Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory – IELTS Reading Answers

Since IELTS Reading is considered the second easiest module of the exam after Listening, solve and review Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory Reading Answers and similar passages to ensure that your reading skills are up to the mark.

The Academic passage, Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory Reading Answers, is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Since questions get repeated in the IELTS exam, these passages are ideal for practice. If you want more practice, try taking an IELTS reading practice test.

There are 17 questions in Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory IELTS Reading Answers, which showcase three different IELTS Reading question types. They are:

• Matching Headings (Q. 1-4)
• Short Answer Type Questions (Q. 5-9)
• Table Completion (Q. 10-17)

Reading Passage

Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory

A The beliefs of Vietnamese folk medicine associate illness with the absence of any of the three souls which maintain life, intelligence, and the senses, or of the nine spirits which collectively sustain the living body. A number of rituals performed at childbirth, which are aimed at protecting the mother and the infant from medical and magical dangers, derive from these beliefs, but they play a relatively limited role in medical behaviour generally. Conversely, Chinese medicine plays a major role in the maintenance and restoration of health and if observed by ethnic Vietnamese and by Vietnamese Chinese, principles from Chinese medicine provide the scripting for the management of birth for both groups, and more generally, establish guidelines whereby good health may be maintained.

B According to Sino-Vietnamese medical theory, the body has two vital and opposite life forces which capture the essence of yin (breath) and yang (blood) in accordance with the ‘five evolutive phases’ (wood, fire, earth, metal and water). The proper circulation and balance of the yin and yang ensure the healthy circulation of blood and thus good health; disequilibrium and disharmony cause ill health. Illness, physical and metal, can be identified by the imbalance or excess of yin over yang or yang over yin. Foods and medicine, also classified according to their reputed intrinsic nature as yin (cold) and yang (hot), may be taken therapeutically to correct the imbalance resulting from ill heat, or to correct imbalance due to the overindulgence in a food manifestly excessively ‘hot’ or ‘cold’, or due to age or changed physiological status (for example, pregnancy).

C Foodstuffs may also be identified as tonic, anti-tonic, toxic or poison, or as having wind. A further small group of foods are ascribed magical properties. Other foods may be classified as neutral or remain outside any classification system, and hence have no overt therapeutic use.

D While the classification of foods as hot, cold, tonic, poison, windy, magic and neutral is based on the intrinsic nature of the foods, in practice they are identified predominantly according to their physical effects on the body. Ultimately, the system is both individual and arbitrary, and there appears no firm correlation to the raw and cooked states of the food, the method of cooking, the spiciness, or the calorific value of the food.

E In general, leafy vegetables, and most fruit are classified as cold and are said to cool the body; meat, condiments, alcohol, and fatty foods are classified as hot and are said to heat the body. Tonic foods, believed to increase the volume of blood and to promote health and energy, include ‘protein-rich’ foods (fried foods, sweet fruit, honey and rice), and medicines (alcohol and vitamins). Sour foods, and sometimes raw and cold foods, tend to be considered anti-tonic and are believed to deplete the volume of blood. Wind foods include raw foods, leafy vegetables, and fruit and often are classified as cold; they reputedly cause wind illness such as rheumatism and arthritis. Beef, mutton, fowl, fish, glutinous rice, and long bananas are considered potentially toxic and may cause convulsions, skin irritation and infection.

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Questions 1-4

List of Headings

A Rituals for childbirth

B Simple classification of foods

C Blood and breath

D Detailed classification of foods

E The development of Vietnamese medical theory

F Cooling and heating foods

G Theory and practice in food classification

H The components of the body life forces

1 Paragraph A

2 Paragraph B

3 Paragraph D

4 Paragraph E

Questions 5-9

5 What are the life forces of the body?

6 What TWO kinds of illness can be caused by a lack of balance between the life forces?

7 Name TWO life changes which may cause an imbalance of life forces in the body.

8 What criterion decides the theoretical classification of foods?

9 What criterion decides the actual classification of foods?

Questions 10-17

Table of food classification

Answers of Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory Reading Answers with Location and Explanation

Check out the Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory Reading Answers with Answers.

