Why Does Music Move Us - IELTS Reading Answers

This article provides answers for the IELTS Academic Reading passage “Why Does Music Move Us?”, a real test passage that helps aspirants practise effectively. The Reading Module can be your highest-scoring section with consistent practice and the right strategies. By reviewing sample questions and understanding how to approach different question types, you can improve your speed, accuracy, and confidence. Take the practice test below and explore more IELTS Reading tests on IELTSMaterial.com.  

Why Does Music Move Us - IELTS Reading Passage

Roger Highoeld is perplexed as to how the amalgam of sound waves we call music can have such an impact.

A.Sound, at its most elemental, is a pressure wave propagating through air. So how can the combination of sound waves we call music become, as Tolstoy put it, "the shorthand of emotion"? Or, to rephrase the question, how can mechanical vibrations have such a major impact?

B.The author of The Music Instinct, Philip Ball, contends that the key is not in the notes themselves, but in our own imaginations. At a recent session I co-organized with him at the Royal Institution, he highlighted the extent to which contemporary popular music takes as much concentration as classical composers such as Bach and Beethoven. 

C.Regardless of one's musical preferences, the brain must work hard. The astounding harmonics-packed richness of a note played on a piano or flute will suddenly collapse in your head, allowing you to perceive only a single note rather than a forest of Overtones, due to your mind's incredible talent for pattern recognition.

D.My acquaintance stated that people are hardwired to seek order and that music facilitates the recognition of these patterns. We are packed with a variety of mental shortcuts to assist us to interpret the world around us. These rules represent the neurological mechanisms that enable us to classify and comprehend musical sounds.

E.Medical imaging has demonstrated that the questioned brain activity does not occur in isolation. Different musical aspects stimulate distinct parts of the brain. The temporal lobe processes melody and pitch, the hippocampus retrieves musical memories, and 'rhythm-processing circuits' are recruited to conduct motor responses.

F.Curiously, when the brain encounters nonsensical sentences, it emits the same signal of confusion that it emits when the grammar of music sounds incorrect or when chords in a piece of music do not complement one another. The octave, the gap in which one note is exactly twice as high in frequency as the one preceding it, occupies a special position, according to research examining our responses to musical patterns.

G.However, Harvard University's Steven Pinker describes music as "auditory cheesecake," therefore the essential question is whether or not the human brain is designed to process it. According to him, the pleasure that our brains derive from sounds is completely accidental. The hearing system evolved to process a variety of stimuli.

H.The unfortunate truth may be that we simply do not know. We do know, however, that our upbringing has a substantial effect on how we develop a taste for music. A few years ago, Philip Ball discovered that music appears to have a national character, most likely due to the rhythms and cadences of the numerous languages spoken in each situation. Composers in the English tradition frequently employ rhythms and interludes that mirror the English tendency to vary pitch and duration in speech more than the French. According to this criterion, Elgar is frequently utilized as background music for important national pageants, as he is considered by some to be the most "English" composer.

I.As with acoustics, the convention is the determining element for what is considered harmonic. The elderly believe that contemporary music contains dissonant, startling tones that are unpleasant to listen to. However, musical discord has always existed. Both Beethoven and Chopin are unworthy of serious consideration. It is contingent upon the existing norms of the time. In the Middle Ages, what we now consider consonant was considered dissonant. Historically, the augmented fourth was referred to as "Diabolus in musica" because of its demonic nature. Even now, it has a disturbing effect on us, which may explain its prevalence in heavy metal.

J.Near the end of my interview with Philip Ball, I asked if the good effects of music on the brain could be utilized. This was the perfect chance for him to examine the so-called "Mozart effect," the belief that early exposure to classical music helps infants acquire an appreciation and respect for information. According to a 1996 study, rock music for infants is more beneficial to their brain development than classical music. The impact of the music on the mood of the children was more significant than the music itself. 

K.According to Ball, we all have a natural inclination to make the world more musical. It's difficult to claim "I am not musical," even if that's how you feel whenever you're dragged along to sing karaoke. Only a small portion of the general population may be described as being completely tone-deaf.

