Grey Workers, The History of Salt, Designed to Last - IELTS Reading Answers
To improve your IELTS Reading score, regularly practice with passages like 'Grey Workers', 'The History of Salt', and 'Designed to Last'.
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The IELTS Reading passage, Grey Workers, along with the other two IELTS Academic Reading passages – The History of Salt and Designed to Last, make this a complete IELTS Reading practice test. You will have 60 minutes to complete the whole test, which consists of 40 questions in total.
Here are the question types in this reading test:
- IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given
- IELTS Reading Multiple Choice Question
- IELTS Reading Summary Completion
- IELTS Reading Yes/No/Not Given
Aiming for Band 9? Check out this video on IELTS Reading tips!
Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the practice test with the Grey Workers PDF here.
Grey Workers
Questions 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE, if the statement is true
FALSE, if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN, if the information is not given in the passage
1 Insurance company Sun Life of Canada made a decision that it would hire more Canadian employees rather than British ones in order to get a fresh staff.
2 Unlike other places, employees in Japan get paid according to the years they are employed.
3 Elder workers are laid off by some German companies which are refreshing corporate culture.
4 According to Peter Hicks, companies pay older people more regardless of the contribution they make.
Questions 5-6
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, D, E.
Write your answers in boxes 5-6 on your answer sheet.
According to the passage, there are several advantages to hire elder people, please choose TWO from below：
A their products are more superior to the young.
B paid less compared with younger ones
C run fast when there is a meeting
D have a better inter-person relationship
E identify problems in an advanced time
Questions 7-8
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, D, E.
Write your answers in boxes 7-8 on your answer sheet.
According to Mr.Peterson, Compared with elder employees, young graduates have several weaknesses in workplace, please choose TWO of them below：
A they are not worth training
B their productivity is lower than counterparts.
C they change work more often
D their academic criteria is someway behind elders
E they are normally high school graduates.
Questions 9-13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.
9. According to paragraph F, the firms and workers still hold the opinion that:
A Older workers are more likely to attract other staff
B people are not happy if pay gets lower in retiring age.
C Older people have more retaining motivation than young people
D young people often earn less for their piece-rates salary.
10. SkillTeam that has been founded by IBM conducted which of the following movement:
A Ask all the old worker to continue their job on former working hours basis
B Carry on the action of cutting off the elder’s proportion of employment
C Ask employees to work more hours in order to get extra pay
D Re-hire old employees and kept the salary a bit lower
11. Which of the followings is correct according to the research of Mr Quinn?
A About 50% of all employees in America switched into ‘Bridge’ jobs.
B Only the worst-paid continue to work.
C More men than women fell into the category of ’bridge’ work.
D Some old people keep working for their motives rather than an economic incentive.
12. Which of the followings is correct according to David Storey?
A 70% of business is successful if hire more older people.
B The average success of the self-employed business is getting lower.
C Self-employed elder people are more likely to survive.
D Older people’s working hours are more flexible.
13. What is the main purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A there must be a successful retiring program for the old
B older people should be correctly valued in employment
C old people should offer more helping young employees grow.
D There are more jobs in the world that only employ older people
Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-27, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the practice test with The History Of Salt PDF here.
The History Of Salt
Questions 14-16
Choose THREE letters A-H.
Write your answers in boxes 14-16 on your answer sheet.
NB: Your answers may be given in any order.
Which THREE statements are true of salt?
A A number of cities take their name from the word salt.
B Salt contributed to the French Revolution.
C The uses of salt are countless.
D Salt has been produced in China for less than 2000 years.
E There are many commercial applications for salt
F Salt deposits in the state of Kansas are vast.
G Salt has few industrial uses nowadays.
H Slaves used salt as a currency.
Questions 17-21
Complete the summary.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 17-21 on your answer sheet.
Salt is such an 17 ________ that people would not be able to live without it. As well as its uses in cooking, this basic mineral has thousands of business 18 ____________________ ranging from making paper to the manufacture of soap. Being a prized and 19 __________________ it has played a major part in the economies of many countries. As such, salt has not only led to war but has also been used to raise 20 _____________ by governments in many parts of the world. There are also many instances of its place in religion and culture, being used as a means to get rid of evil 21 ________________
Questions 22-27
Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 22-27 on your answer sheet write
TRUE, if the statement is true
FALSE, if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN, if the information is not given in the passage
22 It has been suggested that salt was responsible for the first war.
23 The first tax on salt was imposed by a Chinese emperor.
24 Salt is no longer used as a form of currency.
25 Most of the money for the construction of the Erie Canal came from salt taxes.
26 Hopi legend believes that salt deposits were placed far away from civilization to penalize mankind.
27 A lack of salt is connected with the deaths of some soldiers.
Reading Passage 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-40, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the practice test with the Designed To Last PDF here.
