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IELTS AC Reading: Cambridge 13 Test 4; Reading Passage 3: Book Review; with best solutions and detailed explanations

This IELTS Reading post deals with Cambridge 13 Reading Test 4 Passage 3 which is entitled ‘Book Review’ . This post discusses all the answers and solutions for Reading Passage 3. This is another intended post for candidates who have the most difficulties in finding and understanding IELTS Reading Answers. This post can simply guide you the best to figure out every Reading answer without trouble. Finding IELTS Reading answers is a step-by-step routine and I hope this post can assist you in this topic.

Cambridge 13 Reading Test 4 Passage 3 :

The headline of the passage: book review.

Questions 27-29:   (Multiple Choice Questions)

[ Multiple choice questions are a common type of question set in the IELTS Reading test. It is also found in the Listening test.  Most of the time, they come with four options but sometimes there are three options. Candidates need to work hard for this type of question because this may confuse them easily in passage 2 or passage 3. There will be long answers for each question, so they may kill valuable time. So, a quick reading or skimming technique might come handy here.  Remember that answers in 3 options out of 4 will be very close. So, vocabulary power will help a lot to choose the best answer.]

[ TIPS: Skimming is the best reading technique. You need not understand every word here. Just try to gather the gist of the sentences. That’s all. Read quickly and don’t stop until you finish each sentence.]

Question 27: What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?  

Keywords for this question: reviewer’s attitude, advocates of positive psychology

We can find the reference to ‘positive psychology’ in line 6 of paragraph no. 1. Here, the writer defines ‘positive psychology’.  However, the mention of ‘advocates of positive psychology’ is found in line 12 of paragraph no. 2.  The writer says in lines 2-5 about them, “Those who think in this way are oblivious to the vast philosophical literature in which the meaning and value of happiness have been explored and questioned, and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention .”

Here, as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention means they are actually ignorant about the ideas which they should consider.

*The word oblivious also means unaware or ignorant .

So, the answer is: D

Question 28: The reviewer refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in order to suggest that happiness    

Keywords for this question: Aristotle,  

We find the mention of Greek philosopher Aristotle in line 7 of paragraph no. 2. So, we need to scan the lines carefully. Here, the writer says in lines 6-10, “For Bentham it was obvious that the human good consists of pleasure and the absence of pain. The Greek philosopher Aristotle may have identified happiness with self-realisation in the 4th century,. .. . .. .. .   but for Bentham all this was mere metaphysics or fiction.” The writer discusses here that Bentham considers happiness as only with pleasure and with the absence of pain. But for Aristotle it was not only pleasure and absence of pain. Rather, it was something that could be identified by self-realisation, which may not seem correct all the time.

So, the answer is: A

Question 29: According to Davies, Bentham’s suggestion for linking the price of goods to happiness was significant because

Keywords for this question: Davies, Bentham’s suggestion, linking, price of goods,

The answer is in the fourth paragraph, where the writer talks about price of goods. Here, in the last few lines, the writer says, “By associating money so closely to inner experience, Davies writes, Bentham ‘ set the stage for the entangling of psychological research and capitalism that would shape the business practices of the twentieth century’.”  The writer explains here that Bentham had associated money or price of goods with inner experience and thus made a connection between work and human psychology.

So, the answer is: B

Questions 30-34: (Summary completion with NO MORE THAN ONE WORD)

[In this kind of question candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. As these are fill in the blanks or gaps, there is a condition of writing no more than ONE, TWO, or THREE words for each answer and candidates must maintain this condition. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]

Title of the summary: Jeremy Bentham

Question 30: In the 1790s he suggested a type of technology to improve _________ for different Government departments.

Keywords for this question: 1790s, technology, to improve, different Government departments  

The answer to this question lies in paragraph no. 3, lines 6-7 where the author writes, “In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes’.”

These lines indicate that Bentham proposed to the Home office that Governmental departments should establish communication with Home office through ‘conversation tubes’.

So, the answer is: F (communication)

Question 31: He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase ________

Keywords for this question: developed, new way, printing banknotes  

In paragraph no. 3, the author says in lines 8-9, “… and to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes ”. Here, unforgeable means something that cannot be forged or falsified or falsified. So, this means that Bentham actually developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase safety or security .

So, the answer is: B (security)

Question 32: and also designed a method for the ________ of food.

Keywords for this question: designed, method, food

The reference to food can be found in lines 9-10 of paragraph no. 3. “He drew up plans for a “frigidarium” to keep provisions such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh.” These lines directly refer to the preservation of food .

So, the answer is: G (preservation)

Question 33: He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the _______ of prisoners at all times, … .. . .

Keywords for this question: drew up plans, prison, allowed, prisoners

The answer is in lines 10-12 of paragraph no. 3. Here, the author writes, “He celebrated design for a prison to be known as ‘Panoptieon’, in which prisoners would be kept in solitary confinement while being visible at all time to the guards, ….”  Here, while being visible = under observation

So, the answer is: E (observation)

Question 34: when researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its ________, and suggested some methods of doing this.  

Keywords for this question: investigated, possibilities, suggested some methods    

The answer to this question is also found in lines 1-2 of Paragraph no. 4. “If happiness is to be regarded as a science, it has to be measured ,….” This means Bentham suggested the methods of taking measurement .

So, the answer is: A (measurement)

Questions 35-40 (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN):

[In this type of question, candidates are asked to find out whether:

The statement in the question matches the claim of the writer in the text- YES The statement in the question contradicts the claim of the writer in the text- NO The statement in the question has no clear connection with the account in the text- NOT GIVEN ]

[TIPS: For this type of question, you can divide each statement into three independent pieces and make your way through with the answer.]

Question 35: One strength of The Happiness Industry is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

Keywords for this question: The Happiness Industry, discussion, relationship, psychology, economics

The answer can be found in the first few lines of paragraph no. 5 “The Happiness Industry describes how the project of a science of happiness has become integral to capitalism . We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies ”. So, it is clear from these lines that there is a strong relationship between psychology and economics.

So, the answer is: YES

Question 36: It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

Keywords for this question: difficult to measure, some emotions,

The answer cannot be found in this passage. There is a sentence in paragraph 5 about the feeling of pleasure and displeasure that can be measured which gives further information for research management and advertising. “In addition, Davies shows how the belief that inner states of pleasure and displeasure can be objectively measured has informed management studies and advertising.” But it is not related to this question.

So, the answer is : NOT GIVEN

Question 37: Watson’s ideas on behaviourism were supported by research on humans he carried out before 1915.   

Keywords for this question: Watson’s ideas, behaviuorism, supported, research, humans, before 1915

The answer is found in lines 7-9 of paragraph no. 5 which directly contradicts the given question. “When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1915, he had never even studied a single human being: his research had been confined to experiments on white rats.”

This means Watson’s experiments were on rats , not on humans.

So, the answer is: NO

Question 38: Watson’s ideas have been most influential on governments outside America.

Keywords for this question: Watson’s ideas, most influential, governments outside America

In paragraph 5 there is no information about the impact of Watson’s ideas on countries outside the USA.

So, the answer is: NOT GIVEN

Question 39: The need for happiness is linked to industrialization.  

Keywords for this question: need for happiness, linked, industrialization  

The answer to this question can be found in the opening sentence paragraph no. 6 which talks about the need for happiness that is connected with labour market. “ Modern industrial societies appear to need the possibility of ever-increasing happiness to motivate them in their labours.” This is a clear match with the question.

Question 40: A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population.

Keywords for this question: main aim, government, increase, happiness of the population  

The writer says in lines 2-3 in paragraph no. 6, “But whatever its intellectual pedigree, the idea that governments should be responsible for promoting happiness is always a threat to human freedom .”

Our question asks to find out the aim. But we find out that this is a comment from the author, not a statement on the aim of government.

So, the answer is: NO  

Please leave your comments if you like this post or have any queries about it.

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 13 Test 4 Reading Passage 1 

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 13 Test 4 Reading Passage 2

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36 thoughts on “ IELTS AC Reading: Cambridge 13 Test 4; Reading Passage 3: Book Review; with best solutions and detailed explanations ”

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Why the answer of 40 is not “Not Given”? In the sentence, it doesn’t mention government’s aim at all

I agree with you 🙂 The question designers of IELTS tests design the tests in a way that even the natives connot answer them correctly!!! I don’t understand it is an analytical test or a test for assessment of our English! I don’t comprehend why they are taking so hard! How many languages except their mother language do they know which expect us know English as well as our mother tongue?!

Sorry:( I am a little angry about the vain rigidity that the world has considered for people!

Hahahahhaha, wonderful???

Totally agree!

Initially, I also struggled to understand the explanation for question 40. After carefully scanning again, I finally found out the problem. We suppose to find the synonym of the key word ‘main aim of the government’ which is located in Paragraph 5, line 10 – ‘the goal of governments’. Reading that sentence, we’ll see that the main aim here is to change the behaviour of the population , not to increase their happiness.

Omg thank u

Government has several aims, and even if one of them is changing the behavior of the population, we still can not be sure whether increasing their happiness is their main aim or not, so the detail cant be in that passage

Just to for fun I guess, cause’ it is wrong answer to make a student have a mistake they say the answer is wrong!

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2 mistakes on ques 6 and 40 🙂

May I ask about the mistakes in details please?

I also found some difficulty in que 6 bcz I think it’s a true but it is false..!

Thanks for explanation But why the q 38 is notgiven ? It is obviously said that :In Britain

But it doesn’t mention ‘most influential’

Why some of the passage 3 in book 12 and 13 are too hard?

Hi thank you for all your information with nice flow to compare frequentist vs bayesian approach. I will look forward to next part of the tutorials!!

You’re most welcome!

The ans of third question should be false

Can you explain que no 37 ..here, they are talking about’ before 1915′ also.. But in passage ,it is mentioned that ‘ he became president in 1915’..

