The politics of pessimism, Caveat Scriptor, Leisure time Reading Answers
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The IELTS Reading passage, The politics of pessimism, along with the other two Academic passages – Caveat Scriptor and The Pearl And Leisure time makes this a complete 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
Reading Passage 1 ( The politics of pessimism)
- Matching sentence endings
- Multiple Choice Questions
- Yes/No or Not Given
Reading Passage 2 ( Caveat Scriptor)
- Summary completion
- Multiple Choice Questions
- Sentence completion
Reading Passage 3 (The Pearl And Leisure time)
- Matching headings
- Yes/No or Not Given
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Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on the Reading Passage below. Find the practice test with The politics of pessimism PDF here.
The politics of pessimism
Questions 1-5
Choose one phrase (A-K) from the list of phrases to complete each key point below. Write the appropriate letters (A-K) in Boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
The information in the completed sentences should be an accurate summary of the points made by the writer.
NB. There are more phrases (A-K) than sentences, so you wilt not need to use them all. You may use each phrase once only.
Key points
1 Newspaper headlines and TV or radio news bulletins …
2 Doom-mongers are popular, because people …
3 Today, catastrophes …
4 To politicians, people’s Inclination for fear…
5 The government…
List of phrases
A are not as threatening as In the past
B tell the truth
C blame them
D try to make us believe mistakenly that we are In a new era
E calm people down
F are uncertain about the future
G are less comfortable
H are natural pessimists and worriers
I are more Immediate
J get what they want by deceiving the public
K is something they can make use of
Questions 6-9
6 The housing development example shows that people …
A are not that easily deceived
B like market research
C lead their fears
D are easy to delude
7 Which one of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
A Market research uses people’s fears for their own good
B People are scared by market research techniques
C Market research techniques are used as a means of taking advantage of people’s fears
D Market research makes people happy
8 The engines of genius are …
A properly harnessed
B the driving force behind the success
C driven by feelings like fear
D usually associated with failure
9 Continual success …
A makes people arrogant
B worries people
C does not have any negative effects on people
D increases people’s self-esteem
Questions 10-14
In Boxes 10-14, write:
YES, if the statement agrees with the information in the passage
NO, if the statement contradicts the information in the passage
NOṬ GIVEN, if there is no information about the statement in the passage
| Example: Politicians pretend things are worse than they are.
Answer: Yes. |
10 The complex relationship between failure and success needs to be addressed carefully.
11 People perform certain rituals to try to avoid failure.
12 Anxiety in daily life is what we want.
13 The writer believes that Nostradamus and certain other prophets are right about their predictions for the end of the human race.
14 Mankind needs to be pessimistic to survive.
Also check:
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Reading passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below. Find the practice test with the Caveat scriptor PDF here.
Caveat scriptor
Questions 15-22
Complete the text below, which is a summary of the passage. Choose your answers from the Word List below and write them in the blank spaces next to 15-22 on your answer sheet.
There are more words and phrases than spaces, so you will not be able to use them all. You may use each word or phrase only once.
| Example: Anyone who wants to be a writer should__________
Answer: beware. |
People often associate writing with _______15__________. But being a writer Involves managing conflicting emotions as well as _________16__________ or instinct. Advanced technology, contrary to what might be thought, does not make the________17___________ faster.
When a writer has a draft of the text ready, It is a good idea to have a___________________ 18_______for friends, etc. to look at. If an author Is accepted by a publisher, the draft of the book is given to__________ 19______ for vetting,___________20.______ are then often made, which are not easy for the writer to agree. However,_________21_______ is compelling, even though there are_____________22_______ .
Wordlist
| editing process | beware | readers |
| first draft | glamour | a literary agent |
| alterations | profession | publisher |
| challenges | writing | dictating |
| research | publishing | summary |
| ups and downs | roller-coaster |
Questions 23 and 24
23 In the planning stages of a book, …
A Instinct can replace market research
B market research can replace instinct
C market research is essential
D instinct frequently replaces market research
24 The problem with the use of advanced technology in editing is that …
A it becomes different from the original
B it is unfortunate
C it is a luxury
D many writers cannot resist changing the text again and again
Questions 25-28
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage to complete each blank space.
Write your answers in the blank spaces next to 25-28 on your answer sheet
25 Once a text is finished, the writer needs to get the______________________ of other people.
26 Some agents may reject the draft of a book, while others may offer________________________ .
27 Apart from the need for a draft to conform to an in-house style, a publisher’s changes to a text may Include.
28 The publisher’s alterations to a book are difficult for a writer, as is the__________________________as the book grows.
Reading Passage 3
Leisure time
Questions 29-35
Reading Passage 3 has 8 paragraphs (A-H).
