IELTS Cambridge 14 Test 2: ACADEMIC Reading Module

Reading Passage 1:Alexander Henderson (1831-1913)

Questions 1-8: TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

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

The statement in the question matches with the account in the text- TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts the account in the text- FALSE
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- 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: Henderson rarely visited the area around Press Estate when he was younger.

Keywords for the question: Henderson, rarely visited, around Press Estate, younger  

We find the keyword ‘Press Estate’ in paragraph no. 1. So, we should scan it carefully. In the last few lines of the paragraph, the writer says, “… .. .it owned Press Estate, 650 acres of……….. The family often stayed at Press Castle, the large … . . . .. . and Alexander spent much of his childhood in the area, .. . .”

The lines suggest that Alexander’s family was a merchant family and they owned a huge property in Scotland including the Press estate and he spent a good deal of time there. So, he often (opposite to the word ‘rarely’) visited the Press Estate.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 2: Henderson pursued a business career because it was what his family wanted.

Keywords for the question: pursued, business career, family wanted  

We find the answer in paragraph no. 2 of the passage. Take a look at lines 2-4, “. . . In 1849 he began a three-year apprenticeship to become an accountant. Although he never liked the prospect of a business career, he stayed with it to please his family.”

Here, he began a three-year apprenticeship to become an accountant = Henderson pursued a business career, he stayed with it to please his family = because it was what his family wanted

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 3: Henderson and Notman were surprised by the results of their 1865 experiment.

Keywords for the question: Henderson, Notman, surprised, results, 1865 experiment      

We find the reference to the 1865 experiments ‘with magnesium flares as a source of artificial light’ in paragraph no. 3. However, there is no mention of their surprise or astonishment about the experiment.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN       

Question 4: There are many similarities between Henderson’s early landscapes and those of Notman.

Keywords for the question: many similarities, early landscapes, Henderson, Notman

The answers can be found in lines 1-3 of paragraph no. 4. The writer says, “In spite of their friendship, their styles of photography were quite different. While Notman’s landscapes were noted for their bold realism, Henderson for the first 20 years of his career produced romantic images, showing the strong influence of the British landscape tradition.” The lines clearly show that the works of Henderson and Notman did not have many similarities.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 5: The studio that Henderson opened in 1866 was close to his home.

Keywords for the question: studio, opened, 1866, close, home

The mention of Henderson’s studio opening is found in the first lines of paragraph no. 5, “In 1866, he gave up his business to open a photographic studio, …” But the location of the studio is not mentioned here.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 6: Henderson gave up portraiture so that he could focus on taking photographs of scenery.

Keywords for the question: gave up, portraiture, focus, taking photographs,

The answer is in lines 2-3 of paragraph no. 5, “From about 1870 he dropped portraiture to specialize in landscape photography and other views.”

Here, landscape photography and other views mean photography of scenery, dropped means gave up,

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 7: When Henderson began work for the Intercolonial Railway, the Montreal to Halifax line had been finished.

Keywords for the question: Intercolonial Railway, Montreal to Halifax line, finished   

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 7 as we see the mention of ‘Intercolonial Railway’ in lines 6-7 of this paragraph. Let’s take a look at lines 5-8, “. .. .That same year, while in the lower St. Lawrence River region, he took some photographs of the construction of the Intercolonial Railway. This undertaking led in 1875 to a commission from the railway to record the principal structures along the almost-completed line connecting Montreal to Halifax.” The lines suggest that the Montreal to Halifax line was not yet completed at that time.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 8: Henderson’s last work as a photographer was with the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Keywords for the question: last work, photographer, Canadian Pacific Railway  

The answer is in paragraph no. 8. The writer says, “In 1892 Henderson accepted a full-time position with the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) as manager of a photographic department . .. . . .. . . . . . .. … . That summer he made his second trip west, photographing extensively along the railway line as far as Victoria. He continued in this post until 1897, when he retired completely from photography.”

So, the job with the CPR was his last work, where he did his work of photography extensively.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Questions 9-13: (Completing notes with ONE WORD ONLY)

In this type of question, candidates are asked to write only one word/ no more than two words to complete notes 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.

Question 9:

Early Life:

• was born in Scotland in 1831 – father was a __________.

Keywords for this question: born, Scotland, 1831, father

The answer lies in paragraph no. 1, at the very beginning of the paragraph, “Alexander Henderson was born in Scotland in 1831 and was the son of a successful merchant.”

