Age-Proofing Our Brains - IELTS Reading Answers

Practicing with single passages like ‘Age-Proofing Our Brains IELTS Reading Answers’ can boost your confidence before tackling full IELTS Reading tests. Successfully finishing a passage confirms that your methods are effective. This step-by-step approach eases the move to full evaluations, making them less overwhelming.

So, complete the questions for the Age-Proofing Our Brains reading passage and then compare your responses to the given answer key to improve your performance in the IELTS Reading module.

Passage for Age-Proofing Our Brains IELTS Reading Answers

Now go through the passage for the Age-Proofing Our Brains IELTS Reading Answers given below, and be prepared to solve similar IELTS Reading topics for General and Academic.

Age-Proofing Our Brains

A While it may not be possible to completely age-proof our brains, a brave new world of anti-aging research shows that our gray matter may be far more flexible than we thought. So no one, no matter how old, has to lose their mind. The brain has often been called the three-pound universe. It’s our most powerful and mysterious organ, the seat of the self, laced with as many billions of neurons as the galaxy has stars. No wonder the mere notion of an aging, failing brain—and the prospect of memory loss, confusion, and the unraveling of our personality—is so terrifying. As Mark Williams, M.D., author of The American Geriatrics Society’s Complete Guide to Aging and Health, says, “The fear of dementia is stronger than the fear of death itself.” Yet the degeneration of the brain is far from inevitable. ” Its design features are such that it should continue to function for a lifetime,” says Zaven Khachaturian, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer1s Association1s Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute. “There’s no reason to expect it to deteriorate with age, even though many of us are living longer lives.” In fact, scientists ‘ view of the brain1s potential is rapidly changing, according to Stanford University neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.

“Thirty-five years ago we thought Alzheimer1 s disease was a dramatic version of normal aging. Now we realize it1s a disease with a distinct pathology. In fact, some people simply don’t experience any mental decline, so we’ve begun to study them.” Antonio Damasio, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa and author of Descartes’ Error, concurs. “Older people can continue to have extremely rich and healthy mental lives.’

B The seniors were tested in 1988 and again in 1991. Four factors were found to be related to their mental fitness: levels of education and physical activity, lung function, and feelings of self-efficacy “Each of these elements alters the way our brain functions,“ says Marilyn Albert, Ph.D. , of Harvard Medical School, and colleagues from Yale, Duke, and Brandeis Universities and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, who hypothesizes that regular exercise may actually stimulate blood flow to the brain and nerve growth, both of which create more densely branched neurons, rendering the neurons stronger and better able to resist disease. Moderate aerobic exercise, including long brisk walks and frequently climbing stairs, will accomplish this.

C Education also seems to enhance brain function. People who have challenged themselves with at least a college education may actually stimulate the neurons in their brains. Moreover, native intelligence may protect our brains. It’s possible that smart people begin life with a greater number of neurons, and therefore have a greater reserve to fall back on if some begin to fail. “If you have a lot of neurons and keep them busy, you may be able to tolerate more damage to your brain before it shows,” says Peter Davies, M.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. Early linguistic ability also seems to help our brains later in life. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 93 elderly nuns and examined the autobiographies they had written 60 years earlier, just as they were joining a convent. The nuns whose essays were complex and dense with ideas remained sharp into their eighties and nineties.

D Finally, personality seems to play an important role in protecting our mental prowess. A sense of self-efficacy may protect our brain, buffeting it from the harmful effects of stress. According to Albert, there’ s evidence that elevated levels of stress hormones may harm brain cells and cause the hippocampus—a small seahorse-shaped organ that1s a crucial moderator of memory—to atrophy. A sense that we can effectively chart our own course in the world may retard the release of stress hormones and protect us as we age. “It’ s not a matter of whether you experience stress or not, ” Albert concludes, “it’s your attitude toward it. ” Reducing stress by meditating on a regular basis may buffer the brain as well. It also increases the activity of the brain’ s pineal gland, the source of the antioxidant hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep and may retard the aging process. Studies at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the University of Western Ontario found that people who meditated regularly had higher levels of melatonin than those who took 5-milligram supplements Another study, conducted jointly by Maharishi International University, Harvard University, and the University of Maryland, found that seniors who meditated for three months experienced dramatic improvements in their psychological well-being, compared to their non-meditative peers.

E Animal studies confirm that both mental and physical activity boost brain fitness. At the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology in Urbana, Illinois， psychologist William Greenough, Ph. D., let some rats play with a profusion of toys. These rodents developed about 25 percent more connections between their neurons than did rats that didn’t get any mentally stimulating recreation. In addition, rats that exercised on a treadmill developed more capillaries in specific parts of their brains than did their sedentary counterparts. This increased the blood flow to their brains. “Clearly the message is to do as many different flyings as possible,” Greenough says.

