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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 73

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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 1-13.

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A Americans today choose among more options in more parts of life than has ever been possible before. To an extent, the opportunity to choose enhances our lives. It is only logical to think that if some choices are good, more is better; people who care about having infinite options will benefit from...
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Questions 1-6
The reading passage has eight paragraphs labelled A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

1. Reference to how some individuals experience dissatisfaction with purchases

2. An account of how it is possible for people who score high on the scale to suffer feelings of despondency

3. Reference to people reacting more to losses than gains

4. An example of how more expensive items induce more regrets if not used properly

5. A theory as to why people can turn into maximizers

6. An outline of how methods of measurement were quantified

The answer is D. Paragraph D states, "They are more prone to experiencing regret after a purchase, and if their acquisition disappoints them, their sense of well-being takes longer to recover." This directly discusses how some individuals experience dissatisfaction with their purchases.

Associated Text:
They are more prone to experiencing regret after a purchase, and if their acquisition disappoints them, their sense of well-being takes longer to recover.

The answer is E. Paragraph E discusses that "individuals with high maximization scores experienced less satisfaction with life and were less happy, less optimistic and more depressed than people with low maximization scores. Indeed, those with extreme maximization ratings had depression scores that placed them in the borderline of clinical range." This provides an account of how people who score high on the scale can suffer feelings of despondency.

Associated Text:
individuals with high maximization scores experienced less satisfaction with life and were less happy, less optimistic and more depressed than people with low maximization scores. Indeed, those with extreme maximization ratings had depression scores that placed them in the borderline of clinical range.

The answer is F. Paragraph F clarifies, "Early Decision Making Research by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky showed that people respond much more strongly to losses than gains." This references people reacting more strongly to losses than to gains.

Associated Text:
Early Decision Making Research by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky showed that people respond much more strongly to losses than gains.

The answer is H. Paragraph H provides an example of how more expensive items induce greater regret if not used properly: "Full-price payers were more likely to show up at performances than discount payers. The reason for this, the investigators argued, was that the full-price payers would experience more regret if they did not use the tickets because not using the more costly tickets would constitute a bigger loss."

Associated Text:
Full-price payers were more likely to show up at performances than discount payers. The reason for this, the investigators argued, was that the full-price payers would experience more regret if they did not use the tickets because not using the more costly tickets would constitute a bigger loss.

The answer is G. Paragraph G gives a theory as to why people can turn into maximizers, discussing opportunity costs and the coping strategies of satisficers versus maximizers: "The problem of opportunity costs will be better for a satisficer. The latter’s 'good enough' philosophy can survive thoughts about opportunity costs."

Associated Text:
The problem of opportunity costs will be better for a satisficer. The latter’s “good enough” philosophy can survive thoughts about opportunity costs. In addition, the “good enough” standard leads to much less searching and inspection of alternatives than the maximizer’s “best” standard. With fewer choices under consideration, a person will have fewer opportunity costs to subtract.

The answer is C. Paragraph C outlines how the methods of measurement were quantified: "In particular, we composed a set of statements— the Maximization Scale—to diagnose people’s propensity to maximize. Then we had several thousand people rate themselves from 1 to 7 (from 'completely disagree' to 'completely agree') on such statements as 'I never settle for second best.'"

Associated Text:
In particular, we composed a set of statements— the Maximization Scale—to diagnose people’s propensity to maximize. Then we had several thousand people rate themselves from 1 to 7 (from “completely disagree” to "completely agree”) on such statements as “I never settle for second best.”

Questions 7-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 7-10 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.

7. Wider product choice inevitably leads to greater consumer satisfaction.

8. The way people are categorized makes a discernible difference between people who are ‘maximizers’ and those who are ‘satisficers’.

9. Maximizers are thought to be less satisfied because they perceive that there are more missed chances.

10. Satisficers are likely to be less impulsive and therefore make fewer wrong choices.

The answer is FALSE. In paragraph A, it is stated, "Yet recent research strongly suggests that, psychologically, this assumption is wrong, with a 5% lower percentage of people announcing they are happy. Although some choices are undoubtedly better than none, more is not always better than less." This directly contradicts the idea that wider product choice inevitably leads to greater consumer satisfaction.

Associated Text:
Yet recent research strongly suggests that, psychologically, this assumption is wrong, with a 5% lower percentage of people announcing they are happy. Although some choices are undoubtedly better than none, more is not always better than less.

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph C states, "We did not define a sharp cutoff to separate maximizers from satisficers, but in general, we think of individuals whose average scores are higher than 4 (the scale’s midpoint) as maximizers, and those whose scores are lower than the midpoint as satisficers." This indicates there is not a strict or discernible difference between these two categories.

Associated Text:
We did not define a sharp cutoff to separate maximizers from satisficers, but in general, we think of individuals whose average scores are higher than 4 (the scale’s midpoint) as maximizers, and those whose scores are lower than the midpoint as satisficers.

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph F highlights, "If we assume that opportunity costs reduce the overall desirability of the most preferred choice, then the more alternatives there are, the deeper our sense of loss will be and the less satisfaction we will derive from our ultimate decision." This explains why maximizers, with more options and thus more perceived missed chances, are less satisfied.

Associated Text:
If we assume that opportunity costs reduce the overall desirability of the most preferred choice, then the more alternatives there are, the deeper our sense of loss will be and the less satisfaction we will derive from our ultimate decision.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. There is no information in the passage regarding whether satisficers are less impulsive and therefore make fewer wrong choices. The text discusses satisficers’ “good enough” standard and lower tendency to search for alternatives but does not directly address their impulsiveness or error rates in choices.

Associated Text:

Questions 11-13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.

11. When satisficers make purchases they ...

12. People who were found to be high maximizers were ...

13. Which of the following is true?

The answer is (C). Paragraph C states, "When satisficers find an item that meets their standards, they stop looking." This matches option (C): stop looking when they have found something which suits their needs.

Associated Text:
When satisficers find an item that meets their standards, they stop looking.

The answer is (A). Paragraph E mentions, "individuals with high maximization scores experienced less satisfaction with life and were less happy, less optimistic and more depressed than people with low maximization scores. Indeed, those with extreme maximization ratings had depression scores that placed them in the borderline of clinical range." This shows a clear tendency toward mental health issues for high maximizers.

Associated Text:
individuals with high maximization scores experienced less satisfaction with life and were less happy, less optimistic and more depressed than people with low maximization scores. Indeed, those with extreme maximization ratings had depression scores that placed them in the borderline of clinical range.

The answer is (D). In paragraph H, the author suggests, "To increase sense of happiness, we can decide to restrict our options when the decision is not crucial. For example, make a rule to visit no more than two stores when shopping for clothing." This supports option (D): Limiting the number of choices in certain situations can increase the happiness.

Associated Text:
To increase sense of happiness, we can decide to restrict our options when the decision is not crucial. For example, make a rule to visit no more than two stores when shopping for clothing.

Answer Sheet
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
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
N/A
28
N/A
29
N/A
30
N/A
31
N/A
32
N/A
33
N/A
34
N/A
35
N/A
36
N/A
37
N/A
38
N/A
39
N/A
40
N/A
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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