Why Does Music Move Us - IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1 - 6

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-l from the box below. Write the correct letter A-l in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
 
1.The perception of mechanical vibrations 
2.enjoying popular music 
3.Identifying patterns 
4.Listening to the music we prefer.
5.The songs are non-sensical
6.Taking in some octave-discordant tunes

A.Is intrinsic and facilitates the brain's ability to simplify complex musical combinations.
B.Is a skill that few individuals possess.
C.Can have a very profound effect on humans.
D.Stimulates our temporal lobe.
E.Has a distinct effect on the majority of listeners.
F.Engages the hippocampus.
G.Is more difficult than most people believe.
H.Depends on the type of music you enjoy the most.
I.Have the same impact as reading incomprehensible sentences.r

Questions 7-9

7. These rules represent the ______ that allows us to categorize and understand musical sounds. 
8. However, Steven Pinker of Harvard University characterizes music as _________, therefore the fundamental question is whether or not the human brain is suited to process it. 
9. Philip Ball noticed a few years ago that music appears to have a national identity, most likely as a result of the___________ of the many languages spoken in each circumstance.

Question 10-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage? In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE - if the statement agrees with the information. 
FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information. 
NOT GIVEN - if there is no information on this.
 
10. Older individuals prefer classical music over popular music.
11. In heavy metal music, the effect of a particular note is recognized.
12. Philip Ball emphasizes the importance of youngsters listening to classical music and the benefits it provides.
13. People who are not particularly musically inclined are likely to be drawn to karaoke.

Why Does Music Move Us - IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Let’s now review the answers to the questions from the passage in the reading section, Why Does Music Move Us? Reading Answers, and assess your improvement for a high IELTS Reading band score.

1. Answer: C
Keywords: how can mechanical vibrations have such a moving effect?
Location of keywords: Paragraph A; Last line
Explanation: The answer is located where the passage discusses the fundamental question of why music affects us emotionally, highlighting mechanical vibrations as the cause.

2. Answer: G
Keywords: Recently, I hosted an event with him at the Royal Institution, at which he explained to a packed audience why listening to much current pop music was as demanding as listening to Bach or Beethoven.
Location of keywords: Paragraph B; Last line
Explanation: This highlights the comparison between contemporary and classical music, showing the complexity of musical engagement.

3. Answer: A
Keywords: Its remarkable skill at pattern detection will take the extraordinary harmonics-crammed richness of a note played on a piano or flute, and magically collapse it in your head, so that it is perceived as a single note rather than a forest of overtones.
Location of keywords: Paragraph C; Last line
Explanation: Shows how the brain simplifies complex sounds, which relates to the main idea of perception of music.

4. Answer: F
Keywords: our hippocampus to recover musical memories
Location of keywords: Paragraph E; Line 2
Explanation: Discusses the role of the hippocampus in recalling musical memories, directly answering the question.

5. Answer: I
Keywords: Interestingly, the brain gives out the same signal of confusion when it encounters sentences that do not make sense as it does when the syntax of music sounds wrong and when chords do not complement one another.
Location of keywords: Paragraph F; Line 1
Explanation: Connects language processing with musical perception, explaining cognitive responses to musical syntax.

6. Answer: D
Keywords: If you study the way we react to patterns of notes, you find there is something special about a pitch that is double the frequency of another; the interval better known as an octave. We use our temporal lobe to process melody and pitch
Location of keywords: Paragraph F; Last line & Paragraph E; Line 2
Explanation: Explains the octave relationship and temporal lobe function, which answers the question about pitch perception.

7. Answer: FALSE
Keywords: He claims that sounds accidentally generate pleasure via neural systems. The ability to hear them in the first place evolved to respond to other kinds of stimuli.
Location of keywords: Paragraph G; Lines 2–3
Explanation: The statement in the passage contradicts the claim, marking it FALSE.