This means Watson’s experiments were on rats, not on humans.

I am from Vietnam and I wish I could do something for you. Since I started to do the tests, this web has helped me a lot

Hello, Thank you for your kind thoughts. My son is extremely sick. As a father, it gives me such a pain to watch him go through this. Please pray for my son.

According to the author’s analysis, the answer 40 seems like a ‘NG’. However, in the last paragraph, the writer gives his own comment that he is not agree with the idea that government should be responsible for promoting happiness, which is just what the question 40 claims. That’s why the answer 40 is a ‘N’ not a ‘NG’, cuz it contradicts the claims of the writer.

How the answer of 35 is yes? AND does it has mentioned that discussing relationship between psychology and economics is the strenght part of The happiness industry?

Thanks a lot.This was helpful

Good day! I always use your system to check my mistakes. The system is perfectly organised. Please, can you give me some advice about reading? I do most of the reading practices but the score is always the same 5.5 or 6.

Hello, I think you can register for some 1-to-1 classes with me. Here, I can help you solve your problems directly. If that sounds good, let me know. Here’s my email: [email protected]

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Many thanks.

Could you explain why the answer for 36 question isn’t No. Could you explain why the answer for 36 isn’t No

because there did not mentioned about emotions, only emphasized pleasure and displeasure

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book review reading answers

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Book Review: IELTS Reading Answers

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IELTS Academic Test – Passage 12: Book Review reading with answers explanation, location and pdf. This IELTS reading paragraph has been taken from our huge collection of Academic & General Training (GT) Reading practice test PDFs.

Book Review reading answers pdf

Book Review

The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being

– By William Davies

‘Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters we can give no further external reason. It just obviously does matter.’ This pronouncement by Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of ‘positive psychology’, summarises the beliefs of many people today. For Layard and others like him, it is obvious that the purpose of government is to promote a state of collective well-being. The only question is how to achieve it, and here positive psychology – a supposed science that not only identifies what makes people happy but also allows their happiness to be measured – can show the way. Equipped with this science, they say, governments can secure happiness in society in a way they never could in the past.

It is an astonishingly crude and simple-minded way of thinking, and for that very reason increasingly popular. Those who think in this way are oblivious to the vast philosophical literature in which the meaning and value of happiness have been explored and questioned, and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention. It was the philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) who was more than anyone else responsible for the development of this way of thinking. For Bentham it was obvious that the human good consists of pleasure and the absence of pain. The Greek philosopher Aristotle may have identified happiness with self-realisation in the 4th century BC, and thinkers throughout the ages may have struggled to reconcile the pursuit of happiness with other human values, but for Bentham all this was mere metaphysics or fiction. Without knowing anything much of him or the school of moral theory he established – since they are by education and intellectual conviction illiterate in the history of ideas – our advocates of positive psychology follow in his tracks in rejecting as outmoded and irrelevant pretty much the entirety of ethical reflection on human happiness to date.

But as William Davies notes in his recent book  The Happiness Industry , the view that happiness is the only self-evident good is actually a way of limiting moral inquiry. One of the virtues of this rich, lucid and arresting book is that it places the current cult of happiness in a well-defined historical framework. Rightly, Davies his story with Bentham, noting that he was far more than a philosopher. Davies writes, ‘Bentham’s activities were those which we might now associate with a public sector management consultant’. In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes’, and to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes. He drew up plans for a ‘frigidarium’ to keep provisions such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh. His celebrated design for a prison to be known as a ‘Panopticon’, in which prisoners would be kept in solitary confinement while being visible at all times to the guards, was very nearly adopted. (Surprisingly, Davies does not discuss the fact that Bentham meant his Panopticon not just as a model prison but also as an instrument of control that could be applied to schools and factories.)

Bentham was also a pioneer of the ‘science of happiness’. If happiness is to be regarded as a science, it has to be measured, and Bentham suggested two ways in which this might be done. Viewing happiness as a complex of pleasurable sensations, he suggested that it might be quantified by measuring the human pulse rate. Alternatively, money could be used as the standard for quantification: if two different goods have the same price, it can be claimed that they produce the same quantity of pleasure in the consumer. Bentham was more attracted by the latter measure. By associating money so closely to inner experience, Davies writes, Bentham ‘set the stage for the entangling of psychological research and capitalism that would shape the business practices of the twentieth century’.

The Happiness Industry  describes how the project of a science of happiness has become integral to capitalism. We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies. In addition, Davies shows how the belief that inner of pleasure and displeasure can be objectively measured has informed management studies and advertising. The tendency of thinkers such as J B Watson, the founder of behaviourism*, was that human beings could be shaped, or manipulated, by policymakers and managers. Watson had no factual basis for his view of human action. When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1915, he ‘had never even studied a single human being’: his research had been confined to experiments on white rats. Yet Watson’s reductive model is now widely applied, with ‘behaviour change’ becoming the goal of governments: in Britain, a ‘Behaviour Insights Team’ has been established by the government to study how people can be encouraged, at minimum cost to the public purse, to live in what are considered to be socially desirable ways.

Modern industrial societies appear to need the possibility of ever-increasing happiness to motivate them in their labours. But whatever its intellectual pedigree, the idea that governments should be responsible for promoting happiness is always a threat to human freedom.

———————– * ‘behaviourism’: a branch of psychology which is concerned with observable behaviour

Questions 27-29

Choose the correct letter,  A ,  B ,  C  or  D .

Write the correct letter in boxes  27-29  on your answer sheet.

27.   What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?

A )   They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.

B )   They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

C )   They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.

D )   They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

28.   The reviewer refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in order to suggest that happiness

A )   may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.

B )   should not be the main goal of humans.

C )   is not something that should be fought for.

D )   is not just an abstract concept.

29.   According to Davies, Bentham’s suggestion for linking the price of goods to happiness was significant because

A )   it was the first successful way of assessing happiness.

B )   it established a connection between work and psychology.

C )   it was the first successful example of psychological research.

D )   it involved consideration of the rights of consumers.

Questions 30-34

Complete the summary using the list of words  A-G  below.

Write the correct letter,  A-G , in boxes  30-34  on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve  30 ……………………… for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase  31 ………………………… and also designed a method for the  32  …………………………. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the  33 …………………………. of prisoners at al times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its  34 ……………………….., and suggested some methods of doing this.

A    measurement B    security C    implementation D    profits E    observation F    communication G    preservation

Questions 35-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes  35-40  on your answer sheet, write

YES                   if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO                    if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35 .   One strength of  The Happiness Industry  is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

36 .   It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

37 .   Watson’s ideas on behaviourism were supported by research on humans he carried out before 1915.

38 .   Watson’s ideas have been most influential on governments outside America.

39 .   The need for happiness is linked to industrialisation.

40 .   A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population.

________________

1) IELTS 13 READING PASSAGE – HOW BABY TALK BOOST INFANT BRAINS ↗

2) IELTS 13 READING PASSAGE – HARAPPAN CIVILISATION ↗

3) IELTS 13 READING PASSAGE – CUTTY SARK: THE FASTEST SAILING SHIP ↗

4) IELTS 13 READING PASSAGE – SAVING THE SOIL ↗

5) IELTS 13 READING PASSAGE – THE COCONUT PALM ↗

Book Review Answers

Check out Book Review reading answers below with explanations and locations given in the text.

36. NOT GIVEN

38. NOT GIVEN

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Good afternoon, I’d like a copy of the “Book Review” pdf. And if possible material related to writing book reviews. Thank you so very much, Teacher Gis

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Book Review - IELTS Reading Answers

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Table of Contents

Book review - ielts reading passage, book review - question and answers.

The "Book Review" passage of the IELTS reading section includes a reading passage related to task 2 with three distinct question types, appropriate answers, and explanations. By utilising this practice exam, you can evaluate your performance, correct your mistakes, and devise a plan to complete the reading test in the allocated time. So, let’s begin with the blog!

The reading test has 60 minutes to finish. To complete the 1–14 questions in this section, allow yourself 20 minutes. Before answering the questions, thoroughly read the passage. Book Review IELTS reading answers are provided for you to compare with your responses and assess your performance.

Book Review

The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being By William Davies

Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of "positive psychology," has summarised the ideologies and faith of various people nowadays in his proclamation that "happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters, we can give no further external reason. It is just evident that it matters." For Layard and others like him, the goal of government is to foster an environment of shared prosperity. The only issue is how to attain it, and here positive psychology—a purported science that not only detects what makes individuals happy but also lets their happiness be quantified - may indicate the way. With the guidance of this study, governments, as per theorists, are currently more capable than ever before of ensuring harmony in society.

It is an incredibly primitive and simplistic style of thinking, yet it is rising in popularity due to this. The huge philosophical literature that has studied and challenged the meaning and worth of happiness is neglected by those who embrace this mind-set, and they write as if no significant ideas had been studied on the subject prior to their realisation. The emergence of this method of thinking was due in large part to the work of philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832). For Bentham, it was apparent that happiness and the lack of misery constitute the human good. In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle connected happiness with self-realisation, and scholars throughout the years attempted to combine the goal of happiness with other human virtues, although all of this was just metaphysics or fiction to Bentham. Modern proponents of positive psychology follow in his footsteps, condemning as obsolete and unnecessary almost the entire ethical reflection on human pleasure to date, despite knowing nothing about him or the school of moral theory he founded—as they are ignorant in the history of ideas due to education and philosophical conviction. 

