Cambridge IELTS Academic 9 Reading Test 2 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: Hearing Impairment , Venus in transit , A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

READING PASSAGE 1

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

Hearing Impairment

Question	Answer	Keywords	Location	Text
1	H	national policy initiative	Beginning of Section H	"The New Zealand Government has developed a New Zealand Disability Strategy and has embarked on a wide-ranging consultation process."
2	C	global team effort	Last lines of Section C	"The International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE), on the advice of the World Health Organization, has established an international working party, which includes New Zealand, to evaluate noise and reverberation control for school rooms."
3	B	reason, growth, classroom noise	Section B, beginning	"A preliminary study in New Zealand has shown that classroom noise presents a major concern for teachers and pupils... . .. . This all amounts to heightened activity and noise levels, which have the potential to be particularly serious for children experiencing auditory function deficit."
4	I	suitable, worldwide regulations	Last line of Section I	"It is imperative that the needs of these children are taken into account in the setting of appropriate international standards to be promulgated in future."
5	D	medical conditions, children, more at risk, from noise	Section D	"...hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD)."
6	A	estimated proportion, children in New Zealand, auditory problems	Last lines of Section A	"The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss."
7	two decades	hearing loss, schoolchildren, studied in New Zealand	Section A, last lines	"The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found from research carried out over two decades that 6-10% of children in that country are affected by hearing loss."
8	crowd (noise)	addition to machinery noise, upset, children with autism	Section E, lines 9-10	"...Those experiencing these disorders often find sounds such as crowd noise and the noise generated by machinery painful and distressing."
9	invisible (disabilities/disability)	hearing problems, schoolchildren, not been diagnosed	Paragraph G, last lines	"It is probable that many undiagnosed children exist in the education system with ‘invisible’ disabilities."
10	Objective 3	What part, New Zealand Disability Strategy, aims, schoolchildren, equal opportunity	Paragraph H	"Objective 3 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is to ‘Provide the Best Education for Disabled People’ by improving education so that all children, youth learners and adult learners will have equal opportunities to learn and develop within their already existing school."
11	A	factors, contributing, classroom noise	Paragraph B, lines 2-5	"Modern teaching practices, the organisation of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as air- conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teacher’s voice."
12	C	factors, contributing, classroom noise	Paragraph B, lines 2-5	"Modern teaching practices, the organisation of desks in the classroom, poor classroom acoustics, and mechanical means of ventilation such as air- conditioning units all contribute to the number of children unable to comprehend the teacher’s voice."
13	C	overall purpose	Beginning of the passage	"Hearing impairment or other auditory function deficit in young children can have a major impact on their development of speech and communication, resulting in a detrimental effect on their ability to learn at school. This is likely to have major consequences for the individual and the population as a whole."

 

 