1  Answer: E

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph A

Answer explanation: The first paragraph discusses the traditional beliefs of Vietnamese folk medicine along with the influence of Chinese medicine on Vietnamese medicine. It is pointed out that folk rituals have a limited role in Vietnamese medical practices, and the principles of Chinese medicine have helped establish the guidelines of Vietnamese medicine. Hence, the answer is E (The development of Vietnamese medical theory).

2 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1

Answer explanation: In the specified line, it is stated that “According to Sino-Vietnamese medical theory, the body has two vital and opposite life forces which capture the essence of yin (breath) and yang (blood) in accordance with the ‘five evolutive phases’ (wood, fire, earth, metal and water).”. This shows that the second paragraph explains the notions of yin (breath) and yang (blood) in Sino-Vietnamese medical thought and how their balance or imbalance impacts health. It also describes food classification as yin (cold) or yang (hot). Hence, the answer is C (Blood and breath).

3 Answer: G

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph D

Answer explanation: In the mentioned paragraph, it is given that “While the classification of foods… there appears no firm correlation to the raw and cooked states of the food, the method of cooking, the spiciness, or the calorific value of the food.”. It can be concluded that the fourth paragraph refers to the fact that the food system is arbitrary, as there is no clear relationship between the food’s raw and cooked states, cooking method, spiciness, or calorific value (theory and food classification). Hence, the answer is G (Theory and practice in food classification).

4 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph E

Answer explanation: The fifth paragraph explores the detailed classification of foods as it categories leafy vegetables and most fruits as cold foods; meat, alcohol, and fatty foods as hot food; fried foods, sweet fruit, honey and rice and vitamins as tonic food and sour foods, raw and cold foods as anti-tonic. There are more classifications of food in the said paragraph. Hence, the answer is D (Detailed classification of foods).

5 Answer: yin, yang/blood, breath

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1

Answer explanation: In the above-mentioned paragraph, it is stated that “According to Sino-Vietnamese medical theory, the body has two vital and opposite life forces which capture the essence of yin (breath) and yang (blood)…”. It can be pointed out that according to the Sino-Vietnamese medical theory, the two life forces are the two opposites, yin and yang, which represent blood and breath. Hence, the answer is ‘yin,yang/blood,breath’.

6 Answer: physical, mental

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 3

Answer explanation: Through a reference line like, “Illness, physical and metal, can be identified by the imbalance or excess of yin over yang or yang over yin.”, it can be concluded that physical and mental illnesses can be caused due to the lack of balance between the life forces, which are yin and yang. Hence, the answer is ‘physical, mental’.

7 Answer: age, pregnancy

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4

Answer explanation: In the cited location, it is stated that “…to correct the imbalance resulting from ill heat, or to correct imbalance due to the overindulgence in a food manifestly excessively ‘hot’ or ‘cold’, or due to age or changed physiological status (for example, pregnancy).”. Based on this reference, it can be concluded that age and physiological changes, like pregnancy, are the two life changes which may cause an imbalance of life forces in the body. Hence, the answer is ‘age, pregnancy’.

8 Answer: intrinsic nature

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1

Answer explanation: In the provided line, it is said that “While the classification of foods as hot, cold, tonic, poison, windy, magic and neutral is based on the intrinsic nature of the foods, in practice they are identified predominantly according to their physical effects on the body.”. This points out that the theoretical classification of food is done on the basis of its intrinsic nature. The use of the term ‘in practice’ in the second half of the sentence further supports the answer. Hence, the answer is ‘intrinsic nature’.

9 Answer: physical effects

Question type: Short Answer Type Question

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1

Answer explanation: In the specified line, it is stated that “While the classification of foods as hot, cold, tonic, poison, windy, magic and neutral is based on the intrinsic nature of the foods, in practice they are identified predominantly according to their physical effects on the body.”. From this line, it can be inferred that the criterion that decides the actual (in practice) classification of foods is the physical effects they have on the body. Hence, the answer is ‘physical effects’.