Designed To Last
Questions 28-32
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet.
28. What does ‘conscience time’ imply in paragraph 2?
A People feel guilty when they throw things away easily.
B The shelf in the garage needs cleaning.
C The consumers are unaware of the waste problem.
D The power tool should be placed in the right place after being used.
29. Prior to mass production, people own things to show
A their quality
B their status
C their character
Dtheir history
30. The word ‘narrative’ in paragraph 3 refers to
A the novelty culture pursued by the customers
B the motivation for buying new products
C object stories that relate personally and meaningfully to the owners
D the image created by the manufacturers
31. Without a personal connection, people buy new stuff for
A sharing
B freshness
C collection
D family members
32. The writer quotes the old jeans and teddy bear to illustrate that
A products are used for simple utility.
B producers should create more special stuff to attract consumers.<
C Chapman led a poor childhood life.
D the emotional connections make us keep the objects for longer.
Questions 33-36
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-H, below.
Write the correct letter A-H, in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet.
Tim Cooper claims that although sustainable design proceeds 33………………………………, the coming problems are pushing the move. In accordance with Tim Cooper, Thackara believes that the origins of the looming environmental crises are weight and 34………………………………… The technology which was assumed to have a positive effect on our society actually accelerates the world’s 35………………………………… To cure this, Manzini proposes a ‘multi-local society’ which means every resource should be located and redeployed 36………………………..
A properly
B energy
C locally
D economy
E slowly
F speed
G quickly
H. metabolism
Questions 37-40
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage?
In boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet, write
YES, if the statement is true
NO, if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN, if the information is not given in the passage
37 People often buy things that are seldom used and throw them away.
38 In a post-throwaway society, we will pay extra money after disposing of electronic goods.
39 Some businesses have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon.
40 The company will spend less on repairs in the future.
Answers
Since you have completed the questions, it’s time to check the answer key for Grey Workers, The History of Salt and Designed to Last IELTS Reading Answers and get an idea of how you need to improve for a high IELTS band score.
Reading Passage 1
1. Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph A, last line
Answer explanation: There is a line in the said paragraph which claims that “earlier this year, Sun Life of Canada, an insurance company, announced that it was offering redundancy to all its British employees aged 50 or over.” However, there is no reference given if it would hire more Canadian employees rather than British ones in order to get a fresh staff.
2. Answer: TRUE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph A, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims, “more than perhaps anywhere else, pay in Japan is linked to seniority, it is hardly surprising that seniority-based wage costs have become the most intractable item on corporate profit-and-loss accounts.” Here, the term seniority-based wage confirms that employees in Japan people get paid according to the number of years they are employed.
3. Answer: TRUE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 5
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. You must note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it is said that “perhaps the main reason for replacing older workers is that it makes it easier to ‘defrost’ the corporate culture.” The term defrost signifies the removal of frost from ice. Hence, we can infer that in German companies, elder workers are getting laid off and it has been referred to as defrosting and this removal is referred to as refreshing the corporate culture.
4. Answer: FALSE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph D, last line
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “Peter Hicks, who coordinates OECD work on the policy implications of aging, says that plenty of research suggests older people are paid more because they are worth more.” This line alludes that Hicks thinks old people are paid more because they are worth it, and not regardless of their contribution.
5. Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph, “other skills may increase with age, including many that are crucial for goods management, such as an ability to handle people diplomatically.” Since elder workers can handle people diplomatically which signifies that they possess better inter-person relationship skills.
6. Answer: E
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 3
Answer explanation: The entire sentence has been paraphrased here. In the passage, it states that “to run a meeting or to spot a problem before it blows up.” Thus, we can infer that elder people identify problems in an advanced time, as it is mentioned that they are able to spot the problem before anything blows up.
7. Answer: C
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: A line in the passage mentions that “young people tend to switch jobs so frequently that they offer the worst returns on training.” Here, the term switch job frequently has been paraphrased to change work more often.
8. Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that Mr. Peterson said, “besides, their education standards are much better than those of today’s young high-school graduates.” Here, education standards signify academic criteria.
9. Answer: B
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 2
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “most companies (and many workers) are uncomfortable with the idea of reducing someone’s pay in later life.” This line confirms that both employers and the employees are not happy about less pay during retirement years.
10. Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer that, “faced with the need to cut staff costs, and have decided to concentrate cuts on 55-60-year-olds, IBM set up a separate company called Skill Team, which re-employed any of the early retired who wanted to go on working up to the age of 60. An employee who joined Skill Team at the age of 55 on a five-year contract would work for 58% of his time, over the full period, for 88% of his last IBM salary”. From these lines, we can infer that IBM took the initiative to re-hire/employ their elderly employee on lesser salaries.
11. Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 6
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. You must note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it is said that “two very different types of bridge job-holders – those who continue working because they have to and those who continue working because they want to, even though they could afford to retire.” This line of the paragraph confirms the research of Mr. Quinn that some people continue working even though they could retire because they want to work.
12. Answer: C
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph I, line 3
Answer explanation: Paragraph I provides the information that “a study by David Storey of Warwick University found that 70% of businesses started by people over 55 survived in Britain” David Storey’s research findings indicate that older people who start their own business are more likely to survive because 70% of the businesses survived, (started by people over 55).
13. Answer: B
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Complete passage
Answer explanation: This passage on multiple occasions points out the values that elder employees bring to the company. Hence, they should be valued more.
Reading Passage 2
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14. Answer: B
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 3
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “outrage over the gabelle fueled the French Revolution.” The word gabelle means the tax on salt. Hence, it confirms that salt contributed to French Revolution.
15. Answer: E
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can refer to, “and while we are all familiar with its many uses in cooking, we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000 commercial applications.” In the given sentence, it is clear that there are 14,000 commercial applications for salt. 14,000 can be inferred as many.
16. Answer: F
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 1
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “it is also one of the most plentiful: it has been estimated that salt deposits under the state of Kansas alone could supply the entire world’s needs for the next 250,000 years.” Since salt deposits under the state of Kansas could be used for the next 250,000 years, we can infer that it is vast which is why it can be used for the next 250,000 years.
17. Answer: essential element
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims, “but salt is also an essential element. Without it, life itself would be impossible since the human body requires the mineral in order to function properly.” This line confirms that salt is an essential element without which life would be impossible.
18. Answer: applications
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “and while we are all familiar with its many uses in cooking, we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000 commercial applications.” There term some 14,000 commercials have been paraphrased to thousands of businesses. Hence, this mineral is used for thousands of business applications.
19. Answer: portable commodity
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “as a precious and portable commodity, salt has long been a cornerstone of economies throughout history.” Since salt has played an important role in economics throughout history, it means that salt being a portable commodity has been a significant part of the economies of many countries.
20. Answer: taxes
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F & G, line 2
Answer explanation: Few lines in the given passage state that “in France, Charles of Anjou levied the “gabelle”, a salt tax, in 1259 to finance his conquest of the Kingdom of Naples.” and “salt tax revenues paid for half the cost of construction of the canal.” These lines confirm that governments have used salt to raise taxes besides causing wars.
21. Answer: spirits
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 2
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph it is mentioned that “further, in the Buddhist tradition, salt repels evil spirits, which is why it is customary to throw it over your shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares off any evil spirits that may be clinging to your back.” From this line, we can deduce that religions like Buddhism use salt to get rid of evil spirits.
22. Answer: TRUE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph D, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “Bloch also believed that the first war – likely fought near the ancient city of Essalt on the Jordan River – could have been fought over the city’s precious supplies of the mineral.” According to Bloch the first war might have been fought for the supplies of the mineral. The mineral is said to be salt.
23. Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1
Answer explanation: According to a line in the passage, “in 2200 BC, the Chinese emperor Hsia Yu levied one of the first known taxes. He taxed salt.” Because it is mentioned that he was one of the first known, which means that one of the many, not the first. Hence, it is unknown if the first tax on salt was imposed by a Chinese emperor.
24. Answer: FALSE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “in Tibet, Marco Polo noted that tiny cakes of salt were pressed with images of the Grand Khan to be used as coins and to this day among the nomads of Ethiopia’s Danakil Plains it is still used as money.” Here, it is mentioned that to this day, among the nomads of Ethiopia’s Danakil Plains, it is still used as money. Thus, if these coins are used to this day, it signifies that salt is still used as a form of currency.
25. Answer: FALSE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 2
Answer explanation: Paragraph G puts forward the information that “salt tax revenues paid for half the cost of the construction of the canal.” Since tax revenue paid only half the cost of construction, it implies that it did not invest the most money.
