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IELTS® General Reading Practice

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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 15-29.

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Read the text below and answer questions 15-22.Ethics and Conflicts of InterestOur policy here at Confind Inc. is that all directors, officers, employees, interns, and other persons serving the company shall disclose real or perceived conflicts of interest involving the company. Please read on for ...
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Questions 15-22

The reading passage has seven sections, A-G. 

Which section contains the following information?

NB You may use any letter more than once.

15. A promise from the company to maintain standards and take action when necessary

16. A procedure for dealing with a conflict of interest concerning an employee in a position of power (i.e, a supervisory position)

17. What to do in the case of a requested television interview

18. A definition for “inside information”

19. A definition for “conflict of interest”

20. How to protest a decision

21. A procedure for dealing with a conflict of interest with an unseasoned employee

22. Procedures if found guilty

The answer is C. The question asks for the paragraph containing a promise from the company to maintain standards and take actions when necessary. Paragraph C states: “It is expected that persons subject to this policy will conduct themselves under strict rules of honesty and fair dealing between themselves and the company. Confind Inc. upholds to take all reasonable actions to assure that employees do not use their positions or knowledge gained during their association with the company for their private benefit, or the benefit of any other party.” This shows a company promise to uphold standards and take reasonable actions.

Associated Text:
“Confind Inc. upholds to take all reasonable actions to assure that employees do not use their positions or knowledge gained during their association with the company for their private benefit, or the benefit of any other party.”

The answer is D. The question is about the procedure for dealing with a conflict of interest concerning an employee in a supervisory position. Paragraph D says: “In the event of a potential conflict of interest involving a director, officer, the Executive Director, or other management role; it is the obligation of any such person to disclose the potential conflict before consideration of the matter to the Chairman of the Board, who will refer the conflict to the Governance Committee of the Board.” This outlines the procedure in such cases.

Associated Text:
“In the event of a potential conflict of interest involving a director, officer, the Executive Director, or other management role; it is the obligation of any such person to disclose the potential conflict before consideration of the matter to the Chairman of the Board, who will refer the conflict to the Governance Committee of the Board.”

The answer is F. The question concerns what to do in the case of a requested television interview. Paragraph F states: “In the case that any media affiliates, including but not limited to journalists and public relations officials, the questioned employee nor any other employees are able to respond for comment.” This clearly relates to media inquiries such as a televised interview.

Associated Text:
“In the case that any media affiliates, including but not limited to journalists and public relations officials, the questioned employee nor any other employees are able to respond for comment.”

The answer is B. The question asks for the paragraph which defines “inside information”. Paragraph B states: “Inside information shall be defined as any material information that is identified as confidential and proprietary, pertaining to the business and affairs of Confind Inc., whether related to a specific transaction or to matters pertaining to the company’s interests, activities and policies.” This is a direct definition.

Associated Text:
“Inside information shall be defined as any material information that is identified as confidential and proprietary, pertaining to the business and affairs of Confind Inc., whether related to a specific transaction or to matters pertaining to the company’s interests, activities and policies.”

The answer is A. The question asks for the paragraph which defines “conflict of interest”. Paragraph A provides: “A conflict of interest exists when an employee of Confind Inc. has a material financial interest in a transaction or project under consideration by the company.” This clearly defines the phrase.

Associated Text:
“A conflict of interest exists when an employee of Confind Inc. has a material financial interest in a transaction or project under consideration by the company.”

The answer is G. The question asks how to protest a decision. Paragraph G says: “All objections should be submitted in writing within 30 days of the mandate. If the objections surpass the 30 day period, they will be considered null and void.” This provides the method for protesting a decision.

Associated Text:
“All objections should be submitted in writing within 30 days of the mandate. If the objections surpass the 30 day period, they will be considered null and void.”

The answer is E. The question relates to the procedure for dealing with a conflict of interest with an unseasoned (non-management) employee. Paragraph E explains: “In the event of a potential conflict of interest involving any employee (other than the Executive Director or those in a management position) or intern, it is the obligation of any such person to disclose the potential conflict, in writing, to the Executive Director who will review the matter...” This outlines the procedure.

