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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 48

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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 It was once commonly thought that infants lack the ability to form complex ideas. For much of the 20th century, most psychologists accepted the traditional thesis that a newborn’s mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa) on which the record of experience is gradually impressed. It was further thou...
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Questions 27-29
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.

27. Researchers use indirect methods primarily to observe the ….

28. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a problem in using the technique of direct  observation?

29. Which of the following leads to the conclusion that infants are able to differentiate between stimuli in a habituation-dishabituation study?

The answer is C. Researchers use indirect methods primarily to observe the change in an infant's state following the introduction of a stimulus. This is supported by the sentence in Paragraph D: "Each of these methods compares an infant's state before the introduction of a stimulus with its state during or immediately following the stimulus." Option (A) refers to the range of motor activity, (B) to the frequency and duration of various stimuli, and (D) to the range of visual field; however, only (C) explicitly fits the observed aim as stated in the passage.

Associated Text:
Each of these methods compares an infant's state before the introduction of a stimulus with its state during or immediately following the stimulus.

The answer is C. The technique of direct observation does not mention that infants do not respond well to stimuli in an unnatural laboratory setting. Paragraph E lists three problems: unreliability among observers (A and D), responses difficult to quantify (B), and uncertainty about the cause of a response (A). While options (A), (B), and (D) are mentioned, (C) is not discussed in the passage.

Associated Text:
First, the observation may be unreliable in that two or more observers may not agree that the particular response occurred or to what degree it occurred. Second, responses are difficult to quantify. Often the rapid and diffuse movements of the infant make it difficult to get an accurate record of the number of responses. The third and most potent limitation is that it is impossible to be certain that the infant's response was due to the stimulus presented or to a change from no stimulus to a stimulus.

The answer is D. The passage in Paragraph G explains that when dishabituation occurs with the introduction of a new stimulus, it is interpreted that infants can perceive the new stimulus as different. The text states, "If the infant fails to dishabituate and continues to show habituation with the new stimulus, it is assumed that the baby is unable to perceive the new stimulus as different." Therefore, the opposite, or dishabituation, indicates the infant can tell the difference.

Associated Text:
If the infant fails to dishabituate and continues to show habituation with the new stimulus, it is assumed that the baby is unable to perceive the new stimulus as different.

Questions 30-36
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 30-36 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.

30. The focus of early research methods in child development have been similar to those conducted more recently.

31. Piaget showed that each new stage of learning builds upon the previous one.

32. Researchers using observational assessment techniques on infants must base their conclusions on data from many studies.

33. When researchers fail to make generalizations from their studies, their observed data is often inconclusive.

34. Different areas of an infant's brain respond to different types of stimuli.

35. Observational assessment is less useful for studying infant perception than researchers previously believed.

36. A neonate is able to perceive stimuli better than researchers once thought.

The answer is FALSE. Paragraphs A, C, and F show that early research methods and recent methods in child development were not similar, especially as new techniques (like film analysis and evoked potentials) were developed later. The passage details the evolution and increasing sophistication of methodologies over time.

Associated Text:
Observational assessment techniques have become much more sophisticated, reducing the limitations just presented. ... For much of the 20th century, most psychologists accepted the traditional thesis that a newborn’s mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa) ... But challenges to this view arose. Armed with new methodologies, psychologists began to accumulate a substantial body of data about the remarkable abilities that young children possess...

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph B states that Piaget believed each stage involved radically different thinking processes and that initial representations are constructed gradually, not by building directly upon the previous stage. Thus, each stage is distinct rather than cumulatively constructed based on the prior one.

Associated Text:
he concluded that the development of the mind proceeds through certain stages, each involving radically different thinking processes. ... He showed that their initial representations ... are constructed only gradually during the first 2 years.

The answer is TRUE. In Paragraph E, it states: "when observational assessment is used as a technique for studying infant perceptual abilities, care must be taken not to overgeneralize from the data or to rely on one or two studies as conclusive evidence of a particular perceptual ability of the infant." This requires basing conclusions on a broad range of data from multiple studies.

Associated Text:
when observational assessment is used as a technique for studying infant perceptual abilities, care must be taken not to overgeneralize from the data or to rely on one or two studies as conclusive evidence of a particular perceptual ability of the infant.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. There is no information in the passage about whether observed data becomes inconclusive when researchers fail to make generalizations from their studies. The passage focuses on techniques and their limitations without discussing this specific point.

Associated Text:

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph G mentions that "evoked potentials... are electrical brain responses that may be related to a particular stimulus because of where they originate." This indicates that different parts of the infant's brain respond to different stimuli.

Associated Text:
The second technique relies on evoked potentials, which are electrical brain responses that may be related to a particular stimulus because of where they originate.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage does not provide any explicit comparison about the current usefulness of observational assessment versus researchers' previous beliefs. It only explains the limitations and improvements in techniques without such a comparison.

Associated Text:

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph H states, "we know that the neonate of only a few days is far more perceptive than previously suspected." This means a neonate is able to perceive stimuli better than researchers once thought.

Associated Text:
we know that the neonate of only a few days is far more perceptive than previously suspected.

Questions 37-40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.
  1. Non-nutritive sucking
  2. Perception
  3. Stimuli
  4. Direct indicators
  5. Assessments
  6. Studies
  7. Film analysis
  8. Indirect indicators
  9. Recovery

Early studies of an infant’s perception ability were limited by data incongruencies and inconsistent . As science progressed, researchers linked a tally counter to a pacifier to measure and corresponding responses. Researchers used the device and to conclude that an infant’s perception occurs at an earlier age than expected.  These measurements and methodology, however, often rely on rather than hard data. Without them, any study of an infant’s perception ability can be inconclusive.

The answer is assessments. The summary states that early studies were limited by data incongruencies and inconsistent assessments, which is supported by the focus on the limitations of early observational assessment techniques described in Paragraph E.

Associated Text:
Such techniques, however, have limitations. First, the observation may be unreliable in that two or more observers may not agree that the particular response occurred or to what degree it occurred. Second, responses are difficult to quantify. Often the rapid and diffuse movements of the infant make it difficult to get an accurate record of the number of responses.

The answer is stimuli. Paragraph F explains that researchers linked a tally counter to a pacifier to measure changes in the infant's sucking behavior as stimuli were presented, thereby recording responses to different stimuli.

Associated Text:
They devised an apparatus that connected a baby's pacifier to a counting device. Changes in the infant's sucking behavior were recorded as stimuli were presented.

The answer is film analysis. Paragraph F mentions that film analysis of the infant's responses, along with heart and respiration monitors and nonnutritive sucking devices, are effective tools for understanding infant perception.

Associated Text:
Film analysis of the infant's responses, heart and respiration rate monitors, and nonnutritive sucking devices are effective tools for understanding infant perception.

The answer is indirect indicators. Paragraph H defines these as the type of measurements and methodology used: "these measures are only 'indirect' indicators of the infant's perceptual abilities."

Associated Text:
However, these measures are only "indirect" indicators of the infant's perceptual abilities.

Answer Sheet
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18
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19
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20
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26
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27
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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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