss is the gatekeeper. If you think your boss is likely to be on your side, ask for a meeting to discuss your serious commitment to the organisation and how this could translate into a more defined career plan. .. ..”

Here, ask for a meeting to discuss = Set up a meeting with your boss to talk about, serious = high level of,

 So, the answer is: commitment

Question 23:

• or how much extra ________ you already bring to the company  

Keywords for this question:how much, extra, already bring, the company,   

Again, in paragraph no. 3, the writer says in lines 4-5, “ . .. . start softly with a more deliberate focus on increasing your boss’s understanding of the work you do and the added value you deliver.”

Here, added = extra, you deliver = you already bring to the company,

So, the answer is: value

Question 24:

Focus on the important people in the company:

• find out which ones will be members of the _________ who decide on the promotion

Keywords for this question: focus, important people, find out, which ones, will be, members, who decide on, promotion,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 4. Here, take a look at lines 1-3, “Think about how you are perceived at work. In order for you to get your promotion, who needs to know about you? Who would be on the interview panel and whose opinion and input would they seek? … …”   

Here, Who would be = which ones will be, the interview panel = members of the panel, whose opinion and input would they seek = who decide on the promotion,

So, the answer is: panel  

Question 25:

• consider how much they are aware of your _________ for the future

Keywords for this question: consider, how much, aware, your, for the future,

In paragraph no. 4, the writer says again in lines 3-5, “ .. . . And once you’ve got a list of people to impress, ask yourself – do they know enough about you? And I mean really know – what you do day to day at your desk, your contribution to the team, and perhaps most importantly, your potential.”

Here, do they know enough about you? = consider how much they are aware,

So, the answer is: potential   

Question 26: Take steps to raise your profile by:

• offering to create a feature for a company publication
• participating in the _________ of events for customers

Keywords for this question: take steps, raise, profile, by, offering, create feature, company publication, participating, events for customers,

The answer can be found in the fifth paragraph. Here, the writer says in lines 2-5, “ . . .. Raising your profile in your organisation is critical so that when those in change start looking at that empty office and considering how best to fill it, the first name that pops into their heads is yours. If your firm has a newsletter, volunteer to write a feature to include in it. If they arrange regular client events, get involved in the organisation of them. And so on.”

Here, client events = events for customers, get involved in = participate in,  

So, the answer is: organisation / organization   

N.B: Here, the word ‘organisation’ is included in two places; first, in line no. 2 (organisation = company), and then, in line no. 5 (organisation = the action of organizing something). The answer is taken from line no. 5.

Question 27: Work on self-development:

• take any ________ that fill in gaps in knowledge

Keywords for this question: improve, grammar,  

In the final paragraph (paragraph no. 6), the writer says in lines 1-3, “If you think your experience needs enhancing, then look at ways you can continue to improve it. If you are confident in your professional expertise but lacks the latest management theory, enrol on some relevant courses that fit around your day job.”

Here, look at ways you can continue to improve = work on self-development, lacks the latest management theory = gaps in knowledge,  

So, the answer is: courses   

Section 3:Animals can tell right from wrong   

Questions 28-34: 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 from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Title of the summary: Complex social behaviour in wolf packs 

Question 28: Wolves live in packs and it is clear that there are a number of _______ concerning their behaviour.

Keywords for this question: wolves, live in packs, clear, a number of, concerning, their behaviour,  

The answer can be found in lines 1-2 of paragraph no. 4. Here, the writer says, “Wolves live in tight-knit social groups that are regulated by strict rules. . … ..”

Here, tight-knit social groups = packs,   

Here, the phrase in the question ‘a number of’ indicates to ‘something plural’.

So, the answer is: rules

Question 29: Some observers believe they exhibit a sense of ________ . The stronger, more senior wolves seem to adopt the roles of the junior wolves when they are playing together.

Keywords for this question: some observers, believe, exhibit, sense of, stronger, more senior wolves, seem to adopt, roles, junior wolves, when, playing together,   

In paragraph no. 4, lines 2-4 say, “ . .. . . Wolves also demonstrate fairness. During play, dominant wolves will appear to exchange roles with lower-ranking wolves. .. .

Here, demonstrate = exhibit, dominant wolves = The stronger, more senior wolves, exchange roles = adopt the roles, lower-ranking wolves = junior wolves,

So, the answer is: fairness

Questions 30 & 31: They act as if they are 30. _________ to the juniors and even permit some gentle 31. ________.

Keywords for this question: they act, as if, to the juniors, even, permit, some gentle,    

In paragraph no. 4, lines 5-7 state, “ . .. .. They pretend to be submissive and go so far as to allow biting by the lower-ranking wolves, provided that it is not too hard. .. ..”

Here, They pretend to be = They act as if they are, allow = permit, lower-ranking wolves  = juniors, it is not too hard = gentle,

So, the answers are:

• submissive
• biting

Question 32: What is even more surprising is that when one of the juniors gets too forceful, it bends down begging for _______. Only when that has been granted will the wolves continue playing.

Keywords for this question: more surprising, when, one of the juniors, gets too forceful, bends down, begging for,    

In lines 10-12 of paragraph no. 4, the author of the text mentions, “ . .. .. Astonishingly, if an animal becomes aggressive, it will perform a ‘play bow’ to ask forgiveness before play resumes.”

Here, Astonishingly = What is even more surprising, when one of the juniors gets too forceful = if an animal becomes aggressive, play bow = bends down, begging for = ask, before play resumes = Only when that has been granted will the wolves continue playing,

So, the answer is: forgiveness

Questions 33-37: 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 names/places, 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 33: coyotes

Keywords for this question:  coyotes,   

In paragraph no.5, lines 2-5 say, “ . . . Among  coyotes, cubs which are too aggressive are ignored by the rest of the group and often end up having to leave entirely. . . .”

Here, too aggressive = do not obey the moral code, end up having to leave entirely = may be driven away by their peers,

So, the answer is: E (may be driven away by their peers if they do not obey the moral code.)

Question 34: domestic dogs

Keywords for this question: domestic dogs,  

Again, in paragraph no. 5, lines 5-8 say, “ . . . Experiments with domestic dogs, where one animal was given some ‘sweets’ and another wasn’t, have shown that they possess a sense of fairness as they allowed their companion to eat some.”

Here, sweets = treats, they allowed their companion to eat some = share treats with a peer,

So, the answer is: C (sometimes share treats with a peer.)

Question 35: elephants

Keywords for this question: elephants,     

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 6, as we find the mention of ‘elephants’ here. In this paragraph, lines 7-12state, “ . .. . In 2003, a herd of 11 elephants rescued antelopes which were being held inside an enclosure in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. . .. .”

Here, a herd of 11 elephants = elephants, rescued = help, antelopes = a different type of animal, being held inside an enclosure = in difficulty,

So, the answer is: G (may help a different type of animal which is in difficulty.)

Question 36: Diana monkeys

Keywords for this question: Diana monkeys,    

The answer lies in the beginning of paragraph no. 7 as the writer says here, “A laboratory experiment involved training Diana monkeys to insert a token into a slot to obtain food. A male who had become skilled at the task was found to be helping the oldest female, who had not learned how to do it. .. ..”  

Here, helping the oldest female = assist a peer, who had not learned how to do it = failing to complete a task,

So, the answer is: D (may assist a peer who is failing to complete a task.)

Question 37: rats

Keywords for this question: rats,

The answer lies in paragraph no. 9, as the writer explains in the beginning, “Experiments with rats have shown that they will not take food if they know their actions will cause pain to another rat. .. . .”

Here, they will not take food = unwilling to benefit from something, cause pain to another rat = hurts their peers,

So, the answer is: F (seem unwilling to benefit from something that hurts their peers.)

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 set found as the last question set in most passages so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about these questions.]

Question 38: What view is expressed by Professor de Waal?

Keywords for this question: view, professor de Waal,     

The answer is found in lines 12-15 of paragraph no. 3, “Professor Frans de Waal, who examines . .. . . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . Human morality was not formed from scratch, but grew out of our primate psychology. Primate psychology has ancient roots, and I agree that other animals show many of the same tendencies and have an intense sociality.”

Here, Human morality = human moral beliefs, grew out = developed, Primate psychology has ancient roots = animal ancestors,

So, the answer is: C (Some human moral beliefs developed from our animal ancestors.)

Question 39: Why does Professor Bekoff mention the experiment on Diana monkeys?  

Keywords for this question: why, Professor Bekoff, mention, experiment on Diana monkeys,   

The mention of Diana monkeys is found in paragraph no. 7. Here, lines 8-11 say, “ .. . . As there was no benefit for the male monkey, Professor Bekoff argues that this is a clear example of an animal’s actions being driven by some internal moral compass.”

Here, that this is a clear example of an animal’s actions being driven by some internal moral compass indicates that animals’ actions is influenced by moral range that resides inside them (a point that the professor wants to make).

So, the answer is: D (It illustrates a point he wants to make about monkeys and other creatures.)

Question 40: What does the writer find most surprising about chimpanzees?  

Keywords for this question: find, most surprising, chimpanzees,  

In paragraph no. 8, the writer mentions in lines 5-12, “ . . .. A chimpanzee known as Knuckles is the only known captive chimpanzee to suffer from cerebral palsy, which leaves him physically and mentally impaired. What is extraordinary is that scientists have observed other chimpanzees interacting with him differently and he is rarely subjected to intimidating displays of aggression from older males. . .. ..”

Here, What is extraordinary = most surprising, chimpanzee to suffer from cerebral palsy = disabled peers, he is rarely subjected to intimidating displays of aggression from older males = treat disabled peers with consideration,

So, the answer is: B (They appear to treat disabled peers with consideration.)