26. Answer: TRUE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph I, line 3
Answer explanation: If you read through, there is a line that implies “other native tribes had significant restrictions on who was permitted to eat salt. Hopi legend holds that the angry Warrior Twins punished mankind by placing valuable salt deposits far from civilization, requiring hard work and bravery to harvest the precious mineral.” The term penalize has been paraphrased to punished and far from has paraphrased to far away.
27. Answer: TRUE
Question Type: True/False/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph J, last line
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that “thousands of Napoleon’s troops died during the French retreat from Moscow due to inadequate wound healing and lowered resistance to disease – the results of salt deficiency.” This line confirms that salt deficiency caused the deaths of some soldiers.
Reading Passage 3
28. Answer: A
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 3
Answer explanation: If you read through, a line claims that “most will serve conscience time, gathering dust on a shelf in the garage; people are reluctant to admit that they have wasted their money. However, the end is inevitable for thousands of years in landfill waste sites.” From this line, we can learn that people like to keep some articles without them being of any use because they feel guilty that they have wasted their money on certain things and feel reluctant to throw them away.
29. Answer: B
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph Chapman said, “people own things to give expression to who they are and to show what group of people they feel they belong to.” The term gives expression has been paraphrased to show. Moreover, it confirms that people used to retain things to show their status.
30. Answer: C
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 5
Answer explanation: According to a line in the passage, “For most of human history, people had an intimate relationship with objects they used or treasured. Often they made the objects themselves, or family members passed them on. For more specialist objects, people relied on expert manufacturers living close by, whom they probably knew personally. Chapman points out that all these factors gave objects a history – a narrative – and an emotional connection that today’s mass production cannot match. “Here, Chapman suggests that people have intimate relationships with the objects because it gives an emotional, historical, connection. Here, the word narrative implies that objects are meaningful to the owners because of some connected events.
31. Answer: B
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims “We know we can’t buy happiness, but the chance to remake ourselves with glossy, box-fresh products seems irresistible. When the novelty fades we simply renew the excitement by buying more new stuff.” Here, the excitement of people gets renewed when they buy new stuff. Hence, people buy new stuff to get freshness.
32. Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 9
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph “as adults, our teddy bear connects us to our childhoods, and this protects it from obsolescence. Stahel says this is what sustainable design needs to do.” Hence, according to the writer teddy bear illustrates childhood memories, and which is why it makes us keep the object for long.
33. Answer: E
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, last line
Answer explanation: A line in the paragraph denotes that “he thinks sustainable design has been “surprisingly slow to take off” but says looming environmental crises and resource depletion are pushing it to the top of the agenda.” Hence, the line confirms Tim Cooper’s claim that sustainable design proceeds slowly – paraphrased from “it is surprisingly slow to take off”.
34. Answer: F
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1
Answer explanation: The entire sentence has been paraphrased here. In the passage, it states that “Thackara agrees. For him, the roots of impending environmental collapse can be summarized in two words: weight and speed.” Here the term roots have been paraphrased to origins and collapse to crises. Hence, the answer is speed.
35. Answer: H
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, last line
Answer explanation: Paragraph F puts forward the information that “we have simply added information technology to the industrial era and hastened the developed world’s metabolism, Thackara argues.” Here, Thackara argues that technology that is developed for the benefit of society has accelerated the world’s metabolism.
36. Answer: C
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 1
Answer explanation: Few lines in the said paragraph convey that “Manzini says a crucial step would be to redesign our globalized world into what he calls the “multi-local society” His vision is that every resource, from food to electricity generation, should as far as possible be sourced and distributed locally.” Here, sourced and distributed have been paraphrased to located and redeployed.
37. Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Question
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line claims, “the truth is that these things are thrown away having been used, on average, for just ten minutes.” Since the word seldom means not often, from this line, we can deduce that people often buy things and throw them away after using them for a matter of a few minutes.
38. Answer: NO
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Question
Answer location: Paragraph J, line 4
Answer explanation: The said paragraph states that “electronic goods will be designed to be recyclable, with the extra cost added to the retail price as prepayment.” Since the term prepayment means paying for something before you receive goods and services. Hence, we can infer that people are not going to pay for goods after disposal.
39. Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Question
Answer location: Paragraph J, last line
Answer explanation: If you observe clearly, it is said that “as consumers become increasingly concerned about the environment, many big businesses are eagerly adopting sustainable design and brushing up their green credentials to please their customers and stay one step ahead of the competition.” The term adopting sustainable design suggests that some businesses have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon.
40. Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Question
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the passages confirms or denies that the company will spend less on repairs in the future.
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