However, as William Davies points out in his new book, The Happiness Industry, assuming that happiness is the prime self-evident good restricts moral analysis. This rich, clear, and compelling book's ability to contextualise the modern cult of happiness inside a precisely defined historical context is one of its many merits. Davies was correct in his assessment of Bentham, recognising that he was significantly more than just a philosopher. According to Davies, Bentham engaged in activities that modern-day management consultants serving the public sector may partake in. In the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes." To preserve food like meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, he designed a "frigidarium." His renowned plan for a jail known as a "Panopticon," in which inmates would be confined in solitary while always being monitored by the guards, came extremely close to being implemented. (Interestingly, Davies does not address the fact that Bentham envisioned his Panopticon to serve as a model for both a jail and a control mechanism that could be utilised in both schools and factories.)

Also read: What is the IELTS Vocabulary?

Bentham also established the "science of happiness." If happiness is to be considered a science, then it must be quantified. Bentham presented two methods for measuring happiness. He proposed that pleasure might be measured by taking the average heart rate of a person and seeing happiness as a complex of pleasant emotions. As an alternative, the value of money might be used as the criterion for quantification: if the cost of two distinct products is the same, it can be stated that both give the customer the same amount of happiness. The latter attribute grabbed Bentham's eye more. According to Davies, Bentham "established the foundation for the combination of psychological study and capitalism, which would influence the activities of the twentieth century," by associating money so intimately with inner experience.

In the book The Happiness Industry, it is explained how the pursuit of a science of pleasure has merged with business. We learn a lot of interesting information on the redefining and treatment of economic concerns as psychological conditions. Additionally, Davies demonstrates how management studies and advertising have been influenced by the idea that inner joy and dissatisfaction can be assessed objectively. The inclination of philosophers like J. B. Watson, the pioneer of behaviourism*, was that managers and politicians could mould or influence people. Watson's theories on human nature were not backed by any facts. He had only conducted studies on white rats when he was appointed president of the American Psychological Association in 1915. He had "never really examined a fellow human being." The government in Britain has founded a "Behaviour Insights Team" to research how individuals might be motivated to live in ways that are thought to be socially desirable while incurring the lowest expenses to the public purse. However, Watson's reductive model has already been extensively adopted.

To keep people motivated in their work, modern industrial nations seem to require the potential for ever-increasing happiness. But regardless of its conceptual heritage, the theory that authorities ought to be in charge of fostering happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom.

* behaviourism: a field of psychology in which focus is on observable behaviour

Also checkout: 15 Best IELTS Preparation books in 2024

Questions 1-3

Choose the correct letter, A,B,C or D.

Write the correct letter in the boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.

1. The critic mentions the Greek philosopher Aristotle, to state that happiness ______.

Is not something that should be fought for.

May not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.

Is not just an abstract concept.

Should not be the main goal of humans.

2. In Davies' opinion, the suggestion that was given by Bentham’s to link the prices to happiness was remarkable because _____.

It established a connection between work and psychology.

It involved consideration of the rights of consumers.

It was the first successful way of assessing happiness.

It was the first successful example of psychological research.

3. What is the reviewer’s opinion on the proponents of positive psychology?

They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.

They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.

They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

Answer 1: B

Explanation 1: According to the 2nd paragraph, 6th line, For Bentham, it was apparent that happiness and the lack of misery constitute the human good. In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle connected happiness……….. This was just metaphysics or fiction to Bentham. These lines discuss Bentham's belief that happiness is solely about pleasure and lacks pain. On the other hand, Aristotle held the opposite view, contending that happiness is more complex than mere contentment and absence of suffering. Thus, the correct option is B.

Answer 2: A

Explanation 2: In the 5th line of the 4th paragraph, the beliefs put forward by Jeremy Bentham are described by author Davies. There was also a link made between the costs and happiness. He clarifies Bentham's theory, according to which "the joy received from both of them would be equal if the price of two items is the same." He says that Bentham was the first to establish the link between psychology and business. Thus, the response is yes. 

Answer 3: C

Explanation 3: In the 1st line of the 2nd paragraph, they have clarified that this specific concept of happiness was quite well-known despite being incredibly basic and impolite. It is further said that these proponents frequently exhibit obliviousness, which is the tendency to reject the research's explanation of the literal meaning and worth of happiness before they even acknowledge the concept.

Also read: Preface to how the other half thinks - IELTS Reading Answers

Questions 4-8

Complete the summary using the list of words A-G below.

Write the correct letter, A-G, in the boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve 4…………. for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase 5…………. and also designed a method for the 6……….. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the 7…………. of prisoners at all times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its 8………… and suggested some methods of doing this.

communication

preservation

implementation

measurement

observation

Answer 4: B

Explanation 4: In the 8th line of the 3rd paragraph, in the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes." 

Answer 5: C 

Explanation 5: According to the 8th line of the 3rd paragraph, he suggested the Bank of England develop a printing press that could create unforgeable banknotes. In other words, since the notes wouldn't be copied, the security will be enhanced. Security is the solution as a result.

Answer 6: D 

Explanation 6: In the 12th line of the 3rd paragraph, “To preserve food like meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, he designed a "frigidarium." This statement suggests that he had prepared strategies and techniques for preserving perishable foods. Thus, option D—preservation—is the correct response.

Answer 7: G

Explanation 7: According to the 13th line of the 3rd paragraph, This line describes how Bentham designed a prison called ‘Panopticon’, a celebrated design. He had built it so the jailer could see the inmates from every angle when confined in a cell. Thus, option G, observation, is the correct response.

Answer 8: F

Explanation 8: In the 1st line, 4th paragraph, “Bentham also established the "science of happiness." If happiness is to be considered a science, then it must be quantified.” the author claims to be the father of the science of happiness and holds the view that anything that might be deemed scientific could potentially be measured. Therefore, F is the correct option.

Also read: Is passing the IELTS reading test too tough?

Questions 9-14

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the Reading Passage?

In the boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the write thinks about this

9. Industrialisation is connected to the requirement of happiness.

10. Prior to 1915, Watson conducted study on people that supported his theories of behaviourism.

11. Government’s main objective should be to increase the population’s happiness.

12. The Happiness Industry’s strength is the discussion of the connection between psychology and commerce.

13. The theories by Watson had immense influence on the governments outside America.

14. Certain emotions are more challenging to measure than others.

Answer 9: Yes

Explanation 9: According to the 1st line, 6th paragraph, “To keep people motivated in their work, modern industrial nations seem to require the potential for ever-increasing happiness.” It is said that happiness is necessary to inspire employees, and it is related to the business sector. The answer is true since the statement and the passage's line are consistent.

Answer 10: No

Explanation 10: According to the 5th paragraph, 8th line, “Watson's theories on human nature were not backed by any facts. He had only conducted studies on white rats when he was appointed president of the American Psychological Association in 1915.” All of the rats he experimented on were white. As a result, the assertion does not agree. So, the answer is no. 

Answer 11: No

Explanation 11: According to the 2nd line of the 6th paragraph, “But regardless of its conceptual heritage, the theory that authorities ought to be in charge of fostering happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom.” The author believes that people's freedom is in jeopardy if the government decides to enhance individuals' happiness. He disagrees with the notion that it should be the goal of the state.

Answer 12: Yes

Explanation 12: In the 1st line of the 5th paragraph, “In the book The Happiness Industry, it is explained how the pursuit of a science of pleasure has merged with business. We learn a lot of interesting information on the redefining and treatment of economic concerns as psychological conditions.” The assertion is consistent with the scripture. Therefore, the answer is yes. 

Answer 13: Not Given

Explanation 13:  The passage's 5th paragraph explains how the governments adopted many of Watson's concepts in an effort to effect "behaviour change." It does not mention their influence or that only governments outside of America have accepted it, though.

Answer 14: Not Given 

Explanation 14: In Paragraph 5th, the topic of measuring emotions is brought up, but no details are given about how or even where different emotions should be measured. As a result, no response is provided.

Also Check: What's the right study plan for IELTS preparation?

In conclusion, we would like to say that consistent practice with various reading passage types can improve your comprehension of the text's actual content and quicken your reading pace, which will improve your exam results.

If you want to get further details on how to prepare for IELTS or, particularly, the IELTS Reading section, you can contact the Prepare IELTS exam (PI) expert counsellors for additional guidance. Our team of education experts is dedicated to providing you with the best test material and guidance to ace the IELTS exam . You can get a one-on-one counselling session and an IELTS online practice test via our platform. Contact us at [email protected] or call us at +91 9773398388 for further queries.

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‘Book Review’- Reading Answer Explanation- CAM- 13

book review reading answers

Here are explanations of the Questions of passage named ‘Book Review’, which is from the Cambridge 13 book. The Questions that have been asked are ‘MCQs’, Blanks and Yes/No/Not Given. You will find the locations of the Reading Answers, Keywords( highlighted and underlined ) and justifications.

READING PASSAGE 3: Book Review

Questions 27-29

Choose the correct letter,  A ,  B ,  C  or  D .

Write the correct letter in boxes  27-29  on your answer sheet.

27    What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?

A    They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.

B    They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

C    They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.

D    They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

Location: 2 nd paragraph

Explanation: Though the main keyword ‘positive psychology’ is there in the first line of the paragraph. But the reference of attitudes to advocates is there in the second paragraph. ‘and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention.’ and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention. Here, ‘nothing of any importance’ means they are ignorant.

28    The reviewer refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in order to suggest that happiness

A    may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.

B    should not be the main goal of humans.

C    is not something that should be fought for.

D    is not just an abstract concept.

Explanation: The main keyword ‘Greek philosopher’’ helps to locate the answer in the 5 th line of the paragraph. ‘For Bentham it was obvious that the human good consists of pleasure and the absence of pain. The Greek philosopher Aristotle may have identified happiness with self-realisation…’Here, Aristotle believe that happiness may be identified by self-realisation. Thus, this makes an answer very clear.

29    According to Davies, Bentham’s suggestion for linking the price of goods to happiness was significant because

A    it was the first successful way of assessing happiness.

B    it established a connection between work and psychology.