Section 1: Young Fashion Designer UK competition

Questions 1-7: 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 1: Participants are required to create a new item of clothing for the Young Fashion Designer UK competition.

Keywords for this question: Participants, required to create, new item of clothing,

In the second paragraph, the writer of the text says in lines 1-2, “The competition is designed for students to enter the coursework they are currently working on rather than specifically producing different pieces of work. .. ..”  

Here, rather than specifically producing different pieces of work = Participants are NOT required to create a new item of clothing,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 2: Participants must send information about the thoughts that led to the item they are entering for the competition.   

Keywords for this question: Participants must send, information, thoughts that led to, item,       

In the third paragraph, the writer describes the requirements to enter the competition. Take a close look at the first requirement,

“ 1) Provide three A3 colour copies from your design folder.

You must include:

• Initial ideas about the clothing
• A close-up photograph of the front and back view of the finished clothing.

Here, Initial ideas about the clothing = the thoughts that led to the item they are entering for the competition,

So, the answer is: TRUE                      

Question 3: The shortlist will consist of a fixed number of finalists.  

Keywords for this question: shortlist, will consist of, fixed number, finalists,  

We find the keyword ‘shortlist’ in the first line of paragraph no. 4. However, the paragraph doesn’t say anything about any fixed number of finalists.

This means the information is NOT GIVEN in the paragraph.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN       

Question 4: Finalists can choose how to present their work to the judges on their stand.

Keywords for this question: Finalists can choose, how to present, their work, judges, their stand,      

In paragraph no. 4, look at lines 3-5, “ . … Each finalist will have their own stand consisting of a table and tabletop cardboard display panel. Feel free to add as much creativity to your stand as possible. .. . .”

Here, Feel free to add as much creativity to your stand as possible = finalists can choose how to present their work . .. . on their stand,

So, the answer is: TRUE                   

Question 5: It is strongly recommended that finalists support their entry with additional photographs.

Keywords for this question: strongly recommended, finalists support, their entry, additional photographs,

Again, in paragraph no. 4, look at lines 5-7, “ . … Some students bring tablets/ laptops with slideshows or further images of work but it should be emphasised that these may not necessarily improve your chances of success.”

Here, further images = additional photographs, it should be emphasised that these may not necessarily improve your chances of success = NOT strongly recommended,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 6: Questions that the students ask the judges may count towards the final decisions.

Keywords for this question: questions, students, ask the judges, may count, towards, final decisions,  

In the fifth paragraph, take a look at lines 3-4, “ . .. . You are welcome to ask the judges questions. In fact, you should make the most of having experts on hand.”

Here, there’s NO INFORMATION on whether asking questions may count towards the final decisions or not.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 7: Extra prizes may be awarded depending on the standard of the entries submitted. 

Keywords for this question: extra prizes, may be awarded, depending on, standard, entries submitted,  

In the final paragraph, have a close look at lines 1-2, “There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners for each category. The judges can also decide to award special prizes if the work merits this. . .. .”

Here, The judges can also decide to award special prizes if the work merits this = Extra prizes may be awarded depending on the standard of the entries submitted,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 8-14: Which keyboard should you buy?

Questions 8-14:  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 8: This keyboard may not suit users who prefer the keys to be almost silent.  

Keywords for this question: may not suit, users, prefer, keys, to be almost silent,  

In the description of Keyboard B (Cherry MX 3.0 Keyboard), have a close look at line no. 3, “ . . .. It’s also rather loud though, which can take some getting used to.”

Here, rather loud = may not suit users who prefer the keys to be almost silent,

So, the answer is: B

Question 9: This keyboard is easily portable because it can be made to fit into a small space. 

Keywords for this question: easily portable, because, can be made, to fit into, small space,

In the description of Keyboard E (Microsoft Universal Bluetooth Keyboard), the author of the text says in the first lines, “Microsoft’s Bluetooth keyboard has one very handy feature – you can fold it in half and carry it around in your jacket pocket or bag. .. .. .”

Here, you can fold it in half = can be made fit into a small space, carry it around = easily portable,

So, the answer is: E

Question 10: This keyboard includes a special place to put small devices.

Keywords for this question: includes a special place, put, small devices,  

In the description of Keyboard C (Logitech K780), the author of the text says in lines 1-2, “ . .. . There’s an integrated stand for smartphones and tablets too. .. . ..”

Here, an integrated stand = a special place, smartphones and tablets = small devices,  

So, the answer is: C

Question 11: This Keyboard is designed to prevent injury to those who spend a lot of time on the computer. 

Keywords for this question: designed, to prevent injury, who spend, a lot of time, on the computer,  

In the description of Keyboard D (Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic), the author says in lines 1-3, “. … .. It provides wrist support and lifts your forearms into a relaxed position so you don’t hurt yourself from typing for lengthy periods. . . .”

Here, you don’t hurt yourself = prevent injury, typing for lengthy periods = spend a lot of time on the computer,

So, the answer is: D

Question 12: This keyboard offers good value for money.

Keywords for this question: offers, good value for money,  

In the description of Keyboard A (Logitech K120), the author says in line no. 3, “ . … . For the price, it’s a tempting choice.”

Here, For the price, it’s a tempting choice = offers good value for money,

So the answer is: A

Question 13: This keyboard is primarily aimed at people who use their computer for entertainment.

Keywords for this question: primarily aimed at, people who use, computer, for entertainment,  

In the description of Keyboard F (Corsair Strafe RGB Keyboard), the author says in line no. 3, “ . … .. All this is because it’s designed for gamers. … …”

Here, it’s designed for gamers = primarily aimed at people who use their computer for entertainment,

So the answer is: F

Question 14: It shouldn’t take long for users to get used to the shape of the keys on this keyboard.

Keywords for this question: shouldn’t take long, users, to get used to, the shape of the keys,  

In the description of Keyboard C (Logitech K780), the author of the text says in lines 3-4, “ . .. . and the circular keys are easy to familiarise yourself with, well-spaced and large enough to hit accurately. .. ..”

Here, easy to familiarise yourself with = It shouldn’t take long for users to get used to,

the circular keys .. .. . well-spaced and large enough to hit accurately = the shape of the keys,

So the answer is: C

Section 2: Working for a small company may be better than you think

Questions 15-20: Completing sentences with ONE WORD ONLY:

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to write a maximum of one word 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 15: In a small business it is easy to become _______ with colleagues and other departments.  

Keywords for this question:small business, easy to become, colleagues and other departments,   

In the second paragraph of the text, the first lines say, “Working in a small organisation with a small workforce means it’s likely to be easy to become part of it. It won’t be long before you’re familiar with the staff and the departments that you need to deal with. . … .”  

Here, the staff = colleagues, the departments that you need to deal with = other departments,

So, the answer is: familiar

Question 16: You may find you have ________ you were not aware.

Keywords for this question:may find, have, were not aware,  

In the third paragraph, lines 1-3 say, “In a small business you’re likely to have considerable variety in your workload, including opportunities to work in different areas of the company, which will allow you to identify abilities that you didn’t know you had. .. ..” 

Here, identify = find, you didn’t know = you were not aware,

So, the answer is: abilities

Question 17: Finding that your work is ________ will make you enjoy doing it.  

Keywords for this question:Finding, will make, enjoy doing it,

Take a look at lines 4-5 of paragraph no. 3, “.. .. . This variety in your work will help to make it stimulating, so you have a good reason for getting out of bed in the morning.”

Here, you have a good reason for getting out of bed in the morning = make you enjoy doing it,

So, the answer is: stimulating 

Question 18: Other people are likely to realise that you have ______.  

Keywords for this question:Other people, likely to realise, have,     

In lines 2-5 in the fourth paragraph, the author of the text says, “. .. . Because it’s much harder to overlook someone within a small workforce than a large one, your efforts are more likely to attract the attention of those higher up.  You’ll have plenty of opportunities to show what you can do, and to have your potential noticed. … ..”

Here, more likely to attract the attention of those higher up = other people are likely to realise,  

So, the answer is: potential

Question 19: Opportunities for ________ will come sooner than in a larger business.  

Keywords for this question:Opportunities, will come sooner, than, larger business,        

The last line of paragraph no. 4 says, “ .. . . The result is very likely to be that promotion comes to you faster.

Here, comes to you faster = come sooner,

So, the answer is: promotion  

Question 20: You can benefit from a small company being more _______ than a large one.

Keywords for this question:can benefit from, small company, being, more, than, large one,   

In the final paragraph (paragraph no. 5), have a close look at the first lines, “Small businesses are usually flexible, something that is rarely true of large organisations. This means that if they’re well managed, they can adapt to make the most of changes in the wider economy, which in turn can help you.”

Here, is rarely true of large organisations = small companies are more flexible than large companies, can help you = you can benefit from a small company,

So, the answer is: flexible     

Starting a new job

Questions 21-27: 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 21: the emotions that new employees are likely to experience at first

Keywords for this question:emotions, new employees, likely to experience, at first,  

The answer can be found in paragraph C. Take a look at the first lines, “It can be a shock to join a new organisation. When you are a newcomer, feeling uncertain and perhaps a little confused, .. . ..”

Here, shock & feeling uncertain and perhaps a little confused = the emotions,  

So, the answer is: C

Question 22: a warning to be patient at first

Keywords for this question:warning, be patient, at first,     

Paragraph F starts with a warning, “Don’t try to do the job too soon. .. .. .”

