Cambridge IELTS Academic 15 Reading Test 2 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: COULD URBAN ENGINEERS LEARN FROM DANCE? , SHOULD WE TRY TO BRING EXTINCT SPECIES BACK?,HAVING A LAUGH

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1.

COULD URBAN ENGINEERS LEARN FROM DANCE?

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
1	B	Appealing way, using dance, writer not proposing	Paragraph B	The writer mentions that dance might provide answers but clarifies that they are not suggesting everyone should dance to work, despite its benefits.
2	C	Example, contrast, past and present approaches, building	Paragraph C	The writer contrasts medieval builders, who adapted construction based on materials and conditions, with modern designers who rely on media technologies.
3	F	An objective, both dance and engineering	Paragraph F	Engineering and choreography share the goal of designing movement patterns within spatial limitations.
4	D	Unforeseen problem, arising from, ignoring the climate	Paragraph D	Street cafés were designed without considering the climate, leading to operational issues in hot weather.
5	E	Why, measures, intended to help people, reversed	Paragraph E	Designs that seem logical in models appear counter-intuitive when applied in real-life experiences, leading to reversals.
6	A	How, transport has, impact, human lives	Paragraph A	The way people travel affects their health, social lives, work accessibility, and the air quality.
7	Safety	Guard rails, introduced, British roads, improve, pedestrians	Paragraph E	Guard rails were introduced as an engineering solution to pedestrian safety.
8	Traffic	Guard rails, ensuring movement, not disrupted	Paragraph E	The design prioritizes the smooth flow of traffic.
9	Carriageway	Pedestrians, led to access points, cross one at a time	Paragraph E	Pedestrians cross in two stages, one for each carriageway.
10	Mobile	Unintended effect, psychological difficulties, less, people	Paragraph E	Guard rails create psychological barriers, affecting those who are the least mobile.
11	Dangerous	Another result, some people, cross the road, way	Paragraph E	Some people take dangerous crossings to avoid guard rails.
12	Communities	Guard rails, separate	Paragraph E	Guard rails divide communities, making it harder to cross roads.
13	Healthy	More difficult, introduce, forms of transport	Paragraph E	Guard rails reduce opportunities for healthy transport options.

READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 .

  SHOULD WE TRY TO BRING EXTINCT SPECIES BACK TO LIFE?

Question	Answer	Keywords	Location in Passage	Text/Explanation
14	F	extinct animals, merely threatened, disappearance	Paragraph F - Line 5	"While the prospect of bringing extinct animals back to life might capture imaginations, it is, of course, far easier to try to save an existing species which is merely threatened with extinction." The passage mentions that it is more feasible and practical to focus on preserving species that are currently threatened rather than attempting to revive extinct animals.
15	A	cloning technology, DNA, extinct animals	Paragraph A - Line 5	"The basic premise involves using cloning technology to turn the DNA of extinct animals into a fertilized embryo, which is carried... before being born as." The passage explains the concept of using cloning technology to reproduce extinct animals by utilizing their DNA and developing fertilized embryos.
16	D	disappearance, key species, suffered	Paragraph D - Line 6	"Since the disappearance of this key species, ecosystems in the eastern US have suffered, as the lack of disturbance caused... stagnant and therefore." The passage highlights how the extinction of a particular species has led to negative consequences for ecosystems, resulting in stagnant conditions and ecosystem deterioration.
17	A	came to an end, passenger pigeon	Paragraph A - Line 3	"Sadly, the passenger pigeon's existence came to an end on 1 September 1914." The passage states the specific date when the passenger pigeon species became extinct.
18	E	genetic trait, possible, to survive	Paragraph E - Line 2	"By pinpointing which genetic traits made it possible for mammoths to survive the..." The passage discusses the importance of identifying genetic traits that enabled mammoths to survive and adapt in their environment.
19	E	heat loss, tundra, reducing	Paragraph E - Line 9	"Necessary adaptations would include smaller ears, thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of reducing heat loss in the tundra, and all traits." The passage mentions specific adaptations, such as smaller ears, thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, which are aimed at minimizing heat loss in the tundra habitat.
20	E	smaller, ear	Paragraph E - Line 9	"Necessary adaptations would include smaller ears, thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of reducing heat loss in the tundra, and all traits." The passage highlights the adaptation of smaller ears as a measure to reduce heat loss in the tundra environment.
21	E	insulating fat	Paragraph E - Line 9	"Necessary adaptations would include smaller ears, thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of reducing heat loss in the tundra, and all traits." The passage emphasizes the importance of additional insulating fat as an adaptation to reduce heat loss in the tundra habitat.
22	E	encourages grass growth, mitigate emissions, reduce temperature	Paragraph E - Line 9	"and knock down trees, which encourages grass growth. This grass growth would reduce temperature, and mitigate emissions from melting permafrost." The passage explains how encouraging grass growth by knocking down trees can help reduce temperature and mitigate emissions resulting from melting permafrost.
23	B	Thylacines would have prevented, The return of thylacines to Tasmania	Paragraph B - Line 4	"explains Michael Archer of the University of New South Wales... The return of thylacines to Tasmania could help to ensure that devils are never again subjected to risks of this kind."