F It’s not just scientists who are catching the anti-aging fever. Walk into any health food store, and you111 find nutritional formulas —with names like Brainstorm and Smart ALEC—that claim to sharpen mental ability. The book Smart Drugs & Nutrients, by Ward Dean, M.D., and John Morgenthaler, was self-published in 1990 and has sold over 120,000 copies worldwide. It has also spawned an underground network of people tweaking their own brain chemistry with nutrients and drugs—the latter sometimes obtained from Europe and Mexico. Sales of ginkgo —an extract from the leaves of the 200-million-year-old ginkgo tree, which has been shown in published studies to increase oxygen in the brain and ameliorate symptoms of Alzheimer‘ s disease—are up by 22 percent in the last six months alone, according to Paddy Spence, president of SPINS, a San Francisco-based market research firm. Indeed, products that increase and preserve mental performance are a small but emerging segment of the supplements industry, says Linda Gilbert, president of Health Focus, a company that researches consumer health trends. While neuroscientists like Khachaturian liken the use of these products to the superstition of tossing salt over your shoulder, the public is nevertheless gobbling up nutrients that promise cognitive enhancement.

Questions for Age-Proofing Our Brains Reading Answers

The passage, Age-Proofing Our Brains Reading Answers, consists of 13 questions, which showcase two different IELTS Reading question types. They are:

• IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Questions (Q. 28-32) & (Q. 40)
• IELTS Reading Matching Features (Q. 32-39)

Questions 28-31

Which of the FOUR situations or conditions assisting the Brains’ function?

A Preventive treatment against Alzheimer’s disease

B Doing active aerobic exercise and frequently climbing stairs

C High levels of education

D Early verbal or language competence training

F Having more supplements such as ginkgo tree

I Participate in more physical activity involving in stimulating tasks

J Personality and feelings of self-fulfillment

Questions 32-39

A Zaven Khachaturian

B William Greenough

C Marilyn Albert

D Robert Sapolsky

E Linda Gilbert

F Peter Davies

G Paddy Spence

32 Alzheimer’s was probably a kind of disease rather than a normal aging process.

33 Keeping neurons busy, people may be able to endure more harm to your brain

34 Regular exercises boost blood flow to the brain and increase anti-disease disability.

35 Significant increase of Sales of ginkgo has been shown.

36 More links between their neurons are found among stimulated animals.

37 Effectiveness of the use of brains supplements products can be of little scientific proof.

38 Heightened levels of stress may damage brain cells and cause part of brain to deteriorate.

39 Products that upgrade and preserve mental competence are still a newly developing industry.

Questions 40

According to the passage, what is the most appropriate title for this passage?

A Making our minds last a lifetime

B amazing pills of the ginkgo

C how to stay healthy in your old hood

D more able a brain and neurons

Answers and Explanations of Age-Proofing Our Brains IELTS Reading Passage

In this section, you can go through the provided answers for the ‘Age-Proofing Our Brains’ passage. along with their precise locations within the given passage, and the explanations that will help you find the answers and assess your improvement in IELTS Academic Reading.

28 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph C say that “Education also seems to enhance brain function. People who have challenged themselves with at least a college education may actually stimulate the neurons in their brains. Moreover, native intelligence may protect our brains.” This suggests that higher levels of education assist the brain’s function. Hence the answer is C.

29 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 7

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph C says that “ Early linguistic ability also seems to help our brains later in life.” This indicates that early verbal or language competence training assists the brain’s function. Hence the answer is D.

30 Answer: F

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4 – line 8

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph B say that “ Ph.D. , of Harvard Medical School, and colleagues from Yale, Duke, and Brandeis Universities and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, who hypothesizes that regular exercise may actually stimulate blood flow to the brain and nerve growth, both of which create more densely branched neurons, rendering the neurons stronger and better able to resist disease. Moderate aerobic exercise, including long brisk walks and frequently climbing stairs, will accomplish this.” This suggests that participating in more physical activities involving stimulating tasks can assist the brain’s function. Hence the answer is F.

31 Answer: G

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1 – line 2

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph D say that “ Finally, personality seems to play an important role in protecting our mental prowess. A sense of self-efficacy may protect our brain, buffeting it from the harmful effects of stress.” This indicates that personality and feelings of self-fulfilment can assist the brain’s function. Hence the answer is G.

32 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 12 – line 16

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph A say that “In fact, scientists ‘ view of the brain1s potential is rapidly changing, according to Stanford University neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D. “Thirty-five years ago we thought Alzheimer1 s disease was a dramatic version of normal aging. Now we realize it1s a disease with a distinct pathology. In fact, some people simply don’t experience any mental decline, so we’ve begun to study them.” Thus, we can see that Robert Sapolsky believed Alzheimer’s was probably a kind of disease rather than a normal aging process. Hence the answer is D.

33 Answer: F

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 4 – line 7

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph C say that ““If you have a lot of neurons and keep them busy, you may be able to tolerate more damage to your brain before it shows,” says Peter Davies, M.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York.” This suggests that Peter Davies believed keeping neurons busy, people may be able to endure more harm to your brain. Hence the answer is F.