Here, Don’t try to do .. .. . too soon = be patient,

So, the answer is: F

Question 23: how colleagues might react to certain behaviour

Keywords for this question:how, colleagues, might react, certain behaviour,

In paragraph C, the writer of the text says in lines 2-6, “ . .. .. .. there can be a strong temptation to talk about your old job and organisation as a way of reminding yourself and telling others that you really know what you are doing, because you did it in your previous role. Unfortunately, this will suggest that you have a high opinion of yourself, and that you think your old place was better. It has enormous power to annoy, .. ..”   

Here, the lines suggest that your colleagues might be feeling annoyed when you are talking about your previous job and organisation.  

So, the answer is: C

Question 24: travelling to your new workplace before you start working there

Keywords for this question:travelling to, new workplace, before, start working, there,    

In paragraph A, the writer says in the beginning, “Make sure you know when and where you are expected to report on your first day. If the route from home is unfamiliar to you, make a practice run first; .. .. .”

Here, practice run first = travelling to new workplace before start working,  

So, the answer is: A

Question 25: an example of observing an activity carried out within an organisation  

Keywords for this question:example, observing, an activity, carried out, within, organisation,

In paragraph E, the writer of the text shares his or her own work experience, “When I worked for a television company, all of us, whatever our job, were strongly encouraged to visit a studio and see how programmes were made. .. .”

Here, and see how programmes were made = observing an activity carried out within an organisation,

So, the answer is: E

Question 26: some things that the organisation should arrange for when you begin

Keywords for this answer: some things, organisation, should arrange for, when, begin,

In paragraph B, the writer says, “You should expect to have an induction programme planned for you; a security pass; visits to whatever parts of the organisation you need to understand to do your job properly; .. . . .”

Here, an induction programme, security pass, visits to whatever parts of the organisation = some things … . organisation should arrange for you,

So, the answer is: B

Question 27: a division of jobs within an organisation into two categories

Keywords for this answer: division of jobs, within, organisation, two categories,

Take a look at the first line of paragraph D, “All employers have a core product or service paid for by customers

. .. .. .”

Here, core product & service are the division of jobs into two categories.

So, the answer is: D

Section 3: How animals keep fit    

Questions 28-30: 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 set found as the last question set in most passages so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about these questions.]

Question 28: The writer discusses marathon runners and barnacle geese to introduce the idea that  

Keywords for this question: marathon runners, barnacle geese, to introduce the idea,

In the first paragraph, the writer talks about marathon runners and says, “ … .. . But no matter how well they have stuck to their training regime, contestants will find that running non-stop for 42 kilometres is going to hurt.”

Here, running non-stop for 42 kilometres is going to hurt means that serious training hurts human beings.

Then, in paragraph no. 2, the writer says, “Now consider the barnacle goose. Every year this bird carries out a 3000-kilometre migration. So how do the birds prepare for this? . . .. . . . .   Instead, says environmental physiologist Lewis Halsey, ‘They just basically sit on the water and eat a lot.’”

Here, They just basically sit on the water and eat a lot = serious training is not always necessary for physical achievement,  

So, the answer is: D (serious training is not always necessary for physical achievement.)

Question 29: The writer says that human muscles

Keywords for this question: human muscles,

The answer can be traced in paragraph no. 9, in lines 1-5, “Our ancestors’ lives were unpredictable. They had to do a lot of running to catch food and escape danger, but they also needed to keep muscle mass to a minimum because muscle is biologically expensive. Each kilogram contributes about 10 to 15 kilocalories a day to our metabolism when resting – which doesn’t sound like much until you realise that muscles account for about 40 percent of the average person’s body mass. .. .”  

Here, these lines suggest that human muscles use up massive energy when the body takes rest.

So, the answer is: A (use up a lot of energy even when resting.) 

Question 30: The writer says that in order to survive, early humans developed the ability to

Keywords for this question: in order to survive, early humans, developed, the ability,  

Again, the answer can be found in paragraph no. 9, in lines 1-2, “Our ancestors’ lives were unpredictable. They had to do a lot of running to catch food and escape danger, .. .”

Here, Our ancestors = early humans, had to do a lot of running = run long distances, catch food and escape danger = in order to survive,

So, the answer is: B (run long distances.) 

Questions 31-35: 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 from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Title of the summary: What is the key to physical fitness?

Question 31: In biological terms, when an animal is physically fit, its body changes, becoming more powerful and ________.

Keywords for this question: biological terms, animal, physically fit, body changes, becoming, more powerful,  

In paragraph no. 6, the writer says in lines 2-3, “. . . .. Biologically speaking, all it means is that the body has undergone changes that make it stronger and more efficient. .. . .”

Here, Biologically speaking = In biological terms, body has undergone changes = body changes, stronger = more powerful,

So, the answer is: efficient

Question 32: For bears, this change may be initially caused by colder weather or a lack of __________,  . .. . .

Keywords for this question: bears, this change, may be, initially caused by, colder weather, lack of,

In paragraph no. 6, lines 3-5 say, “… … In animals such as bears these changes appear to be triggered by cues such as falling temperatures or insufficient food. .. ..”

Here, In animals such as bears = for bears, triggered by = initially caused by, falling temperatures = colder weather, insufficient = lack of,

So, the answer is: food

Questions 33 and 34:  . . .. . which during 33. _________ causes certain compounds to be released into their 34. _________ and to travel around the body. These compounds appear to prevent muscle loss.

Keywords for this question: during, causes, certain compounds, released into, travel, around the body,  these compounds, prevent, muscle loss,

In lines 5-7 of paragraph no.6, the writer says, “. . .. In the months of hibernation, these factors seem to prompt the release of muscle-protecting compounds which are then carried to the bears’ muscles in their blood and prevent muscle loss.”

Here, In the months of = during, release of muscle-protecting compounds = cause certain compounds to be released, in their blood = into their blood,

So, the answers are:

• hibernation
• blood

Question 35: In the case of barnacle geese, the change may be due to a variation in _________.

Keywords for this answer: barnacle geese, change, may be, due to, variation in,  

In paragraph no. 7, take a look at the first few lines, “Barnacle geese, Halsey suggests, may be responding to an environmental change such as temperature, which helps their bodies somehow, ‘know’ that a big physical challenge is looming. .. . .”

Here, may be responding to an environmental change = the change may be due to a variation in,

So, the answer is: temperature

Questions 36-40:  Matching statements with 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 36: One belief about how animals stay fit is possibly untrue.

Keywords for this question: one belief, how animals, stay fit, possibly untrue,  

To find the answer to this question, we have to read both paragraphs no. 3 and 4. First, let’s read paragraph no. 3, where the writer says, “Until recently, nobody has really asked whether exercise is as tightly connected to fitness in the rest of the animal kingdom as it is for us. The question is tied up in a broader assumption: that animals maintain fitness because of the exercise they get finding food and escaping predators.”

The paragraph suggests that there has been an assumption (belief) about how animals stay fit.

However, at the beginning of paragraph no. 4, the writer says, “Halsey points out that this may not necessarily be the case. … …”  

Here, this may not necessarily be the case = the belief is possibly untrue,  

So, the answer is: A (Lewis Halsey) 

Question 37: It may not be possible to train all animals to improve their speed.

Keywords for this question: may not be possible, train, all animals, improve, speed,    

The final paragraph discusses animals’ speed. Here, The first lines say, “As for speed, even those animals that do cover impressive distances don’t have to be the fastest they can possibly be. … .”

After that, we find comments made by physiologist Ross Tucker, . .. “ . . . ‘humans may be the only animal that actually cares about reaching peak performance.’ … .  . .. .. . ‘I don’t know that all animals are the same, performance-wise . . . and we don’t know whether training would enhance their ability,’ he says.” 

Here, we don’t know whether training would enhance their ability = it may not be possible to train all animals to improve their speed,

So, the answer is: D (Ross Tucker) 

Question 38: One type of bird has demonstrated fitness when exposed to a stimulus in experimental conditions.

Keywords for this question: One type of bird, demonstrated fitness, exposed to a stimulus, experimental conditions,

In paragraph no. 7, the writer mentions the experiment done by Chris Guglielmo. The writer says in lines 3-7, “. .. . Chris Guglielmo, a physiological ecologist has studied the effect of subjecting migratory songbirds known as yellow-rumped warblers to changing hours of daylight. ‘We don’t need to take little songbirds and train them up to do a 6- or 10-hour flight,’ he says. If they are subjected to the right daylight cycle, ‘we can take them out of the cage and put them in the wind tunnel, and they fly for 10 hours.”

Here, migratory songbirds known as yellow-rumped warblers = one type of bird, If they are subjected to the right daylight cycle, ‘we can take them out of the cage and put them in the wind tunnel, and they fly for 10 hours = demonstrated fitness when exposed to a stimulus in experimental conditions,

So, the answer is: B (Chris Guglielmo) 

Question 39: Human energy use developed in a different way from that of animals.   

Keywords for this question: Human energy use, developed, different way, animals,  

In paragraph no. 10, the writer talks about the development of human energy use compared to other animals. “So our physiology evolved to let our weight and fitness fluctuate depending on how much food was available. ‘This makes us evolutionarily different from most of other animals,’ says Lieberman. . .. . . . . . Cats are fast, but they don’t need to run very far. Perhaps a few mad dashes around the house are all it takes to keep a domestic one fit enough for feline purposes. ‘Humans, on the other hand, needed to adapt to run slower, but for longer,’ says Lieberman.”

Here, the comparison between cats and humans proves that human energy use developed in a different way (needed to adapt to run slower) from that of animals.

So, the answer is: C (Daniel Lieberman) 

Question 40: One type of bird may develop more strength when the weather becomes warmer or cooler.  