Associated Text:
“In the event of a potential conflict of interest involving any employee (other than the Executive Director or those in a management position) or intern, it is the obligation of any such person to disclose the potential conflict, in writing, to the Executive Director who will review the matter, take appropriate actions and promptly report substantive conflict issues to the Chairman of the Board.”

The answer is G. The question asks about procedures if found guilty. Paragraph G says: “In the case that the proposed party is found to be guilty of a conflict of interest, he or she will be terminated immediately without severance pay.” This directly answers the question.

Associated Text:
“In the case that the proposed party is found to be guilty of a conflict of interest, he or she will be terminated immediately without severance pay.”

Questions 23-29
Look at the following statements (Questions 23-29) and A list of people below.

Match each statement with the correct person A, B, C, or D.

Write the correct number A-E in boxes Questions 23-29 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.
A list of people
  1. Mark Bradford
  2. Mary Steiner
  3. Lucy Holden
  4. Sophie Stevens
  5. Bill Colden

23. This person is looking for someone to collaborate with.

24. This person wants to foster a better environment during work hours.

25. This person questioned employees about the company’s public relations.

26. This person believes in fundraising.

27. This person wants colleagues to communicate more efficiently.

28. This person’s time with the company will be ending soon.

29. This person believes that online action is just one component of effective PR, that needs support from other ends

The answer is E. The question asks who is looking for someone to collaborate with. The paragraph for Bill Colden states: “He is looking for help and has asked me to pass on the news--if anyone is interested in reaching out and working alongside him in this regard, please let him know.” This clearly shows Bill is soliciting collaboration.

Associated Text:
“He is looking for help and has asked me to pass on the news--if anyone is interested in reaching out and working alongside him in this regard, please let him know.”

The answer is B. The question asks who wants to foster a better environment during work hours. Mary Steiner's section states: “Mary Steiner, focused a lot of her attention on creating office-wide events and activities (during the typical 9-5 flow, since other employees are responsible for after-work events), in order to create a more positive office environment.” This confirms the answer.

Associated Text:
“Mary Steiner, focused a lot of her attention on creating office-wide events and activities (during the typical 9-5 flow, since other employees are responsible for after-work events), in order to create a more positive office environment.”

The answer is A. The question asks who questioned employees about the company’s public relations. For Mark Bradford: “To create a plan, the Vice President of Public Relations, Mark Bradford, surveyed employees about their perception of workplace PR plans.” He questioned employees, fulfilling the answer.

Associated Text:
“To create a plan, the Vice President of Public Relations, Mark Bradford, surveyed employees about their perception of workplace PR plans.”

The answer is E. The question asks who believes in fundraising. Bill Colden’s paragraph says: “Each week, the teams compete against each other and raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis foundation in the local community.” This shows Bill believes in and supports fundraising efforts.

Associated Text:
“Each week, the teams compete against each other and raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis foundation in the local community.”

The answer is D. The question is about the person who wants colleagues to communicate more efficiently. Sophie Stevens's paragraph says: “the Communications Manager, Sophie Stevens, feels that she needs to continually encourage better communication from the PR Team. She believes that creating a messenger service, accessible on all computer platforms in the office, will clear up any doubts and miscommunications.” This directly demonstrates her desire for better communication.

Associated Text:
“the Communications Manager, Sophie Stevens, feels that she needs to continually encourage better communication from the PR Team. She believes that creating a messenger service, accessible on all computer platforms in the office, will clear up any doubts and miscommunications.”

The answer is A. The question asks whose time with the company will be ending soon. In Mark Bradford's paragraph: “Before he steps down next month, he will help the next Vice President of Public Relations fill out the Public Relations Plan...” This indicates Mark is soon leaving the company.

Associated Text:
“Before he steps down next month, he will help the next Vice President of Public Relations fill out the Public Relations Plan to determine where to improve the position and public relations in the future.”

The answer is C. The question asks who believes that online action is just one component of effective PR, and that it needs to be supported by other means. Lucy Holden's section says: “Social media is a great tool, but she strongly believes that it should be complemented by other external public relations efforts, like PR events or the physical embodiment of what O’Brien University stands for.”

Associated Text:
“Social media is a great tool, but she strongly believes that it should be complemented by other external public relations efforts, like PR events or the physical embodiment of what O’Brien University stands for.”

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
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
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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