10 Answer: protein-rich

Question type: Table Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2

Answer explanation: In the specific line, it is mentioned that “Tonic foods, believed to increase the volume of blood and to promote health and energy, include ‘protein-rich’ foods (fried foods, sweet fruit, honey and rice), and medicines (alcohol and vitamins).”. In other words, it can be said that honey and rice are protein-rich foods which fall under tonic foods. Hence, the answer is ‘protein-rich’.

11 Answer: increase blood volume

Question type: Table Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2

Answer explanation: In Paragraph E, it is stated that “Tonic foods, believed to increase the volume of blood and to promote health and energy, include ‘protein-rich’ foods (fried foods, sweet fruit, honey and rice), and medicines (alcohol and vitamins).”. This statement indicates that protein-rich foods like rice and honey help to increase the volume of blood, and medicines like alcohol and vitamins help to promote health and energy. Hence, the answer is ‘increase blood volume’.

12 Answer: anti-tonic

Question type: Table Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 3

Answer explanation: The given line specifies that “Sour foods, and sometimes raw and cold foods, tend to be considered anti-tonic and are believed to deplete the volume of blood.”. It is indicated that anti-tonic foods like sour foods, raw and cold foods deplete blood volume. Hence, the answer is ‘anti-tonic’.

Check Out – IELTS Reading Practice Tests 2023 – Reading Passages and Samples

Tips to Solve the Question Types in Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory Reading Answers

Since now you have the Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory Reading Answers Key with explanation, let us check out some quick tips to answer the three types of questions in the Reading Answers of Traditional Vietnamese Medical Theory.

Matching Headings:

Matching Headings is one of the Matching types of questions that is quite common in IELTS Reading. In this type of question, you must match the heading in this type of question to the appropriate paragraph or reading segment in the text.

• Take your time to rephrase the potential headings’ keywords.
• Find the main idea by scanning and skimming the paragraphs. Sometimes the essential idea of the paragraph is expressed in the header.
• For clarification on the paragraph’s main idea, see the first and last sentences. Likewise, quickly scan the middle of the paragraph to make sure you comprehend it.
• Don’t try to match words. Your primary goal is to match a correct paragraph.
• Choose the heading that best fits the paragraph after reading it again if two seem to be appropriate.
• The number of headings will always be greater than the number of paragraphs or sections. Therefore, some headings will never be utilized.

Short-Answer Type Question:

Short Answer Type Questions is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to scan through a passage and answer questions based on the information given following the word limit.

To answer short-answer type questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Go through the instructions carefully – You will find the word limit for the answers there, which you have to follow strictly.
• Read the questions and highlight the keywords – The next step will be to read the questions to know what keywords or information you have to look for in the passage.
• Use the ‘Wh’ words in the questions – Words like ‘What’, (names), ‘Where’ (place), ‘When’ (time), etc. will enable you to understand the type of information you are looking for.
• Use reading techniques to study the passage quickly – Do not waste your time reading the whole passage. Scan through the passage to find out the keywords or their synonyms. If headers are given, use them to locate the answer easily.
• Check the spelling – Once you find the answer, note the correct spelling in your answer sheet.

Table Completion:

The way to solve the table completion questions of the IELTS Reading is similar to Summary Completion. You will be asked to fill in the blanks in a small passage given in the form of a note with the relevant words or numbers. So, let us revise the strategies.

• Read the instructions carefully. It will help you determine the word limit (no more than two, one word, etc) and important terms like ‘using words from the text’ or ‘from the text’. You have to follow these strictly.
• Go through the incomplete table first. Also, think about keywords and how they could be represented by synonyms or paraphrasing.
• Locate where the information is by scanning quickly. If you can’t, move on.
• Study the reading text by using the skimming and scanning techniques. It will help to establish the answer quickly. When scanning for your answer, make sure you are thinking about paraphrasing and synonyms.
• The answers appear in the same order as the questions.Also, check your spelling and remember that your answer should be grammatically correct.

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