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-xiv) in Boxes 29-35 on your answer sheet.
One of the headings has been done for you as an example.
You may use any heading more than once.
There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use all of them,
| Example: Paragraph D Answer: iv |
29 Paragraph A
30 Paragraph B
31 Paragraph C
32 Paragraph E
33 Paragraph F
34 Paragraph G
35 Paragraph H
List of headings
i. Leisure spending goes up strongly
ii. Decreasing unemployment
iii. False forecasts
iv. Spending trends – leisure v food
v. More affordable food
vi. Leisure as an answer to stress
vii. Looking forward
viii. The leisure revolution – working hours reduced to 25
ix. The “grey pound” soars
x. Rising expenditure
xi. The elderly leisure market
xii. National Statisticians
xiii. Work, stress, and leisure all on the up
xiv. Money yes, leisure time no
Questions 36-40
Do the statements below agree with the information in Reading Passage 3? In Boxes 36-40, write:
YES, if the statement agrees with the information in the passage
NO, if the statement contradicts the information in the passage
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information about the statement in the passage
| Example: In recent decades, an increase in working hours was predicted.
Answer: No. |
36 At the turn of the last century, weekly work hours dropped to 25.
37 Spending on leisure has gone up over the past three decades.
38 Long holidays have taken the place of long-haul short breaks.
39 In the future, people will pay less for the leisure facilities they use than they do today.
40 24-hour society will have a negative effect on people’s attitudes to work.
Answers
The politics of pessimism Reading Answers (Passage 1)
1 Answer: D
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 1
Answer explanation: If you observe, the answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line “newspaper headlines and TV or radio news bulletins would have us believe erroneously that a new age has come upon us, the Age of Cassandra.” The term erroneously signifies in a mistaken way; incorrectly. Hence, we can state that newspaper headlines and TV or radio news bulletins try to make us believe mistakenly that we are in a new era/age.
2 Answer: H
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can refer to, “human nature has an inclination for pessimism and anxiety, with each age having its demagogues, foretelling doom or dragging it in their wake.” Here, the author explains why doom-mongers will never be out of business, which is because people are natural pessimists and worriers.
3 Answer: I
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 3
Answer explanation: You can note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it states that “but what makes the modern age so different is that the catastrophes are more “in your face”, their assault on our senses is relentless.” Here catastrophes in the past and present are compared, it is given that is that the catastrophes are more in your face, which implies immediate.
4 Answer: K
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4
Answer explanation: The entire sentence has been paraphrased here. In the passage, it states that “whether it be subconscious or not, this is a situation not lost on politicians. They play upon people’s propensity for unease, turning it into a very effective political tool.” From this information we can deduce that politicians play with people’s emotions such as unease/fear, these emotions act as (make use of) a political tool for politicians.
5 Answer: J
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph C, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “this allows the government to get what it wants, while at the same time fooling the public into believing that they have got one over on the government.” The term fooling can also be understood as deceiving. Hence, we can deduce that the government fools people into believing in things in order to get what they want from them.
6 Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2
Answer explanation: Paragraph E puts forward the information that “a similar ruse, at a local level, will further illustrate how easily people’s base fears are exploited. A common practice is to give people a number of options, say in a housing development, ranging from no change to a radical transformation of an area.” Note that delude means make (someone) believe something that is not true.; look at the title for this section in the passage. Also, it is given how easily people’s base fears are exploited which infers that which signifies that people are easily deluded.
7
Answer: C
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph author said, “the individuals, fearful of the worst possible outcome, plump for the middle course. And this, incidentally, Is Invariably the option favoured by the authorities. Everything is achieved under the guise of market research, But it is obviously a blatant exercise in the manipulation of people’s fears.” Hence, we can deduce that under the name of (guise) market research they use people’s fear and take advantage of them, i.e. manipulates/exploits them.
8 Answer: C
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “not surprisingly, feelings like doubt, fear, anxiety, and pessimism are usually associated with failure. Yet, if properly harnessed, they are the driving force behind success, the very engines of genius.” This line confirms that properly harnessed feelings of failure are engines of genius are the driving force behind success.
9 Answer: B
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph H, line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims “if things turn out well for a long time, there is a further anxiety: that of constantly waiting for something to go wrong.” From the given information we can infer that people get worried and feel anxious if things turn out well for a long continual period.
10 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that the complex relationship between failure and success needs to be addressed carefully.
11 Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 1
Answer explanation: Few lines in the said paragraph convey that “people then find themselves propitiating the gods: not walking on lines on the pavements, performing rituals before public performances, wearing particular clothes and colours so that they can blame the ritual not themselves when things go wrong.” Hence, we can infer that people feel fearful and anxious about the future. Hence, in this fear they do rituals so that if anything goes wrong they can blame the rituals.
