Migrants and Refugees – IELTS Reading Answers

Haniya A

12 min read

Updated On Dec 01, 2023

Reading Passage
Migrants and Refugees – IELTS Reading Answers with Location and Explanations
Tips for Answering the Question Types in the Migrants and Refugees – IELTS Reading Answers

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Migrants and Refugees – IELTS Reading Answers is from an academic reading passage that consists of 14 questions which have to be answered in 20 minutes. The Reading section of the IELTS exam can be your highest-scoring section, but only if you practise diligently. To get the best results, you need to understand how to approach and answer the different types of questions.

One of the best ways to prepare is to solve and review sample reading questions from past IELTS papers. This will help you get familiar with the different question formats and test your reading skills. So, let’s see how easy the academic passage ‘Migrants and Refugees ’ is for you and if you’re able to make it in 20 minutes. If not, try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

The question types found in Migrants and Refugees – IELTS reading answers passage are as follows:

Reading Passage

You should spend 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on the Reading Passage below.

Migrants and Refugees

Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia

Today, one in every 50 human beings is a migrant worker, a refugee or asylum seeker, or an immigrant living in a foreign country. Current estimates by the United Nations and the International Organisation for Migration indicate that some 150 million people live temporarily or permanently outside their countries of origin (2.5% of the world population). Many of these, 80-97 million, are estimated to be migrant workers with members of their families. Another 12 million are refugees outside their country of origin. These figures do not include the estimated 20 million Internally Displaced Persons forcibly displaced with their own country, nor the tens of millions more of internal migrants, mainly rural to urban, in countries around the world.

Increasing ethnic and racial diversity of societies is the inevitable consequence of migration. Increasing migration means that a growing number of states have become or are becoming more multi-ethnic, and are confronted with the challenge of accommodating peoples of different cultures, races, religions and languages. Addressing the reality of increased diversity means finding political, legal, social and economic mechanisms to ensure mutual respect and to mediate relations across differences. But xenophobia and racism have become manifest in some societies which have received substantial numbers of immigrants, as workers or as asylum-seekers. In those countries, the migrants have become the targets in internal disputes about national identity. In the last few decades, the emergence of new nation-states has often been accompanied by ethnic exclusion.

As governments grapple with the new realities of their multi-ethnic societies, there has been a marked increase in discrimination and violence directed against migrants, refugees and other non-national by extremist groups in many parts of the world. The lack of any systematic documentation or research over time makes it unclear whether there is a real increase in the level of abuse or in the level of exposure and reporting. Unfortunately, there is more than enough anecdotal evidence to show that violations of the human rights of migrants, refugees and other non-nationals are so generalized, widespread and commonplace that they are a defining feature of international migration today.

The extent of racial discrimination and xenophobia is often played down and sometimes denied by authorities. Racial discrimination is defined in international law as being: any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

Racism and xenophobia are distinct phenomena, although they often overlap. While racism generally implies distinction based on a difference in physical characteristics, such as skin colour, hair type, facial features, etc, xenophobia denotes behaviour specifically based on the perception that ‘the other’ is foreign to or originates from outside the community or nation. By the standard dictionary definition, xenophobia is the intense dislike or fear of stranger or people from other countries. As a sociologist puts it, ‘xenophobia is an attitudinal orientation of hostility against non-natives in a given population.’

The definition of xenophobia and its differentiation from racism and racial discrimination is a still-evolving concept. One of the regional Preparatory Meetings for a recent World Conference suggested that:

– Racism is an ideological construct that assigns a certain race and/or ethnic group to a position of power over others on the basis of physical and cultural attributes, as well as economic wealth, involving hierarchical relations where the superior race exercises domination and control over others.

– Xenophobia describes attitudes, prejudices and behaviour that reject, exclude and often vilify persons, based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners in the community, society or with respect to national identity.

In many cases, it is difficult to distinguish between racism and xenophobia as motivations for behaviour, since differences in physical characteristics are often assumed to distinguish a person from the common identity. However, manifestations of xenophobia occur against people of identical physical characteristics, even of shared ancestry, when such people arrive, return or migrate to states or areas where occupants consider them outsiders.

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Questions 1-4

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1 – 4 on your answer sheet.

1 An upward trend in violence perpetrated against non-national minority groups by radical nationals

2 Where racism occurs, the dominant group promotes a hierarchical system in which it

3 Persons not considered to be culturally or physically distinct from the majority

4 Racism differs from xenophobia in that victims of the former

A are always culturally or physically distinct from the perpetrators of the acts of wrongdoing.

B tend to share a likeness with the perpetrators of the crime.

C may still find themselves the victims of xenophobic behaviour.

D has been observed in many different parts of the world.

E will eventually reach a position of total submission.

F has a controlling hand in the affairs of one or more of the other sections of society.

