Cambridge IELTS Academic 7 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: Cambridge 7 Test 1 Answer / Cambridge IELTS 7 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation

READING PASSAGE 1

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

Let’s Go Bats

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
1	B	bats, light	First three lines	"Bats have an engineering problem: how to find their way and find their prey in the absence of light." This answer directly refers to the first three lines of the passage.
2	A	mammalian	Line 12-14	"Our mammalian ancestors probably only managed to survive at an advantage because they found ways of scraping a living at night." The answer is found in the specified line range, referring to mammalian ancestors surviving at night.
3	A	natural selection, bats, night-hunting	Line 7-9	"Given that alternative daytime trades are thoroughly occupied, natural selection has favored bats that make a go of the night-hunting trade." This answer is found in the specified line range, highlighting the concept of natural selection and bats hunting at night.
4	E	radar theory, bats	Line 9-10	"Much of our scientific understanding of the details of what bats are doing has come from applying radar theory to them." The answer is found in the specified line range, indicating the use of radar theory in studying bats.
5	D	radar, Sonar	Line 19-22	"In the Second World War relied heavily on these devices, under such codenames as Asdic (British) and Sonar (American), as well as Radar (American) or RDF (British), which uses radio echoes rather than sound echoes." The answer mentions the devices used in the war and their reliance on radar and Sonar.
6	Phantom	sensation	Part D, Line 9-10	"The sensation may be referred to the front of the face, like the referred pain in a phantom limb." The answer is found in the specified line range, referring to the sensation being referred to the front of the face like phantom limb pain.
7	Echoes/obstacles	Blind people, sounds	Part D, Line 11-14	"Blind people, without even being aware of the fact, are actually using echoes of their own footsteps and of other sounds, to sense the presence of obstacles." The answer is found in the specified line range, highlighting the use of echoes for sensing obstacles.
8	Depth	instruments	Part D, Line 15-16	"Built instruments to exploit the principle, for example to measure the depth of the sea under the ship." The answer is found in the specified line range, mentioning the use of instruments to measure depth.
9	Submarines	detection	Part D, Line 18	"Designers adapted it for the detection of submarines." The answer is found in the specified line range, indicating the adaptation of the principle for submarine detection.
10	natural selection	bats	Part E, Line 2-3	"The world now knows that bats, or rather natural selection working on bats, had perfected the system tens of millions of years." The answer is found in the specified line range, referring to natural selection's influence on bats' echolocation system.
11	radio waves/echoes	bat "radar"	Part E, Line 6-7	"It is technically incorrect to talk about bat 'radar', since they do not use radio

 

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
12	E	mathematical theories	Part E, Line 8	"Mathematical theories of radar and sonar are very similar." The answer is found in the specified line range, mentioning the similarity between mathematical theories of radar and sonar.
13	E	zoologist	Part E, Line 11-12	"American zoologist Donald Griffin, who was largely responsible for the discovery of sonar in bats, coined the term 'echolocation'." The answer is found in the specified line range, referring to Donald Griffin's role in discovering sonar in bats and coining the term 'echolocation.'

 

READING PASSAGE 2

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

Making every drop count

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
14	xi	ancient water supplies	Paragraph A	"At the height of the Roman Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of pipes and well-built sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is provided in many parts of the industrial world today." The answer is found in the specified lines, referring to the description of ancient water supplies, specifically the Roman Empire's water systems.
15	vii	relevance to health	Paragraph C	"More than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water: some two and half billion do not have adequate sanitation services. Preventable water-related diseases kill an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 children every day." The answer is found in the specified lines, highlighting the relevance of water shortage to health, specifically mentioning the lack of access to clean drinking water and the impact of preventable water-related diseases.
16	v	environmental effects	Paragraph D	"More than 20% of all freshwater fish species are now threatened or endangered because dams and water withdrawals have destroyed the free-flowing river ecosystems where they thrive. Certain irrigation practices degrade soil quality and reduce agricultural productivity." The answer is found in the specified lines, discussing the environmental effects of water shortage, including the threat to freshwater fish species and the impact on river ecosystems and agricultural productivity.
17	i	scientists' call for policy	Paragraph E	"The resource planners think about water is beginning to change. The focus is slowly shifting back to the provision of basic human and environmental needs as top priority. Some water experts are now demanding that existing infrastructure be used in smarter ways rather than building new facilities." The answer is found in the specified lines, indicating a shift in thinking among resource planners and water experts, emphasizing scientists' call for a revision of policy and the prioritization of basic human and environmental needs.
18	ix	surprising downward trend	Paragraph F	"Fortunately – and unexpectedly – the demand for water is not rising as rapidly as some predicted. Although population, industrial output, and economic productivity have continued to soar in developed nations, the rate at which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers, and lakes has slowed." The answer is found in the specified lines, discussing the surprising downward trend in the demand for water despite the growth in population, industrial output, and economic productivity in developed nations.
19	ii	explanation for reduced use	Paragraph G	"Two factors: people have figured out how to use water more efficiently, and communities are rethinking their priorities for water use." The answer is found in the specified lines, providing an explanation for the reduced use of water, mentioning the efficient water usage by people and the reconsideration of priorities by communities.
20	x	need to raise standards	Paragraph H	"But such projects must be built to higher specifications and with more accountability to local people and their environment than in the past. And even in regions where new projects seem warranted, we must find ways to meet demands with fewer resources, respecting ecological criteria and to smaller budget." The answer is found in the specified lines, emphasizing the need to raise standards in water projects, including higher specifications, accountability to local communities and the environment, and resource-efficient approaches.