C    it was the first successful example of psychological research.

D    it involved consideration of the rights of consumers.

Location: 5 th paragraph

Explanation: The main keyword ‘Davies, Bentham’s’ helps to locate the answer in the last line of the paragraph. ‘. By associating money so closely to inner experience, Davies writes, Bentham ‘set the stage for the entangling of psychological research and capitalism that would shape the business practices of the twentieth century’. Here, ‘money’ was associated with ‘work’. Thus, this established a connection between work and energy.

Questions 30-34

Complete the summary using the list of words  A-G  below.

Write the correct letter,  A-G , in boxes  30-34  on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1790s he suggested a type of technology to improve  30 ……………………… for different Government departments.

Location: 3 rd paragraph

Explanation: The main keyword ‘1790s’ helps to locate the answer in the last line of the paragraph. ‘. In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes…’Here, ‘linked together’ means communication was set through conversation tubes.

He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase  31 …………………………

Explanation: The main keyword ‘banknotes’ helps to locate the answer in the middle line of the paragraph. ‘to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes…’Thus, the answer is ‘security’

and also designed a method for the  32  …………………………. of food.

Explanation: The location of the answer is in the last third line of the paragraph. ‘He drew up plans for a ‘frigidarium’ to keep provisions such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh…’Here, this line indicates that this method was designed for preservation of food. Thus, the answer is G.

He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the  33 …………………………. of prisoners at all times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well.

Explanation: The answer to this question is in the second last line of the paragraph. ‘His celebrated design for a prison to be known as a ‘Panopticon’, in which prisoners would be kept in solitary confinement while being visible at all times to the guards…’Here, ‘while being visible’ means ‘observation’ Thus, the answer is E.

When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its  34 ……………………….., and suggested some methods of doing this.

Location: 4 th paragraph

Explanation: The location of the answer is in the second line of the paragraph. ‘. If happiness is to be regarded as a science, it has to be measured, and Bentham suggested two ways…’Thus, some methods were suggested for measurement.

A    measurement B    security C    implementation D    profits E    observation F    communication G    preservation

Questions 35-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes  35-40  on your answer sheet, write

YES                   if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO                    if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35    One strength of  The Happiness Industry   is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

Explanation: The main keyword ‘The Happiness Industry’ helps to locate the answer in the second line of the paragraph. ‘We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies’ .Thus, the question statement is same as the passage statement.

Answer: Yes

36    It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

Explanation: The location of the answer is in the third line of the paragraph. ‘In addition, Davies shows how the belief that inner of pleasure and displeasure can be objectively…’Here, pleasure and displeasure are emotions. But there is no information related to difficulty of measuring emotions. Thus, no information available.

Answer: Not Given

37    Watson’s ideas on behaviourism were supported by research on humans he carried out before 1915.

Explanation: The main keyword ‘1915’ helps to locate the answer in the seventh line of the paragraph. ‘in 1915, he ‘had never even studied a single human being’: his research had been confined to experiments on white rats…’Here, the writer says, his experiments were on rats not on humans. Hence, the answer is clear.

38    Watson’s ideas have been most influential on governments outside America.

Explanation: The main keyword ‘Watson ideas’ of the question is in the second last line of the paragraph. But  there is no information about the impact of Watson ideas on government outside the USA.  Thus, no information available.

39    The need for happiness is linked to  industrialization.

Location: 6 th paragraph

Explanation: The location of the answer is in the first line of the paragraph. ‘Modern industrial societies appear to need the possibility of ever-increasing happiness to motivate them in their labours…’Thus, this statement is same as the passage statement.

40    A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population.

Explanation: The answer to this question is in the last line of the paragraph. ‘the idea that governments should be responsible for promoting happiness is always a threat to human freedom…’Here, this was just an idea not an aim.Hence, the answer is No.

‘Saving the Soil’- Reading Answer Explanation – CAM- 13

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Book Review Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

Updated on Mar 08, 2024, 06:58

Welcome to this  IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test for Book Review Reading Answers. In this test, you can practice your reading skills and test your comprehension abilities through a book review passage.   

The test will include a set of three types of questions: multiple-choice, summary completion, and yes/no/not given. You will have 18-20 minutes to answer questions based on the passage and receive general instructions before beginning the test.

On this page

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1. Book Review Reading Passage

You should spend approximately 20 minutes answering  Questions 1 - 14  based on the Reading Passage below.

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2. Book Review Reading Questions and Answers

Discover exciting and informative IELTS reading answers about Book Review.

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Book Review Reading Passage

  • You will have 60 minutes to complete the entire reading test.
  • The test consists of three reading passages with a total of 40 questions.
  • The texts may be taken from books, magazines, journals, or newspapers.
  • You will receive an answer sheet and should write your answers on it.
  • The questions will be in different formats, such as multiple-choice, matching, sentence completion, and summary completion.
  • The reading passages will increase in difficulty as you progress through the test.
  • You cannot bring any electronic devices, including mobile phones, into the test room.

Book Review

The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being By William Davies  

Paragraph 1

Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of "positive psychology," has summarised the ideologies and faith of various people nowadays in his proclamation that "happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters, we can give no further external reason. It is just evident that it matters." For Layard and others like him, the goal of government is to foster an environment of shared prosperity. The only issue is how to attain it, and here, positive psychology—a purported science that not only detects what makes individuals happy but also lets their happiness be quantified—may indicate the way. With the guidance of this study, governments, as per theorists, are currently more capable than ever before of ensuring harmony in society.  

Paragraph 2

It is an incredibly primitive and simplistic style of thinking, yet it is rising in popularity due to this. The huge philosophical literature that has studied and challenged the meaning and worth of happiness is neglected by those who embrace this mindset, and they write as if no significant ideas had been studied on the subject prior to their realisation. The emergence of this method of thinking was due in large part to the work of philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832). For Bentham, it was apparent that happiness and the lack of misery constitute the human good. In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle connected happiness with self-realisation, and scholars throughout the years attempted to combine the goal of happiness with other human virtues, although all of this was just metaphysics or fiction to Bentham. Modern proponents of positive psychology follow in his footsteps, condemning as obsolete and unnecessary almost the entire ethical reflection on human pleasure to date, despite knowing nothing about him or the school of moral theory he founded—as they are ignorant in the history of ideas due to education and philosophical conviction.   

Paragraph 3

However, as William Davies points out in his new book, The Happiness Industry, assuming that happiness is the prime self-evident good restricts moral analysis. This rich, clear, and compelling book's ability to contextualise the modern cult of happiness inside a precisely defined historical context is one of its many merits. Davies was correct in his assessment of Bentham, recognising that he was significantly more than just a philosopher. According to Davies, Bentham engaged in activities that modern-day management consultants serving the public sector may partake in. In the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes." To preserve food like meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, he designed a "frigidarium." His renowned plan for a jail known as a "Panopticon," in which inmates would be confined in solitary while always being monitored by the guards, came extremely close to being implemented. (Interestingly, Davies does not address the fact that Bentham envisioned his Panopticon to serve as a model for both a jail and a control mechanism that could be utilised in both schools and factories.)  

Paragraph 4

Bentham also established the "science of happiness." If happiness is to be considered a science, then it must be quantified. Bentham presented two methods for measuring happiness. He proposed that pleasure might be measured by taking the average heart rate of a person and seeing happiness as a complex of pleasant emotions. As an alternative, the value of money might be used as the criterion for quantification. If the cost of two distinct products is the same, it can be stated that both give the customer the same amount of happiness. The latter attribute grabbed Bentham's eye more. According to Davies, Bentham "established the foundation for the combination of psychological study and capitalism, which would influence the activities of the twentieth century" by associating money so intimately with inner experience.  

Paragraph 5

In the book The Happiness Industry, it is explained how the pursuit of a science of pleasure has merged with business. We learn a lot of interesting information on the redefining and treatment of economic concerns as psychological conditions. Additionally, Davies demonstrates how management studies and advertising have been influenced by the idea that inner joy and dissatisfaction can be assessed objectively. The inclination of philosophers like J. B. Watson, the pioneer of behaviourism*, was that managers and politicians could mould or influence people. Watson's theories on human nature were not backed by any facts. He had only conducted studies on white rats when he was appointed president of the American Psychological Association in 1915. He had "never really examined a fellow human being." The government in Britain has founded a "Behaviour Insights Team" to research how individuals might be motivated to live in ways that are thought to be socially desirable while incurring the lowest expenses to the public purse. However, Watson's reductive model has already been extensively adopted.  

Paragraph 6

To keep people motivated in their work, modern industrial nations seem to require the potential for ever-increasing happiness. But regardless of its conceptual heritage, the theory that authorities ought to be in charge of fostering happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom.

* behaviourism: a field of psychology in which the focus is on observable behaviour

Book Review Reading Questions and Answers

Questions and answers 1-3.

  • Choose the correct letter A, B, C, or D.
  • Write the correct letter in the boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet

1. The critic mentions the Greek philosopher Aristotle to state that happiness ______.

  • is not something that should be fought for.
  • may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.
  • is not just an abstract concept.
  • should not be the main goal of humans.

2. In Davies' opinion, the suggestion that was given by Bentham’s to link the prices to happiness was remarkable because _____.

  • It established a connection between work and psychology.
  • It involved consideration of the rights of consumers.
  • It was the first successful way of assessing happiness.
  • It was the first successful example of psychological research.  

3. What is the reviewer’s opinion on the proponents of positive psychology?

  • They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.
  • They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.
  • They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.
  • They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

Book Review Reading Answers with Explanations

Type of questions: Multiple Choice Questions (one answer)  

This is the typical MCQ type. You just need to select one answer out of the 4 options.

  • Multiple Choice Questions (one answer)
  • You just need to select one answer out of the 4 options.

