READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The risks agriculture faces in developing countries
Synthesis of an online debate*
A
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Two things distinguish food production from all other productive activities: first, every single person needs food each day and has a right to it; and second, it is hugely dependent on nature. These two unique aspects, one political, the other natural, make food production highly vulnerable and different from any other business. At the same time, cultural values are highly entrenched in food and agricultural systems worldwide.
B
Farmers everywhere face major risks, including extreme weather, long-term climate change, and price volatility in input and product markets. However, smallholder farmers in developing countries must in addition deal with adverse environments, both natural, in terms of soil quality, rainfall, etc., and human, in terms of infrastructure, financial systems, markets, knowledge and technology. Counter-intuitively, hunger is prevalent among many smallholder farmers in the developing world.
C
Participants in the online debate argued that our biggest challenge is to address the underlying causes of the agricultural system’s inability to ensure sufficient food for all, and they identified as drivers of this problem our dependency on fossil fuels and unsupportive government policies.
D
On the question of mitigating the risks farmers face, most essayists called for greater state intervention. In his essay, Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, argued that governments can significantly reduce risks for farmers by providing basic services like roads to get produce more efficiently to markets, or water and food storage facilities to reduce losses. Sophia Murphy, senior advisor to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, suggested that the procurement and holding of stocks by governments can also help mitigate wild swings in food prices by alleviating uncertainties about market supply.
E
Shenggen Fan, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, help up social safety nets and public welfare programmes in Ethiopia, Brazil and Mexico as valuable ways to address poverty among farming families and reduce their vulnerability to agriculture shocks. However, some commentators responded that cash transfers to poor families do not necessarily translate into increased food security, as these programmes do not always strengthen food production or raise incomes. Regarding state subsidies for agriculture, Rokeya Kabir, Executive Director of Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha, commented in her essay that these ‘have not compensated for the stranglehold exercised by private traders. In fact, studies show that sixty percent of beneficiaries of subsidies are not poor, but rich landowners and non-farmer traders.’
F
Nwanze, Murphy and Fan argued that private risk management tools, like private insurance, commodity futures markets, and rural finance can help small-scale producers mitigate risk and allow for investment in improvements. Kabir warned that financial support schemes often encourage the adoption of high-input agricultural practices, which in the medium term may raise production costs beyond the value of their harvests. Murphy noted that when futures markets become excessively financialised they can contribute to short-term price volatility, which increases farmers’ food insecurity. Many participants and commentators emphasised that greater transparency in markets is needed to mitigate the impact of volatility, and make evident whether adequate stocks and supplies are available. Others contended that agribusiness companies should be held responsible for paying for negative side effects.
G
Many essayists mentioned climate change and its consequences for small-scale agriculture. Fan explained that ‘in addition to reducing crop yields, climate change increases the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events, which increase smallholder vulnerability.’ The growing unpredictability of weather patterns increases farmers’ difficulty in managing weather-related risks. According to this author, one solution would be to develop crop varieties that are more resilient to new climate trends and extreme weather patterns. Accordingly, Pat Mooney, co-founder and executive director of the ETC Group, suggested that ‘if we are to survive climate change, we must adopt policies that let peasants diversify the plant and animal species and varieties/breeds that make up our menus.’
H
Some participating authors and commentators argued in favour of community-based and autonomous risk management strategies through collective action groups, co-operatives or producers’ groups. Such groups enhance market opportunities for small-scale producers, reduce marketing costs and synchronise buying and selling with seasonal price conditions. According to Murphy, ‘collective action offers an important way for farmers to strengthen their political and economic bargaining power, and to reduce their business risks.’ One commentator, Giel Ton, warned that collective action does not come as a free good. It takes time, effort and money to organise, build trust and to experiment. Others, like Marcel Vernooij and Marcel Beukeboom, suggested that in order to ‘apply what we already know’, all stakeholders, including business, government, scientists and civil society, must work together, starting at the beginning of the value chain.
I
Some participants explained that market price volatility is often worsened by the presence of intermediary purchasers who, taking advantage of farmers’ vulnerability, dictate prices. One commentator suggested farmers can gain greater control over prices and minimise price volatility by selling directly to consumers. Similarly, Sonali Bisht, founder and advisor to the Institute of Himalayan Environmental Research and Education (INHERE), India, wrote that community-supported agriculture, where consumers invest in local farmers by subscription and guarantee producers a fair price, is a risk-sharing model worth more attention. Direct food distribution systems not only encourage small-scale agriculture but also give consumers more control over the food they consume, she wrote.
———————
* The personal names in the text refer to the authors of written contributions to the online debate
Questions 1-3
Reading Passage 1 has nine paragraphs, A-I.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.