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
21	NO	water use, per person, higher	Paragraph A	"At the height of the Roman Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of pipes and well-built sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is provided in many parts of the industrial world today." The answer is found in the specified lines, indicating that the water use per person in Ancient Rome is equal to or less than that in the industrial world today, contradicting the statement.
22	YES	feeding, increasing populations, possible	Paragraph B	"Food production has kept pace with soaring populations mainly because of the expansion of artificial irrigation systems that make possible the growth of 40% of the world's food." The answer is found in the specified lines, stating that improved irrigation systems have made it possible to feed increasing populations, aligning with the statement.
23	NOT GIVEN	modern water systems, imitate	Paragraph C	The passage does not provide information about whether modern water systems imitate those of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The answer is "NOT GIVEN" because there is no clear connection between the statement and the information in the text.
24	NO	industrial growth, increasing demand	Paragraph F	"Although population, industrial output, and economic productivity have continued to soar in developed nations, the rate at which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers, and lakes has slowed." The answer is found in the specified lines, indicating that the demand for water is not increasing despite the growth in industrial output, population, and economic productivity, contradicting the statement.
25	YES	modern technologies, reduction	Paragraph G	"But since 1980, the amount of water consumed per person has actually decreased, thanks to a range of new technologies that help to conserve water in homes and industry." The answer is found in the specified lines, stating that modern technologies have led to a reduction in domestic water consumption, aligning with the statement.
26	NOT GIVEN	future, governments, maintain ownership	Paragraph E	The passage does not provide clear information about whether governments should maintain ownership of water infrastructures in the future. In paragraph E, it only mentions that some water experts demand smarter use of existing infrastructure without discussing ownership. In paragraph H, it mentions the need for building infrastructure but does not specify ownership. The answer is "NOT GIVEN" because there is no clear connection between the statement and the information in the text.

READING PASSAGE 3

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

Educating Psyche

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
27	D	book, Educating Psyche, mainly, concerned with	Paragraph 1	"Educating Psyche by Bernie Neville is a book which looks at radical new approaches to learning, describing the effects of emotion, imagination and the unconscious on learning." The answer is found in the first line of paragraph 1, where it states that the book is concerned with radical new approaches to learning, which can be understood as ways of learning that are not traditional.
28	A	Lozanov's theory, claims, we try to remember things	Paragraph 2	"Lozanov's instructional technique is based on the evidence that the connections made in the brain through unconscious processing are more durable than those made through conscious processing. . . . we know from our experience that we often remember what we have perceived peripherally, long after we have forgotten what we set out to learn." The answer is found in paragraph 2, where it explains that according to Lozanov's theory, unimportant details or things perceived peripherally are the easiest to recall, contradicting the statement.
29	B	examples of a book and a lecture	Paragraph 2	"If we think of a book we studied months or years ago, we find it easier to recall peripheral details . . . than the content on which we were concentrating. If we think of a lecture we listened to with great concentration, we will recall the lecturer's appearance and mannerism . . . much more easily than the ideas we went to learn." The examples provided in paragraph 2 indicate that we remember insignificant things more easily than the things we aim to learn, supporting Lozanov's theory that his methods of learning are valid. Therefore, the answer is B (his theory about methods of learning is valid).
30	C	Lozanov claims, teachers should, train students	Paragraph 3	"Lozanov, therefore, made indirect instruction (suggestion) central to his teaching system. In suggestopedia, as he called his method, consciousness is shifted away from the curriculum to focus on something peripheral. The curriculum then becomes peripheral and is dealt with by the reserve capacity of the brain." The lines indicate that Lozanov suggests training students to think about something other than the curriculum content in order to enhance learning, contradicting the statement.
31	FALSE	suggestopedic teaching, fourth paragraph, only variable, music	Paragraph 4	"In the first part, the music is classical and the teacher reads the text slowly and solemnly, with attention to the dynamic of the music. In the second part, they listen to baroque music while the teacher reads the text in a normal speaking voice." The passage explains that in addition to the change in music, the teacher's reading style also changes, indicating that music is not the only variable that changes in suggestopedic teaching. Therefore, the answer is FALSE.
32	FALSE	prior to, suggestopedia class, students, made aware, demanding	Paragraph 5	"Beforehand, the students have been carefully prepared for the language learning experience. Through meeting with the staff and satisfied students they develop the expectation that learning will be easy and pleasant." The lines indicate that students are made aware that learning will not be demanding, contradicting the statement. Therefore, the answer is FALSE.