So, the answer is: merchant

Questions 10 and 11:

Start of a photographic career:

• people bought Henderson’s photos because photography took up considerable time and the 10. ____________ was heavy

Keywords for this question: bought, because, time, heavy,

• the photographs Henderson sold were 11. _____________ or souvenirs

Keywords for this question:  photographs, souvenirs,

We can find answers to questions 10 and 11 in paragraph no. 5. Look at lines 6-10 of the paragraph. “There was sufficient demand for these types of scenes and others he took depicting the lumber trade, steamboats, and waterfalls to enable him to make a living. There was little competing hobby or amateur photography before the late 1880s because of the time-consuming techniques involved and the weight of the equipment. People wanted to buy photographs as souvenirs of a trip or as gifts, …..”

Here, the lines suggest that people bought Henderson’s photographs because of the little competition involved in this sort of hobby due to the time it took and the weight (heavy) of the equipment.

So, the answer to question no. 11 is: equipment

Again, in the next line, People liked to buy Henderson’s photos as souvenirs or as gifts.

So, the answer to question no. 12 is: gifts

Questions 12 and 13: Travelling as a professional photographer:

Question 12: took many trips along eastern rivers in a __________.

Keywords for this question: many trips, eastern rivers, in,   

We find the mention of ‘eastern rivers’ in paragraph no. 7. In lines 1-4 the writer says, “In the 1870s and 1880s Henderson travelled widely throughout Quebec and Ontario. . .. . . .. .He was especially fond of the wilderness and often travelled by canoe on the Blanche, du Lievre, and other noted eastern rivers.”

The lines suggest that Henderson made many trips (travelled widely) in a canoe.

So, the answer is: canoe

Question 13: worked for CPR in 1885 and photographed the _________ and the railway at Rogers Pass.  

Keywords for this question: worked, CPR, 1885, photographed, railway, Rogers Pass   

The last lines of paragraph no. 7 give us the answer. “In 1885 he went west along the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) as far as Rogers Pass in British Columbia, where he took photographs of the mountains and the progress of construction.”

The lines propose that in 1885 Henderson worked for the CPR and took photographs of the mountains.

So, the answer is: mountains

Reading Passage 2:Back to the future of skyscraper design

Questions 14-18: (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. For this passage, first answer question 4- 13. After finishing with these questions, come to question 1-3. And just like List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]

Question 14: why some people avoided hospitals in the 19th century

Keywords for this question: people avoided, hospitals, 19th century,  

The answer lies in paragraph F in the first lines. Here, the writer says, “Much of the ingenuity present in 19th-century hospital and building design was driven by a panicked public clamouring for buildings that could protect against what was thought to be the lethal threat of miasmas – toxic air that spread disease.”

These lines suggest that 19th-century people were feeling panicked (terrified) people shouting (clamouring) for such hospital designs that could protect them from miasmas. This means they were avoiding hospitals at that time.

So, the answer is: F

Question 15: a suggestion that the popularity of tall buildings is linked to prestige

Keywords for this question: popularity, tall buildings, linked to prestige,  

The answer is in the last lines of paragraph C. The author writes, “. .. Short regards glass, steel and air-conditioned skyscrapers as symbols of status, rather than practical ways of meeting our requirements.”

Here, the suggestion made by Alan Short means the tall buildings (skyscrapers) symbolizes status (prestige).

So, the answer is: C

Question 16: a comparison between the circulation of air in a 19th-century building and modern standards

Keywords for this question: comparison, circulation of air, 19th century, modern standards,  

The answer can be found in the first lines of paragraph E. The writer says, “We discovered that 19th Century hospital wards could generate up to 24 air changes an hour – that’s similar to the performance of a modern-day, computer-controlled operating theatre.”

So, we can find a clear comparison of the circulation of air between 19th Century building and modern-day buildings.

So, the answer is: E

Question 17: how Short tested the circulation of air in a 19th-century building

Keywords for this question: how, Short tested, circulation of sir, 19th-century building, 

The second part of paragraph D is a description of how Short tested the circulation of air in Johns Hopkins Hospital building which was built in the 19^th Century. “ “We spent three years digitally modeling Billings’ final designs”, says Short. “We put pathogens in the airstreams, modeled for someone with tuberculosis (TB) coughing in the wards and we found the ventilation systems in the room would have kept other patients safe from harm.”

So, the answer is: D

Question 18: an implication that advertising led to the large increase in the use of air conditioning

Keywords for this question: advertising, large increase, air conditioning,  

The answer is the last lines of the second part of paragraph B. “ . .. . before the widespread introduction of air conditioning systems, which were ‘relentlessly and aggressively marketed’ by their inventors.”

Here, ‘relentlessly and aggressively marketed’ means advertisements, widespread introduction means large increase

So, the answer is: B

Question 19-26: (Completing summary with ONE WORD ONLY)

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to ONE WORD ONLY to complete a summary 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/words.]

