Hello Happiness - IELTS Reading Answer

Janice Thompson

7 min read

Updated On Aug 02, 2024

This article is based on the IELTS reading answer 'Hello Happiness.'

Reading Passage
Hello Happiness
Reading Answers

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The ‘Hello Happiness’ Academic Reading passage is a good resource for anyone who is preparing for the IELTS Reading test. This passage will help you understand what kind of reading passages you will encounter and the questions that you will be asked to solve.

By taking the ‘Hello Happiness’ IELTS Reading Answer, you can acquaint yourself with the types of questions that you will be asked and the level of difficulty that you can expect.

The question types in this Reading Passage include:

For more IELTS Reading practice, take more IELTS reading practice tests.

Reading Passage

Hello Happiness

Hello Happiness 1

Questions 1-3

Choose THREE letters A-H.

Circle the correct letters, A-H, below

NB, Your answers may be given in any order.

Which THREE of the following statements are true, according to the text?

A Money can bring misery.

B Wealthier nations place more emphasis on happiness than poorer ones.

C Securing a place to live is a basic human need.

D The desire for social status is a global phenomenon.

E An unmarried couple living together is less likely to be happy than a married couple.

F The less responsibility one has, the happier one is.

G Involvement in policy-making can increase well-being.

H Our prehistoric ancestors were happier than we are.

Questions 4-7

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.

Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 4-7 on your answer sheet.

Money can buy you just about anything, but not, it seems happiness. Whether on a personal or national 4……………………………, your bank balance won’t make you happier. Once the basic criteria of a roof over your head and food on the table have been met, money ceases to play a part. One of the most important factors in achieving happiness is the extent of our social 5…………………………… – our relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and so on. Equally important is the amount of 6…………………………….. we have, either in our personal life, working life, or even in our ability to influence the political 7…………………………. that our country embarks on.

A episode

B interaction

C cooperation

D control

E number

F level

G course

H conflict

I limit

Questions 8-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 8-13 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

8 People from underdeveloped nations try to attain the same standard of living as those from developed nations. …………………………………..

9 Seeing what others have makes people want to have it too. ………………….

10 The larger the family is, the happier the parents will probably be. …………………..

11 One’s attitude to life has no influence on one’s health. ………………………….

12 Instinct can be a barrier to happiness. ……………………

13 Family and friends rank equally as sources of happiness. ………………..

Reading Answers

Don’t miss the answer key for the Hello Happiness IELTS Reading passage, complete with detailed explanations, and prepare to score a high IELTS Reading band score.

1 Answer: C

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph 1, lines 10-12

Answer explanation: “Once the basic criteria of adequate shelter and nutrition are satisfied, increased wealth plays no significant role.” This suggests that having a shelter to live in is a fundamental necessity and this point is made in the passage as can be seen from the lines.

2 Answer: E

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph 2, lines 3-5

Answer explanation: “Married people live on average three years longer and enjoy greater physical and psychological health than the unmarried and, surprisingly, couples in a cohabitation relationship.” This suggests that the unmarried couple/cohabiting couple is less probable to be happy and that the married couples are happier than them. This point is thus made in the passage.

3 Answer: G

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph 3, lines 4-7

Answer explanation: “Work is another area central to well-being, and certain features correlate highly with happiness. These include autonomy over how, where, and at what pace work is done, trust between employer and employee, fair treatment, and active participation in the making of decisions.” This suggests that the fervency and enthusiasm one has in decision/policy making is proportional to one’s happiness. This point, therefore, is made in the passage.

4 Answer: F

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph 1, lines 4-8

Answer explanation: “Surveys carried out in recent years by leading psychologists and sociologists all confirm that while individuals may increase their material wealth during the course of their lifetime, this has no bearing on their well-being. And what is true for individuals can be applied on a large scale to the world population.” This clearly implies that on an individual level or on a national scale/level, money can’t buy happiness.

5 Answer: B

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph 2, lines 6-9

Answer explanation: “Social interaction among families, neighbors, workplaces, communities, and religious groups correlates strongly with subjective well-being. In fact, the degree of individuals’ social connections is the best benchmark of their happiness.” This clearly states that the more one socially interacts with people, the happier one is. Therefore, social interaction is one of the determinants of happiness.

Master Academic Reading with our IELTS Reading guide for high scores on passages like ‘Hello Happiness Reading Answers’!

6 Answer: D

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph 4, lines 1-5

Answer explanation: “Control of one’s life, in general, is also key. Happiness is clearly correlated with the presence of favorable events such as promotion or marriage, and the absence of troubles or bad luck such as accidents being laid off, or conflicts. These events on their signal the success or failure to reach one’s goals, and therefore the control one has.” This highlights the essence of control and its effects on one’s happiness in life. Hence, having control is an important factor for happiness.

7 Answer: G

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location:

Answer explanation: “On a national level, the more the governments recognize individual preferences, the happier their citizens will be. Choice, and citizens’ belief that they can affect the political process, increase subjective well-being.” This suggests that having control of the matters on a national level or the political course is, as well, a determining factor of how happy and free one feels live.

8 Answer: NOT GIVEN