Keywords for this question: one type of bird, may develop, more strength, weather becomes, warmer, cooler,   

The answer to this question can be found in lines 1-3 of paragraph no. 7, “Barnacle geese, Halsey suggests, may be responding to an environmental change such as temperature, which helps their bodies somehow ‘know’ that a big physical challenge is looming. .. .. ..”  

Here, Barnacle geese = one type of bird, may be responding = may develop more strength, environmental change such as temperature = the weather becomes warmer or cooler, 

So, the answer is: A (Lewis Halsey) 

Section 1: Harvey’s Storage    

Questions 1-6:

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. 1: There is an extra charge for locks and keys.  

Keywords for this question: an extra charge, locks and keys,      

In paragraph no. 2, take a look at lines 3-4, “.. . .. Heavy-duty locks and keys are provided to all of our customers and included in the prices listed. . . .”

Here, included in the prices listed =  NO EXTRA CHARGE,

So, the answers are: FALSE

Question no. 2: It is possible to arrange to share a storage unit with someone else.

Keywords for this question: possible to arrange, share, storage unit, with someone else,

Paragraph no. 2 explains the process of hiring the storage unit service. However, there is NO INFORMATION on whether customers can share the unit others or not.              

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN       

Question no. 3: You can pick up your property from the storage unit during the night-time.

Keywords for this question: can pick up, property, from the storage unit, night-time,   

Lines 6-7 of paragraph no. 2 say, “ . . .. With 24-hour access, customers can deliver and collect items when it is convenient to do so, . .. ..”

Here, 24-hour access = during both daytime and night-time,

So, the answer is: TRUE                   

Question no. 4: You can drive your vehicle right next to your storage unit.

Keywords for this question: can drive, vehicle, right next to, storage unit,     

Lines 8-9 of paragraph no. 2 say, “ . .. . Tarmac roadways allow customers to park cars and lorries immediately outside their units, minimising the effort required to collect or drop items off.”

Here, park cars and lorries =drive your vehicle, immediately outside their units = right next to your storage unit,

So, the answer is: TRUE                   

Question no. 5: Students’ possessions can only be stored during vacation periods.

Keywords for this question: Students’ possessions, can only be stored, vacation periods,     

In paragraph no. 4 (Student storage), look at the first few lines, “You may be travelling or going home to see family and friends in the vacation, or need time to find a place to stay.  . . .”

Here, the lines suggest that students can store their possessions not only during vacation periods but also during other times (find a place to stay).

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question no. 6: The storage company will collect and deliver students’ property.  

Keywords for this question: storage company, will collect and deliver, student’s property,    

The last lines of paragraph no. 4 say, “. . . . You are responsible for organising transport but we can also recommend local van and driver hire companies.”

Here, You are responsible for organising transport means students have to deliver and collect their own property but it is possible to get recommendations about vehicle arrangements from the company.

So, the answer is: FALSE  

Local museums   

Questions 7-14: 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. 7: There are exhibits related to the history of agriculture in the region.

Keywords for this question: exhibits, history of agriculture, region,    

Take a close look at the description of Chatteris Museum. Here, lines 2-4 say, “. . .. The museum’s exhibits illustrate traditional aspects of the local farmers as well as the railway boom of the 19th century. .. . .”

Here, traditional aspects of the local farmers . .. of the 19th century  = the history of agriculture,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 8: Equipment for putting out fires used to be kept in this building.

Keywords for this question: equipment, putting out fires, used to be kept, this building,     

In the description of Whittlesey Museum, the writer says in lines 1-2, “The museum is located in the Old Town Hall, which was originally built to house horse-drawn fire engines. . ..”  

Here, horse-drawn fire engines = Equipment for putting out fires,

So, the answer is: A

Question no. 9: You can find information on the rise of one type of transport.

Keywords for this question: find information, rise, one type of transport,    

Again, take a close look at the description of Chatteris Museum. Here, lines 2-4 say, “. . .. The museum’s exhibits illustrate traditional aspects of the local farmers as well as the railway boom of the 19th century. .. . .”

Here, railway boom = the rise of one type of transport,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 10: There are things to see both inside and outside.

Keywords for this question: things to see, both, inside, outside,

In the description of Octavia Hill’s Birthplace House, the writer says in the last lines, “ .. . Visitors are taken on a guided tour and are then free to explore the gardens.”

Here, taken on a guided tour = inside, free to explore the gardens = outside,

So, the answer is: B

Question no. 11: It is possible to obtain copies of old pictures and documents.  

Keywords for this question: possible to obtain, copies, old pictures and documents,     

Once more, take a close look at the description of Chatteris Museum. Here, in lines 3-4, the writer says, “ .. . The museum has a touch-screen kiosk which contains over 9,000 historic photographs and texts, reproductions of which can be made on request.”  

Here, historic photographs and texts = old pictures and documents, reproductions = copies, can be made on request = possible to obtain,

So, the answer is: C

Question no. 12: On certain days you can see an original work by a writer of fiction.

Keywords for this question: certain days, can see, original work, by, writer of fiction,      

In the description of Wisbech and Fenland Museum, the writer says in lines 3-4, “ . .. contains the manuscript of Great Expectations by the 19th-Century novelist Charles Dickens, … ..”  

Here, manuscript of Great Expectations by the 19th-Century novelist Charles Dickens = original work by a writer of fiction,

So the answer is: E

Question no. 13: Someone who was interested in environmental matters lived here for a time.    

Keywords for this question: someone, interested, environmental matters, lived here, for a time,    

In the description of Octavia Hill’s Birthplace House, the writer says in the first lines, “. . . .this is the birthplace of pioneer social reformer Octavia Hill, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in social housing and the arts as well as in conservation issues. .. . .”  

Here, Octavia Hill = someone, conservation issues = environmental issues,

So the answer is: B

Question no. 14: This museum has an exhibit related to a heroic achievement.

Keywords for this question: an exhibit, related to, heroic achievement,   

Right above the ‘GIFT VOUCHERS’ section, there’s a small note that says,

In the description of March and District Museum, the writer says in lines 4-6, “ .. .. a medal which was awarded to train driver Ben Gimbert for his bravery in preventing loss of life when a train full of explosives caught fire in 1944.”   

Here, a medal = an exhibit, awarded to train driver Ben Gimbert for his bravery = heroic achievement,

So the answer is: D

Section 1: Consumer advice

Questions 1-6: 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 1: You will receive a card telling you if an item has been left with a neighbour.

Keywords for this question: receive a card, if, item, left with, neighbour   

In the first paragraph, lines 3-5 say, “ . . . If your item wasn’t delivered to the location you agreed (e.g. if it was left with your neighbour without your consent), it’s the seller’s legal responsibility to sort out the issue.

However, the lines don’t tell us anything about what the consumer/customer will receive if an item has been left with a neighbour.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 2: It may be quicker to get a refund than a replacement for a non-delivered item.  

Keywords for this question: may be, quicker, get, refund, than, replacement, non-delivered item,       

The second paragraph talks about ‘replacement or refund’.

However, we don’t find any information about which one is quicker for a non-delivered item.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN             

Question 3: You are entitled to a refund if the item fails to arrive by a certain time.

Keywords for this question: entitled to a refund, item, fails to arrive, by, certain time,  

In the second paragraph, lines 1-2 say, “ .. . You can ask for your money back if you don’t receive the item within 30 days of buying it. .. .”

Here, can ask for your money back = entitled to a refund, don’t receive the item = the item fails to arrive, within 30 days of buying = by a certain time,

So, the answer is: TRUE       

Question 4: There is a time limit when using the ‘chargeback’ scheme for a debit card payment.

Keywords for this question: time limit, ‘chargeback’ scheme, debit card payment,

The third paragraph contains 3 bullet points.

The first bullet point says,

• If you paid by debit card, contact your bank and say you want to use the ‘chargeback’ scheme. . .. . .. .. . . . . .. . You should do this within 120 days of when you paid.

Here, You should do this within 120 days of when you paid = there is a time limit,

So, the answer is: TRUE       

Question 5: You can use the ‘chargeback’ scheme for a credit card payment of more than £100.

Keywords for this question: can use, ‘chargeback’ scheme, credit card payment, more than £100,

The third paragraph contains 3 bullet points.

The second bullet point says,

• If you paid by credit card and the item cost less than £100, you should contact your credit card company and say you want to use the ‘chargeback’ scheme. . .. .

Here, the item cost less than £100 is contradictory/ opposite to the information more than £100.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 6: Paypal’s online resolution centre has a good reputation for efficiency.

Keywords for this question: Paypal’s online resolution centre, good reputation, efficiency,  

The third paragraph contains 3 bullet points.

The third bullet point says,

• If you paid using PayPal, use PayPal’s online resolution centre to report your dispute. You must do this within 180 days of paying.

No information is shared here about the reputation of efficiency for Paypal’s online resolution centre.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Rice cookers  

Questions 8-14:  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 7: The handles at the side are hard to use. 

Keywords for this question: handles, side, hard to use,

The answer can be found in the description of ‘VPN Rice Cooker’. In the last lines, the description says, “. .. .. and the handles are tricky to grip.”    

Here, tricky to grip = hard to use,

So, the answer is: D

Question 8: It cooks brown rice without making a mess.  

Keywords for this question: cooks, brown rice, without, making a mess,  

The answer can be found in the description of ‘S16 Rice Cooker’. The first line of the description says, “This is simple to use, not spitting or boiling over even when cooking brown rice. .. .”

Here, not spitting or boiling over even when cooking brown rice = cooks brown rice without making a mess,

So, the answer is: E

Question 9: It automatically switches setting to keep the rice warm when cooked.  