Title of the summary: Ventilation in 19th-century hospital wards 

Question 19: Professor Alan Short examined the work of John Shaw Billings, who influenced the architectural ____________ of hospitals to ensure they had good ventilation.

Keywords for this answer: Alan short, examined, John Shaw Billings, influenced, architectural, ensure, ventilation,

The answer is in the first part of paragraph D where we find the reference of Alan Short putting his interest in the works of John Shaw Billings. “Short’s book highlights a developing and sophisticated art and science of ventilating buildings through the 19^th and earlier-20^th centuries, including the design of ingeniously ventilated hospitals. Of particular interest were those built to the designs of John Shaw Billings, including the first John Hopkins Hospital in the US city of Baltimore (1873-1889).”  So, the lines mean that Alan Short examined the works of John Shaw Billings, whose works influenced the designs of hospitals with great ventilation.

So, the answer is: design(s)

Question 20 and 21: He calculated that _________  in the air coming from patients suffering from _________ would not have harmed other patients.

Keywords for this answer: calculated, in the air, patients suffering from, would not have harmed, other patients, 

The answers are found in the second part of paragraph D, “We spent three years digitally modelling Billings’ final designs,” says Short. “We put pathogens in the airstreams, modeled for someone with tuberculosis (TB) coughing in the wards and we found the ventilation systems in the room would have kept other patients safe from harm.”

Here, digitally modelling means calculating,

So, the answers are:

• pathogens
• tuberculosis

Question 22: He also found that the air in _________ in hospitals could change as often as in a modern operating theatre.

Keywords for this answer: also found, the air, in hospitals, could change, as often as, modern operating theatre, 

The answer lies in the first part of paragraph E, “We discovered that 19^th-century hospital wards could generate up to 24 air changes an hour – that’s similar to the performance of a modern-day, computer-controlled operating theatre.”

Here, similar to = as often as

So, the answer is: wards

Question 23: He suggests that energy use could be reduced by locating more patients in ________ areas.

Keywords for this answer: suggests, energy use, could be reduced, locating, more patients, areas, 

The answer is found in the second part of paragraph E. “Communal wards appropriate for certain patients – older people with dementia, for example – would work just as well in today’s hospitals, at a fraction of the energy cost.”

Here, at a fraction of the energy cost = energy use could be reduced

So, the answer is: communal

Question 24 and 25: A major reason for improving ventilation in 19th-century hospitals was the demand from the __________ for protecting against bad air, known as __________.

Keywords for this answer: major reason, improving ventilation, 19th-century hospitals, demand from, for protecting against, bad air, known as, 

In paragraph F, look at the first lines, “Much of the ingenuity present in the 19th Century hospital and building design was driven by a panicked public clamouring for buildings that could protect against what was thought to be lethal threat of miasmas – toxic air that spread disease.”

Here, the lines suggest that the public demanded protection against miasmas.

So, the answers are:

• public
• miasmas

Question 26: These were blamed for the spread of disease for hundreds of years, including epidemics of ______________ in London and Paris in the middle of the 19th century.

Keywords for this answer: blamed, spread of disease, hundreds of years, epidemics of, in London and Paris, middle of the 19th century, 

The answer is in lines 3-5 of paragraph F, “Miasmas were feared as the principal agents of disease and epidemics for centuries, and were used to explain the spread of infection from the Middle Ages right through to the cholera outbreaks in London and Paris during in 1850s.”

Here, the lines suggest that London and Paris city suffered from the epidemics (outbreaks) of cholera.

So, the answer is: cholera

IELTS Cambridge 14 Test 2: ACADEMIC Reading Module

Reading Passage 3:Why companies should welcome disorder

Questions 27-34 (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 which will be done for the candidates for their understanding of the task.

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

Question 27: Section A

The answer lies in paragraph no. 2 of Section A. “…. . .We are told that we ought to organise our company, our home life, our week, our day and even our sleep, all as a means to becoming more productive. Every week, countless seminars and workshops take place around the world to tell a paying public that they ought to structure their lives in order to achieve this.”

These lines suggest that people are increasingly expected to organise their companies.

So, the answer is: vi (What people are increasingly expected to do)

Question 28: Section B

The answer for this question is found in the first paragraph of Section B. Here, the writer complains that. . . “Ironically, however, the number of businesses that fail has also steadily increased. Work-related stress has increased. A large proportion of workers from all demographics claim to be dissatisfied with the way their work is structured and the way they are managed.”

So, the answer is: i (Complaints about the impact of a certain approach)

Question 29: Section C

The answer is in lines 2-4 of section C, where we find reference of some recommendations regarding business activities which was given in the first half of the 20th century. “… .Writing in the first half of the 20th century, he designed a number of principles to improve the efficiency of the work process, which have since become widespread in modern companies.”