8. Answer: FALSE
Keywords: The English tend to vary the pitch of their speech, and the length of their vowels, more than the French
Location of keywords: Paragraph H; Line 4
Explanation: The text does not support the statement completely, making the answer FALSE.

9. Answer: TRUE
Keywords: Elgar is considered by some to be the most ‘English’ of all composers, perhaps explaining why his music is so frequently the background to important national pageants.
Location of keywords: Paragraph H; Last line
Explanation: Directly confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.

10. Answer: TRUE
Keywords: The older generation struggle with modern music and complain that it is dissonant - “full of horrible jarring notes that are difficult to listen to.”
Location of keywords: Paragraph I; Line 2
Explanation: Confirms that older generations find modern music dissonant.

11. Answer: TRUE
Keywords: dissonance has always been in music. Beethoven and Chopin are full of it. It is all a matter of convention. What we regard as consonant now was thought dissonant in the Middle Ages. The augmented fourth was thought sinister back then, when it was dubbed ‘diabolus in musica’. We still find it slightly unsettling today, which might explain why it is so popularly used in heavy metal.
Location of keywords: Paragraph I; Lines 3–end
Explanation: Confirms that dissonance exists in music historically and culturally, making the statement TRUE.

12. Answer: FALSE
Keywords: He cited an experiment conducted in 1996, which concluded that playing babies rock music had a more beneficial effect than did playing them Mozart.
Location of keywords: Paragraph J; Line 3
Explanation: The passage contradicts the claim, so the answer is FALSE.

13. Answer: TRUE
Keywords: Apart from the tiny proportion of the population who really are tone-deaf, it is impossible to say: ‘I am not musical,’ even if it may seem that way whenever you get dragged along to participate in karaoke.
Location of keywords: Paragraph K; Last line
Explanation: Confirms that most people have musical ability, making the statement TRUE.

Tips to Ace Different Types of Questions in the "Why Does Music Move Us - Reading Passage"

Let us check out some quick IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ to answer the types of questions in the Reading Answers.

 Matching Sentence Endings 

Reading Matching Sentence endings requires you to match the ednings of the passage with with the most suitable sentence. Here are some tips: 

• Read the first part of the sentence carefully – Understand the meaning before looking at the options.
• Look for keywords and synonyms – The correct ending may use different words than the passage.
• Check grammar and logical flow – Ensure the ending completes the sentence correctly.
• Scan the passage strategically – Locate the part of the text related to the sentence.
• Eliminate options – Cross out endings that clearly don’t fit to narrow your choices.

Sentence Completion

You fill in the blanks in sentences using words from the passage in the Reading Sentence Completion, testing your ability to locate and paraphrase information. Following are some tips:

• Read the Whole Sentence First – Understand the context before searching in the passage.
• Identify Keywords in the Blank – Look for nouns, verbs, or phrases to locate the answer quickly.
• Scan the Passage Efficiently – Use keywords to find the relevant sentence.
• Check Word Limits – Follow instructions carefully, e.g., one, two, or three words only.
• Maintain Grammatical Accuracy – Ensure the inserted word fits the sentence grammatically.

True/False/Not Given

You need to decide whether statements agree with the information in the passage (True), contradict it (False), or cannot be determined (Not Given). Here are some tips to ace True/False/Not Given:

• Underline Keywords in the Statement – Helps you locate relevant sentences in the passage.
• Scan for Synonyms and Paraphrases – The passage rarely uses the exact words.
• Avoid Assumptions – Base your answer only on the text, not your knowledge.
• Carefully Compare Statement and Passage – True = matches, False = contradicts, Not Given = not mentioned.
• Watch for Qualifiers – Words like all, some, always, never can change the answer.

By practising passages like “Why Does Music Move Us?”, you can strengthen essential reading skills such as skimming, scanning, and understanding paraphrasing. Regular practice with different question types and reviewing answers will help you manage time effectively, improve accuracy, and boost your overall IELTS Reading score. Keep practising with more IELTS Reading Recent Actual Tests  and answers on IELTSMaterial.com to improve your speed, accuracy, and overall performance.

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