IELTS CAMBRIDGE  7 Test A: GT READING MODULE

Section 1: EASTERN ENERGY

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 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: Customers should inform Eastern Energy of a change of address on arrival at their new home.  

Keywords for this question: customers, should inform, change of address, arrival, new home,  

In the ‘Moving home’ section, the writer says in the beginning, “Please give as much notice as possible if you are moving home, but at least 48 hours is required for us to make the necessary arrangements for your gas and electricity supply.”

The lines suggest that customers should inform Eastern Energy of a change of address not on arrival, but before arrival at their new home as Eastern Energy needs 48 hours to arrange gas and electricity.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 2: Customers are expected to read their own gas or electricity meters.  

Keywords for this question: customers, expected to red, own, gas or electric meters,    

In the ‘Meter reading’ section, the writer says, “ . . . Always read the meter from left to right, ignoring any red dials.”

This means Eastern Energy expects that customers can read their own gas or electricity meters.

So, the answer is: TRUE                   

Question 3: It is now cheaper to use gas rather than electricity as a form of heating.

Keywords for this question: now cheaper, use gas, rather than electricity, form of heating,     

There is no information about any cheaper form of heating in this text.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN       

Question 4: Eastern Energy supplies energy to households throughout the country.

Keywords for this question: supplies energy, households, throughout the country,    

Again in the ‘Moving home’ section, in lines 5-7, the writer says, “ . . . Tell the new occupant that Eastern Energy supplies the household, to ensure the service is not interrupted. Remember we can now supply electricity and gas at your new address, anywhere in the UK.”

The lines suggest that Eastern Energy supplies households anywhere in the UK.

So, the answer is: TRUE                   

Question 5: The Energy Efficiency Line also handles queries about energy supply.

Keywords for this question: Energy Efficiency Line, handles, queries, energy supply,   

In the ‘Energy Efficiency Line’ section, the writer says, “If you would like advice on the efficient use of energy, please call our Energy Efficiency Line on 0995 7626 513. Please do not use this number for any other enquiries.”

It means the Energy Efficiency Line only handles queries about the efficient use of energy and nothing else.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 6: All complaints about energy supply should be made by phone.

Keywords for this question:  all complaints, energy supply, by phone,     

In the ‘Complaints’ section, the author mentions, “We hope you will never have a problem or cause to complain, but, if you do, please contact our complaints handling team at PO Box 220, Stanfield, ST55 6GF or telephone us on 01316 753270.”

This means customers can either make direct contact on the given address or make telephone call on the given number.

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 7: Customers are not charged for the call when they report a fault in supply.

Keywords for this question: customers, not charged, call, report a fault in supply,   

In the ‘Supply Failure’ section, the author mentions, “If you experience any problems with your electricity supply, please call free on 0600 7838 836, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

This means there is no charge for making a call for reporting a fault in supply.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Using your new microwave oven  

Questions 8-14:  (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 8: Section A

In Section A the author says, “As microwave cooking times are much shorter than other cooking times, it is essential that recommended cooking times are not exceeded without first checking the food.”

Here, microwave cooking times are much shorter than other cooking times = rapid cooking times in microwave,

So, the answer is: v (Rapid cooking times)

Question 9: Section B

In Section B the author says, “Take care when heating small amounts of food as these can easily burn, dry out or catch fire if cooked too long. Always set short cooking times and check the food frequently.”

Here, small amounts of food = small quantities of food,

So, the answer is: vii (Small quantities of food)

Question 10: Section C

In Section C the writer states, “Take care when heating ‘dry’ foods, e.g. bread items, chocolate and pastries. These can easily burn or catch fire if cooked too long.”

Here, ‘dry’ foods = foods which do not have much moisture,

So, the answer is: ix (Foods low in moisture)

Question 11: Section D

In Section D the author mentions, “Some processed meats, such as sausages, have non-porous casings. These must be pierced by a fork before cooking, to prevent bursting. Whole fruit and vegetables should be similarly treated.”

Here, non-porous casings = skins through which water cannot enter easily,

So, the answer is: ii (Foods with skins)

Question 12: Section E

Section E says, “When heating soup, sauces and beverages in your microwave oven, heating beyond the boiling point can occur without evidence of bubbling. Care should be taken not to overheat.”

Here, soup, sauces and beverages = liquids,

So the answer is: x (Liquids)

Question 13: Section F

The first line of Section F says, “When warming up food for a second time, . .. .”

Here, warming up food for a second time = re-heating,

So the answer is: i (Re-heating)

Question 14: Section G 

In section G, the writer says, “It is important for the safe operation of the oven that it is wiped out regularly. Use warm, soapy water, squeeze the cloth out well and use it to remove any grease or food from the interior. The oven should be unplugged during this process.”

Here, wiped out regularly = keeping oven clean regularly,

So the answer is: iii (Keeping your oven clean)

Section 2:CHOOSING PREMISES FOR A NEW BUSINESS

Question 15: Some people choose expensive premises because they want to create an impressive _________ for their company.   

Keywords for this question:expensive premises, want to create, impressive,  

The answer can be found in the section ‘What you need’. In the second paragraph, the writer says, “Ironically some firms swing too far in the other direction, committing themselves to a heavy initial outlay because they believe in the importance of image – and that does not come cheap.”

Here, does not come cheap = expensive,

So, the answer is: image

Question 16: Businesses which depend on __________ need to be on or near the principal shopping areas.

Keywords for this question:depend on, need to be, on or near, principal shopping area,    

The answer can be found in the ‘Location’ section. Here, in the first paragraph, the writer says, “High street premises are important for shops which rely on passing trade – but these are expensive.”

Here, High street premises = principal shopping areas, rely on = depend on,

So, the answer is: passing trade

Question 17: Businesses which produce goods must check there is ___________ to the premises for delivery vehicles.

Keywords for this question:produce goods, must check, delivery vehicles,   

The answer can be found in the ‘Location’ section. Here, in the second paragraph, the writer says, “Manufacturing and storage relies heavily on access. Think about how vans and lorries will deliver and collect goods from the premises.”

Here, vans and lorries = delivery vehicles,

This means businesses that depend heavily on easy access to the premises for delivery vehicles must check there is ample access.

So, the answer is: access

Question 18: When choosing a building for your premises, find out whether ___________ could be removed to create more room.

Keywords for this question:choosing a building, find out, could be removed, to create more room,   

The answer can be found in the ‘Growth’ section. Here, in the first paragraph, the writer says, “Every small business aims to become a big business, but this prospect can be obstructed if the wrong decisions are made early on. It is important to consider flexibility from the start. Can a building be physically altered internally by knocking down walls or by extending outwards or adding extra floors?”

Here, knocking down = removed, a building be physically altered = to create more room,  

So, the answer is: walls

Question 19: Make sure that the __________ states what type of building alterations might be permitted.

Keywords for this question:make sure, states, type of building alternations, might be permitted,      

The answer can be found in the ‘Growth’ section. Here, in the second paragraph, the writer says in the beginning, “Landlords obviously have to agree to any changes so it is important that the contract includes details of what will be allowed and how much extra will be charged on top of the costs of rebuilding or alteration.”

Here, it is important = make sure, details of what will be allowed = what type of building alterations might be permitted,

So, the answer is: contract

Question 20: If business premises are located close to _________, extensions may not be allowed.

Keywords for this question:business premises, located, close to, extensions, may not be allowed,

The last line in the section ‘Growth’ gives us the answer to this question. The writer says, “ . . .. The building may be in a conservation area or near housing, in which case it will be much more difficult to consider changes.”

Here, near = close to, it will be much more difficult to consider changes = extensions may not be allowed,

So, the answer is: housing   

Questions 21-27: [Short answer to open questions (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)

[In this kind of question candidates have to answer some questions, only with some conditions like NO MORE THAN THREE/TWO WORDS and/or A NUMBER or, ONE WORD ONLY. Each question has keywords that will lead to the answer. This question type generally follows a sequence.]

CALIFORNIA STATE COLLEGE  

Question 21: Where do most employees collect their wages?

Keywords for this question:employees, collect, wages,

In the ‘Payday’ section, the writer says, “Employees are paid every other Friday. If Friday is a holiday, payday will be the following Monday. Generally, employees pick up the pay checks in their department; if not, they may be picked up at the Business Office.”  

Here, pick up = collect, pay checks = wages,

So, the answer is: their department

Question 22: Who has to authorise any overtime an employee wishes to do?

Keywords for this question:who, authorise, overtime, employee wishes to do,  

In the ‘Overtime’ section, the author states in line no. 3, “… .. . The supervisor must approve all overtime before overtime occurs.”

Here, approve = authorise,

So, the answer is: (the) supervisor

Question 23: Who is not paid extra for working more than 40 hours a week? 

Keywords for this question:not paid extra, working, more than 40 hours a week,  

The answer in found in the ‘Overtime’ section. Here, in the beginning, the writer says, “All time worked over eight hours in one day and forty hours in a workweek, and also the first eight hours worked on the seventh day of work in a workweek is considered overtime for non-exempt employees.” Then at the end of this section, the writer says, “. .. . Exempt employees receive no additional compensation for overtime hours.”

Here, receive no additional compensation = not paid extra, overtime hours = working more than 40 hours,

So, the answer is: exempt employees

Question 24: Where should employees go if they wish to have the parking charge taken off their salary? 

Keywords for this question:where, employees go, if, wish to have, parking charge taken off, salary,   

The answer is traced in the ‘Parking’ section, where the author says in the beginning, “All employees who will be parking in a staff parking zone must obtain a parking permit. A monthly pre-tax payroll deduction can be made by visiting Human Resources.”

Here, pre-tax payroll deduction = parking charge taken off . .. . salary,  

So, the answer is: Human Resources / HR

Question 25: What method is used to calculate part-time employees′ holidays? 

Keywords for this question:method, use, calculate, part-time employees’, holidays,   

In the ‘Holidays’ section, the writer mentions in lines 2-3, “Regular part-time employees will receive holiday benefits worked out using a prorated system.”

Here, worked out = calculate,

So, the answer is: (a) prorated system  

Question 26: Which documents must employees fill in to select their Personal Holiday?

Keywords for this answer: documents, must, employees fill, select, Personal Holiday, 

In the ‘Personal Holiday’ section, the writer says in the end, “ . . . Employees requesting Personal Holiday will be required to complete ‘Leave Request’ forms.”

Here, required to complete = must .. .. fill in,

So, the answer is: Leave Request forms  

Question 27: What is the name of the special entitlement provided to employees with birthdays in the second half of December? 

Keywords for this answer: name, special entitlement, employees with birthdays, second half of December,

In the last lines of the ‘Birthday Holiday’ section, the writer says, “. . . .. What is known as a grace period through January 15th is given to those employees whose birthdays fall between December 16th and the end of the year.”

Here, fall between December 16th and the end of the year = second half of December,

So, the answer is: (a) grace period  

Section 3: A Very Special Dog

Questions 28-32:  Multiple choice questions

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

Question 28: The drugs in the suitcase –    

Keywords for this question: drugs, suitcase,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 2 in lines 2-4, “ . . .. . is a nondescript hardback suitcase. Inside the case, within styrofoam casing, packed in loose pepper and coffee, wrapped in freezer paper and heat-sealed in plastic, are 18 kilograms of hashish.”

Here, packed in = around, hashish = drugs,

So, the answer is: B (had pepper and coffee around them.)

Question 29: Most dogs are not good at finding drugs because –    

Keywords for this question: Most dogs, not good, finding drugs, 

In paragraph no. 3 the writer says, “ . .. Ordinary dogs have a 0.1% chance of making it in drug detection. The new breeding programme, run by the Australian Customs . . .. . . .”

Here, breeding programme = breeding dogs in a special way to improve their genetic qualities, 0.1% chance = not good at finding drugs, Ordinary dogs = most dogs, 

So, the answer is: D (they lack certain genetic qualities.)

Question 30: Florence is a good drug detector because she –    

Keywords for this question: Florence, good drug detector, because, 

In paragraph no. 4 take a look at lines 3-5, “. .. . It turns out that it’s not Florence’s nose that makes her a top drug dog, but her unswerving concentration, plus a few other essential traits.”

Here, unswerving concentration = not easily distracted,

So, the answer is: B (is not easily distracted.)

Question 31: Dogs like Florence may help scientists understand  –    

Keywords for this question: Dogs, like Florence, may help, scientists understand, 

The answer lies in paragraph no. 4 in lines 5-8, “…  .. . Florence could help neurobiologists to understand both what they call ‘attention processing’, the brain mechanisms that determine what a person pays attention to and for how long, and its flip side, problems such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).”

Here, help neurobiologists = help scientists, Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder = difficulty paying attention,

So, the answer is: C (why some people have difficulty paying attention.)

Question 32: In 1993, the Australian Customs –    

Keywords for this question: 1993, Australian Customs,

For this question, we should have a look at paragraph no. 5 which talks about the change in obtaining dogs.

Here, the author says in the first few lines, “The Australian Customs has used dogs to find drugs since 1969. Traditionally, the animals came from pounds and private breeders.” This means that the Australian Customs previously used dogs from private breeders and pounds.

Then, the next few lines say, “ . .. . But, in 1993, fed up with the poor success rate of finding good dogs this way, . . .. . . ., and set up a breeding programme.” So, the Australian Customs changed the way it obtained dogs.  

So, the answer is: C (changed the way it obtained dogs.)

Questions 33-36 (Choosing options)

[In this type of question candidates are asked to choose some options (mostly FOUR or FIVE) for a question from a given list. The answer-finding process is similar to other questions – find the keywords in the text and look around it. This question doesn’t necessarily maintain any sequence.]

Let’s have a look at the question:

The writer mentions a number of important qualities that detector dogs must have.

Which FOUR of the following qualities are mentioned by the writer of the text?

Keywords for this question: important qualities, detector dogs must have,

Take a look at paragraph no. 6 first, where the author talks about six essential traits (important qualities). “Champness began by defining six essential traits that make a detector dog. First, every good detector dog must love praise because this is the only tool trainers have at their disposal, but the dog must still be able to work for long periods without it.” This is a match with option I (a desire for people’s approval) and option F (a willingness to work without constant encouragement).

Then, in lines 5-6 the writer says, “.. . The ideal detector is also fearless enough to deal with jam-packed airport crowds and the roaring engine rooms of cargo ships.” This is a match with option D (an ability to work in noisy conditions).

Again, in lines 4-5 of paragraph no. 7, the writer says, “.. . . And finally, with potentially tens of thousands of hiding places for drugs, the dog must persevere and maintain focus for hours at a time.” This is a match with option E (an ability to maintain concentration).

So the answers are: (in any order)

D

E

F

I

Questions 37-40 (TRUE, FALSE, NOT GIVEN)

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

The statement in the question agrees with the information in the passage – 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.]

Question 37: Methods of determining if a child had ADHD are now widely accepted.

Keywords for this answer: Methods, determining, child, ADHD, now, widely, accepted,  

To find the answer to this question, we should have a look at the end of paragraph no. 4, at the very end, “. . .. problems such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As many as 3 to 5% of children are thought to suffer from the condition in the US, where the incidence is highest, although diagnosis is often controversial.

Here, controversial = not widely accepted, rather it is criticised,

So, the answer is: FALSE

Question 38: After about five minutes of a vigilance test, some subjects will still notice some tips.

Keywords for this answer: after, five minutes, vigilance test, some subjects, will notice, tips,   

We find the reference of ‘vigilance test’ in line no. 5. So, we need to scan this paragraph. In this paragraph, the last lines say, “ . . . Five minutes into the test, one in ten subjects will start to miss the majority of the blips, one in ten will still be able to spot nearly all of them and the rest will come somewhere in between.”

Therefore, the last lines are a clear match with the question.

So, the answer is: TRUE

Question 39: Vigilance tests help improve concentration.

Keywords for this answer: Vigilance tests help, improve concentration,   

The passage talks about the use of a vigilance test. However, there is no information regarding the improvement of concentration through the vigilance test.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 40: If a few grams of a drug are well concealed, even the best dogs will miss them.

Keywords for this answer: a few grams, drug, well concealed, best dogs, will miss,

Let’s have a look at lines 3-5, where the writer says, “.. .. .. During a routine mail screen that can take hours, the dogs stay so focused that not even a postcard lined with 0.5 grams of heroin and hidden in a bulging sack of letters escapes detection.”

Here, 0.5 grams of heroin = a few grams of a drug, hidden in a bulging sack of letters = well concealed,

This means the dogs are so well-trained that they do not miss a few grams of well-concealed drugs.

So, the answer is: FALSE