Keywords for this question: automatically switches setting, keep the rice warm, when cooked,

Take a look at the description of ‘Family Rice Cooker’.  The last lines say, “. .. . It’s programmed to adjust the temperature once the rice is done so that it stops cooking but doesn’t get cold.”

Here, It’s programmed to adjust the temperature = It automatically switches setting, it stops cooking but doesn’t get cold = keep the rice warm when cooked,

So, the answer is: B

Question 10: It’s difficult to get the removable top really clean.  

Keywords for this question: difficult, get, removable top, really clean,

The last lines of the description of ‘Ezy Rice Cooker’ say, “ .. . There are slight dirt traps around the rim of the lid, and neither the pot nor the lid is dishwater safe.”

Here, slight dirt traps around the rim of the lid & nor the lid is dishwater safe = difficult to get the removable top really clean,

So, the answer is: A

Question 11: A selection of recipes is provided with the cooker.  

Keywords for this question: A selection of recipes, provided with the cooker,

In the description of ‘VPN Rice Cooker’, lines 2-3 say, “ . . . and comes with a booklet including a range of ideas for rice dishes. . . .”

Here, booklet including a range of ideas for rice dishes = A selection of recipes,

So, the answer is: D

Question 12: It has a handle at the top for carrying the cooker safely.  

Keywords for this question: a handle, at the top, carrying the cooker, safely,  

Take a look at the description of ‘Family Rice Cooker’. Lines 1-2 say, “. .. . The lid locks when closed and becomes a secure handle to carry the cooker. . ..”

Here, The lid = at the top, to carry the cooker = for carrying the cooker, secure = safely,

So the answer is: B

Question 13: The outside of the cooker doesn’t get too hot.  

Keywords for this question: outside, cooker, doesn’t get, too hot,  

The answer can be found in the description of ‘S16 Rice Cooker’. Lines 2-3 of the description say, “ . .. . The exterior stays cool when in use, so there’s no danger of burning your hand. . ..”

Here, The exterior stays cool = The outside of the cooker doesn’t get too hot,

So the answer is: E

Question 14: You can put the pot in the dishwasher,  

Keywords for this question: can put the pot, in, the dishwasher,

Have a look at the description of ‘Mini Rice Cooker’. Lines 1-2 say, “ . .. The interior pot is made of non-stick aluminum and is dishwasher safe. … .”

Here, dishwasher safe = can put the pot in the dishwasher,

So the answer is: C

Section 2: Safety when working on roofs

Questions 15-22: Completing notes

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to complete different notes with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text. 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 15: over half of falls are from less than _________.  

Keywords for this question: investigations, over half, falls, less than,    

Take a look at lines 2-4 in paragraph no. 1 where the author says, “. . .. . Investigations by WorkSafe into falls that occur while working at height show that more than 50 per cent of falls are from under three metres, . . .. .  

Here, more than 50 per cent of falls = over half of falls, under = less than,

So, the answer is: 3/ three metres/ meters

Question 16: the majority of falls occur on __________.

Keywords for this question: majority, falls, occur on,  

In lines 6-7 of paragraph no. 1, the author says, “…. More injuries happen on residential building sites than any other workplace in the construction sector.”

Here, More injuries happen on = the majority of falls occur on,

So, the answer is: residential building sites

Question 17: ________ the hazard at the planning stage before the work begins if possible.  

Keywords for this question: controls, hazard, planning stage, before, work begins, if possible,    

In paragraph no. 3, the first line says, “The first thing to be considered is whether it is possible to eliminate this hazard completely, so that workers are not exposed to the danger of falling. This can sometimes be done at the design, construction planning, and tendering stage. . . ..”

Here, whether it is possible = if possible, design, construction planning, and tendering stage = at the planning stage,

So, the answer is: eliminate

Question 18: prevent a fall by using edge protection, e.g. scaffolding or _________.  

Keywords for this question: controls, prevent, fall, using, edge protection, scaffolding, or,      

In paragraph no. 3, lines 5-6 say, “. .. . It may be possible to use the existing scaffolding as edge protection. If this is not practicable, then temporary work platforms should be used. … ..”  

Here, If this is not practicable = or,

So, the answer is: (temporary) (work) platforms

Question 19: reduce the likelihood of injury, e.g. by using __________.  

Keywords for this question: controls, reduce, likelihood, injury, e.g. using,        

The last lines of paragraph no. 3 say, “ . .. This means considering the use of safety nets and other similar systems to make it less likely that injury will be caused if a fall does occur.”

Here, make it less likely that injury will be caused = reduce the likelihood of injury,

So, the answer is: safety nets

Question 20: these should only be used for _______ which does not take a long time.

Keywords for this question: ladders, should be used, does not take, long time,  

In the first line of the final paragraph, the writer says, “Ladders should only be employed for short-duration maintenance work such as touching up paint. .. .”

Here, Ladders = these, should only be employed = should only be used, short-duration = does not take a long time, 

So, the answer is: (maintenance) work     

Question 21: training should be provided in their ______ and use.

Keywords for this question: ladders, training, should be provided, in, use, 

The answer can be found in lines 2-3 of the final paragraph, “ . .. People using ladders should be trained and instructed in the selection and safe use of ladders. .. .”

Here, should be trained and instructed = training should be provided, safe use of ladders = use,

So, the answer is: selection

Question 22: regular _______ of ladders is required.

Keywords for this question: regular, ladders, required,

The last lines in the final paragraph says, “. .. . . There should be inspection of all ladders on a regular basis to ensure they are safe to use.”

Here, regular basis = regular, There should be = required,

So, the answer is: inspection

Maternity Allowance for working women

Questions 23-27: Completing sentences

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write no more than two words and/or a number 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 23: The maximum amount of money a woman can get each week is £ _______.

Keywords for this question: maximum amount of money, can get, each week, £,  

The second paragraph has two bullet points. Here, the first bullet point says,

• £140.98 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is less) for 39 weeks.

Here, £140.98 is the highest amount included in this text that a woman can get.

So, the answer is: 140.98

Question 24: Being ______ for a time does not necessarily mean that a woman will not be eligible for Maternity Allowance

Keywords for this question: being, for a time, does not necessarily mean, will not be eligible, Maternity Allowance, 

In the ‘Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks’ section, have a look at the last lines, “You may still qualify even if you’ve recently stopped working. It doesn’t matter if you had different jobs, or, periods when you were unemployed.”

Here, It doesn’t matter = does not necessarily mean,

This means being unemployed will not affect the eligibility of a woman to get Maternity Allowance.

So, the answer is: unemployed

Question 25: In order to claim, a woman must send a _______ or a Small Earnings Exemption Certificate as evidence of her income.  

Keywords for this question: In order to claim, must send, Small Earnings Exemption Certificate, evidence of her income,

In the ‘How to claim’ section, take a look at line 2-3 in the first paragraph. It says here, “You also need to provide a payslip or a Certificate of Small Earnings Exemption as proof of your income,  . .. .”

Here, proof of your income = evidence of her income,  

So, the answer is: payslip

Question 26: In order to claim, a woman may need to provide a ________ as evidence of the due date.

Keywords for this answer: In order to claim, may need to provide, evidence, due date,

In the ‘How to claim’ section, take a look at line no. 3 in the first paragraph. It says here, “ . .. .and proof of the baby’s due date, such as a doctor’s letter.” 

Here, proof of the baby’s due date = evidence of the due date,

So, the answer is: doctor’s letter

Question 27: Payment may be affected by differences in someone’s _________, such as a return to work, and the local Jobcentre Plus must be informed. 

Keywords for this answer: Payment, may be affected, differences in, such as, return to work, local Jobcentre Plus, must be informed,

In the ‘How to claim’ section, take a look at the third paragraph. It says here, “You should report any changes to your circumstances, for example, if you go back to work, to your local Jobcentre Plus as they can affect how much allowance you get.”

Here, any changes to your = differences in someone’s, go back to work return to work, can affect how much allowance you get = payments may be affected,

So, the answer is: circumstances

Section 3: The California Gold Rush of 1849

Questions 28-31:  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 set found as the last question set in most passages so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers to previous questions gives you a good idea about these questions.]

Question 28: The writer suggests that Marshall’s discovery came at a good time for the US because –  

Keywords for this question: Marshall’s discovery, came at a good time, for the US, because,

In section A, the first lines details about the discovery made by Marshall, “On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall, a carpenter, found small flakes of gold in the American River near Coloma, California.  . . .” Then, in lines 4-6, the writer explains the importance of the discovery, “ . .. . As it happens, just days after Marshall’s discovery, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and transforming California, with its mineral deposits, into the ownership of the United States. .. ..”

Here, into the ownership of the United States = the region was about to come under the control of the US,   

So, the answer is: D (the region was about to come under the control of the US.)

Question 29: What was the reaction in 1848 to the news of the discovery of gold?

Keywords for this question: reaction, 1848, news of the discovery of gold, 

Section B discusses the initial reaction of the news of the discovery of gold. The author of the text says here, “. . . mid-March 1848 at least one newspaper was reporting that large quantities of gold were being found. Though the initial reaction in San Francisco was disbelief, storekeeper Sam Brannan set off a frenzy when he paraded through town displaying a small bottle containing gold from Sutter’s Creek. .. .” 

Here, ‘the bold-italic lines’ suggest that people had to wait for a physical evidence of the news before they took it seriously.

So, the answer is: C (People needed to see physical evidence before they took it seriously.)

Question 30: What was the result of thousands of people moving to California?

Keywords for this question: the result, thousands of people, moving to California,

Section C contains two paragraphs. The first paragraph discusses why and how many people, mostly men, moved from different parts of the United States to California. In lines 7-10, the author says, “ .. . In pursuit of the kind of wealth they had never dreamed of, they left their families and local areas; in turn, their wives had no option but to shoulder different responsibilities such as running farms or businesses, and many made a real success of them.”