12 Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph J, line 1
Answer explanation: The opening line of paragraph J suggests that “we crave for and are fed a daily diet of anxiety, Horror films and disaster movies have an increasing appeal.” Since the author states that we crave anxiety and even feed on it on daily basis, we can infer that anxiety in daily life is what we want.
13 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that the writer believes that Nostradamus and certain other prophets are right about their predictions for the end of the human race.
14 Answer: NO
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph J, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims “mankind cannot live by content mind alone. And so, a world awash with anxieties and pessimism has been created. Being optimistic is a struggle. But survival dictates that mankind remain ever sanguine.” Sanguine means remaining positive even in a negative situation. For survival, man is supposed to remain positive which contradicts the question statement.
Caveat Scriptor Reading Answers (Passage 2)
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15 Answer: glamour
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: The first line of paragraph B puts forward the information that “people think that writing as a profession is glamorous; that it is just about sitting down and churning out words on a page, or more likely these days on a computer screen” The author states that many individuals mistakenly believe that writing is glamorous, but this is not the case. Writers require a strong mental attitude in order to devote time and attention to each project, as they must compose alone.
16 Answer: research
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, the author in the given paragraph mentions that “sometimes, however, instinct takes the place of market research and the contents are dictated not by plans and exhaustive research, but my experience and knowledge.” Here, we can observe that author says that writers sometimes go by their instinct rather than the research.
17 Answer: editing process
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 4
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer that, “while some people might think that with new technology the checking and editing process is sped up, the experienced writer would hardly agree.” All elements of written communication and the language employed are affected by technology. Contrary to what people think, it does not make the editing process faster.
18 Answer: summary
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “it also helps, at this stage, to offer a synopsis of the book, if it is a novel, or an outline if it is a textbook. This acts as a guide for the author, and a general reference for friends and later for agents.” The author suggests that when the writer has the draft, it is helpful (good) to provide a synopsis of the book to friends/agents. Also, the term summary is a synonym for synopsis/outline.
19 Answer: readers
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1
Answer explanation: In the reference paragraph, the author mentions that “the lucky few taken on by publishers or agents, then have their books subjected to a number of readers, whose job it is to vet a book: deciding whether it is worth publishing and whether the text as it stands is acceptable or not.” From this information, we can infer that once the publisher/agent selects the book, they give it to some selected readers to vet a book (vetting).
20 Answer: Alterations
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can find out that “after a book has finally been accepted by a publisher, one of the greatest difficulties for the warrior lies in taking on board the publisher’s alterations to the text.” The author states that once the book is accepted by the publisher, he suggests certain alternations, which are not easy for the writer to agree.
21 Answer: writing
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Complete Paragraph H
Answer explanation: According to paragraph H, “Abandon writing? Nonsense. Once smitten, it is not easy to escape the compulsion to create and write, despite the roller-coaster ride of contradictory emotions.” The term smitten signifies strike with a firm blow. Here, the writer is talking about writing, we can say deduce that from his argument where he says it’s nonsense to abandon writing because once a writer is stricken by an idea it becomes really difficult to go back, as a flow of emotions follows with writing.
22 Answer: ups and downs
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Complete Paragraph H
Answer explanation: Paragraph H also puts forward the information that “abandon writing? Nonsense. Once smitten, it is not easy to escape the compulsion to create and write, despite the roller-coaster ride of contradictory emotions.” Note the word roller-coaster is paraphrased to ups and downs. Here, the author claims that writing is like a roller-coaster ride.
23 Answer: A
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line in the said paragraph discusses that “sometimes, however, instinct takes the place of market research and the contents are dictated not by plans and exhaustive research, but my experience and knowledge.” Here, the term “takes the place” has been paraphrased to “replace”. Thus, during the planning stage of the book, instinct often replaces market research.
24 Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 5
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “unfortunately, advanced technology now allows the writer the luxury of countless editings; a temptation many writers find hard to resist.” Contrary to what generally people believe that technology makes the writing process easy, the use of advanced technology creates a problem of editing and many writers cannot resist changing the text again and again (countless editings).
25 Answer: appraisal
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1
Answer explanation: Paragraph D puts forward the information that “after the trauma of self-editing and looking for howlers, it is time to show the text to other people, friends perhaps, for appraisal.” Once the writer finishes the book after doing the self-editing, he/she then show it to other people to get their appraisal.