How to best answer the questions  

  • Skim through the questions and identify the keywords
  • Use the elimination method and recognise options that include inaccurate or false information as per the given passage 
  • Match each option with the passage and choose an answer most accurately supported by the information in the passage. 
  • Cross-check your answers and finalise them

From paragraph 2:  ‘In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle connected happiness with self-realisation, and scholars throughout the years attempted to combine the goal of happiness with other human virtues, although all of this was just metaphysics or fiction to Bentham.’  

Explanation:

According to the paragraph, Aristotle and Bentham had different views on happiness. Aristotle believed that happiness couldn't be reduced to just pleasure and the absence of misery, while Bentham thought that happiness was simply the absence of pain and the presence of pleasure. It's fascinating to see how different philosophers have defined happiness throughout history.

From paragraph 4:  ‘If the cost of two distinct products is the same, it can be stated that both give the customer the same amount of happiness.’  

Explanation

As per the reference, Davies describes Bentham's theory that happiness should be quantified and connected to business and psychology. Bentham believed that if two items had the same price, the happiness received from both would be equal. Bentham's ideas paved the way for modern-day management consultants, as he engaged in activities similar to theirs, such as designing a system of "conversation tubes" and a printing machine for unforgeable banknotes.

From paragraph 2:  ‘It is an incredibly primitive and simplistic style of thinking, yet it is rising in popularity due to this.’  

 As explained by the paragraph, the idea of happiness had been very simple and surprisingly unpleasant, yet it was quite famous. Moreover, it is argued that these advocates are unaware of the real meaning and value of happiness explained by research before their acceptance.

Questions and Answers 4-8

  • Complete the summary using the list of words A-G below.
  • Write the correct letter, A-G , in the boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve 4…………. for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase 5…………. and also designed a method for the 6……….. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the 7…………. of prisoners at all times and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its 8………… and suggested some methods of doing this.  

  • communication
  • preservation
  • implementation
  • measurement
  • observation
  • Summary Completion (selecting from a list of words or phrases)
  • Go through the summary, focusing on the missing information
  • Identify keywords that can help you find answers
  • Use a method of elimination while going through the list of words/phrases 
  • Review and finalise your answers

From paragraph 3:  ‘ In the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes."’  

According to the passage it is stated that Bentham suggested a system of "conversation tubes" to interlink the government's various departments and enhance communication between them. This was one of his many innovative ideas that aimed to improve the efficiency of government operations.  

From paragraph 3:  ‘In the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes."’

As per the passage, Bentham proposed a design for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes for the Bank of England, which would increase security as the notes could not be duplicated.

From paragraph 3:  ‘His renowned plan for a jail known as a "Panopticon," in which inmates would be confined in solitary while always being monitored by the guards, came extremely close to being implemented.’  

Bentham's celebrated design for a prison, known as the 'Panopticon,' allowed for constant surveillance of prisoners. The design ensured that inmates were confined in cells that could be viewed from all sides by the jailer, making it an innovative and effective approach to prison management.

From paragraph 4:  ‘Bentham also established the "science of happiness." If happiness is to be considered a science, then it must be quantified.’  

Bentham is credited with establishing the "science of happiness," he believed that if happiness was considered a science, it must be quantifiable. This shows his vision and forward-thinking approach to happiness as a measurable concept.  

Also Read:   IELTS Reading Tips & Tricks

Questions and Answers 9-14

  • YES if the statement agrees with the information
  • NO if the statement contradicts the information
  • NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

9. Industrialisation is connected to the requirement of happiness.  

10. Prior to 1915, Watson conducted study on people that supported his theories of behaviourism.  

11. Government’s main objective should be to increase the population’s happiness.  

12. The Happiness Industry’s strength is the discussion of the connection between psychology and commerce.  

13. The theories by Watson had immense influence on the governments outside America.  

14. Certain emotions are more challenging to measure than others.

Book Review Reading Answers with E xplanations

  • Identifying Information or True/False/Not Given

How to best answer the question  

  • Read the given question statements carefully and note down the keywords
  • With the help of the keywords, locate them in the passage, which will help you decide whether the given statement is  yes or  no . 
  • Your answer will not be given if the information is not in the passage .

From paragraph 6:  ‘To keep people motivated in their work, modern industrial nations seem to require the potential for ever-increasing happiness.’  

It is mentioned in the book review that modern industrial nations require the potential for ever-increasing happiness to keep people motivated in their work. The need for happiness is also linked to the corporate world as it is necessary to motivate the workers. Therefore, the answer is  yes . 

From paragraph 5:  ‘He had only conducted studies on white rats when he was appointed president of the American Psychological Association in 1915.’  

As per the given statement, Watson's theories on human nature lacked factual evidence. When he was appointed as the president of the American Psychological Association in 1915, he had only conducted studies on white rats. Therefore, the answer is  no .

From paragraph 6:  ‘But regardless of its conceptual heritage, the theory that authorities ought to be in charge of fostering happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom.’  

The answer is  no  because the author of this text is advocating against the idea of the government being responsible for promoting happiness among its citizens. The author believes that this approach could potentially harm people's freedom and, therefore, should be avoided. The author seems to suggest that this idea is risky and should not be pursued.

From paragraph 5:  ‘In the book The Happiness Industry, it is explained how the pursuit of a science of pleasure has merged with business.’  

The author agrees with the idea presented in the book "The Happiness Industry" that the pursuit of science to increase pleasure and happiness has merged with business, and economic issues have been redefined as psychological problems and treated as such. Therefore, the answer is  yes .

From paragraphs 1 to 6:  ‘Richard Layard, an economist and advocate…….. happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom.’

The answer is  not given  because there is no information in the passage that theories of Watson had an influence outside of America. Instead, his ideas regarding behaviour change were applied by the American government. So, the concept of behaviour change remains an important consideration in many different fields today.

The passage does not provide specific information on the measurement of a variety of emotions or how they should be measured. Though there is little information regarding the measurement of emotions in paragraph 5, it does not go into detail on the methodology or tools used for this measurement. Hence, the answer is  not given .

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Q. What are some common mistakes to avoid in the IELTS Reading test?

A. Common mistakes to avoid in the IELTS Reading test are spending too much time on a single question, not reading instructions carefully, focusing on details, not skimming the passage first, not using context clues, not checking answers, and trying to memorize the passage.

Q. How can I improve my reading speed for the IELTS Reading test?

A.  To improve your reading speed for the IELTS Reading test, practice regularly, skim and scan, focus on main ideas, predict answers, increase vocabulary, read regularly, use a timer, take breaks, and avoid reading when tired.

Q. What are some effective reading strategies for the IELTS Reading test?

A. Effective reading strategies for the IELTS Reading test include skimming and scanning, previewing questions, highlighting keywords, reading actively, managing time, staying focused, using context clues, avoiding overthinking, and checking answers.

Q. Can I use a highlighter or take notes during the IELTS Reading test?

A. For the paper-based IELTS Reading test, you can use a pencil to take notes and underline important information in the passage. You are not allowed to use a highlighter, pen or any other type of writing instrument. For the computer-based IELTS Reading test, you can use the highlighter and note-taking feature on the computer to take notes and highlight important information. 

Q. How can I manage my time effectively during the IELTS Reading test?

A. To manage your time effectively during the IELTS Reading test, pace yourself, preview the questions, skim and scan, manage difficult questions, avoid overthinking, and check your answers. Remember to take breaks during the test and avoid rushing through the questions. Practice these strategies before the test to get a hold of managing your time accordingly.

Q. What are some good sources for practice materials for the IELTS Reading test?

A. Good sources for IELTS Reading practice materials include official IELTS practice materials, Cambridge IELTS books, online courses, IELTS preparation books, and IELTS preparation websites. Practice regularly with materials that suit your level.

Q. What are the criteria for determining the IELTS Reading score?

A. The IELTS Reading test is scored on a scale of 0-9 based on four criteria: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Each criterion is given a band score from 0-9, and the scores are averaged to give an overall score. The overall score is then rounded up or down to the nearest 0.5.

Q. Are spelling mistakes penalised for the IELTS Reading test?

A. Spelling mistakes are penalised in the IELTS Reading test. If you spell a word incorrectly, you will lose marks for that question, even if your answer is otherwise correct. Therefore, it is important to double-check your spelling before moving on to the next question. If you are unsure of the spelling of a word, try to write it in a way that looks correct or use synonyms to avoid spelling errors.

Q. Is grammar necessary for the IELTS Reading test?

A. While the IELTS Reading test primarily assesses your reading comprehension skills, grammar is still an important aspect of the test. The test assesses your ability to understand and use grammar structures in context, as well as your ability to communicate effectively in writing. In addition, the Grammatical Range and Accuracy criterion is one of the four criteria used to determine your overall score in the IELTS Reading test.

Q. Can I retake the IELTS Reading test alone?

A. No, you cannot retake the IELTS Reading test alone. The IELTS test assesses all four language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking), and you must take all four tests together. If you want to retake the Reading test, you will need to retake the entire IELTS test. It is important to note that your scores are valid for two years from the date of your test, and you cannot choose to retake only one section of the test to improve your score.

Q. What are good tips/practices for IELTS Reading preparation?

A. Good tips for IELTS Reading preparation include familiarising yourself with the test format, reading widely, practicing regularly, using a timer, building vocabulary, taking notes, reviewing grammar rules, focusing on main ideas, and double-checking your answers.

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READING PASSAGE 1

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

Cutty Sark: the fastest sailing ship of all time

The nineteenth century was a period of great technological development in Britain, and for shipping the major changes were from wind to steam power, and from wood to iron and steel.

The fastest commercial sailing vessels of all time were clippers, three-masted ships built to transport goods around the world, although some also took passengers. From the 1840s until 1869, when the Suez Canal opened and steam propulsion was replacing sail, clippers dominated world trade. Although many were built, only one has survived more or less intact: Cutty Sark , now on display in Greenwich, southeast London.

