Numeration Reading Answers

Updated On Aug 25, 2021

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1 Numeration
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The Academic passage ‘Numeration’ is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Read the passage below and answer questions 27-40. Beyond the questions, you will find the answers along with the location of the answers in the passage and the keywords that help you find out the answers.

Numeration

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Question Number	Answers	Explanation
27	B	In paragraph 2, the writer mentions that as ‘they’ (‘our ancestors’ or people) began ‘to settle, grow plants, and herd animals’ (farming), the need for ‘a sophisticated number system’ (developed system of numbering) became paramount. Hence the answer is B.
28	E	In paragraph 3, the writer states that when people used ‘the one, two, many type of system’ (additional hand signal), the word ‘many’ might mean ‘Look at my hands and see how many fingers I am showing you’. This basic approach was ‘limited’ (restricted) ‘in the range of numbers’ that it expresses. Hence, the answer is E.
29	A	In the last two sentences of paragraph 4, it is given that an average person in ‘the seventh century in Europe’ was not as familiar with numbers as we are today. But, to qualify as ‘a witness in a court of law’ (civic role), a man ‘had to be able to’ (necessary) ‘count to nine’ (ability to count to a certain number). Hence, the answer is A.

30	C	In the last sentence of paragraph 5, it is said that when ‘a number is registered in the mind’ (number as concept) as a specific word, ‘independent of the object being referenced’ (separate from physical objects), the individual is ready to take the first step towards ‘the development of a notional system for numbers and, from there, to arithmetic’ (development of arithmetic). Hence, the answer is C.
31	G	The second sentence of paragraph 6 brings out the fact that the numeration system of ‘Tsimshian language in British Columbia’ (early European language) contains ‘seven distinct sets of words for numbers’ according to the ‘class of item’ that is being counted. Hence, the answer is G.
32	True	The second sentence of Paragraph 2 states that even ‘the earliest of tribes’ had a system of numeration that, if not advanced, was ‘sufficient’ (sufficiency) for the tasks that they had to perform. Our ancestors had ‘little use for actual numbers’ (quantity)…’ As the keywords ‘the earliest of tribes’, ‘sufficient’ and ‘little use of actual numbers’ are given, hence. the answer is true.
33	False	In the second sentence of paragraph 3, it is mentioned that ‘the indigeneous people of Tasmania’ (Indigeneous Tasmanian) were ‘only able to count one, two, many…’. So, they were able to count three terms to indicate the number of objects, not four as mentioned in the statement. Hence, the answer is false.
34	True	In the third sentence of paragraph 3, it stated that in real situations, the ‘numbers’ and words are often ‘accompanied by’ (use) ‘the gestures’ (use body language) to help resolve any ‘confusion’ (misunderstanding). Hence, the answer is true.
35	False	In the first sentence of paragraph 4, the writer mentions that the ‘lack of ability’ of ‘some cultures’ to ‘deal with large numbers’ is not really surprising. He adds that ‘European languages’, when traced back to earlier version, are very ‘poor in number’, words, and expressions. This information contradicts the statement, and so the answer is false.
36	Not Given	In the fourth paragraph, it is mentioned that, by the seventh century, the word ‘teon’ had become interchangeable with the ‘tachund or hund’ of the Anglo-Saxon language, and so 100 was denoted as ‘hund teontig, or ten times ten’. There is no mention of ‘1000’. So, the information is not given in the passage and the answer is ‘not given’.
37	True	In the fifth sentence of paragraph 4, it is given that ‘an average person’ (in general, people) in the ‘seventh century in Europe’ was ‘not as familiar with numbers’ (poor in counting abilities) as we are today. As the keywords ‘an average person’, ‘seventh century in Europe’ and ‘not as familiar with numbers’ are mentioned, the answer is true.
38	False	The second sentence of paragraph 6 brings out the fact that in the numeration system of ‘Tsimshian language’ in British Columbia, there are ‘seven distinct sets of words for numbers’ according to the ‘class of item’: for counting flat objects and animals, for round objects and time, for people, ‘for long objects and trees’, ‘for canoes’, for measures, and for counting when no particular object is being numerated. As the statement contradicts the information in the passage, the answer is false.
39	True	The second sentence of paragraph 6 brings out the fact that in the numeration system of ‘Tsimshian language’ in British Columbia’, there are ‘seven distinct sets of words for numbers’ according to the ‘class of item’. In the third sentence, it is added that the ‘last’ (for counting when no particular object is being numerated) is a ‘later development’ (new), while ‘‘the first six groups’ show the ‘relics of an older system’ (old). Hence, the statement agrees with the information and the answer is true.
40	Not Given	In the last paragraph, it is informed that counting was ‘not directly related to the formation of a number concept’ because it is ‘possible to count by matching the items’ being ‘counted against a group of pebbles, grains of corn, or the counter’s fingers’. It is not given whether the people found it easier to count by hand or by using pebbles. So, the information is not given in the passage and the answer is ‘not given’.