34 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1 – line 7

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph B say that “The seniors were tested in 1988 and again in 1991. Four factors were found to be related to their mental fitness: levels of education and physical activity, lung function, and feelings of self-efficacy “Each of these elements alters the way our brain functions,“ says Marilyn Albert, Ph.D. , of Harvard Medical School, and colleagues from Yale, Duke, and Brandeis Universities and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, who hypothesizes that regular exercise may actually stimulate blood flow to the brain and nerve growth, both of which create more densely branched neurons, rendering the neurons stronger and better able to resist disease.” This indicates that according to Marilyn Albert Regular exercises boost blood flow to the brain and increase anti-disease disability. Hence the answer is C.

35 Answer: G

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 6 – line 10

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph B say that “Sales of ginkgo —an extract from the leaves of the 200-million-year-old ginkgo tree, which has been shown in published studies to increase oxygen in the brain and ameliorate symptoms of Alzheimer‘ s disease—are up by 22 percent in the last six months alone, according to Paddy Spence, president of SPINS, a San Francisco-based market research firm.” This clearly shows that according to Paddy Spence significant increase of Sales of ginkgo has been shown. Hence the answer is G.

36 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3 – line 8

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph E say that “These rodents developed about 25 percent more connections between their neurons than did rats that didn’t get any mentally stimulating recreation. In addition, rats that exercised on a treadmill developed more capillaries in specific parts of their brains than did their sedentary counterparts. This increased the blood flow to their brains. “Clearly the message is to do as many different flyings as possible,” Greenough says.” This suggests that William Greenough believed more links between their neurons are found among stimulated animals. Hence the answer is B.

37 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 13 – line 15

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph F say that “While neuroscientists like Khachaturian liken the use of these products to the superstition of tossing salt over your shoulder, the public is nevertheless gobbling up nutrients that promise cognitive enhancement.” This suggests that neuroscientists like Zaven Khachaturian believe that the effectiveness of the use of brain supplement products can be of little scientific proof. Hence the answer is A.

38 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph D say that “According to Albert, there’ s evidence that elevated levels of stress hormones may harm brain cells and cause the hippocampus—a small seahorse-shaped organ that a crucial moderator of memory—to atrophy.” This indicates that according to Marilyn Albert heightened levels of stress may damage brain cells and cause part of the brain to deteriorate. Hence the answer is C.

39 Answer: E

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 10 – line 13

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph F say that “Indeed, products that increase and preserve mental performance are a small but emerging segment of the supplements industry, says Linda Gilbert, president of Health Focus, a company that researches consumer health trends.” This suggests that according to Linda Gilbert, products that upgrade and preserve mental competence are still a newly developing industry. Hence the answer is E.

40 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph A – Paragraph F

Answer explanation: The passage talks about the human mind and the complexity of the human brain. The passage also talks about how our brain functions and what we should do to preserve its smooth functioning for a long time. Keeping these points in mind, the answer should be A.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Age-Proofing Our Brains Reading Passage

Given below are some IELTS exam preparation tips for a band score of 8+ by helping you answer the types of questions in the Age-Proofing Our Brains IELTS Reading Answers.

Multiple-Choice Questions

• Understand the question type before reading: MCQs may ask for the main idea, specific detail, or inference, so identify this first. For example, a question like “writer’s main aim” requires a global understanding, while others focus on specific lines.
• Read all options carefully and note differences: Options are often very similar, with small differences in meaning. Paying attention to keywords helps you avoid traps where one option is partially correct but not fully supported.
• Locate keywords and scan for paraphrases: Use keywords from the question to find the relevant part of the passage quickly. Remember, IELTS passages rarely repeat exact words, so you must match synonyms and paraphrased ideas.
• Eliminate wrong answers systematically: Instead of directly choosing the correct answer, remove options that are clearly incorrect, irrelevant, or exaggerated. This increases your accuracy, especially when two options seem similar.
• Base your answer only on the passage: Do not rely on your own knowledge or assumptions about the topic. Even if an option sounds logical, it must be supported by the text explicitly to be correct.

Matching Features

• Identify what you are matching: Understand whether you are matching people, places, theories, or categories. For example, you may need to match statements to researchers or industries, so knowing this helps narrow your search.
• Scan for names and repeated references: Matching Features questions often include proper nouns or repeated terms, which are easier to locate. Once you find them, read the surrounding sentences to identify the correct match.
• Focus on meaning, not just keywords: The wording in the question may differ from the passage. You must match the idea or function, not just identical words, to avoid confusion.
• Be aware that answers may not be in order: Unlike many IELTS tasks, Matching Features questions do not always follow the sequence of the passage. You may need to move back and forth between paragraphs to find all the answers.
• Check if options can be used more than once: The instructions often say “You may use any letter more than once.” This means multiple statements can correspond to the same feature, so evaluate each statement independently.

To wrap up, we have explored the Age-Proofing Our Brains IELTS Reading Answers, identifying specific locations and keywords to equip you to answer those often-tricky questions with confidence. However, it would be beneficial for you to practice a variety of IELTS Reading practice tests and improve your weak areas on the IELTS Reading exam. 

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