Cutty Sark ’s unusual name comes from the poem Tam O’Shanter by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Tam, a farmer, is chased by a witch called Nannie, who is wearing a ‘ cutty sark ’ – an old Scottish name for a short nightdress. The witch is depicted in Cutty Sark ’s figurehead – the carving of a woman typically at the front of old sailing ships. In legend, and in Burns’s poem, witches cannot cross water, so this was a rather strange choice of name for a ship.

Cutty Sark was built in Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1869, for a shipping company owned by John Willis. To carry out construction, Willis chose a new shipbuilding firm, Scott & Linton, and ensured that the contrast with them put him in a very strong position. In the end, the firm was forced out of business, and the ship was finished by a competitor.

Willis’s company was active in the tea trade between China and Britain, where speed could bring shipowners both profits and prestige, so Cutty Sark was designed to make the journey more quickly than any other ship. On her maiden voyage, in 1870, she set sail from London, carrying large amounts of goods to China. She returned laden with tea, making the journey back to London in four months. However, Cutty Sark never lived up to the high expectations of her owner, as a result of bad winds and various misfortunes. On one occasion, in 1872, the ship and a rival clipper, Thermopylae , left port in China on the same day. Crossing the Indian Ocean, Cutty Sark gained a lead of over 400 miles, but then her rudder was severely damaged in stormy seas, making her impossible to steer. The ship’s crew had the daunting task of repairing the rudder at sea, and only succeeded at the second attempt. Cutty Sark reached London a week after Thermopylae.

Steam ships posed a growing threat to clippers, as their speed and cargo capacity increased. In addition, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the same year that Cutty Sark was launched, had a serious impact. While steam ships could make use of the quick, direct route between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the canal was of no use to sailing ships, which needed the much stronger winds of the oceans, and so had to sail a far greater distance. Steam ships reduced the journey time between Britain and China by approximately two months.

By 1878, tea traders weren’t interested in Cutty Sark , and instead, she took on the much less prestigious work of carrying any cargo between any two ports in the world. In 1880, violence aboard the ship led ultimately to the replacement of the captain with an incompetent drunkard who stole the crew’s wages. He was suspended from service, and a new captain appointed. This marked a turnaround and the beginning of the most successful period in Cutty Sark ’s working life, transporting wool from Australia to Britain. One such journey took just under 12 weeks, beating every other ship sailing that year by around a month.

The ship’s next captain, Richard Woodget, was an excellent navigator, who got the best out of both his ship and his crew. As a sailing ship, Cutty Sark depended on the strong trade winds of the southern hemisphere, and Woodget took her further south than any previous captain, bringing her dangerously close to icebergs off the southern tip of South America. His gamble paid off, though, and the ship was the fastest vessel in the wool trade for ten years.

As competition from steam ships increased in the 1890s, and Cutty Sark approached the end of her life expectancy, she became less profitable. She was sold to a Portuguese firm, which renamed her Ferreira. For the next 25 years, she again carried miscellaneous cargoes around the world.

Badly damaged in a gale in 1922, she was put into Falmouth harbor in southwest England, for repairs. Wilfred Dowman, a retired sea captain who owned a training vessel, recognised her and tried to buy her, but without success. She returned to Portugal and was sold to another Portuguese company. Dowman was determined, however, and offered a high price: this was accepted, and the ship returned to Falmouth the following year and had her original name restored.

Dowman used Cutty Sark as a training ship, and she continued in this role after his death. When she was no longer required, in 1954, she was transferred to dry dock at Greenwich to go on public display. The ship suffered from fire in 2007, and again, less seriously, in 2014, but now Cutty Sark attracts a quarter of a million visitors a year.

Questions 1-8

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-8 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

1    Clippers were originally intended to be used as passenger ships.

2    Cutty Sark was given the name of a character in a poem.

3    The contract between John Willis and Scott & Linton favoured Willis.

4    John Willis wanted Cutty Sark to be the fastest tea clipper travelling between the UK and China.

5    Despite storm damage, Cutty Sark beat Thermopylae back to London.

6    The opening of the Suez Canal meant that steam ships could travel between Britain and China faster than clippers.

7    Steam ships sometimes used the ocean route to travel between London and China.

8    Captain Woodget put Cutty Sark at risk of hitting an iceberg.

Questions 9-13

Complete the sentences below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

9    After 1880, Cutty Sark carried ………………………… as its main cargo during its most successful time.

10    As a captain and …………………………., Woodget was very skilled.

11    Ferreira went to Falmouth to repair damage that a …………………………. had caused.

12    Between 1923 and 1954, Cutty Sark was used for …………………………..

13    Cutty Sark has twice been damaged by ………………………… in the 21st century.

READING PASSAGE 2

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

SAVING THE SOIL

More than a third of the Earth’s top layer is at risk. Is there hope for our planet’s most precious resource?

More than a third of the world’s soil is endangered, according to a recent UN report. If we don’t slow the decline, all farmable soil could be gone in 60 years. Since soil grows 95% of our food, and sustains human life in other more surprising ways, that is a huge problem.

Peter Groffman, from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York, points out that soil scientists have been warning about the degradation of the world’s soil for decades. At the same time, our understanding of its importance to humans has grown. A single gram of healthy soil might contain 100 million bacteria, as well as other microorganisms such as viruses and fungi, living amid decomposing plants and various minerals.

That means soils do not just grow our food, but are the source of nearly all our existing antibiotics, and could be our best hope in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Soil is also an ally against climate change: as microorganisms within soil digest dead animals and plants, they lock in their carbon content, holding three times the amount of carbon as does the entire atmosphere. Soils also store water, preventing flood damage: in the UK, damage to buildings, roads and bridges from floods caused by soil degradation costs £233 million every year.

If the soil loses its ability to perform these functions, the human race could be in big trouble. The danger is not that the soil will disappear completely, but that the microorganisms that give it its special properties will be lost. And once this has happened, it may take the soil thousands of years to recover.

Agriculture is by far the biggest problem. In the wild, when plants grow they remove nutrients from the soil, but then when the plants die and decay these nutrients are returned directly to the soil. Humans tend not to return unused parts of harvested crops directly to the soil to enrich it, meaning that the soil gradually becomes less fertile. In the past we developed strategies to get around the problem, such as regularly varying the types of crops grown, or leaving fields uncultivated for a season.

But these practices became inconvenient as populations grew and agriculture had to be run on more commercial lines. A solution came in the early 20 th century with the Haber-Bosch process for manufacturing ammonium nitrate. Farmers have been putting this synthetic fertiliser on their fields ever since.

But over the past few decades, it has become clear this wasn’t such a bright idea. Chemical fertilisers can release polluting nitrous oxide into the atmosphere and excess is often washed away with the rain, releasing nitrogen into rivers. More recently, we have found that indiscriminate use of fertilisers hurts the soil itself, turning it acidic and salty, and degrading the soil they are supposed to nourish.

One of the people looking for a solution to his problem is Pius Floris, who started out running a tree-care business in the Netherlands, and now advises some of the world’s top soil scientists. He came to realise that the best way to ensure his trees flourished was to take care of the soil, and has developed a cocktail of beneficial bacteria, fungi and humus* to do this. Researchers at the University of Valladolid in Spain recently used this cocktail on soils destroyed by years of fertiliser overuse. When they applied Floris’s mix to the desert-like test plots, a good crop of plants emerged that were not just healthy at the surface, but had roots strong enough to pierce dirt as hard as rock. The few plants that grew in the control plots, fed with traditional fertilisers, were small and weak

However, measures like this are not enough to solve the global soil degradation problem. To assess our options on a global scale we first need an accurate picture of what types of soil are out there, and the problems they face. That’s not easy. For one thing, there is no agreed international system for classifying soil. In an attempt to unify the different approaches, the UN has created the Global Soil Map project. Researchers from nine countries are working together to create a map linked to a database that can be fed measurements from field surveys, drone surveys, satellite imagery, lad analyses and so on to provide real-time data on the state of the soil. Within the next four years, they aim to have mapped soils worldwide to a depth of 100 metres, with the results freely accessible to all.

But this is only a first step. We need ways of presenting the problem that bring it home to governments and the wider public, says Pamela Chasek at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, in Winnipeg, Canada. ‘Most scientists don’t speak language that policy-makers can understand, and vice versa.’ Chasek and her colleagues have proposed a goal of ‘zero net land degradation’. Like the idea of carbon neutrality, it is an easily understood target that can help shape expectations and encourage action.

For soils on the brink, that may be too late. Several researchers are agitating for the immediate creation of protected zones for endangered soils. One difficulty here is defining what these areas should conserve: areas where the greatest soil diversity is present? Or areas of unspoilt soils that could act as a future benchmark of quality?

Whatever we do, if we want our soils to survive, we need to take action now.

Questions 14-17

Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

Why soil degradation could be a disaster for humans

Healthy soil contains a large variety of bacteria and other microorganisms, as well as plant remains and 14 ……………………….. It provides us with food and also with antibiotics, and its function in storing 15 …………………………. has a significant effect on the climate. In addition, it prevents damage to property and infrastructure because it holds 16 ……………………………

If these microorganisms are lost, soil may lose its special properties. The main factor contributing to soil degradation is the 17 ………………………….. carried out by humans.

Questions 18-21

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F , below. Write the correct letter, A-F , in boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet.

18    Nutrients contained in the unused parts of harvested crops

19    Synthetic fertilisers produced with Haber-Bosch process

20    Addition of a mixture developed by Pius Floris to the soil

21   The idea of zero net soil degradation

A    may improve the number and quality of plants growing there.

B    may contain data from up to nine countries.

C    may not be put back into the soil.

D    may help governments to be more aware of soil-related issues.

E    may cause damage to different aspects of the environment.

