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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 36

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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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A The population of the world today is 7 billion people, and is continuing to grow. Yet humans all around the world differ in many ways. Variations in humans can be affected by differences in geography, climate, politics, nationality, as well as many other factors. One important factor which str...
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Questions 27-29
Look at the following Statements (Questions 27-29) and A list of researchers below.

Match each statement with the correct researcher

Write the correct number A-C in boxes Questions 27-29 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.
A list of researchers
  1. Bessett & Masuku
  2. Bessett & Choi
  3. Bessett & Ara

27. People’s stances on certain issues can be affected by their geographic locations

28. The way people process visual information is affected by their culture of origin

29. People from eastern cultures tend to question conclusions that they don’t find logical

The answer is B. The statement 'People’s stances on certain issues can be affected by their geographic locations' matches with Bessett & Choi. In Paragraph E, it is described that when Koreans and Americans were presented with new evidence against a previously held stance, Koreans were more likely to change their mind, while Americans became more steadfast. This demonstrates how people's stances can be affected by their geographic locations due to cultural influences.

Associated Text:
Later, participants were then presented with other evidence which argued against that particular position. It was at this point that the Koreans’ support for the previous stance began to lessen and waver somewhat. On the other hand, American participants instead supported the former argument even more strongly.

The answer is A. The statement 'The way people process visual information is affected by their culture of origin' matches with Bessett & Masuku. In Paragraph D, participants from Japan focused more on the environment and relationships in the animated fish scene, while Americans focused more on the individual fish. This shows that how people process visual information depends on their culture of origin.

Associated Text:
While the members participating from Japan were more likely to spend time talking about the undersea environment they had seen, perhaps the plants or the water’s color, or discussing the apparent relationship of the big and small fish. Meanwhile, American participants spent more time discussing the individual fish themselves, mainly the larger fish, or those with unique characteristics.

The answer is C. The statement 'People from eastern cultures tend to question conclusions that they don’t find logical' is matched with Bessett & Ara. In Paragraph F, participants from eastern cultures demonstrated skepticism to a logical argument that contradicted their previous knowledge, questioning its logic instead of accepting it.

Associated Text:
Those from eastern cultures would immediately approach the argument with skepticism, questioning its logic against their own previous knowledge of the fact that some animals with fur do not hibernate.

Questions 30-36
The reading passage has paragraphs labelled A-K.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-K in boxes 30-36 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

30. Qualitative research approaches are valuable in exploring thought processing.

31. In Eastern culture, support for arguments is based on context. Thus, ideas and conclusions are changeable and flexible.

32. When studying a variable like culture, it is critical that the researcher create a clear definition for what is—and what is not—considered culture.

33. All individuals have the same reaction to a certain point of view when presented with some very convincing evidence.

34. Eastern people challenge a deduction because they knew it is not true.

35. Researchers in the Soviet Union wanted to find out how living environment and nationality will control the way people think.

36. From the early experiments in the Soviet Union, we might conclude that the original premise— that culture can impact the way we think—was correct.

The answer is G. The value of qualitative research approaches in exploring thought processing is discussed in Paragraph G. Fischer mentions that Bessett’s experiments, while limited by their qualitative nature, can still teach us something useful.

Associated Text:
Fischer agrees that Bessett’s experiments can teach us something useful, but that his research is limited in the way that it relies solely on qualitative descriptions, as opposed to results from a controlled environment.

The answer is E. The information that in Eastern culture, support for arguments is based on context, making ideas and conclusions changeable, is found in Paragraph E. The passage discusses how Koreans’ support for a previous stance became less steady when presented with new evidence, indicating flexibility and changeability in their opinions due to context.

Associated Text:
It was at this point that the Koreans’ support for the previous stance began to lessen and waver somewhat. ... It seems that opinions and decisions may be apt to change for some, allowing them to feel more open to change their minds.

The answer is J. In Paragraph J, it is stated that when studying a variable like culture, researchers must create a clear definition for what is—and what is not—considered culture. This clarity is described as critical for effectively studying culture's influence.

Associated Text:
A variable like culture requires a clear definition for what is—and what is not—to be effectively studied.

The answer is E. The idea that not all individuals react the same way to a certain point of view even when presented with convincing evidence is found in Paragraph E. Koreans adjusted their stance with new evidence, while Americans became more entrenched; this demonstrates variability in response among individuals.

Associated Text:
It was at this point that the Koreans’ support for the previous stance began to lessen and waver somewhat. On the other hand, American participants instead supported the former argument even more strongly.

The answer is F. Eastern people challenge a deduction when they know it is not true is found in Paragraph F. Eastern participants challenged the logic of a deduction about rabbits hibernating, based on their prior knowledge.

Associated Text:
Those from eastern cultures would immediately approach the argument with skepticism, questioning its logic against their own previous knowledge of the fact that some animals with fur do not hibernate.

The answer is C. Paragraph C describes how researchers in the Soviet Union set up research to explore how life circumstances and country of origin, that is, living environment and nationality, could influence the way people think.

Associated Text:
In the Soviet Union, an earlier research project was created to explore the question of whether culture can effectively change our thinking processes. The research paid particular attention to the ways that life circumstances and country of origin could influence how people think.

The answer is G. From early experiments in the Soviet Union, it is concluded that culture can impact the way we think; this is directly stated in Paragraph G.

Associated Text:
From the information found in these early experiments from the Soviet Union, we might come to the conclusion that culture does in fact influence our way of thinking, as was the original presumption.

Questions 37-40
Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 37-40 on your answer sheet.

Fischer thinks Bessett’s experiments provide valuable information because his research only provides , not results from controlled environment.

With , such as nature and animals, people from different countries of the world might have different pre-conceived ideas about these animals.

The research on culture’s effect on still goes on today, and while some criticisms exist of Bessett’s early studies, the projects still provide valuable insight.

In an increasingly globalised job economy, made about nationalities can be harmful to prospective employees.

The answer is qualitative descriptions. Fischer considers Bessett’s experiments to provide valuable information because they rely on qualitative descriptions, rather than results from a controlled environment. This is explicitly stated in Paragraph G.

Associated Text:
his research is limited in the way that it relies solely on qualitative descriptions, as opposed to results from a controlled environment.

The answer is objective content/more objective content. Paragraph I discusses how the use of objective content, such as nature and animals, means that people from different countries might have pre-conceived ideas about these animals, which complicates the results.

Associated Text:
The more objective content, involving questions about nature and animals, might rely more on preconceived ideas about these animals which people could differ significantly around the world.

The answer is cognitive processing. Paragraph J confirms that research on culture’s effect on cognitive processing is ongoing, and the projects still provide valuable insights.

Associated Text:
Research concerning the effect which culture can have on cognitive processing is ongoing today, and despite the fact that some criticize Bessett’s early studies, there is still plenty of useful information with which they can provide us.

The answer is generalisations/generalisations on behavior/generalizations/generalizations on behavior. Paragraph K explains how making generalizations about nationalities can harm prospective employees in a globalized economy.

Associated Text:
making generalizations on the behavior of the members of specific nationalities may pose harm to potential employees.

Answer Sheet
1
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2
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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30
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37
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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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