These lines suggest that the female population, who stayed behind, took the unexpected roles of running farms or businesses.

So, the answer is: C (Some of those who stayed behind had to take on unexpected roles.)

Question 31: What does the writer say about using pans and rockers to find gold?

Keywords for this question: using, pans and rockers, to find gold,

The writer talks about using pans in Section D and using rockers in Section E. If you skim both these sections, you’ll find information about a design fault in rockers in Section E. Let’s read that part.

Section E contains two paragraphs. In the second paragraph, the writer says in lines 4-8, “ . .. The primary disadvantage was that the rocker had difficulty in trapping the smallest particles of gold, commonly known as ‘flour’. Some miners added small amounts of mercury to the bottom of the rocker. Due to its chemical composition, it had a facility to trap fine gold. . . ..”

Here, primary disadvantage = main problem/ design fault,

Some miners added small amounts of mercury to the bottom of the rocker = miners had to find a way round a design fault in the rockers,

So, the answer is: D (Miners had to find a way round a design fault in one system.)

Questions 32-36:  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 32: a reference to ways of making money in California other than mining for gold

Keywords for this question: ways of making money, California, other than mining for gold,

In section C, take a look at the second paragraph. The writer says here, in lines 3-5, “ . .. . To accommodate the needs of the ‘49ers, as the gold miners were known, towns had sprung up all over the region, complete with shops and other businesses seeking to make their own Gold Rush fortune. .. .. .”

Here, towns had sprung up all over the region, complete with shops and other businesses = ways of making money in California other than mining for gold,   

So, the answer is: C

Question 33: a suggestion that the gold that was found did not often compensate for the hard work undertaken

Keywords for this question: gold that was found, did not often compensate for, the hard work undertaken,

In section F, have a look at lines 4-5, “ . .. Moreover, the average daily pay for an independent miner had by then dropped sharply from what it had been in 1848. .. .. .”

Here, the average daily pay for an independent miner had by then dropped sharply = the gold that was found did not often compensate for the hard work undertaken,  

So, the answer is: F  

Question 34: a mention of an individual who convinced many of the existence of gold in California

Keywords for this question: individual, who convinced, many of the existence of gold, California,

In Section B, take a close look at lines 4-5, “ . .. . storekeeper Sam Brannan set off a frenzy when he paraded through town displaying a small bottle containing gold from Sutter’s Creek. .. .”

Here, storekeeper Sam Brannan = an individual, paraded through town displaying a small bottle containing gold from Sutter’s Creek = convinced many of the existence of gold in California,

So, the answer is: B

Question 35: details of the pre-Gold Rush population of California

Keywords for this answer: pre-Gold Rush population, California,

In section A, the last few lines provide the population of California just before the Gold Rush, “. . .. At the time, the population of the territory consisted of 6,500 Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican descent); 700 foreigners (primarily Americans); and 150,000 Native Americans.”    

So, the answer is: A

Question 36: a contrast between shrinking revenue and increasing population

Keywords for this question: contrast between, shrinking revenue, increasing population,

Section G is a short section where we find the contrast between shrinking revenue and increasing population. Let’s read lines 3-5, “.. .. . After that year, the total take declined gradually, leveling off to around $45 million per year by 1857. Settlement in California continued, however, and by the end of the decade the state’s population was 380,000.”

These lines suggest that the revenue earned from gold had been shrinking while the population had been increasing.

So, the answer is: G

Questions 37-40:  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 from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Title of the summary: Basic techniques for extracting gold

Question 37: The most basic method used by many miners began with digging some _______ out of a river and hoping it might contain gold.

Keywords for this question: most basic method, used by many miners, began with, digging some, out of a river, hoping, might contain gold,

Section D talks about the use of pans for extracting gold.

Here, lines 2-4 say, “ . .. . The basic procedure was to place some gold-bearing materials, such as river gravel, into a shallow pan, add some water, and then carefully swirl the mixture around so the water and light material spilled over the side. . .”

Here, gold-bearing materials = hoping it might contain gold, river gravel = gravel out of a river,

So, the answer is: gravel   

Question 38: Gold dust, which weighed more, remained in the pan or, if the miners were very lucky, there might even be some ______ too. It was, however, a very laborious method.  

Keywords for this question: gold dust, weighed more, remained in the pan, miners, very lucky, might even be, some, laborious method,      

In lines 4-5 of Section D, the writer mentions, “ . .. If all went well, the heavier gold nuggets or gold dust would settle to the bottom of the pan. Gold panning was slow even for the most skillful miner. On a good day, one miner could wash about 50 pans in the usual 12-hour workday.”

Here, If all went well = if the miners were very lucky, one miner could wash about 50 pans in the usual 12-hour workday = gold panning was a very laborious method,

So, the answer is: nuggets

Question 39: The rocker was also used. . . .. . . .. .  Larger stones stuck in the ________, while gold dropped to the bottom.  

Keywords for this question: rockers, also used, larger stones, stuck in the, gold, dropped, to the bottom,

Section E, which contains two paragraphs, explains how rockers worked. Here, in lines 5-6 of the first paragraph, the writer mentions, “ . .. .. The big rocks were caught in a sieve at the top, the waste exited the lower end with the water, and the heavy gold fell to the bottom of the box.”

Here, The big rocks = Larger stones,caught in = stuck in, the heavy gold fell to the bottom = gold dropped to the bottom,

So, the answer is: sieve

Question 40: However, a process was introduced involving _________ to ensure no gold was washed out in the water.  

Keywords for this question: However, a process, was introduced, involving, ensure, no gold was washed out, in the water,   

In section E, the second paragraph explains how miners solved a fault in the rockers to trap ‘flour’ of the extracted gold. Here, in lines 5-7, the writer explains, “ … . .. Some miners added small amounts of mercury to the bottom of the rocker. Due to its chemical composition, it had a facility to trap fine gold. .. .”     

Here, Some miners added small amounts of mercury = a process was introduced involving mercury, it had a facility to trap fine gold = ensure no gold was washed out,

So, the answer is: mercury

Section 1: The Guardian Newspaper’s Travel Photography Competition

Questions 1-8: 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 1: This is the first year that The Guardian has run a travel photography competition.

Keywords for this question: first year, has run, a travel photography competition, 

In the first paragraph, the writer of the text says, “The photo competition is back, giving you another chance to win an incredible trip to Swedish Lapland.”  

Here, The photo competition is back, giving you another chance = this is NOT the first year, there has been such competition before, 

So, the answer is: FALSE 

Question 2: Any photograph for the competition must have been taken on an overseas trip.   

Keywords for this question: any photograph, must have been taken on, overseas trip,         

In the second paragraph the writer says in lines , “ . . … .. . It’s an opportunity for you to capture the essence of the journeys you make, whether far afield or close to home, and for us to showcase your work online. .. . .. .” 

Here, whether far afield or close to home = can be taken on an overseas trip OR can be taken anywhere close to home, 

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 3: The end-of-year exhibition in London is free for the public to attend.

Keywords for this question: end-of-year exhibition, London, free for the public, to attend,  

In paragraph no. 2, in lines 4-7, the writer says, “ . .. .. . . .. The winner of each month’s competition will also see their shot mounted and displayed in the end-of-year exhibition for the public at The Guardian ‘s offices in London. Once the exhibition is finished, each monthly winner will receive a framed copy of their shot to place with pride on their own wall.” 

Here, we DO NOT FIND any information on whether the end-of-year exhibition in London is free for the public to attend or not. 

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 4: The judging panel is made up of a group of journalists and a professional photographer. 

Keywords for this question: judging panel, made up of, a group of journalists and a professional photographer,       

Paragraph no. 3 has the answer to this question as the writer says here, “There will be a different theme for each month. Members of The Guardian travel writing team, and photographer Michael Ryan of Fotovue.com will judge the monthly entries and the overall winner.” 

Here, Members of The Guardian travel writing team, and photographer Michael Ryan = a group of journalist and a professional photographer, 

So, the answer is: TRUE 

Question 5: The trip to Swedish Lapland will only be offered to one winner. 

Keywords for this question: trip to Swedish Lapland, will only be offered, to one winner, 

The first lines of paragraph no. 5 say, “The overall winner (chosen from the 12 monthly winners) will go on an amazing four­ night trip to Swedish Lapland. .. .. .” 

Here, The overall winner = one winner, will go on an amazing four­ night trip to Swedish Lapland = the trip to Swedish Lapland, 

So, the answer is: TRUE 

Question 6: Every activity on the trip is focused on improving photography techniques. 

Keywords for this question: every activity, trip, focused on, improving, photography techniques,         

In the fifth paragraph, the final lines say, “ . .. . .. . Each day has a specific focus. The trip includes: winter light photography workshops, an image editing workshop, a night photography course, and an action photography workshop.” 

Here, the phrases photography workshops & editing workshop suggest that all the activities on the trip are focused on how to improve photography techniques. 

So, the answer is: TRUE 

Question 7: Anyone going on the trip may take some of the cold weather clothing home at the end of the trip. 

Keywords for this question: anyone going on the trip, may take, cold weather clothing, home, end of the trip, 

In the sixth paragraph, the writer says, “ .. .. .. Included in the prize: return flights from the UK, four nights’ accommodation with full board, cold weather clothing for the duration of the trip – thermal overalls, winter boots, gloves, hats and woollen socks – fully qualified wilderness guides, and instructors.”

Here, Included in the prize & cold weather clothing for the duration of the trip means NOT some BUT all of the cold weather clothing can be taken home as a prize. 