Question	Answer	Keywords	Location in Passage	Text/Explanation
23	B	Thylacines would have prevented, The return of thylacines to Tasmania	Paragraph B - Line 4	"explains Michael Archer of the University of New South Wales... The return of thylacines to Tasmania could help to ensure that devils are never again subjected to risks of this kind." The passage suggests that reintroducing thylacines to Tasmania could prevent the spread of a facial tumor syndrome among Tasmanian devils, thus improving their health and protecting them from risks.
24	C	concentrate, emerging technology, various species went extinct	Paragraph F - Line 5	"She prefers to focus the debate on how this emerging technology could be used to fully understand why various species went extinct in the first place." The passage highlights the importance of concentrating on the causes of species extinction and using emerging technology to gain a better understanding of the factors contributing to their disappearance.
25	A	brought back from extinction, species to thrive, habitat, re-establish	Paragraph D	"according to Novak, a hybridized band-tailed pigeon, with the added nesting habits of a passenger pigeon, could, in theory, re-establish that forest disturbance, thereby creating a habitat necessary for a great many other native species to thrive." The passage suggests that bringing back a species from extinction, such as a hybridized band-tailed pigeon with characteristics of a passenger pigeon, could have a beneficial impact on the vegetation and create a habitat for other native species to thrive.
26	C	preserving biodiversity, not enough	Paragraph F	"she continues. 'We know that what we are doing today is not enough." The passage states that current efforts to preserve biodiversity are insufficient, indicating the need for additional measures to address the issue effectively.

READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 .

 

HAVING A LAUGH

Question	Answer	Keywords	Location in Passage	Text/Explanation
27	A	human emotions and expressions, psychological scientists, studying human psychology	Paragraph 1 - Line 3	"Like other human emotions and expressions, laughter and humor provide psychological scientists with rich resources for studying human psychology, ranging from the development of language to the neuroscience of social perception." The writer emphasizes that laughter is a significant aspect of human emotions and expressions, which provides valuable insights for psychological scientists studying human psychology.
28	A	unpredictable laughter, laugh tracks, social situation, crowded theatre	Paragraph 2 - Line 2	"US sound engineer Charley Douglass hated dealing with the unpredictable laughter of live audiences, so started recording his own ‘laugh tracks’. These were intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre." The writer suggests that Charley Douglass, a sound engineer, recorded "laugh tracks" to replicate the experience of being in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre, where unpredictable laughter occurs.
29	B	Santa Cruz study, particularly significant, 24 diverse societies	Paragraph 3 - Line 3	"biologists then played these recordings to listeners from 24 diverse societies, from indigenous tribes in New Guinea to city-dwellers in India and Europe. On average, the results were remarkably consistent: worldwide, people’s guesses were correct approximately 60% of the time." The Santa Cruz study is considered particularly significant because it involved listeners from 24 diverse societies, and the results consistently showed that people's guesses about laughter were correct around 60% of the time.
30	B	high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs, fewer submissive laughs, low-status individuals	Paragraph 4 - Line 8	"Analysis revealed that, as expected, high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs relative to the low-status individuals. Meanwhile, low-status individuals were more likely to produce more." The San Diego study found that high-status individuals tend to produce more dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs compared to low-status individuals.
31	D	high-status individuals, produced their natural dominant laugh, submissive one	Paragraph 5 - Line 9	"low-status individuals may achieve higher status in the eyes of others.’ However, high-status individuals were rated as high-status whether they produced their natural dominant laugh or tried to do a submissive one." The results of the San Diego study suggest that low-status individuals may improve their status in the eyes of others, but high-status individuals were still perceived as high-status regardless of whether they produced their natural dominant laugh or attempted a submissive one.
32	F	humor, contentment, neutral feelings	Paragraph 6 - Line 8	"the students then were randomly assigned to watch a video clip eliciting either humor, contentment, or neutral feelings." In the study, students were randomly assigned to watch video clips that evoked humor, contentment, or neutral feelings.
33	H	Mr. Bean video	Paragraph 7	"Students who had watched the Mr. Bean video ended up spending significantly more time working on the task." Students who watched the Mr. Bean video dedicated a considerably longer time to working on the task compared to other groups.
34	C	humorous video, tedious task	Paragraph 8	"Again, participants who watched the humorous video spent significantly more time working on this tedious task and completed more questions correctly than did the students in either of the other

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location in Passage	Text/Explanation
34	C	humorous video, tedious task	Paragraph 8	"Again, participants who watched the humorous video spent significantly more time working on this tedious task and completed more questions correctly than did the students in either of the other groups." Participants who watched the humorous video dedicated more time to working on the tedious task and achieved higher accuracy in answering questions compared to students in the other groups.
35	D	humour, relieve stress	Paragraph 9 - Line 1	"Although humour has been found to help relieve stress and facilitate social relationships, traditional view." The passage suggests that humor has been proven to assist in relieving stress and fostering social connections.
36	E	energising, stimulating	Paragraph 9	"suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energising." The findings indicate that humor is not solely enjoyable but also has an energizing effect.
37	NOT GIVEN	Participants, Santa Cruz study, identifying, strangers	Paragraph 3 - Line 5	"In one study conducted in 2016, samples of laughter from pairs of individuals who were either friends or strangers were recorded in Santa Cruz, California, and locations in India and Europe. Participants were asked whether they thought the people laughing were friends or strangers. On average, the results were remarkably consistent: worldwide, people’s guesses were correct approximately 60% of the time." The passage does not provide information about the accuracy of identifying the laughs of friends compared to strangers in the Santa Cruz study, so the answer is "NOT GIVEN."
38	YES	San Diego study, predictions, judgments, high-status members	Paragraph 4 - Line 9	"In their study, participants observed a series of interactions between a fraternity group and two high-status members, older student took a turn at being teased by the others, involving the use of mildly insulting nicknames. Analysis revealed that, as expected, high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs relative to the low-status individuals." The researchers' predictions regarding the behavior of high-status individuals in the San Diego study were correct, as the high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs, aligning with their expectations.
39	NO	Australian National University study, fixed amount of time, allowed to quit the task	Paragraph 7 - Line 4	"Some watched a clip of the BBC comedy Mr. Bean, while others saw a clip from a travel documentary. The software was programmed such that it was nearly impossible to achieve 10 consecutive correct answers. Participants were allowed to quit the task at any point." In the Australian National University study, participants were permitted to quit the task at any point, so they were not given a fixed amount of time to complete the task focusing on employee profiles.
40	NO	Cheng and Wang’s conclusions, distract them from the accomplishment of task goals	Last Paragraph - Line 1	"that may distract them from the accomplishment of task goals,’ Cheng and Wang conclude." Cheng and Wang's conclusions do not align with established notions regarding task performance, as they emphasize that certain factors can divert individuals' attention from achieving task goals. Therefore, the answer is "NO."