F    may be better for use at a global level.

Questions 22-26

Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G .

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-G , in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.

NB   You may use any letter more than once.

22    a reference to one person’s motivation for a soil-improvement project

23    an explanation of how soil stayed healthy before the development of farming

24    examples of different ways of collecting information on soil degradation

25    a suggestion for a way of keeping some types of soil safe in the near future

26    a reason why it is difficult to provide an overview of soil degradation

READING PASSAGE 3

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

Book Review

The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being

By William Davies

‘Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters we can give no further external reason. It just obviously does matter.’ This pronouncement by Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of ‘positive psychology’, summarises the beliefs of many people today. For Layard and others like him, it is obvious that the purpose of government is to promote a state of collective well-being. The only question is how to achieve it, and here positive psychology – a supposed science that not only identifies what makes people happy but also allows their happiness to be measured – can show the way. Equipped with this science, they say, governments can secure happiness in society in a way they never could in the past.

It is an astonishingly crude and simple-minded way of thinking, and for that very reason increasingly popular. Those who think in this way are oblivious to the vast philosophical literature in which the meaning and value of happiness have been explored and questioned, and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention. It was the philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) who was more than anyone else responsible for the development of this way of thinking. For Bentham it was obvious that the human good consists of pleasure and the absence of pain. The Greek philosopher Aristotle may have identified happiness with self-realisation in the 4th century BC, and thinkers throughout the ages may have struggled to reconcile the pursuit of happiness with other human values, but for Bentham all this was mere metaphysics or fiction. Without knowing anything much of him or the school of moral theory he established – since they are by education and intellectual conviction illiterate in the history of ideas – our advocates of positive psychology follow in his tracks in rejecting as outmoded and irrelevant pretty much the entirety of ethical reflection on human happiness to date.

But as William Davies notes in his recent book The Happiness Industry , the view that happiness is the only self-evident good is actually a way of limiting moral inquiry. One of the virtues of this rich, lucid and arresting book is that it places the current cult of happiness in a well-defined historical framework. Rightly, Davies his story with Bentham, noting that he was far more than a philosopher. Davies writes, ‘Bentham’s activities were those which we might now associate with a public sector management consultant’. In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes’, and to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes. He drew up plans for a ‘frigidarium’ to keep provisions such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh. His celebrated design for a prison to be known as a ‘Panopticon’, in which prisoners would be kept in solitary confinement while being visible at all times to the guards, was very nearly adopted. (Surprisingly, Davies does not discuss the fact that Bentham meant his Panopticon not just as a model prison but also as an instrument of control that could be applied to schools and factories.)

Bentham was also a pioneer of the ‘science of happiness’. If happiness is to be regarded as a science, it has to be measured, and Bentham suggested two ways in which this might be done. Viewing happiness as a complex of pleasurable sensations, he suggested that it might be quantified by measuring the human pulse rate. Alternatively, money could be used as the standard for quantification: if two different goods have the same price, it can be claimed that they produce the same quantity of pleasure in the consumer. Bentham was more attracted by the latter measure. By associating money so closely to inner experience, Davies writes, Bentham ‘set the stage for the entangling of psychological research and capitalism that would shape the business practices of the twentieth century’.

The Happiness Industry describes how the project of a science of happiness has become integral to capitalism. We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies. In addition, Davies shows how the belief that inner of pleasure and displeasure can be objectively measured has informed management studies and advertising. The tendency of thinkers such as J B Watson, the founder of behaviourism*, was that human beings could be shaped, or manipulated, by policymakers and managers. Watson had no factual basis for his view of human action. When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1915, he ‘had never even studied a single human being’: his research had been confined to experiments on white rats. Yet Watson’s reductive model is now widely applied, with ‘behaviour change’ becoming the goal of governments: in Britain, a ‘Behaviour Insights Team’ has been established by the government to study how people can be encouraged, at minimum cost to the public purse, to live in what are considered to be socially desirable ways.

Modern industrial societies appear to need the possibility of ever-increasing happiness to motivate them in their labours. But whatever its intellectual pedigree, the idea that governments should be responsible for promoting happiness is always a threat to human freedom.

———————– * ‘behaviourism’: a branch of psychology which is concerned with observable behaviour

Questions 27-29

Choose the correct letter, A , B , C or D .

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.

27    What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?

A    They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.

B    They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

C    They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.

D    They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

28    The reviewer refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in order to suggest that happiness

A    may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.

B    should not be the main goal of humans.

C    is not something that should be fought for.

D    is not just an abstract concept.

29    According to Davies, Bentham’s suggestion for linking the price of goods to happiness was significant because

A    it was the first successful way of assessing happiness.

B    it established a connection between work and psychology.

C    it was the first successful example of psychological research.

D    it involved consideration of the rights of consumers.

Questions 30-34

Complete the summary using the list of words A-G below.

Write the correct letter, A-G , in boxes 30-34 on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve 30 ……………………… for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase 31 ………………………… and also designed a method for the 32 …………………………. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the 33 …………………………. of prisoners at al times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its 34 ……………………….., and suggested some methods of doing this.

A    measurement B    security C    implementation D    profits E    observation F    communication G    preservation

Questions 35-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet, write

YES                   if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO                   if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35    One strength of The Happiness Industry is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

36    It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

37    Watson’s ideas on behaviourism were supported by research on humans he carried out before 1915.

38    Watson’s ideas have been most influential on governments outside America.

39    The need for happiness is linked to industrialisation.

40    A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population.

Cam 13 Reading Test 03

Cam 14 reading test 01, answer cam 13 reading test 04.

7. NOT GIVEN

10. navigator

12. training

14. minerals

17. agriculture

36. NOT GIVEN

38. NOT GIVEN

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Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Reading Test 4 with Answers

Cambridge ielts 13 academic reading test 4.

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

Cutty Sark:   the fastest sailing ship of all time

The nineteenth century was a period of great technological development in Britain, and for shipping the major changes were from wind to steam power, and from wood to iron and steel.

The fastest commercial sailing vessels of all time were clippers, three-masted ships built to transport goods around the world, although some also took passengers. From the 1840s until 1869, when the Suez Canal opened and steam propulsion was replacing sail, clippers dominated world trade. Although many were built, only one has survived more or less intact:  Cutty Sark , now on display in Greenwich, southeast London.

Cutty Sark ’s unusual name comes from the poem  Tam O’Shanter  by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Tam, a farmer, is chased by a witch called Nannie, who is wearing a ‘ cutty sark ’ – an old Scottish name for a short nightdress. The witch is depicted in  Cutty Sark ’s figurehead – the carving of a woman typically at the front of old sailing ships. In legend, and in Burns’s poem, witches cannot cross water, so this was a rather strange choice of name for a ship.

Cutty Sark  was built in Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1869, for a shipping company owned by John Willis. To carry out construction, Willis chose a new shipbuilding firm, Scott & Linton, and ensured that the contrast with them put him in a very strong position. In the end, the firm was forced out of business, and the ship was finished by a competitor.

Willis’s company was active in the tea trade between China and Britain, where speed could bring shipowners both profits and prestige, so  Cutty Sark  was designed to make the journey more quickly than any other ship. On her maiden voyage, in 1870, she set sail from London, carrying large amounts of goods to China. She returned laden with tea, making the journey back to London in four months. However,  Cutty Sark  never lived up to the high expectations of her owner, as a result of bad winds and various misfortunes. On one occasion, in 1872, the ship and a rival clipper,  Thermopylae , left port in China on the same day. Crossing the Indian Ocean,  Cutty Sark  gained a lead of over 400 miles, but then her rudder was severely damaged in stormy seas, making her impossible to steer. The ship’s crew had the daunting task of repairing the rudder at sea, and only succeeded at the second attempt.  Cutty Sark  reached London a week after  Thermopylae.

Steam ships posed a growing threat to clippers, as their speed and cargo capacity increased. In addition, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the same year that  Cutty Sark  was launched, had a serious impact. While steam ships could make use of the quick, direct route between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the canal was of no use to sailing ships, which needed the much stronger winds of the oceans, and so had to sail a far greater distance. Steam ships reduced the journey time between Britain and China by approximately two months.

By 1878, tea traders weren’t interested in  Cutty Sark , and instead, she took on the much less prestigious work of carrying any cargo between any two ports in the world. In 1880, violence aboard the ship led ultimately to the replacement of the captain with an incompetent drunkard who stole the crew’s wages. He was suspended from service, and a new captain appointed. This marked a turnaround and the beginning of the most successful period in  Cutty Sark ’s working life, transporting wool from Australia to Britain. One such journey took just under 12 weeks, beating every other ship sailing that year by around a month.

The ship’s next captain, Richard Woodget, was an excellent navigator, who got the best out of both his ship and his crew. As a sailing ship,  Cutty Sark  depended on the strong trade winds of the southern hemisphere, and Woodget took her further south than any previous captain, bringing her dangerously close to icebergs off the southern tip of South America. His gamble paid off, though, and the ship was the fastest vessel in the wool trade for ten years.

As competition from steam ships increased in the 1890s, and  Cutty Sark  approached the end of her life expectancy, she became less profitable. She was sold to a Portuguese firm, which renamed her  Ferreira.  For the next 25 years, she again carried miscellaneous cargoes around the world.

Badly damaged in a gale in 1922, she was put into Falmouth harbor in southwest England, for repairs. Wilfred Dowman, a retired sea captain who owned a training vessel, recognised her and tried to buy her, but without success. She returned to Portugal and was sold to another Portuguese company. Dowman was determined, however, and offered a high price: this was accepted, and the ship returned to Falmouth the following year and had her original name restored.

Dowman used  Cutty Sark  as a training ship, and she continued in this role after his death. When she was no longer required, in 1954, she was transferred to dry dock at Greenwich to go on public display. The ship suffered from fire in 2007, and again, less seriously, in 2014, but now  Cutty Sark  attracts a quarter of a million visitors a year.