26 Answer: some invaluable advice OR invaluable advice OR some advice OR advice OR hints
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “some agents may reject the publication out of hand, but others may prefer some invaluable advice, for example about the content or the direction to be taken, information such as this may be of use in finally being given a contract by an agent or publisher.” It is clearly mentioned that, while some agents directly reject the draft of the book others offer some invaluable advice.
27 Answer: radical redrafting OR redrafting OR reworkings OR text amputations
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: A line in the paragraph denotes “more seriously, the integrity of the text may be challenged, and this may require radical re-drafting which is usually unpalatable to the author. A book’s creation period is complex and unnerving, but the publisher’s reworkings and text amputations can also be a tortuous process.” Also, the author states publishers apart from asking for a draft to conform to an in-house style ask for text to include some re-working/drafting.
28 Answer: creation period
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, last line
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 “a book’s creation period is complex and unnerving, but the publisher’s reworkings and text amputations can also be a tortuous process.” We can conclude that the publisher’s alterations are tortuous (difficult) for a writer, which is equal to the tension during the creation period.
The Pearl And Leisure time Reading Answers (Passage 3)
29 Answer: iii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph A, last line
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph indicates “it was estimated that the Leisure revolution would take place by the turn of the last cent my with hours devoted to work railing to 25-30 per week, This reduction hits failed to materialize, but the revolution has, nonetheless, arrived.” The predictions made did not happen, can be inferred as failed to materialize. The answer is not heading viii, as the text does not say that working hours have been reduced to 25 hours – it was an estimate of 25 to 30 hours.
30 Answer: i
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: The opening line of paragraph B claims that “over the past 30 to 41 years, spending on leisure has witnessed n strong increase.” The first sentence is the topic sentence and the rest of the paragraph expands the theme. The focus of the paragraph is on the increase in leisure spending. The writer compares it briefly to other areas, i.e. food, housing, and transport, but this is not part of the main focus of the paragraph. In any case, the heading would have to include housing and transport as well as food. Note that this paragraph contains general information about leisure in relation to the more specific comparison in the next two paragraphs.
31 Answer: iv
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that “As recently as 19, family spending on food was approximately one third compared to 17% now. Twelve years later, there was a noticeable shift towards leisure with the percentage of household spending on Leisure increasing to 9%, and that on food declining to 26%.” Here, the author states that there was a survey was conducted on certain households to check their spending capacity. The paragraph explains that spending on food will decrease, while that for leisure will increase.
32 Answer: xiii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line in the passage specifies “among the professional and managerial classes, working hours have increased and, overall in the economy, record numbers of people are in employment. As people work more, the appetite for leisure activities has grown to compensate for the greater stress in life.” The paragraph talks about all three (work, stress, and leisure) going up and gives an example of leisure in the future.
33 Answer: xi
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph to the fact that “other factors fueling demand for leisure activities are rising prosperity, increasing longevity and a more active elderly population.” It implies that this passage is discussing leisure activities and the elderly leisure market demands.
34 Answer: vii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 1
Answer explanation: The opening line of paragraph G suggests that “And the future? It is anticipated that, in the years to come, leisure spending will account for between a third to a half of all household spending.” The question raised about the future infers that this paragraph is looking forward to the future.
35 Answer: xiv
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims, “in the coming decades, the pace of change will accelerate, generating greater wealth at a faster rate than ever before.” Also, “the “leisure pound” is one of the driving forces behind this surge.” The paragraph deals with the two aspects, wealth and leisure hours.
36 Answer: NO
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 1
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer that, “A raft of forecasts has been made in the recent decade, predicting the decline in the number of working hours coupled with a consequent increase in leisure time. This reduction hits failed to materialize, but the revolution has, nonetheless, arrived.” From this information, we can learn that the predicted reduction in working hours did not happen.
37 Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “over the past 30 to 41 years, spending on leisure has witnessed a strong increase.” The term 30 to 41 can be understood as three decades since 1 decade is equal to 10 years. Therefore, strong spending on leisure over the past 30 to 41 years implies spending on leisure has gone up over the past three decades.
38 Answer: NO
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3
Answer explanation: Few lines in said paragraph discuss that “the past 5 years alone have seen the leisure business expand by 25% with a change in emphasis to short domestic weekend breaks and long-haul short breaks to exotic destinations in place of long holidays.” It is given that there is a 25% expansion in business is due to emphasis on short domestic weekend breaks and long-haul short breaks. Hence, from the term and we can state that long holidays have not taken the place of long-haul short breaks.
39 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the passages confirms or denies that in the future, people will pay less for the leisure facilities they use than they do today.
40 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the passages confirms or denies that 24-hour society will have a negative effect on people’s attitudes to work.
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1 Comment
Vanshika
Posted on Aug 5, 2021
This was helpful but I scored actually bad only 18/40
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