Questions 5 – 8

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

5 Which of the following migrants are there more of?

A internally displaced persons

B refugees

C internal migrants

D immigrant workers

6 The author of the text believes that

A racism is inevitable when people emigrate.

B governments are finding it difficult to stop racism and xenophobia.

C the exploitation of minority groups deters others from migrating.

D xenophobia does not exist within minority groups.

7 There is no real way of knowing how many migrants are discriminated against because

A not all racial abuse cases are documented or looked into.

B the number of migrants is increasing at an alarming rate.

C migrants don’t complain about being abused.

D only serious cases are documented.

8 People in authority sometimes

A exaggerate the seriousness of the problem.

B create the problem.

C deny there is a problem.

D are eager to solve the problem.

Questions 9 – 14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage ?In boxes 9 – 14 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

9 Most migrants flee their country of origin because of political or social disorder.

10 Most internal migrants leave the countryside for the cities.

11 Governments are often reluctant to acknowledge that racial discrimination and xenophobia exist.

12 Migrants are exploited and abused because they create a sense of insecurity for extremist groups.

13 People who are racist or xenophobic are uneducated and hostile.

14 People returning to their country of ancestry do not face xenophobia.

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Migrants and Refugees – IELTS Reading Answers with Location and Explanations

1 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Sentence Endings

Answer location: Paragraph 3

Answer Explanation: The 3rd paragraph states, “As governments grapple with the new realities of their multi-ethnic societies, there has been a marked increase in discrimination and violence directed against migrants, refugees and other non-nationals by extremist groups in many parts of the world.” Based on this information, it has been observed that there is a rise in violence directed towards non-national minority groups by radical nationals in various regions across the globe. Consequently, the appropriate response is “D.”

2 Answer: F

Question type: Matching Sentence Endings

Answer location: Paragraph 6

Answer explanation: In paragraph 6, it is mentioned that Racism is an ideological construct that assigns a certain race and/or ethnic group, to a position of power over others on the basis of physical and cultural attributes, as well as economic wealth, involving hierarchical relations where the superior race exercises domination and control over others. These lines indicate that where racism occurs, the dominant group promotes a hierarchical system in which it has a controlling hand in the affairs of one or more of the other sections of society. Hence, the correct answer is F.

3 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Sentence Endings

Answer location: Paragraph 7

Answer explanation: In the 7th paragraph, it is mentioned that However, manifestations of xenophobia occur against people of identical physical characteristics, even of shared ancestry, when such people arrive, return or migrate to states or areas where occupants consider them outsiders. According to these sentences, individuals who are not perceived as culturally or physically different from the majority can still become targets of xenophobic actions. Consequently, the correct answer would be “C.”

4 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Sentence Endings

Answer location: Paragraph 6

Answer explanation: In the 6th paragraph, it is mentioned that Racism is an ideological construct that assigns a certain race and/or ethnic group, to a position of power over others on the basis of physical and cultural attributes. Racism differs from xenophobia in that victims of the former are always culturally or physically distinct from the perpetrators of the acts of wrongdoing. Therefore, the accurate response is “A.”

5 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple choice questions

Answer location: Paragraph 1

Answer explanation: Paragraph 1 states, “Migration indicate that some 150 million people live temporarily or permanently outside their countries of origin (2.5% of the world population). Many of these, 80-97 million, are estimated to be migrant workers with members of their families.” According to these lines, it is evident that there are more immigrant workers. Hence, the answer is D.

6 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 3

Answer explanation: Paragraph 3 states, “As governments grapple with the new realities of their multi-ethnic societies, there has been a marked increase in discrimination and violence directed against migrants, refugees and other non-nationals by extremist groups in many parts of the world”. In these sentences, the term “grapple with” is defined as struggling with or finding something difficult. It implies that governments are unable to effectively address the realities within their societies, resulting in discrimination and violence. Consequently, it is evident that the author of the passage perceives that governments are encountering challenges in combating racism and xenophobia. Therefore, the appropriate answer is B.

7 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 3

Answer explanation: According to the 3rd paragraph, “The lack of any systematic documentation or research over time makes it unclear whether there is a real increase in the level of abuse or in the level of exposure and reporting.” According to these statements, it is suggested that the precise number of discriminated migrants cannot be accurately determined due to the lack of documentation or investigation into all instances of racial abuse. Therefore, the appropriate response would be A.

8 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 4

Answer explanation: In the 4th paragraph, ”The extent of racial discrimination and xenophobia is often played down and sometimes denied by authorities.“ Based on the information presented in these sentences, it is apparent that individuals in positions of power occasionally refute the existence of an issue. Therefore, the correct response would be “C.”

9 Answer: Not Given

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: NA

Answer explanation: The passage acknowledges the growing population of immigrants, but it does not address the specific causes or reasons behind their migration. Consequently, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

10 Answer: True