So, the answer is: FALSE 

Question 8: Articles written about the trip may be changed before being published.  

Keywords for this question: articles, written about the trip, may be changed, before being published,  

The writer also says in the final paragraph, “ . . .. . . . . The Guardian reserves the right, however, to modify your report and photos as necessary. .. . …”

Here, The Guardian reserves the right .. . . .. . to modify = The Guardian authority can change the articles when necessary, 

So, the answer is: TRUE 

Running headphones

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 9: These headphones would suit someone who doesn’t mind spending a lot to get good quality.  

Keywords for this question: would suit, doesn’t mind spending a lot, to get good quality,  

In the description of Powerbeats 2, the writer says in the beginning, “If money is not an issue, then these are definitely worth considering. .. . . .” 

Here, If money is not an issue = would suit someone who doesn’t mind spending a lot,  

So, the answer is: G (Powerbeats 2) 

Question 10: The battery on these headphones has a surprisingly long life. 

Keywords for this question: battery, has, surprisingly long life, 

In the description of Plantronics Backbeat Fit, the writer says in the final lines, “ . . .. … As well as providing reasonably clear sound they will also last a remarkable eight hours on a single charge.” 

Here, last a remarkable eight hours on a single charge = the battery . …  has a surprisingly long life, 

So, the answer is: A (Plantronics Backbeat Fit) 

Question 11: It is possible to keep in contact with other people while using these headphones.

Keywords for this question: possible, keep in contact with other people, while using, 

In the description of Sennheiser CX685 Sports, the writer says in the middle, “ . .. . .. have a handy remote and a mic for phone calls. .. … .”

Here, have a handy remote and a mic for phone calls = possible to keep in contact with others while using these headphones, 

So, the answer is: B (Sennheiser CX685 Sports) 

Question 12: Although these headphones are cheaper than most, music sounds quite good through them.

Keywords for this question: although, cheaper than most, music, sounds quite good,  

In the description of Betron B7505, the writer says, “If you’re on a tight budget, it can always feel risky buying a bottom of the market pair of headphones, but with these you needn’t worry. Not only do they provide fair sound quality,. .. .. . .” 

Here, If you’re on a tight budget .. . .. you needn’t worry = these headphones are cheaper than most, they provide fair sound quality = music sounds quite good through them, 

So the answer is: E (Betron B7505) 

Question 13: These headphones are very strong and do not require gentle handling.  

Keywords for this question: very strong, do not require, gentle handling,   

In the description of Plantronics Backbeat Fit, the writer says in the beginning, “These headphones are really tough so you don’t need to worry about just throwing them into your bag before or after a workout. .….. .” 

Here, really tough so you don’t need to worry about just throwing them into your bag = very strong and do not require gentle handling, 

So the answer is: A (Plantronics Backbeat Fit) 

Question 14: These headphones allow users to move around their playlist of music easily while they are exercising. 

Keywords for this question: allow users, move around, playlist of music, easily, while, exercising,    

In the description of Happy Plugs, the writer says, “ . .. . . . They also come with a handy remote built into the cable to skip and pause songs with while you work out.” 

Here, a handy remote built into the cable to skip and pause songs with while you work out = allow users to move around their playlist of music easily while they are exercising, 

So the answer is: F (Happy Plugs) 

Section 2: A Case Study of a risk assessment for general office cleaning

Questions 15-21: 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, 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: Stages followed by manager in carrying out risk assessment

Question 15: He talked to health and safety ____________ about the risks.

Keywords for this question: talked to, health and safety, about the risks,    

In the second paragraph, the author of the text says, “To identify the hazards, the cleaning service manager visited the office complex and walked through the areas where cleaning staff would be working, noting things that might pose potential risks. Following this, he consulted the health and safety representatives of the cleaning service about these risks, taking into account the needs of any particular staff members, such as whether they were pregnant or aged under 18.”

Here, consulted = talked to, 

So, the answer is: representatives

Question 16: At a meeting, he talked to the client company about

• the policy of the company regarding ____________  (e.g. clear walkways)   

Keywords for this question: a meeting, talked to, client company, about, policy, e.g. clear walkways, 

In paragraph no. 3, take a look at lines 1-4, “In order to gather further information, he then had a meeting with the client company during which a number of issues were discussed. These included the client company’s own standard of housekeeping, such as the immediate clearing up of spills and keeping walkways clear, . .. . .. . ” 

Here, had a meeting with the client company = talked to the client company, client company’s own standard = the policy of the company, keeping walkways clear = e.g. clear walkways, 

So, the answer is: housekeeping 

Question 17:

• procedures to be followed in case of a ____________

Keywords for this question: procedures, to be followed, in case of, a, 

Take a look at lines 2-4 in paragraph no. 3, “ . . .. . .. .  These included the client company’s own standard of housekeeping, such as the immediate clearing up of spills and keeping walkways clear, as well as the action to be taken if a fire broke out. .. . .. . ”. . .” 

Here, action to be taken if = procedures to be followed in case of,   

So, the answer is: fire 

Question 18: 

• facilities available to cleaners (e.g. space available for ____________ )

Keywords for this question: facilities available, to cleaners, e.g. space available,  

Lines 5-7 of the third paragraph say, “ . . . .. He also established what facilities and equipment would be available to the cleaners, including the amount of storage space available, as well as the availability of sinks and taps, etc.. .. .” 

So, the answer is: storage 

Question 19: 

• a way of ____________  risks and hazards.

Keywords for this question: a way of, risk and hazards,   

The final few lines of paragraph no. 3 say, “.. . .. and agreed on a method of reporting near-miss accidents and risks discovered by cleaners (e.g. damaged floor tiles).” 

Here, a method of = a way of, near-miss accidents and risks = risks and hazards, 

So, the answer is: reporting 

Question 20: 

He compared these to information that the HSE provided on its ____________ .

Keywords for this question: compared, these, to information, HSE provided, on its,      

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 4. Here, in the final lines, the author of the text writes, “ .. . . .. The manager then compared these to the good practice guidance set out on the HSE’s website and identified any areas where improvement was needed.” 

Here, The manager then compared these = He compared these, to the good practice guidance =  to information, set out on = provided on, 

So, the answer is: website  

Question 21: 

He displayed a copy of the risk assessment inside a ___________  available to all cleaning staff.

Keywords for this question: displayed, a copy of, risk management, inside, a, available, all cleaning staff, 

In the final paragraph, the writer of the text says in the final lines, “ . .. .. Finally, to ensure that all the cleaning staff had access to a copy of the risk assessment, the manager pinned a copy in the cupboard where cleaning equipment was kept.”  

Here, the manager pinned a copy = He displayed a copy, all the cleaning staff had access = available to all cleaning staff, 

So, the answer is: cupboard 

Preparing for a virtual job interview  

Questions 22-27: Completing sentences with ONE WORD ONLY: 

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write ONE WORD ONLY 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 22: Some companies prefer to interview job applicants digitally because of lower ________ .

Keywords for this question: Some companies, prefer, interview job applicants, digitally, because, lower,   

In paragraph no. 1, the writer says in the first lines, “Businesses are always looking for new ways to increase efficiency and profits. For example, organisations often reduce costs by conducting virtual job interviews. .. ..” 

Here, organisations = some companies, reduce = lower, conducting virtual job interviews = prefer to interview job applicants digitally, 

 So, the answer is: costs 

Question 23: As with the standard recruitment process, virtual recruitment opens with __________ . 

Keywords for this question: As with, standard recruitment process, virtual recruitment, opens with, 

In the ‘How a virtual interview is the same’ section, the first lines of the first paragraph say, “The typical interview process usually entails multiple steps. First, there is screening, lasting about thirty minutes. .. … .”

Here, The typical interview process = the standard recruitment process, First = opens with, 

So, the answer is: screening 

Question 24: Applicants should read any details about the advertised post carefully and pick out important _____________ which they can discuss if necessary.

Keywords for this question: Applicants, should read, any details, advertised post, carefully, pick out, important, which, can discuss, if necessary, 

Again, in the ‘How a virtual interview is the same’ section, the first lines of the second paragraph say, “Virtual interviews follow the same steps so you’ll need to focus on the same core topics. Identify what the critical topics are based on the job description and prepare to talk about them. If you can, gather inside information so you can impress interviewers with your knowledge.”

Here, Identify = pick out, critical = important, prepare to talk about them = they can discuss if necessary, 

So, the answer is: topics  

Question 25: It is a good idea for applicants to check if they can be clearly understood when they use a ______________ . 

Keywords for this question: a good idea, for applicants, check, if they can be clearly understood, when, use a, 

In the ‘How a virtual interview is different’ section, the first lines in the second paragraph say, “Modern technology is great when it works, but a pain when it doesn’t. So, it’s wise to check you can operate your webcam, especially if you don’t use it often. Test the headset too and find out how intelligible your voice sounds.”

Here, Test = check, find out how intelligible your voice sounds = to check if they can be clearly understood, 

So, the answer is: headset   

Question 26: Applicants may not be familiar with the ___________ that the person conducting the interview will use, so they should try it out.

Keywords for this question: Applicants, may not be familiar with, the person, conducting, interview, will use, so, should try it out, 

Again in the ‘How a virtual interview is different’ section, the final lines in the second paragraph say, “ .. .. .. . It’s also wise to establish what software the interviewer is going to work with and give it a trial run.”

Here, interviewer = the person conducting the interview, is going to work with = will use, give it a trial run = should try it out, 

So, the answer is: software 

Question 27: It is very useful to go through a _____________ of the interview, with someone playing the part of the interviewer.