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
33	TRUE	follow-up class, teaching activities, similar to, conventional classes	Paragraph 6	"There is a follow-up class at which the students are stimulated to recall the material presented. The students... focus on using the language to communicate (e.g. through games or improvised dramatisations). Such methods are not unusual in language teaching." The passage states that in the follow-up class, students engage in teaching activities that are not unusual and involve using the language to communicate, similar to conventional classes. Therefore, the answer is TRUE.
34	NOT GIVEN	indirect benefit, students notice, improvements, memory	Paragraph 6	The passage does not provide information about whether students notice improvements in their memory as an indirect benefit of suggestopedia. Therefore, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
35	NOT GIVEN	teachers say, prefer, suggestopedia, to traditional approaches	Paragraph 6 and Last Paragraph	The passage does not clearly state whether teachers prefer suggestopedia to traditional approaches. In paragraph 6, it mentions the role of the teacher in suggestopedia, but it doesn't explicitly state their preference. In the last paragraph, it only mentions that few teachers are able to emulate the spectacular results of Lozanov, but it doesn't provide a direct comparison between suggestopedia and traditional approaches. Therefore, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
36	TRUE	students, suggestopedia class, retain, more, new vocabulary, ordinary class	Paragraph 6	"Another difference from conventional teaching is the evidence that students can regularly learn 1000 new words of a foreign language during a suggestopedic session, as well as grammar and idiom." The passage clearly states that students in a suggestopedia class retain more new vocabulary than those in ordinary classes. Therefore, the answer is TRUE.
37	F	suggestopedia, less direct method, hypnosis, certain amount	Paragraph 7	"Lozanov acknowledges that the ritual surrounding suggestion in his own system is also a placebo, but maintains that without such a placebo people are unable or afraid to tap the reserve capacity of their brain. Like any placebo, it must be dispensed with authority to be effective." The passage states that suggestopedia uses a ritual surrounding suggestion as a placebo, indicating a less direct method compared to hypnosis. Therefore, the answer is F (rituals).
38	H	certain amount, convince students, just a	Paragraph 7	"Lozanov acknowledges that the ritual surrounding suggestion in his own system is also a placebo, but maintains that without such a placebo people are unable or afraid to tap the reserve capacity of their brain. Like any placebo, it must be dispensed with authority to be effective." The passage states that a certain amount of placebo is necessary to convince students in suggestopedia. Therefore, the answer is H (placebo).
39	K	well known	Last Paragraph	"While suggestopedia has gained some notoriety through success in the teaching of modern languages, few teachers are able to emulate the spectacular results of Lozanov and his associates." The passage explains that suggestopedia has gained notoriety, indicating that it has become well known in the teaching of modern languages. Therefore, the answer is K (well known).

Question Number	Answer	Keywords	Location in the Passage	Text Associated with Answer and Explanation
40	G	unspectacular	Last Paragraph	"While suggestopedia has gained some notoriety through success in the teaching of modern languages, few teachers are able to emulate the spectacular results of Lozanov and his associates." The passage indicates that the results achieved by most teachers using suggestopedia have been unspectacular, meaning they have not been remarkable or outstanding. Therefore, the answer is G (unspectacular).