READING PASSAGE 2

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

Venus in transit

Question	Answer	Keywords	Location	Text/Explanation
14	F	different ways, parallax principle, applied	Paragraph F	"But astronomers labored hard to analyse the results of these expeditions to observe Venus transits. Johann Franz Encke, Director of the Berlin Observatory, finally determined a value for the AU based on all these parallax measurements."
15	D	event, prevented, transit observation	Paragraph D	"Ironically, after travelling nearly 50,000 kilometres, his view was clouded out at the last moment, a very dispiriting experience."
16	G	potential future discoveries, transit observations	Paragraph G	"But such transits have paved the way for what might prove to be one of the most vital breakthroughs in the cosmos – detecting Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars."
17	E	physical states, connected, Venus, early astronomical instruments, failed	Paragraph E	"this showed astronomers that Venus was surrounded by a thick layer of gases refracting sunlight around it, both effects made it impossible to obtain accurate timings."
18	D	distance, observations of Venus, accuracy	Paragraph F	"Johann Franz Encke, Director of the Berlin Observatory, finally determined a value for the AU based on all these parallax measurements: 153,340,000 km. Reasonably accurate for the time, that is quite close to today’s value of 149,597,870 km."
19	A	distance, worked out by comparing observations	Paragraph B	"He realised that from different latitudes, the passage of the planet across the Sun’s disc would appear to differ. By timing the transit from two widely-separated locations, teams of astronomers could calculate the parallax angle – the apparent difference in position of an astronomical body due to a difference in the observer’s position."
20	B	time, around the Sun, distance from the Sun	Paragraph C	"Johannes Kepler, in the early 17th century, had shown that the distances of the planets from the Sun governed their orbital speeds, which were easily measurable."
21	C	Venus transit, unable, make calculations	Paragraph D	"The person who deserves most sympathy is the French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil."
22	FALSE	Halley, observed, transit, Venus	Paragraph C	"But there was a problem: transits of Venus, unlike those of Mercury, are rare, occurring in pairs roughly eight years apart every hundred or so years. Nevertheless, he accurately predicted that Venus would cross the face of the Sun in both 1761 and 1769 – though he didn’t survive to see either."
23	FALSE	Le Gentil, observe, second Venus transit	Paragraph D	"Ironically, after traveling nearly 50,000 kilometers, his view was clouded out at the last moment, a very dispiriting experience."
24	TRUE	shape, distorted, pass in front of the sun	Paragraph E	"While the early transit timings were as precise as instruments would allow, the measurements were dogged by the ‘black drop’ effect. When Venus begins to cross the Sun’s disc, it looks smeared not circular."
25	NOT GIVEN	early astronomers, suspected, atmosphere on Venus, toxic	-	No information
26	TRUE	parallax principle, how far, stars, Earth	Paragraph F	"The parallax principle can be extended to measure the distances to the stars. If we look at a star in January – when Earth is at one point in its orbit – it will seem to be in a different position from where it appears six month later. Knowing the width of Earth’s orbit, the parallax shift lets astronomers calculate the distance

READING PASSAGE 3

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

A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
Question 27	C	Neuroeconomics, seeks to	First paragraph, lines 3-5	The writer states that neuroeconomics explores the brain’s link to success in competitive environments requiring innovation. Here, success = achievements.
Question 28	B	Iconoclasts, distinctive, because	Paragraph 2, lines 1-3	The writer explains that iconoclasts are distinctive because their brains work differently in three specific ways: perception, fear response, and social intelligence.
Question 29	D	Brain, works efficiently, because	Paragraph 3, lines 3-6	The writer states that the brain processes information quickly by relying on past experiences. Here, quickly = in the quickest way, and depends on = draw on.
Question 30	C	Perception	Paragraph 3, last lines	The writer explains that perception is a product of the brain rather than just a response to physical stimuli.
Question 31	B	Iconoclastic thinker	Paragraph 4	The writer notes that iconoclasts avoid cognitive traps by working around perceptual shortcuts that affect most people.
Question 32	YES	Exposure, different events, forces, think differently	Paragraph 4, line 1	The writer states that exposing the brain to new experiences forces it to make new judgments, leading to different ways of thinking.
Question 33	YES	Iconoclasts, usually, receptive, new experiences	Paragraph 5, lines 3-4	The writer mentions that successful iconoclasts have an extraordinary willingness to engage with fresh and different experiences.
Question 34	NOT GIVEN	Most people, too shy, try, different things	-	The passage only states that people avoid certain activities but does not confirm whether shyness is the reason.
Question 35	NO	Exposure, different events, forces, think differently	Paragraph 6, lines 2-3	The writer explains that fear prevents people from thinking like iconoclasts, meaning they must overcome fear first. The statement contradicts the passage.
Question 36	NOT GIVEN	Iconoclasts, usually, receptive, new experiences	-	The passage does not discuss whether embarrassment affects openness to new experiences.
Question 37	NO	Most people, too shy, try, different things	Paragraph 6, lines 5-7	The writer states that fear of public speaking is common but not considered a mental disorder, meaning the statement contradicts the passage.
Question 38	A	Thinking like, successful iconoclast, demanding, because	Paragraph 7, lines 1-2, 7-8	The writer explains that successful iconoclasts must sell their ideas using social intelligence and perceptual skills, making the process demanding. Here, rare = demanding.
Question 39	B	Concept, social brain, useful, iconoclasts, because	Paragraph 7, lines 3-7	The writer states that neuroscience reveals how brain circuits help in group decision-making, making the social brain useful for iconoclasts.
Question 40	C	Iconoclasts, generally, asset, because, way of thinking	Last paragraph, lines 1-4	The writer describes how iconoclasts contribute innovation across fields like art, technology, and business, making them valuable assets.