Keywords for this question: very useful, go through, a, of the interview, with someone playing, part of the interviewer, 

In the ‘How a virtual interview is different’ section, the fourth paragraph says, “The most important part of your preparation is to run through everything first as best you can. Have a friend conduct a rehearsal with you before the big day. This will help you know how to behave in front of the camera.”

Here, a friend = someone playing the part of the interviewer, run through = go through, This will help you know how to behave in front of the camera = it is very useful, 

So, the answer is: rehearsal  

Section 3:Tuning up your leadership skills  

Questions 28-33: 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 28: a summary of the different aspects of leadership that are covered in the study

Keywords for this question: different aspects of leadership, covered in the study, 

The answer can be found in the second paragraph of section B. Here, the writer says, “The research focused on the way that these jazz greats created and ran their musical enterprises. In particular, Ucbasaran and Lockett focused on three specific areas of leadership activity: team formation, team coordination and team turnover.” 

Here, focused on three specific areas of leadership activity = different aspects of leadership that are covered in the study, 

So, the answer is: B 

Question 29: a description of how band leaders sometimes passed on their leadership skills to others

Keywords for this question: how, band leaders, sometimes passed on, leadership skills, to others, 

In section E, the first few lines in the second paragraph say, “A common reason for the jazz musicians leaving was that they felt sufficiently qualified to go and run another band. The three band leaders were understanding about this, particularly as it was a process they had also been through. In some cases, in particular with Art Blakey, they actively encouraged and coached team members to become leaders. . .. .

Here, they = band leaders, actively encouraged and coached team members to become leaders = sometimes passed on their leadership skills to others, 

So, the answer is: E

Question 30: a summary of the backgrounds of the band leaders chosen for the study

Keywords for this question: backgrounds of the band leaders, chosen for the study,    

In section B, the first paragraph provides short background information of the band leaders chosen for the study, “The authors decided to focus on three of the best known names in jazz – Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Art Blakey. American composer Duke Ellington was a pioneering jazz orchestra leader from the 1920s through to the 1970s. Trumpet player Miles Davis was instrumental in the development of a number of new jazz styles, including bebop and jazz fusion. Jazz drummer Arthur  ‘Art’ Blakey became famous as the leader of his band the Jazz Messengers.” 

Here, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Art Blakey = the band leaders chosen for the study, 

So, the answer is: B

Question 31: examples of ways in which one band leader encouraged his musicians to be more creative

Keywords for this question: ways, one band leader, encouraged, his musicians, to be more creative,    

In section D, lines 3-7 of the second paragraph gives a description of how Miles Davis encouraged his musicians to be more creative, “ . .. .. As Ucbasaran and Lockett note, Miles Davis discouraged band members from rehearsing in case it led to musical cliches from over-practice. Similarly, he often asked his musicians to play a piece in an unusual key, so they did not rely on learned fingering patterns. The performers were not left entirely to their own devices though. .. ..” 

Here, Miles Davis = one band leader, discouraged band members from rehearsing in case it led to musical cliches from over-practice = encouraged his musicians to be more creative, 

So, the answer is: D 

Question 32: an overview of the main similarities between the work of business people and jazz musicians

Keywords for this question: main similarities between, the work of business people and jazz musicians, 

In section A, the author of the text mentions in the second paragraph, “ . .. .. For a start, jazz bands are synonymous with creativity, improvisation and innovation, all essential ingredients for entrepreneurship. Jazz groups and their members often operate in uncertain and dynamic environments, characterised by rapid change. Yet through collective endeavour many jazz bands find their own structure and harmony and become profitable enterprises – both creatively and commercially.” 

Here, jazz bands are synonymous with creativity, improvisation and innovation, all essential ingredients for entrepreneurship = main similarities between the work of business people and jazz musicians, 

So, the answer is: A 

Question 33: a description of two contrasting ways of leading a team

Keywords for this question:  two contrasting ways, leading a team,  

In section D, we find two paragraphs. The final lines of the first paragraph and the opening lines of the second paragraph give a short description of two contrasting ways of leading a team. 

“ .. . . .. . . . .. . . The team leader can assume a number of different roles when helping the team achieve its objectives. Some leaders are very directive, detailing what tasks they want team members to perform, and how they want them to go about those tasks. (One way)

But that was not the approach Ellington, Davis and Blakey adopted. Instead, these leaders acted more as facilitators, empowering the musicians to collectively coordinate their behaviour and action to produce the desired outcome. (contrasting way).. . .. . . .. . . .”

So, the answer is: D 

Questions 34-36: 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 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 34: The study by Ucbasaran and Lockett was the first to compare the worlds of music and business. 

Keywords for this question: the study, Ucbasaran and Lockett, was the first, compare the worlds of music and business,  

In section A, have a look at the first paragraph. “Ever since management expert Peter Drucker compared the job of Chief Executive Officer to that of an orchestra conductor, the business world has been exploring comparisons and inspirations from the world of music. Now Warwick Business School Professors Deniz Ucbasaran and Andy Lockett are hitting all the right notes with their study of famous jazz musicians , Leading Entrepreneurial Teams: Insights From Jazz, providing some essential insights for entrepreneurial team leaders.”

Here, management expert Peter Drucker compared the job of Chief Executive Officer to that of an orchestra conductor = Peter Drucker was the first to compare the worlds of music and business, 

So, the study by Ucbasaran and Lockett was NOT the first to compare the worlds of music and business.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 35: One reason why jazz musicians were chosen for the research is because the setting in which they work is unpredictable. 

Keywords for this question: one reason, why jazz musicians were chosen, for the research, because, the setting in which they work, unpredictable,   

The answer can be found in section A, in paragraph no. 2. Here, the writer says in lines 1-5, “Ucbasaran and Lockett (together with Durham Business School Professor Michael Humphries) chose jazz for a number of reasons. For a start, jazz bands are synonymous with creativity, improvisation and innovation, all essential ingredients for entrepreneurship. Jazz groups and their members often operate in uncertain and dynamic environments, characterised by rapid change. .. .. . . .. .”

Here, Jazz groups and their members often operate in uncertain and dynamic environments, characterised by rapid change = the setting in which they work is unpredictable, 

So, the answer is: TRUE 

Question 36: The researchers decided to cover only certain aspects of leadership.

Keywords for this question: the researchers, decided to cover, only certain aspects of leadership, 

The answer lies in section B, paragraph no. 2. The writer of the text says here, “The research focused on the way that these jazz greats created and ran their musical enterprises. In particular, Ucbasaran and Lockett focused on three specific areas of leadership activity: team formation, team coordination and team turnover.”

Here, three specific areas of leadership activity = only certain aspects of leadership, 

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 37-40: 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 set in most passages so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers for previous questions gives you a good idea about these questions.]

Question 37: When assembling their teams, the band leaders all prioritised players

Keywords for this question: when assembling, teams, the band leaders, all prioritised players, 

The answer is found in section B in paragraph no. 3, as the writer explains here, “There were strong similarities in the processes the band leaders used to assemble their diverse teams of talent. In particular, they looked for musicians with a different sound or way of playing, one that was unique to that band member and would improve the overall sound of the band. That feature was as much bound up with the personality of the individual musician as it was to do with their technical proficiency.” 

Here, the band leaders used to assemble their diverse teams of talent = assembling their teams,  

they looked for musicians with a different sound or way of playing, one that was unique to that band member = the band leaders all prioritised players who had an individual style of their own. 

So, the answer is: C (who had an individual style of their own.)

Question 38: What obstacle might jazz leaders face in reducing destructive conflict among team members? 

Keywords for this question: what obstacle, might jazz leaders face, in reducing, destructive conflict, among team members,    

In section C, the first paragraph gives the answer as the writer explains here the similarities between destructive and productive conflict, “ .. . .. . .. .. . Traditional team leadership theory suggests that to get the best team performance the leader should foster conflict that is productive in its effects, while minimising destructive conflict. But this is difficult when the sources of productive and destructive conflict are the same; that is, differences in personality and thinking. . . .. .. . .”

Here, the sources of productive and destructive conflict are the same = if destructive conflict among team members is reduced, jazz leaders may also reduce productive conflict in the process,  

So, the answer is: A (They may also reduce productive conflict in the process.)

Question 39: What approach to group coordination was shared by Ellington, Davis and Blakey?  

Keywords for this question: what approach to group coordination, was shared, by Ellington, Davis and Blakey,   

In section D, the final lines of paragraph no. 2 say, “ . .. . . . . All three leaders created a general framework within which team members could work, providing guidance but also the freedom to explore, express and make mistakes.”

Here, All three leaders = Ellington, Davis and Blakey, created a general framework = provided a structure, within which team members could work  .. . .. . . the freedom to explore, express and make mistakes = within which musicians could express themselves, 

So, the answer is: C (They provided a structure within which musicians could express themselves.)

Question 40: Ucbasaran and her colleagues found that the high turnover of members in jazz bands  

Keywords for this question: Ucbasaran and her colleagues, found, the high turnover of members, in jazz bands, 

In section E, the first paragraph talks about the benefits of the high turnover, “The third aspect of leadership behaviour that Ucbasaran and her colleagues looked  at was managing team turnover – people joining and leaving the team. . .. . . .. . . .. . .. Yet the high turnover of team members, despite the resulting loss of knowledge and skills, was seen in a positive light. That was partly because of the advantages of getting a fresh shot of knowledge, ideas and creativity when new members joined.”

Here, was seen in a positive light = was welcomed by the band leaders, 

because of the advantages of getting a fresh shot of knowledge, ideas and creativity when new members joined = for the benefits it brought, 

So, the answer is: B (was welcomed by band leaders for the benefits it brought.)