Cambridge IELTS Academic 19 Reading Test 2 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Reading: The Industrial Revolution in Britain , Athletes and stress ,An inquiry into existence of the gifted children

READING PASSAGE 1

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

The Industrial Revolution in Britain

Number of Question	Question	Keywords of the Question	Answer	Location with Line Number in the Paragraph	Explanation
1	In Watt and Boulton’s steam engine, what was linked to the gear system?	Watt and Boulton’s steam engine, gear system	piston	Paragraph 2, Line 3	The movement of the piston was connected to a gear system in Watt and Boulton’s steam engine, making it a significant innovation.
2	What was required to power steam engines?	steam engines, required	coal	Paragraph 3, Line 1	The demand for coal increased as it was used to run factories and steam-powered transportation.
3	Where did spinners and weavers work before the Industrial Revolution?	spinners, weavers, work location	workshops	Paragraph 4, Line 1	Before the Industrial Revolution, the textile work was done in small workshops or even at home by individual workers.
4	What was needed to produce cloth after the invention of the spinning jenny and power loom?	production of cloth, spinning jenny, power loom, labor needed	labour / labor	Paragraph 4, Line 2	The invention of the spinning jenny and power loom made it easier to produce cloth, requiring much less labor than before.
5	What resulted from smelting iron ore with coke?	smelting iron ore, coke, result	quality	Paragraph 5, Line 2	The new technique of smelting with coke produced higher quality material compared to the older methods using charcoal.
6	What increased with the growth of the railways?	growth, railways, demand	railway(s)	Paragraph 5, Line 4	The demand for iron grew as the expansion of the railways required more iron for the construction of tracks and other infrastructure.
7	What did the new cities lack after rapid urbanization?	new cities, lack of, urbanisation, issues	sanitation	Paragraph 7, Line 3	The rapid urbanization brought about overcrowded cities which suffered from pollution and lacked adequate sanitation systems.
8	Did Britain’s canal network grow rapidly?	canal network, grew, goods transported	NOT GIVEN	Not explicitly mentioned	There is no specific mention of the canal network growing rapidly to transport goods in the text.
9	Did costs in the iron industry rise after smelting iron with coke?	costs, iron industry, coke, smelting	FALSE	Paragraph 5, Line 1	The technique of using coke was cheaper, not more expensive, and it led to better quality metals, which expanded production.
10	Was Samuel Morse’s system more reliable than Cooke and Wheatstone's?	Samuel Morse, system, reliable, comparison	NOT GIVEN	Not explicitly mentioned	There is no comparison of reliability between the telegraph systems of Samuel Morse and Cooke and Wheatstone in the text.
11	Were the economic benefits of industrialization limited to certain sectors of society?	economic benefits, limited, sectors	TRUE	Paragraph 7, Line 1	While industrialization improved living standards for the middle and upper classes, many poor people continued to struggle with low wages and poor working conditions.
12	Did some skilled weavers believe new machines would lead to job losses?	skilled weavers, job losses, new machines	TRUE	Paragraph 8, Line 1	The Luddites, a group of weavers, feared that mechanized machines would replace their craft, leading to job losses.
13	Was there sympathy for Luddites arrested near Huddersfield?	sympathy, Luddites, arrested, Huddersfield	NOT GIVEN	Not explicitly mentioned	There is no information regarding the level of sympathy among locals for Luddites arrested near Huddersfield.

READING PASSAGE 2

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

Athletes and stress

Number of Question	Question	Keywords of the Question	Answer	Location with Line Number in the Paragraph	Explanation
14	Reference to two chemical compounds which impact on performance	chemical compounds, impact, performance	D	Paragraph 4, Line 1	The two chemical compounds affecting performance are adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases performance, while cortisol inhibits its positive effects.
15	Examples of strategies for minimising the effects of stress	strategies, minimise, stress	F	Paragraph 6, Line 1	The passage provides strategies such as visualisation, using positive language, and recreating competitive pressure during training to help athletes manage stress.
16	How a sportsperson accounted for their own experience of stress	accounted, experience, stress	A	Paragraph 1, Line 5	Emma Raducanu explained her stress as the result of accumulation of excitement and pressure during the match, attributing her difficulty to emotional and physical demands.
17	Study results indicating links between stress responses and performance	study results, stress responses, performance	C	Paragraph 3, Line 1	Research shows that athletes in a challenge state perform better, while those in a threat state experience poorer performance.
18	Mention of people who can influence how athletes perceive their stress responses	influence, perceive, stress responses	F	Paragraph 6, Line 3	Psychologists, coaches, and parents can help athletes see their physiological stress responses in a more positive light, such as seeing a high heart rate as excitement instead of anxiety.
19	Performance stress involves many demands on the athlete, for example, coping with the possible risk of ……………………… .	injury, risk, performance stress	injury	Paragraph 2, Line 4	One of the demands on athletes includes injury concerns, which can increase stress levels during events.
20	Cortisol can cause tennis players to produce fewer good ……………………… .	serves, tennis players, cortisol	serves	Paragraph 4, Line 5	Cortisol is associated with more unsuccessful serves and greater anxiety, which negatively affects performance.
21	Psychologists can help athletes to view their physiological responses as the effect of a positive feeling such as ……………………… .	excitement, physiological responses, positive feeling	excitement	Paragraph 6, Line 2	Psychologists can help athletes view stress responses like a high heart rate as excitement rather than nerves.
22	……………………… is an example of a psychological technique which can reduce an athlete’s stress responses.	psychological technique, reduce, stress responses	Visualisation	Paragraph 6, Line 4	Visualisation is a psychological technique where athletes recreate positive experiences or envision future success to manage stress.
23 & 24	Which TWO facts about Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from the Wimbledon tournament are mentioned in the text?	withdrawal, Wimbledon, Raducanu, facts	B, D	Paragraph 1, Line 3 (B) and Paragraph 3, Line 4 (D)	Emma Raducanu withdrew from Wimbledon due to stress-related symptoms like difficulty regulating her heart rate (B), and increased demands such as a larger audience and facing a more skilled opponent (D).
25 & 26	Which TWO facts about Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from the Wimbledon tournament are mentioned in the text?	Wimbledon, Raducanu, facts	A, E	Paragraph 1, Line 3 (A) and Paragraph 1, Line 5 (E)	Emma Raducanu's withdrawal happened after a period of playing well in the tournament (A), and she expressed her experience on social media (E).

READING PASSAGE 3

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

An inquiry into the existence of the gifted child

Number of Question	Question	Keywords of the Question	Answer	Location with Line Number in the Paragraph	Explanation
27	Maryam Mirzakhani is regarded as unique in the field of mathematics.	Maryam Mirzakhani, unique, mathematics	H	Paragraph 1, Line 2	Maryam Mirzakhani is considered unique in the field because she was the only woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal, a notable achievement in mathematics, which makes her stand out.
28	What did Maryam Mirzakhani feel about maths as a child?	maths, interest, child	A	Paragraph 1, Line 3	As a child, Maryam Mirzakhani had little appeal for mathematics and was more interested in reading. Her early life didn’t show any special interest in math.
29	What sparked Maryam Mirzakhani's interest in mathematics?	performance, poor, puzzle	C	Paragraph 1, Line 5	Maryam Mirzakhani’s initial poor performance in math changed when she became intrigued by a math problem her brother showed her, which sparked her curiosity in the subject.
30	How did Maryam Mirzakhani handle setbacks in her career?	professional, setbacks, determination	B	Paragraph 2, Line 4	As a professional mathematician, she was determined to succeed despite facing setbacks, showing perseverance in her work, which was key to her success.
31	What did Maryam Mirzakhani find most rewarding about her work in mathematics?	discovery, "Aha" moment, satisfaction	J	Paragraph 2, Line 6	Maryam Mirzakhani found the greatest satisfaction in experiencing the excitement of discovery, especially when she solved problems or understood something new.
32	What kind of contributions did Maryam Mirzakhani make in her field?	original, studies, mathematical	I	Paragraph 2, Line 7	Maryam Mirzakhani was responsible for some innovative mathematical research, contributing original studies in the field of mathematics that were groundbreaking.
33	Do many people who won prestigious intellectual prizes only reach average standards when young?	intellectual prizes, young, average standard	YES	Paragraph 4, Line 2	The passage confirms that many Nobel Prize winners, including Einstein, were unexceptional in childhood, which supports the idea that they were average in their youth.
34	Were Einstein's failures as a young man due to his lack of confidence?	Einstein, failure, confidence	NOT GIVEN	N/A	The passage does not discuss Einstein’s failures being related to his lack of confidence, so the answer is not given.
35	Is there agreement on whether some children are born gifted?	agreement, gifted, born	YES	Paragraph 4, Line 3	The passage indicates there’s disagreement about whether giftedness is innate, suggesting the difficulty in agreeing on whether some children are born gifted.
36	Was Einstein upset by the public’s view of his life’s work?	Einstein, public view, upset	NOT GIVEN	N/A	The passage does not provide information about Einstein being upset by the public’s view of his work, so the answer is not given.
37	Did Einstein put his success down to being a genius or having high intellect?	Einstein, genius, intellect, character	NO	Paragraph 5, Line 1	The passage presents Einstein’s own view that character, not intellect, was key to his success, which contradicts the statement that he attributed his success to being a genius.
38	What does Eyre believe is needed for children to equal 'gifted' standards?	Eyre, gifted standards, children	C	Paragraph 7, Line 5	According to Prof. Deborah Eyre, children can reach "gifted" standards if they develop a spirit of inquiry and curiosity towards their studies, which can be cultivated through the right learning approaches.
39	What is the result of Ericsson’s research?	Ericsson, research, gifted	B	Paragraph 8, Line 3	Ericsson’s research shows that innate talent is not the key factor in high performance. Instead, deliberate practice is what leads to expertise in various fields, challenging the idea of being born gifted.
40	What is the key to some deprived children’s success?	deprived children, success, guidance	D	Paragraph 9, Line 6	The success of some deprived children is attributed to the guidance of someone who values and supports education, such as an adult or mentor who encourages their learning despite difficult circumstances.