1 a reference to characteristics that only apply to food production
2 a reference to challenges faced only by farmers in certain parts of the world
3 a reference to difficulties in bringing about co-operation between farmers
Questions 4-9
Look at the following statements (Question 4-9) and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person, A-G.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 4-9 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
4 Financial assistance from the government does not always go to the farmers who most need it.
5 Farmers can benefit from collaborating as a group.
6 Financial assistance from the government can improve the standard of living of farmers.
7 Farmers may be helped if there is financial input by the same individuals who buy from them.
8 Governments can help to reduce variation in prices.
9 Improvements to infrastructure can have a major impact on risk for farmers.
List of People
A Kanayo F. Nwanze
B Sophia Murphy
C Shenggen Fan
D Rokeya Kabir
E Pat Mooney
F Giel Ton
G Sonali Bisht
Questions 10-11
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 10 and 11 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO problems are mentioned which affect farmers with small farms in developing countries?
A lack of demand for locally produced food
B lack of irrigation programmes
C being unable to get insurance
D the effects of changing weather patterns
E having to sell their goods to intermediary buyers
Questions 12-13
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 12 and 13 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO actions are recommended for improving conditions for farmers?
A reducing the size of food stocks
B attempting to ensure that prices rise at certain times of the year
C organising co-operation between a wide range of interested parties
D encouraging consumers to take a financial stake in farming
E making customers aware of the reasons for changing food prices
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
The Lost City
An explorer’s encounter with the ruined city of Machu Picchu, the most famous icon of the Inca civilsation
A
When the US explorer and academic Hiram Bingham arrived in South America in 1911, he was ready for what was to be the greatest achievement of his life: the exploration of the remote hinterland to the west of Cusco, the old capital of the Inca empire in the Andes mountains of Peru. His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation. Cusco lies on a high plateau at an elevation of more than 3,000 metres, and Bingham’s plan was to descend from this plateau along the valley of the Urubamba river, which takes a circuitous route down to the Amazon and passes through an area of dramatic canyons and mountain ranges.
B
When Bingham and his team set off down the Urubamba in late July, they had an advantage over travelers who had preceded them: a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle. Almost all previous travelers had left the river at Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across the mountains to rejoin the river lower down, thereby cutting a substantial corner, but also therefore never passing through the area around Machu Picchu.
C
On 24 July they were a few days into their descent of the valley. The day began slowly, with Bingham trying to arrange sufficient mules for the next stage of the trek. His companions showed no interest in accompanying him up the nearby hill to see some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, had told them about the night before. The morning was dull and damp, and Bingham also seems to have been less than keen on the prospect of climbing the hill. In his book Lost City of the Incas, he relates that he made the ascent without having the least expectation that he would find anything at the top.
D
Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book. First, as he climbs up the hill, he describes the ever-present possibility of deadly snakes, ‘capable of making considerable springs when in pursuit of their prey’; not that he sees any. Then there’s a sense of mounting discovery as he comes across great sweeps of terraces, then a mausoleum, followed by monumental staircases and, finally, the grand ceremonial buildings of Machu Picchu. ‘It seemed like an unbelievable dream … the sight held me spellbound …’ he wrote.
E
We should remember, however, that Lost City of the Incas is a work of hindsight, not written until 1948, many years after his journey. His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual appreciation of his achievement. He spent the afternoon at the ruins noting down the dimensions of some of the buildings, then descended and rejoined his companions, to whom he seems to have said little about his discovery. At this stage, Bingham didn’t realise the extent or the importance of the site, nor did he realise what use he could make of the discovery.
F
However, soon after returning it occurred to him that he could make a name for himself from this discovery. When he came to write the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the world in April 1913, he knew he had to produce a big idea. He wondered whether it could have been the birthplace of the very first Inca, Manco the Great, and whether it could also have been what chroniclers described as ‘the last city of the Incas’. This term refers to Vilcabamba, the settlement where the Incas had fled from Spanish invaders in the 1530s. Bingham made desperate attempts to prove this belief for nearly 40 years. Sadly, his vision of the site as both the beginning and end of the Inca civilisation, while a magnificent one, is inaccurate. We now know that Vilcabamba actually lies 65 kilometres away in the depths of the jungle.
G
One question that has perplexed visitors, historians and archaeologists alike ever since Bingham, is why the site seems to have been abandoned before the Spanish Conquest. There are no references to it by any of the Spanish chroniclers – and if they had known of its existence so close to Cusco they would certainly have come in search of gold. An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years is that Machu Picchu was a moya, a country estate built by an Inca emperor to escape the cold winters of Cusco, where the elite could enjoy monumental architecture and spectacular views. Furthermore, the particular architecture of Machu Picchu suggests that it was constructed at the time of the greatest of all the Incas, the emperor Pachacuti (c. 1438-71). By custom, Pachacuti’s descendants built other similar estates for their own use, and so Machu Picchu would have been abandoned after his death, some 50 years before the Spanish Conquest.
Questions 14-20
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.
List of headings
i Different accounts of the same journey
ii Bingham gains support
iii A common belief
iv The aim of the trip
v A dramatic description
vi A new route
vii Bingham publishes his theory
viii Bingham’s lack of enthusiasm
14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
16 Paragraph C
17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph F
20 Paragraph G
Questions 21-24
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 21-24 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
21 Bingham went to South America in search of an Inca city.
22 Bingham chose a particular route down the Urubamba valley because it was the most common route used by travellers.
23 Bingham understood the significance of Machu Picchu as soon as he saw it.
24 Bingham returned to Machu Picchu in order to find evidence to support his theory.
Questions 25-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 25-26 on your answer sheet.
25 The track that took Bingham down the Urubamba valley had been created for the transportation of …………………………….
26 Bingham found out about the ruins of Machu Picchu from a …………………………….. it the Urubamba valley.
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
The Benefits of Being Bilingual
A
According to the latest figures, the majority of the world’s population is now bilingual or multilingual, having grown up speaking two or more languages. In the past, such children were considered to be at a disadvantage compared with their monolingual peers. Over the past few decades, however, technological advances have allowed researchers to look more deeply at how bilingualism interacts with and changes the cognitive and neurological systems, thereby identifying several clear benefits of being bilingual.
B
Research shows that when a bilingual person uses one language, the other is active at the same time. When we hear a word, we don’t hear the entire word all at once: the sounds arrive in sequential order. Long before the word is finished, the brain’s language system begins to guess what that word might be. If you hear ‘can’, you will likely activate words like ‘candy’ and ‘candle’ as well, at least during the earlier stages of word recognition. For bilingual people, this activation is not limited to a single language; auditory input activates corresponding words regardless of the language to which they belong. Some of the most compelling evidence for this phenomenon, called ‘language co-activation’, comes from studying eye movements. A Russian-English bilingual asked to ‘pick up a marker’ from a set of objects would look more at a stamp than someone who doesn’t know Russian, because the Russian word for ‘stamp’, marka, sounds like the English word he or she heard, ‘marker’. In cases like this, language co-activation occurs because what the listener hears could map onto words in either language.
C
Having to deal with this persistent linguistic competition can result in difficulties, however. For instance, knowing more than one language can cause speakers to name pictures more slowly, and can increase ‘tip-of-the-tongue states’, when you can almost, but not quite, bring a word to mind. As a result, the constant juggling of two languages creates a need to control how much a person accesses a language at any given time. For this reason, bilingual people often perform better on tasks that require conflict management. In the classic Stroop Task, people see a word and are asked to name the colour of the word’s font. When the colour and the word match (i.e., the word ‘red’ printed in red), people correctly name the colour more quickly than when the colour and the word don’t match (i.e., the word ‘red’ printed in blue). This occurs because the word itself (‘red’) and its font colour (blue) conflict. Bilingual people often excel at tasks such as this, which top into the ability to ignore competing perceptual information and focus on the relevant aspects of the input. Bilinguals are also better at switching between two tasks; for example, when bilinguals have to switch from categorizing objects by colour (red or green) to categorizing them by shape (circle or triangle), they do so more quickly than monolingual people, reflecting better cognitive control when having to make rapid changes of strategy.
D
It also seems that the neurological roots of the bilingual advantage extend to brain areas more traditionally associated with sensory processing. When monolingual and bilingual adolescents listen to simple speech sounds without any intervening background noise, they show highly similar brain stem responses. When researchers play the same sound to both groups in the presence of background noise, however, the bilingual listeners’ neural response is considerably larger, reflecting better encoding of the sound’s fundamental frequency, a feature of sound closely related to pitch perception.
E
Such improvements in cognitive and sensory processing may help a bilingual person to process information in the environment, and help explain why bilingual adults acquire a third language better than monolingual adults master a second language. This advantage may be rooted in the skill of focussing on information about the new language while reducing interference from the languages they already know.
F
Research also indicates that bilingual experience may help to keep the cognitive mechanisms sharp by recruiting alternate brain networks to compensate for those that become damaged during aging. Older bilinguals enjoy improved memory relative to monolingual people, which can lead to real-world health benefits. In a study of over 200 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain disease, bilingual patients reported showing initial symptoms of the disease an average of five years later than monolingual patients. In a follow-up study, researchers compared the brains of bilingual and monolingual patients matched on the severity of Alzheimer’s symptoms. Surprisingly, the bilinguals’ brains had more physical signs of disease than their monolingual counterparts, even though their outward behaviour and abilities were the same. If the brain is an engine, bilingualism may help it to go farther on the same amount of fuel.
G
Furthermore, the benefits associated with bilingual experience seem to start very early. In one study, researchers taught seven-month-old babies growing up in monolingual or bilingual homes that when they heard a tinkling sound, a puppet appeared on one side of a screen. Halfway through the study, the puppet began appearing on the opposite side of the screen. In order to get a reward, the infants had to adjust the rule they’d learned; only the bilingual babies were able to successfully learn the new rule. This suggests that for very young children, as well as for older people, navigating a multilingual environment imparts advantages that transfer far beyond language.
Questions 27-31
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
| Test | Findings |
| Observing the 27…………………. of Russian-English bilingual people when asked to select certain objects | Bilingual people engage both languages simultaneously: a mechanism known as 28………………….. |
| A test called the 29…………………, focusing on naming colours | Bilingual people are more able to handle tasks involving a skill called 30………………… |
| A test involving switching between tasks | When changing strategies, bilingual people have superior 31………………….. |
Questions 32-36
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 32-36 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
32 Attitudes towards bilingualism have changed in recent years.
33 Bilingual people are better than monolingual people at guessing correctly what words are before they are finished.
34 Bilingual people consistently name images faster than monolingual people.
35 Bilingual people’s brains process single sounds more efficiently than monolingual
People in all situations.
36 Fewer bilingual people than monolingual people suffer from brain disease in old age.
Questions 37-40
Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
37 an example of how bilingual and monolingual people’s brains respond differently to a certain type of non-verbal auditory input
38 a demonstration of how a bilingual upbringing has benefits even before we learn to speak
39 a description of the process by which people identify words that they hear
40 reference to some negative consequences of being bilingual
Answer keys for Cambridge IELTS 12 Reading Test 2
Passage 1
1. A
2. B
3. H
4. D
5. B
6. C
7. G
8. B
9. A
10. D
11. E
12. C
13. D
Passage 2
14. iv
15. vi
16. viii
17. v
18. i
19. vii
20. iii
21. TRUE
22. FALSE
23. FALSE
24. NOT GIVEN
25. rubber
26. farmer
Passage 3
27. eye movements
28. language co-activation
29. Stroop Task
30. conflict management
31. cognitive control
32. YES
33. NOT GIVEN
34. NO
35. NO
36. NOT GIVEN
37. D
38. G
39. B
40. C
Answers and Detailed Explanations for Cambridge IELTS 12 Reading Test 2
1. A
Question: a reference to characteristics that only apply to food production
Keywords: characteristics, only, food production
We have to find paragraphs which contain information about “food production”. We can see this phrase (food production) in paragraph A and paragraph E. In paragraph E, “food production” is just mentioned as an example of the benefits of public welfare programmes, while in paragraph A, we can see the first sentence: “Two things distinguish food production from all other productive activities: first, every single person needs food each day and has a right to it; and second, it is hugely dependent on nature.” The verb “distinguish” means “to make one thing seem different from another”. Therefore, we can understand that these two things mentioned above only belong to food production. All of this information lies in paragraph A. The answer is A.
2. B
Question: a reference to challenges faced only by farmers in certain parts of the world
Keywords: challenges, only, farmers in certain parts
Paragraph B mentions difficulties farmers have to face. The first sentence is about problems met in everywhere in the world. The second sentence is about challenges that only farmers in developing countries have to deal with: “However, smallholder farmers in developing countries must in addition deal with adverse environments, both natural, in terms of soil quality, rainfall, etc. and human, in terms of infrastructure, financial systems, markets, knowledge and technology”. The term “developing countries” refers to “certain parts of the world”. Therefore, the answer is B.
3. H
Question: a reference to difficulties in bringing about co-operation between farmers
Keywords: difficulties, co-operation between farmers.
In terms of co-operation, the author mentions some kinds of co-operative groups of farmers such as collective action groups, co-operatives or producers’ groups in the second sentence of paragraph H. Collective actions mean actions shared by every member of a group of people, which refers to co-operation between people in a group. He/ she not only names the groups but also claims that those actions do “not come as a free good. It takes time, effort and money to organise, build trust and to experiment.” Those are considered as difficulties in taking collective actions. Therefore, the answer is H.
(Note: Matching Headings questions do not follow the order of the text).
4. D
Question: Financial assistance from the government does not always go to the farmers who most need it.
Keywords: financial assistance from the government
This is a difficult question since you have to know that “state subsidies” refers to “financial assistance from the government”. And this phrase lies in paragraph E. In this paragraph, the author mentions Rokeya Kabir as she claims that these state subsidies ‘have not compensated for the stranglehold exercised by private traders”. To make it more clear, the author writes: “sixty percent of beneficiaries of subsidies are not poor, but rich landowners and non-farmer traders.” (when the subsidies go to some people, those people are called beneficiaries. And the writer claims some are non-farmers). Therefore, this information is matched with Rokeya Kabir. The answer is D.
– State subsidies = financial assistance from the government.
5. B
Question: Farmers can benefit from collaborating as a group.
Keywords: benefit, collaborate, as a group.
“Collaborate” means “to work with someone else for a special purpose”, which refers to collective actions of farmers. Therefore, we have to pay attention to paragraph H, which contains that information (as we already know when doing question 3). In the first sentence of this paragraph, the writer says that “According to Murphy, ‘collective action offers an important way for farmers to strengthen their political and economic bargaining power.” “Strengthen their political and economic bargaining power” is a way of benefiting. Therefore, the answer is Murphy – B.
– Collective actions = collaborate as a group
6. C
Question: Financial assistance from the government can improve the standard of living of farmers.
Keywords: financial assistance from the government, standard of living, farmers.
This question is about the same issue as question 4, so we turn back to paragraph E. The first sentence of this paragraph mentions Shennge Fan, who considers “safety nets and public welfare programmes” as “valuable ways to address poverty among farming families and reduce their vulnerability to agriculture shocks”. “Public welfare programmes” are programmes that provide financial assistance. “Address poverty” means to “improve the standard of living”. Therefore, the answer is C – Shenggen Fan.
7. G
Question: Farmers may be helped if there is financial input by the same individuals who buy from them
Keywords: financial input, same individuals, buy
In paragraph I, we find a reference to “One commentator suggested farmers can gain greater control over prices and minimise price volatility by selling directly to consumers”. This commentator is named as Sonali Bisht. Her experience is of India, where “consumers invest in local farmers by subscription and guarantee producers a fair price…” Selling directly to consumers means that the same individuals who buy from the farmers also pay the farmers. Therefore, the answer is G, Sonali Bisht.
8. B
Question: Governments can help to reduce variation in prices.
Keywords: governments, reduce, variation in prices.
In paragraph D, the author mentions the role of governments. While Kanayo F. Nwanze suggests governments can provide basic services, Sophia Murphy thinks that governments can “help mitigate wild swings in food prices”. “Mitigate” is the same meaning as “reduce the effect of something”, and “wild swings in prices” refers to “variation in prices”. Therefore, the answer is Sophia Murphy – B. (Note: You may use any letter more than once.)
– Mitigate = reduce
– Wild swings = variation
9. A
Question: Improvements to infrastructure can have a major impact on risk for farmers.
Keywords: improvements to infrastructure, major impact, risk for farmers.
Regarding infrastructure and risks, we saw these issues in paragraph D when doing question 8. “Basic services like roads” refers to infrastructure. Kanayo F. Nwanze argues that by improving those services, they can “significantly reduce risks for farmers”, which means this way has “a major impact on risk for farmers”. The answer is A.
– Basic services = infrastructure
– Significantly = major
10, 11. D, E
Question: Which TWO problems are mentioned which affect farmers with small farms in developing countries?
Keywords: problems, affect, farmers with small farms, developing countries.
In the first sentence of paragraph G, the author mentions “climate change and its consequences for small-scale agriculture”. “Small-scale agriculture” refers to “farmers with small farms”. We can detect the first problem – climate change and its consequences, which are “the effects of changing weather patterns” – D. Next, “lack of demand for locally produced food” and “lack of irrigation programmes” are not mentioned in the whole passage. “Insurance” is mentioned once in paragraph F, but in terms of “private insurance” as a way to “help small-scale producers mitigate risk”. There is no information relating to “being unable to get insurance”. In paragraph I, the author mentions “the presence of intermediary purchasers”. “Purchasers” refers to “buyers”. Those people, “taking advantage of farmers’ vulnerability, dictate prices.” Because farmers have to sell their goods to these intermediary buyers, these buyers dictate prices. Therefore, the answer is D and E.
– small – scale agriculture = farmers with small farms
– purchasers = buyers
12, 13. C, D
Question: Which TWO actions are recommended for improving conditions for farmers?
Keywords: recommened, improving, conditions for farmers
Answer A mentions “the size of food stocks”, but in the passage, the author only mentions the avaibility of “adequate stocks” (the fourth sentence of pagagraph F). “reducing the size of food
stocks” is not mentioned. In terms of price control, the author suggests some solutions such as “by alleviating uncertainties about market supply” (paragraph D), “greater transparency in markets” (paragraph F), “selling directly to consumers” (paragraph I) and “synchronise buying and selling with seasonal price conditions.” (paragraph H). This method is to synchronise prices in certain times (seasonal), not to raise prices. Therefore, B is not the answer. Additionally, “making customers aware of the reasons for changing food prices” is not mentioned either. Hence, E is not the answer.
In paragraph H, the author suggests “all stakeholders, including business, government, scientists and civil society, must work together, starting at the beginning of the value chain.” “Work together” means “co-operation” and “all stakeholders, including business, government, scientists and civil society” refers to “a wide range of interested parties”. Hence, the first action which is recommended is C – C. organising co-operation between a wide range of interested parties. One of the answers is C.
The only remaining answer is D. We can use exclusive method to know that this is the answer. When answering question 7, we found a reference to community-based agriculture: ‘where consumers invest in local farmers by subscription and guarantee producers a fair price, is a risk-sharing model worth more attention”. In this model, consumers and farmers share the risks. This confirms that the correct answers is D.
– Work together = co-operation
– Stakeholders = interested parties
14. iv
Paragraph A
The first paragraph is used to introduce Bingham’s trip (his goal and his plan when making the trip). The second sentence is: “His goal was to locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilization.” “Goal” is the same as “aim”. We can see the heading iv “the aim of the course” is the most relevant to this paragraph’s content. The answer is iv.
If you are not sure enough, take note and do following questions before deciding what is the answer.
– Goal = aim
15. vi
Paragraph B
Paragraph B is quite short, so you should read it thoroughly to find the correct answer. This paragraph is about the advantage of Bingham and his team over other travellers – “a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle.” “A track” means “a path, route or rough road” and “recently” means “not long ago, during the period of time that has just passed”. Therefore, we can consider this advantage as a new route. The answer is vi – “A new route”.
– Track = route
– Recently = new
16. viii
Paragraph C
This paragraph describes some negative things during the trek. Bingham’s team “showed no interest” in continuing this trek and Bingham himself claimed in his book “he made the ascent without having the least expectation that he would find anything at the top.” We can see that Bingham and his companions were lacking expectation and were “less than keen on” going up the hill to look at the ruins mentioned by the local farmer. Therefore, the answer is viii – “Bingham’s lack of enthusiasm”. (Other headings do not mention something negative).
– Less than keen on = lack of enthusiasm
17. v
Paragraph D
In this paragraph, the author mentioned what Bingham described in his book, from
“the ever-present possibility of deadly snakes” to “the grand ceremonial buildings of Machu Picchu”. This paragraph does not mention anything related to “different accounts” (heading i), support (heading ii), belief (heading iii) or Bingham’s theory (heading vii). What remains is heading v – a dramatic description and this heading is really relevant to this paragraph’s content. The answer is v.
– Vivid = dramatic
18. i
Paragraph E
This paragraph shows that Bingham’s journal reveals “a much more gradual appreciation of his achievement compared with his book. He spent the afternoon at the ruins noting down the dimensions of some of the buildings, then descended and rejoined his companions, to whom he seems to have said little about his discovery. At this stage, didn’t realise the extent or the importance of the site, nor did he realise what use he could make of the discovery”. However, in his book, Bingham makes the discovery of ‘The Lost City of the Incas’ appear much more dramatic than it seemed at the time. The most appropriate heading for this paragraph is “Different accounts of the same journey” (i).
19. vii
Paragraph F
There are only 3 headings which remain: Bingham gains support, A common belief and Bingham publishes his theory. We just need to pay attention to these keywords “support”, “belief” and “theory” to find the correct answer to the remaining 2 questions.
In paragraph F, the author mentions the belief of Bingham. However, it is Bingham’s own belief and is inaccurate. It is not a common belief. Heading iii is not the answer. This paragraph is about Bingham’s big idea, “he knew he had to produce a big idea”. In this context, we can consider “his idea” as “his theory”, which he explained in an article which he wrote for publication in a magazine. The answer is vii – Bingham publishes his theory.
– A big idea = theory
20. iii
Paragraph G
The third sentence of this paragraph mentions “An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few years”. The expression “it gained wide acceptance” means “it is accepted/ believed by many people”. We can consider it as “a common belief”. It is also can be considered in terms of “gain support”. However, this idea does not belong to Bingham. Therefore, the heading “Bingham gains support” is inaccurate. The answer has to be iii – a common belief.
– Wide acceptance = common belief
21. TRUE
Thomas Goetz
Goetz is mentioned in both Paragraph B and Paragraph E. We already know (from Q15) that Paragraph B is about the classification of types of boredom by Goetz and his team. This matches B in the list of ideas: “Of the five types, the most damaging is ‘reactant’ boredom with its explosive combination of high arousal and negative emotion”.
So, ‘reactant’ boredom is the worst of all five types of boredom, because it is ‘the most
damaging’.
– sort = type
The answer is B.
22. FALSE
Question: Bingham chose a particular route down the Urubamba valley because it was the most common route used by travellers.
Keywords: a particular route, down the Urubamba valley, most common.
When doing question 15, we already know Bingham used a new route which other travellers had not used. In case you do True – False questions first, you can find the answer’s location according to the keywords. In the second part of paragraph A, the author mentions the route down the Urubamba valley. However, from paragraph B, we know Bingham did not follow that route, he found a new route – “they had an advantage over travellers who had preceded them : a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules”. Therefore, the answer is FALSE.
23. FALSE
Question: Bingham understood the significance of Machu Picchu as soon as he saw it.
Keywords: siginificance of Machu Picchu, as soon as he saw it.
In paragraph E, the author claimed “At this stage, didn’t realise the extent or the importance of the site, nor did he realise what use he could make of the discovery.” “The site” referred to is the Lost City – Machu Picchu – and “the importance” means “significance”. According to this sentence, at that time Bing didn’t realize those things. Therefore, the answer is FALSE.
– Significance = importance
24. NOT GIVEN
Question: Bingham returned to Machu Picchu in order to find evidence to support his theory.
Keywords: return, evidence, support his theory.
The paragraph about Bingham’s theory is paragraph F: (the second sentence – “he knew he had to produce a big idea”). In the second part of this paragraph, the author claims his theory is wrong, but he/ she does not mention what Bingham did after that. Therefore, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
25. rubber
Question: The track that took Bingham down the Urubamba valley had been created for the transportation of ………….
Keywords: track, Bingham, Urubamba valley, created, transportation
This route is mentioned in many other questions so we easily find its location, which is in paragraphs A and B. In paragraph B, the author writes “a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle”. This can be understood as “for the transportation of rubber”. The answer is “rubber”.
26. farmer
Question: Bingham found out about the ruins of Machu Picchu from a ………… in the Urubamba valley.
Keywords: ruins of Machu Picchu, from, Urubamba valley.
“The ruins of Machu Picchu” is mentioned in paragraph C – “His companions showed no interest in accompanying him up the nearby hill to see some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, had told them about the night before.” It is when they reached the valley. Therefore, it is a local farmer in the Urubamba valley who told them about some ruins of Machu Picchu. The answer is “farmer”.
27. eye movements
Question: Observing the …………. of Russian- English bilingual people when asked to select certain objects
Keywords: Observe, Russian – English bilingual people, select, objects
In IELTS Reading, it’s easier to find names of people and places than most other information. Therefore, we should start by finding location of information about “Russian – English bilingual people”. This information lies in paragraph B, in an example of “studying of eye movements” – “A Russian-English bilingual was asked to ‘pick up a marker’ from a set of objects”. “Studying” refers to “observing”, and “pick up” means “select”. Therefore, the words to fill in the blank are “eye movements”.
– Study = observe
– Pick up = select
28. language co-activation
Question: Bilingual people engage both languages simultaneously: a mechanism known as …………..
Keywords: Bilingual people, simultaneously, mechanism
In paragraph B, the key sentence is: “Research shows that when a bilingual person uses one language, the other is active at the same time”. There is also a word which can be considered the same meaning as “a mechanism” – it is “activation”.: “For bilingual people, this activation is not limited to a single language; auditory input activates corresponding words regardless of the language to which they belong. Some of the most compelling evidence for this phenomenon, called ‘language co-activation’, comes from studying eye movements.” “not limited to a single language” means “engage both languages”, and “called” is the same as “known as”. Therefore, this activation – mechanism is known as “language co-activation”.
– At the same time = simultaneously
– Activation = mechanism
29. Stroop Task
Question: A test called the ………….., focusing on naming colours
Keywords: a test, naming colours
In paragraph C, the author mentioned “tasks” and took an example of a classic task in which “people see a word and are asked to name the colour of the word’s font”. It is called “Stroop Task.” Therefore, Stroop Task is the answer.
– Task = test
30. conflict management
Question: Bilingual people are more able to handle tasks involving a skill called ………………
Keywords: bilingual people, more able to, handle, skill
Since the questions are in the table with two columns “Test” and “Findings”, so questions in the same row will be closely related to each other. Therefore, their answers are definitely somewhere near the other and we still pay attention to paragraph C. In this case, the author mentioned the “findings” in the previous sentence – “bilingual people often perform better on tasks that require conflict management”. “Perform better on tasks” has the same meaning with “are more able to handle tasks” and “require” is the same as “involving”. The skill mentioned here is “conflict management”.
– Perform better = more able to handle
31. cognitive control
Question: When changing strategies, bilingual people have superior …………..
Since this is the “finding” of “a test involving switching between tasks”, therefore we can find the answer by locating part of the text mentioning this test.
Keywords: switching, changing strategies, superior
Paragraph C is about tests and tasks. In the last sentence of this paragraph, the author mentioned “switching between two tasks”. We have to pay attention to this sentence – “Bilinguals are also better at switching between two tasks; for example, when bilinguals have to switch from categorizing objects by colour (red or green) to categorizing them by shape (circle or triangle), they do so more quickly than monolingual people, reflecting better cognitive control when having to make rapid changes of strategy.” The expression: “make changes of strategy” is the same as “changing strategies”, and “better” refers to “superior”. In the above sentence, the writer claims bilingual people have “better cognitive control” when changing strategies. Therefore, the answer is “cognitive control”.
– Better = superior
32. YES
Question: Attitudes towards bilingualism have changed in recent years.
Keywords: attitudes, bilingualism, changed, recent years.
In paragraph A, the author mentioned something in the past in the second sentence, and the difference “over the past few decades” in the third sentence (using “however” as the conjunction). This means there were changes in recent years. Therefore, we can try finding our answer here. The author claimed “technological advances have allowed researchers to look more deeply at how bilingualism interacts with and changes the cognitive and neurological systems, thereby identifying several clear benefits of being bilingual”. It means they find being bilingual has its own advantages instead of only disadvantages, as people thought in the past. Therefore, attitudes towards bilingualism have changed. The answer is YES.
33. NOT GIVEN
Question: Bilingual people are better than monolingual people at guessing correctly what words are before they are finished.
Keywords: bilingual, monolingual, guess correctly, words, before they are finished.
When it comes to guessing words before they are finished, we have to pay attention to paragraph B. “Long before the word is finished, the brain’s language system begins to guess what that word might be […]. For bilingual people, this activation is not limited to a single language”. This is the explanation for the activation called “language co-activation”. There is no comparison between bilingual and monolingual people in guessing words before they are finished. The answer is NOT GIVEN.
34. NO
Question: Bilingual people consistently name images faster than monolingual people.
Keywords: bilingual, monolingual, name, images, faster
In the second sentence of paragraph C, the author gave an example of the disadvantages of being
bilingual – “For instance, knowing more than one language can cause speakers to name pictures more slowly.” “Knowing more than one language” means “bilingual” and “pictures” is the same as “images”. Therefore, bilingual people name images more slowly than monolingual people. The answer is NO.
35. NO
Question: Bilingual people’s brains process single sounds more efficiently than monolingual people in all situations.
Keywords: bilingual people’s brains, process, single sounds, more efficiently, all situations.
In paragraph D, the writer mentioned “When monolingual and bilingual adolescents listen to simple speech sounds without any intervening background noise, they show highly similar brain stem responses”. Hence, there is at least one situation, when there is no intervening background noise, in which the brain processing of these 2 kinds of people is “highly similar”. The above statement is only right “in the presence of background noise”, not “all situations”. Therefore, the answer is NO.
36. NOT GIVEN
Question: Fewer bilingual people than monolingual people suffer from brain disease in old age.
Keywords: fewer bilingual people, suffer, brain disease, old age.
In terms of issues related to age, in paragraph F, the author mentioned brain disease in old age. However, he/she only mentioned “bilingual experience may help to keep the cognitive mechanisms sharp”: “Older bilinguals enjoy improved memory relative to monolingual people”, “bilingual patients reported showing initial symptoms of the disease an average of five years later than monolingual patients”, “the bilinguals’ brains had more physical signs of disease than their monolingual”. There is no line which contains information about the number of bilingual people and their monolingual counterparts. We only know that the physical signs of disease in bilinguals are greater than monolinguals, but it is clear that both groups suffer from brain disease. Therefore, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
37. D
Question: An example of how bilingual and monolingual people’s brains respond differently to a certain type of non-verbal auditory input
Keywords: example, brains, respond, differently, type of non-verbal auditory input.
When doing question 35, we already know that information about brain responses is in paragraph D, so we have to pay attention to this paragraph. “Simple sound” can be considered as “a certain type of non- verbal auditory input” – “When researchers play the same sound to both groups in the presence of background noise, however, the bilingual listeners’ neural response is considerably larger, reflecting better encoding of the sound’s fundamental frequency, a feature of sound closely related to pitch perception.” Therefore, the answer is D.
38. G
Question: A demonstration of how a bilingual upbringing has benefits even before we learn to speak
Keywords: demonstration, a bilingual upbringing, benefit, before we learn to speak.
In paragraph G, the author gave an example of one study in which “researchers taught seven-month-old babies growing up in monolingual or bilingual homes”, then drew the conclusion that “for very young children, as well as for older people, navigating a multilingual environment imparts advantages that transfer far beyond language.” “advantages” is the same as “benefits” and “seven-month-old” is before we learn to speak. Therefore, the answer is G.
39. B
Question: A description of the process by which people identify words that they hear
Keywords: description, process, identify words that they hear
In paragraph B, the author explained how we hear words and recognize them “When we hear a word, we don’t hear the entire word all at once: the sounds arrive in sequential order.” Therefore, the answer is B.
– Word recognition = identify words
40. C
Question: Reference to some negative consequences of being bilingual.
Keywords: negative consequences, being bilingual
In the first sentence of paragraph C, the writer claimed “Having to deal with this persistent linguistic competition can result in difficulties, however.” “Deal with this persistent linguistic competition” refers to “knowing more than one language” – or “being bilingual”, and “difficulties” is the same as “negative consequences”. Therefore, the answer is C.
– Difficulties = negative consequences