So, the answer is: iii (Early recommendations concerning business activities)

Question 30: Section D

The first line of section D gives us the answer. The writer states, “New research suggests that this obsession with efficiency is misguided.” It means that the beliefs regarding efficiency are misguided or incorrect.

So, the answer is: ii (Fundamental beliefs that are in fact incorrect)

Question 31: Section E

This question’s answer can also be traced to the first line of section E. “What’s more, recent studies show that order actually has diminishing returns.” It means the order (organisation) brings problems. Also, take a look at the following lines. “Order does increase productivity to a certain extent, but eventually the usefulness of the process of organisation, and the benefit it yields, reduce until the point where any further increase in order reduces productivity.” So, it is clear that order does more damage than progress.

So, the answer is: ix (Evidence that a certain approach can have more disadvantages than advantages) 

Question 32: Section F

The answer is in the last lines of section F. “These environments can lead to new solutions that, under conventionally structured environments …….. would never be reached.”

Here, would never be reached = impossible

So, the answer is: vii (How to achieve outcomes that are currently impossible)

Question 33: Section G

The second and third paragraph talks about the approach which is taken of Oction, a large Danish manufacturer of hearing aids and the former chairman of General Electric.

So, the answer is: iv (Organisations that put a new approach into practice)

Question 34: Section H

The last lines of section H indicate the answer. Here, the writer says, “This research also shows that we should continually question whether or not our existing assumptions work.” It means there is no guarantee that any approach may work.

So, the answer is: viii (Neither approach guarantees continuous improvement) 

Questions 35-37 (Completing sentences/sentence completion with ONE WORD ONLY)

Here, candidates have to complete sentences by using ONE WORD ONLY from the passage. Candidates need to check the keywords from the question parts and try to match those keywords with the information given in the passage.

Question 35: Numerous training sessions are aimed at people who feel they are not _________ enough.

Keywords for this question: numerous, training sessions, aimed at, people who feel,

The answer is in the second paragraph of Section A. Take a look at lines 2-5, “….We are told that we ought to organise our company, our home life, our week, our day and even our sleep, all as a means to becoming more productive. Every week, countless seminars and workshops take place around the world to tell a paying public that they ought to structure their lives in order to achieve this.”

The lines suggest that countless seminars and workshops (Numerous training sessions) are targeted at people who are not productive.

So, the answer is: productive

Question 36: Being organised appeals to people who regard themselves as ____________.

Keywords for this question: being organised, appeals, regard themselves,

The answer is in the first lines of paragraph no. 2 of Section A. “This rhetoric has also crept into the thinking of business leaders and entrepreneurs, much to the delight of self-proclaimed perfectionists with the need to get everything right.”

Here, self-proclaimed = regard themselves

So, the answer is: perfectionists

Question 37: Many people feel _________ with aspects of their work.

Keywords for this question: many people feel, aspects of work

The answer is in paragraph no. 1 of Section B. “A large proportion of workers from all demographics claim to be dissatisfied with the way their work is structured and the way they are managed.”

Here, A large proportion of workers = Many people

So, the answer is: dissatisfied

Questions 38- TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN

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

The statement in the question matches with the account in the text- TRUE
The statement in the question contradicts the account in the text- FALSE
The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- 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 38: Both businesses and people aim at order without really considering its value.

Keywords for this question: businesses and people, aim at, order, without considering, value,   

The answer is found in the last lines of Section D. The writer says, “The result is that businesses and people spend time and money organising themselves for the sake of organising, rather than actually looking at the end goal and structure of such an effort.”

The lines mean that people and different businesses actually aim at order (organisation) rather than looking at the goals. So, they are not considering the real value of order but aiming at it for the sake of organising.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 39: Innovation is most successful if the people involved have distinct roles.

Keywords for this question: innovation, most successful, people involved, distinct roles,

We can find the answer to this question in Section F. Here, in the first lines, the writer says, “In fact, research shows that, when innovating, the best approach is to create an environment devoid of structure and hierarchy and enable everyone to engage as one organic group.”

Here, one organic group is an antonym for distinct roles.

So, the lines suggest that if people work together as one organic group, innovation is most successful, not if people have distinct roles.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 40: Google was inspired to adopt flexibility by the success of General Electric.

Keywords for this question: innovation, most successful, people involved, distinct roles,

In Section G, we find the mention of different companies that adopted flexibility. In paragraph no. 2 of Section G, the writer mentions, “Google and a number of other tech companies have embraced (at least in part) these kinds of flexible structures, . . . .” But, there is no mention of the fact that Google was or was not inspired to adopt flexibility by General Electric.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN