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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 21

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This reading practice simulates one part of the IELTS General Reading test. You should spend about twenty minutes on it. Read the passage and answer questions 27-40.

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It seems that the concept of happiness is still fairly mysterious in the world of the social sciences in comparison to other emotions, like sadness. For instance, Psychological abstracts between the years 1967 and 1994 included 46,380 articles mentioning depression, 36,851 mentioning anxiety, and 5,...
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Questions 27-30
Look at the following Findings (Questions 27-30) and Investigative Bodies below.

Match the finding with the correct Investigative Body

Write the correct number A-G in boxes Questions 27-30 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.
Investigative Bodies
  1. The National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago
  2. Arizona State University
  3. The Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
  4. Forbes Magazine
  5. The National Institute on Aging
  6. The Gallup Organization
  7. The Government

27. The people who report themselves as the happiest remain happy throughout life.

28. Happiness levels are slightly higher for Americans who are extremely wealthy.

29. Over fifty percent of Americans describe themselves as happy.

30. Happiness is not related to gender.

The answer is E. The National Institute on Aging discovered that people who report being happiest remain happy over the years. In the relevant paragraph, it is stated: "In 1973, the National Institute on Aging surveyed 5,000 adults, and found that ten years later, the happiest people were still relatively happy, even when changes in their work, living place, and family status were considered." This clearly identifies the correct investigative body.

Associated Text:
In 1973, the National Institute on Aging surveyed 5,000 adults, and found that ten years later, the happiest people were still relatively happy, even when changes in their work, living place, and family status were considered.

The answer is D. Forbes Magazine reported that happiness levels are only slightly higher for Americans who are extremely wealthy. The relevant sentence in the passage states: "The super wealthy appear to be only marginally happier than the average American, as reported in Forbes magazine’s 100 wealthiest Americans." This source directly connects to the correct finding.

Associated Text:
The super wealthy appear to be only marginally happier than the average American, as reported in Forbes magazine’s 100 wealthiest Americans.

The answer is A. The National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago, is linked with the finding that over fifty percent of Americans describe themselves as happy. As stated in the passage: "For instance, the results of surveys from the University of Chicago showed that three in every ten Americans say they’re very happy. The most unhappy description 'not too happy' was only chosen by one in ten in the same survey, and the majority of those asked selected 'pretty happy' to describe themselves." This shows that over fifty percent describe themselves as happy.

Associated Text:
the results of surveys from the University of Chicago showed that three in every ten Americans say they’re very happy. The most unhappy description 'not too happy' was only chosen by one in ten in the same survey, and the majority of those asked selected 'pretty happy' to describe themselves.

The answer is B. Arizona State University is associated with the finding that happiness is not related to gender. The passage states: "Findings amongst men and women are similar, with both sexes equally likely to report themselves as being 'very happy' and 'satisfied' with life, according to Marilyn J, Haring, William Stock and Morris A, Okun’s statistical digest of 146 studies at Arizona State University." This directly supports the answer.

Associated Text:
Findings amongst men and women are similar, with both sexes equally likely to report themselves as being 'very happy' and 'satisfied' with life, according to Marilyn J, Haring, William Stock and Morris A, Okun’s statistical digest of 146 studies at Arizona State University.

Questions 31-35
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 31-35 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.

31. Happiness is a well-documented research area.

32. Research shows that happiness levels are higher than they had believed.

33. The research method social scientists used to measure happiness seem to be reliable.

34. Happiness levels have risen since 1957 in the U.S..

35. A gradual increase in prosperity makes no difference in how happy we are

The answer is FALSE. The passage opens by stating that happiness is still a mysterious concept in the social sciences and not as extensively studied as emotions like sadness. Evidence is given by comparing numbers of research articles: "there were relatively few which discussed happiness -- just 2,389 mentions overall." This shows the area is not well documented.

Associated Text:
It seems that the concept of happiness is still fairly mysterious in the world of the social sciences in comparison to other emotions, like sadness... there were relatively few which discussed happiness -- just 2,389 mentions overall.

The answer is TRUE. The passage describes how researchers found that happiness levels are actually higher than expected: "the number of people who report being happy is higher than expected." This follows surveys conducted around the world, indicating the finding matches the statement.

Associated Text:
the number of people who report being happy is higher than expected.

The answer is TRUE. The passage discusses the reliability and consistency of the methods social scientists use: "Over years of retesting, this kind of self-reported information on well-being remains moderately consistent." Additionally, other evidence in the same paragraph supports the reliability of these methods.

Associated Text:
Over years of retesting, this kind of self-reported information on well-being remains moderately consistent.

The answer is FALSE. The passage states that Americans make twice as much money as in 1957, but "the number of Americans who report that they are 'very happy' has actually dropped from 35 to 29 percent." This contradicts the statement that happiness levels have risen.

Associated Text:
Americans make twice as much money as they were making in 1957. However, according to the National Opinion Research Center, the number of Americans who report that they are 'very happy' has actually dropped from 35 to 29 percent.

The answer is TRUE. The passage discusses that increases in prosperity make no difference in happiness: "It also seems that money does not, in fact, buy happiness. As a culture becomes richer, people do not report higher levels of happiness." Also, happiness levels are the same for people whose incomes increased and those with stagnated incomes, supporting this claim.

Associated Text:
It also seems that money does not, in fact, buy happiness. As a culture becomes richer, people do not report higher levels of happiness... For people with incomes that increased over a 10-year period and people with stagnated incomes, reported happiness levels are the same.

Questions 36-40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-K, below.
  1. more
  2. less
  3. reversed
  4. affected
  5. remarkably
  6. increased
  7. decreased
  8. slightly
  9. similar
  10. slowed down
  11. stopped

Incomes in the United States have over the past forty years, yet happiness levels have over the same period. According to research,  extremely rich people are only slightly happy than people with average incomes. In terms of national wealth, populations of wealthy nations are happier than those who live in poorer countries. Although in some cases this trend is and it appears that other factors need to be considered.

The answer is increased. The passage states: "Americans make twice as much money as they were making in 1957." This means incomes have increased over the past forty years, fitting the blank.

Associated Text:
Americans make twice as much money as they were making in 1957.

The answer is dropped. The passage says: "the number of Americans who report that they are 'very happy' has actually dropped from 35 to 29 percent." This means the happiness levels have dropped, which fits the blank.

Associated Text:
the number of Americans who report that they are 'very happy' has actually dropped from 35 to 29 percent.

The answer is more. The passage mentions: "The super wealthy appear to be only marginally happier than the average American." The phrase "only marginally happier" means only a little more happy, so 'more' is the correct word for the blank.

Associated Text:
The super wealthy appear to be only marginally happier than the average American, as reported in Forbes magazine’s 100 wealthiest Americans.

The answer is generally. The passage notes: "Could it be that those in wealthy nations are happier than those in poor nations? Generally, that seems to be the case, although it may not make much of a difference." Thus, populations of wealthy nations are generally happier, which matches the blank.

Associated Text:
Generally, that seems to be the case, although it may not make much of a difference.

The answer is reversed. The passage provides: "However, sometimes there are strange reversals in this correlation between a country’s wealth and reported levels of happiness." This uses the word 'reversals,' which is the correct vocabulary for the blank.

Associated Text:
However, sometimes there are strange reversals in this correlation between a country’s wealth and reported levels of happiness.

Answer Sheet
1
N/A
2
N/A
3
N/A
4
N/A
5
N/A
6
N/A
7
N/A
8
N/A
9
N/A
10
N/A
11
N/A
12
N/A
13
N/A
14
N/A
15
N/A
16
N/A
17
N/A
18
N/A
19
N/A
20
N/A
21
N/A
22
N/A
23
N/A
24
N/A
25
N/A
26
N/A
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Score Summary
0 / 1
Multiple Choice
Matching Sentence Endings
Note Completion
Table Completion
Flow Chart Completion
Summary Completion
Multiple Selection
Short Answer
Matching Headings
Matching Features
Matching Information
Identifying Information
Identifying Viewer Claims
Sentence Completion
Diagram Labelling
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Tips to improve your reading speed
To get a high score on the IELTS reading section, you need to have a fast reading speed. To have a fast reading speed, you need to improve your vocabulary and practice dissecting sentences. One strategy to dissect a sentence is to look for the subject and verb of the sentence. Finding the subject and verb will help you better understand the main idea of said sentence. Keep in mind, a common feature of a IELTS reading passage is to join strings of ideas to form long compound sentences. This produces large chunks that students have a hard time absorbing. Do not get overwhelmed by its length, just look for the subject and verb, the rest of the ideas will flow.

Keep in mind, having a slow reading speed makes skimming or scanning a reading passage more difficult. The process of quickly skimming through a reading passage for specific keywords or main ideas is a requirement for you to employ successful reading strategies to improve your IELTS reading score. In other words, skimming and scanning are critical skills to ensure you complete all questions in the allotted time frame.
IELTS Reading Strategies
Once you can read and comprehend a passage with a rate of, at least, 220 words per minute, you'll be ready to start implementing our strategies. All too often, students spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time answering the questions. Here is a step by step guide for tackling the reading section.

  1. Step 1: Read questions first

    One of the most common mistakes that candidates make when approaching the reading exam is reading every single word of the passages. Although you can practice for the exam by reading for pleasure, "reading blindly" (reading without any sense of what the questions will ask) will not do you any favors in the exam. Instead, it will hurt your chances for effectively managing your time and getting the best score.

    The main reason to read the questions first is because the type of question may determine what you read in the passage or how you read it. For example, some question types will call for the "skimming" technique, while others may call for the "scanning" technique.

    It is important to answer a set of questions that are of the same question type. You'll need to determine which question type you want to tackle first. A good strategy would be to start with the easier question type and move on to more difficult question types later. The Easiest question types are the ones where you spend less time reading. For example, the Matching Heading question type is an easier one because you only need to find the heading that best describes the main idea of a paragraph. An example of a difficult question type would be Identifying Information. For this question type, you'll need to read each paragraph to find out if each statement is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN according to the passage.

    Here is a table that lists the difficulty levels for each question type. Use this table as a reference when choosing which question type you want to tackle first.

    Difficulty level Question Type
    Easy Sentence Completion
    Short answer
    Medium Matching Features
    Multiple choice
    Matching Headings
    Summary, Table, Flow-Chart Completion
    Difficult Matching Sentence Endings
    Matching Information
    Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
    Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

  2. Step 2: Read for an objective

    After you've read the questions for the passage, you will be able to read for an objective. What does this mean? For example, if you come across a question that includes the year "1896", you can make a note of when this year comes up in the text, using it to answer the question later on. There are two reading techniques that will help you stay on track with reading for an objective. The first one, skimming, is best defined as reading fast in order to get the "gist", or general idea, or a passage. With this technique, you are not stopping for any unfamiliar words or looking for specific details. The second technique, scanning, is best defined as reading for specific information. With this technique, you are not reading for the overall gist, but rather, specific information. Notice how each of these techniques has a specific objective in mind. This will help you find information more quickly.

  3. Step 3: Take notes

    As you're reading for an objective, you should also be making notes on the margins of the passage, placing stars next to key information, or underlining things that you believe will help you answer the various questions. This will make it easier for you to check back when you are asked certain things in the questions. Choose whichever note-taking system is right for you - just make sure you do it!

  4. Step 4: Answer wisely

    After you've read the questions, read the passage, and have taken any appropriate notes, you you should have located the part of the text where you where you need to read carefully. Then just read carefully and think critically to determine the correct answer.

IELTS Reading Question Types

The IELTS reading test contains many different question types:

Matching HeadingsIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Headings
Matching InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Information
Matching FeaturesIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Features
Summary CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Summary Completion
Identifying InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Information
Identifying Writer's claimsIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Writer's claims
Multiple ChoiceIELTS Reading Lesson: Multiple Choice
Short AnswerIELTS Reading Lesson: Short Answer
Match Sentence EndingIELTS Reading Lesson: Match Sentence Ending
Sentence CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Sentence Completion
Table CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Table Completion
 
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