Spoken Corpus Comes To Life IELTS Reading Answers

1.

Answer: vi

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph A, lines 1-2

Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. The ‘compiling of dictionaries’ which is called lexicography has been ‘historically’ or traditionally been the work of people who are ‘studious professorial types’ and ‘love to pore over weighty tomes and make pronouncements on the finer nuances of meaning’. This is different from the latest way of doing it. Hence, the answer is vi (Traditional lexicographical methods).

2.

Answer:ii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Whole of paragraph B

Answer explanation: In paragraph B, it is specified that following the latest technology, for the first time, dictionary publishers are incorporating real, spoken English into their data. It gives lexicographers access to a more vibrant, up-to-date vernacular language’ which has never really been studied before. A new method that was followed in one project was that 150 volunteers each agreed to discreetly tie a Walkman recorder to their waist and leave it running for anything up to two weeks. Every conversation they had was recorded. When the data was collected, the length of tapes was 35 times the depth of the Atlantic Ocean. Teams of audio typists transcribed the tapes to produce a computerised database of ten million words. Hence, the answer is ii (New method of research).

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3.

Answer:x

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph D, lines 6-7 

Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. The ‘sifting out process is as vital’ but the database does allow lexicographers to search for a word and find out ‘how frequently it is used’, that is, the word frequency. Hence, the answer is x (Accurate word frequency counts).

4.

Answer:viii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph E line 4

Answer explanation: The said paragraph points out that phrases like ‘it’s a question of crops up on the database over and over again’ is one of the most frequent English phrases which has ‘never been in a language learner’s dictionary before: it is now’. This means that now different new phrases are being entered into the dictionary. Hence, the answer is viii. 

5.

Answer:iv

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 2

Answer explanation: The said portion informs that the Spoken Corpus computer shows how non verbal content like ‘pauses and noises’ that we use to play for time, convey emotion, doubt and irony are powerful. Hence, the answer is iv.

6.

Answer: ix

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 4

Answer explanation: In paragraph G, the writer adds that the Spoken Corpus is part of the larger British National Corpus, an initiative carried out by several groups’, which means it is a cooperative project, and involved in the production of language learning materials through research. Hence, the answer is ix (A cooperative research project).

7.

Answer: existing

Question type: Diagram Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C line 1

Answer explanation: In the Paragraph C, the writer says that the computerized database, discussed in the previous paragraph, has been the basis – ‘along with an existing written corpus’ for the Language Activator dictionary, described by lexicographer Professor Randolph Quirk as “the book the world has been waiting for”. Hence, the answer is ‘existing’.

8.

Answer: (related) phrases

Question type: Diagram Completion

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 3

Answer explanation: The said portion points out that the Language Activator dictionary shows advanced foreign learners of English how the language is really used. In the dictionary, ‘key words such as “eat”’ are followed by ‘related phrases such as “wolf down” or “be a picky eater”’, allowing the student to choose the appropriate phrase. Hence, the answer is ‘(related) phrases’.

9.

Answer: meaning/form

Question type: Diagram Completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, lines 3-6

Answer explanation: Paragraph D refers to the fact that if you look at the word “like”, you may intuitively think that the first and ‘most frequent’ (frequently used) ‘meaning’ (of words) is the verb, as in “I like swimming”. But, in reality, it is the preposition, as in: “she walked like a duck”. So, just because ‘a word or phrase’ which may also be called form is used doesn’t mean it ends up in a dictionary. Hence, the answer is ‘meaning/form’.

10.

Answer: speaking/oral

Question type: Diagram Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1

Answer explanation: Paragraph E tells that researchers have found that ‘written English’ ‘works in a very different way’ (difference) to ‘spoken English’ (oral). Some examples are also given to prove this point. Hence, the answer is ‘speaking/oral’.

11.

Answer: noise and pauses

Question type: Diagram Completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 1 & 2

Answer explanation: The mentioned portion informs that the Spoken Corpus computer shows how inventive and humorous people use language by twisting familiar phrases for effect, or pauses and noises which we use to play for time to ‘convey emotion’  or for portrayal of feelings. Hence, the answer is ‘noise and pauses’.

12.

Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Questions

Answer location: whole passage

Answer explanation: In the passage, there is no comparison between the content of dictionaries. As a result, option D cannot be the answer. There is a mention of the Spoken Corpus as part of a larger initiative for production of language learning material. But this does not point out about an example of a current dictionary as mentioned in option A. Further, in paragraph A, it is given that ‘compiling of dictionaries has been historically the provenance of studious professorial types’ and the ‘latest technology’ is revolutionising the content of dictionaries and the way they are put together. Although there is a short mention of the past and present of dictionaries, the progression of dictionaries over the years has not been explained. Finally, paragraph B discusses that for the first time, ‘dictionary publishers are incorporating real, spoken English into their data’ (announce a new approach to dictionary writing). It gives lexicographers access to a more vibrant, up-to-date vernacular language which has never really been studied before.Hence, the answer is B.