Questions 1-8

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes  1-8  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

1    Clippers were originally intended to be used as passenger ships.

2     Cutty Sark  was given the name of a character in a poem.

3    The contract between John Willis and Scott & Linton favoured Willis.

4    John Willis wanted  Cutty Sark  to be the fastest tea clipper travelling between the UK and China.

5    Despite storm damage,  Cutty Sark  beat  Thermopylae  back to London.

6    The opening of the Suez Canal meant that steam ships could travel between Britain and China faster than clippers.

7    Steam ships sometimes used the ocean route to travel between London and China.

8    Captain Woodget put  Cutty Sark  at risk of hitting an iceberg.

Questions 9-13

Complete the sentences below.

Choose  ONE WORD ONLY  from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes  9-13  on your answer sheet.

9    After 1880,  Cutty Sark  carried ………………………… as its main cargo during its most successful time.

10    As a captain and …………………………., Woodget was very skilled.

11     Ferreira  went to Falmouth to repair damage that a …………………………. had caused.

12    Between 1923 and 1954,  Cutty Sark  was used for …………………………..

13     Cutty Sark  has twice been damaged by ………………………… in the 21st century.

READING PASSAGE 2

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

SAVING THE SOIL

More than a third of the Earth’s top layer is at risk. Is there hope for our planet’s most precious resource?

More than a third of the world’s soil is endangered, according to a recent UN report. If we don’t slow the decline, all farmable soil could be gone in 60 years. Since soil grows 95% of our food, and sustains human life in other more surprising ways, that is a huge problem.

Peter Groffman, from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York, points out that soil scientists have been warning about the degradation of the world’s soil for decades. At the same time, our understanding of its importance to humans has grown. A single gram of healthy soil might contain 100 million bacteria, as well as other microorganisms such as viruses and fungi, living amid decomposing plants and various minerals.

That means soils do not just grow our food, but are the source of nearly all our existing antibiotics, and could be our best hope in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Soil is also an ally against climate change: as microorganisms within soil digest dead animals and plants, they lock in their carbon content, holding three times the amount of carbon as does the entire atmosphere. Soils also store water, preventing flood damage: in the UK, damage to buildings, roads and bridges from floods caused by soil degradation costs £233 million every year.

If the soil loses its ability to perform these functions, the human race could be in big trouble. The danger is not that the soil will disappear completely, but that the microorganisms that give it its special properties will be lost. And once this has happened, it may take the soil thousands of years to recover.

Agriculture is by far the biggest problem. In the wild, when plants grow they remove nutrients from the soil, but then when the plants die and decay these nutrients are returned directly to the soil. Humans tend not to return unused parts of harvested crops directly to the soil to enrich it, meaning that the soil gradually becomes less fertile. In the past we developed strategies to get around the problem, such as regularly varying the types of crops grown, or leaving fields uncultivated for a season.

But these practices became inconvenient as populations grew and agriculture had to be run on more commercial lines. A solution came in the early 20 th  century with the Haber-Bosch process for manufacturing ammonium nitrate. Farmers have been putting this synthetic fertiliser on their fields ever since.

But over the past few decades, it has become clear this wasn’t such a bright idea. Chemical fertilisers can release polluting nitrous oxide into the atmosphere and excess is often washed away with the rain, releasing nitrogen into rivers. More recently, we have found that indiscriminate use of fertilisers hurts the soil itself, turning it acidic and salty, and degrading the soil they are supposed to nourish.

One of the people looking for a solution to his problem is Pius Floris, who started out running a tree-care business in the Netherlands, and now advises some of the world’s top soil scientists. He came to realise that the best way to ensure his trees flourished was to take care of the soil, and has developed a cocktail of beneficial bacteria, fungi and humus* to do this. Researchers at the University of Valladolid in Spain recently used this cocktail on soils destroyed by years of fertiliser overuse. When they applied Floris’s mix to the desert-like test plots, a good crop of plants emerged that were not just healthy at the surface, but had roots strong enough to pierce dirt as hard as rock. The few plants that grew in the control plots, fed with traditional fertilisers, were small and weak

However, measures like this are not enough to solve the global soil degradation problem. To assess our options on a global scale we first need an accurate picture of what types of soil are out there, and the problems they face. That’s not easy. For one thing, there is no agreed international system for classifying soil. In an attempt to unify the different approaches, the UN has created the Global Soil Map project. Researchers from nine countries are working together to create a map linked to a database that can be fed measurements from field surveys, drone surveys, satellite imagery, lad analyses and so on to provide real-time data on the state of the soil. Within the next four years, they aim to have mapped soils worldwide to a depth of 100 metres, with the results freely accessible to all.

But this is only a first step. We need ways of presenting the problem that bring it home to governments and the wider public, says Pamela Chasek at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, in Winnipeg, Canada. ‘Most scientists don’t speak language that policy-makers can understand, and vice versa.’ Chasek and her colleagues have proposed a goal of ‘zero net land degradation’. Like the idea of carbon neutrality, it is an easily understood target that can help shape expectations and encourage action.

For soils on the brink, that may be too late. Several researchers are agitating for the immediate creation of protected zones for endangered soils. One difficulty here is defining what these areas should conserve: areas where the greatest soil diversity is present? Or areas of unspoilt soils that could act as a future benchmark of quality?

Whatever we do, if we want our soils to survive, we need to take action now.

Questions 14-17

Complete the summary below. Write  ONE WORD ONLY  from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes  14-17  on your answer sheet.

Why soil degradation could be a disaster for humans

Healthy soil contains a large variety of bacteria and other microorganisms, as well as plant remains and  14  ……………………….. It provides us with food and also with antibiotics, and its function in storing  15  …………………………. has a significant effect on the climate. In addition, it prevents damage to property and infrastructure because it holds  16 ……………………………

If these microorganisms are lost, soil may lose its special properties. The main factor contributing to soil degradation is the  17 ………………………….. carried out by humans.

Questions 18-21

Complete each sentence with the correct ending,  A-F , below. Write the correct letter,  A-F , in boxes  18-21  on your answer sheet.

18    Nutrients contained in the unused parts of harvested crops

19    Synthetic fertilisers produced with Haber-Bosch process

20    Addition of a mixture developed by Pius Floris to the soil

21    The idea of zero net soil degradation

A    may improve the number and quality of plants growing there.

B    may contain data from up to nine countries.

C    may not be put back into the soil.

D    may help governments to be more aware of soil-related issues.

E    may cause damage to different aspects of the environment.

F    may be better for use at a global level.

Questions 22-26

Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs,  A-G .

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter,  A-G , in boxes  22-26  on your answer sheet.

NB    You may use any letter more than once.

22    a reference to one person’s motivation for a soil-improvement project

23    an explanation of how soil stayed healthy before the development of farming

24    examples of different ways of collecting information on soil degradation

25    a suggestion for a way of keeping some types of soil safe in the near future

26    a reason why it is difficult to provide an overview of soil degradation

READING PASSAGE 3

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

Book Review

The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being

By William Davies

‘Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters we can give no further external reason. It just obviously does matter.’ This pronouncement by Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of ‘positive psychology’, summarizes the beliefs of many people today. For Layard and others like him, it is obvious that the purpose of government is to promote a state of collective well-being. The only question is how to achieve it, and here positive psychology – a supposed science that not only identifies what makes people happy but also allows their happiness to be measured – can show the way. Equipped with this science, they say, governments can secure happiness in society in a way they never could in the past.

It is an astonishingly crude and simple-minded way of thinking, and for that very reason increasingly popular. Those who think in this way are oblivious to the vast philosophical literature in which the meaning and value of happiness have been explored and questioned, and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention. It was the philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) who was more than anyone else responsible for the development of this way of thinking. For Bentham it was obvious that the human good consists of pleasure and the absence of pain. The Greek philosopher Aristotle may have identified happiness with self-realisation in the 4th century BC, and thinkers throughout the ages may have struggled to reconcile the pursuit of happiness with other human values, but for Bentham all this was mere metaphysics or fiction. Without knowing anything much of him or the school of moral theory he established – since they are by education and intellectual conviction illiterate in the history of ideas – our advocates of positive psychology follow in his tracks in rejecting as outmoded and irrelevant pretty much the entirety of ethical reflection on human happiness to date.

But as William Davies notes in his recent book  The Happiness Industry , the view that happiness is the only self-evident good is actually a way of limiting moral inquiry. One of the virtues of this rich, lucid and arresting book is that it places the current cult of happiness in a well-defined historical framework. Rightly, Davies his story with Bentham, noting that he was far more than a philosopher. Davies writes, ‘Bentham’s activities were those which we might now associate with a public sector management consultant’. In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes’, and to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes. He drew up plans for a ‘frigidarium’ to keep provisions such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh. His celebrated design for a prison to be known as a ‘Panopticon’, in which prisoners would be kept in solitary confinement while being visible at all times to the guards, was very nearly adopted. (Surprisingly, Davies does not discuss the fact that Bentham meant his Panopticon not just as a model prison but also as an instrument of control that could be applied to schools and factories.)

Bentham was also a pioneer of the ‘science of happiness’. If happiness is to be regarded as a science, it has to be measured, and Bentham suggested two ways in which this might be done. Viewing happiness as a complex of pleasurable sensations, he suggested that it might be quantified by measuring the human pulse rate. Alternatively, money could be used as the standard for quantification: if two different goods have the same price, it can be claimed that they produce the same quantity of pleasure in the consumer. Bentham was more attracted by the latter measure. By associating money so closely to inner experience, Davies writes, Bentham ‘set the stage for the entangling of psychological research and capitalism that would shape the business practices of the twentieth century’.

The Happiness Industry  describes how the project of a science of happiness has become integral to capitalism. We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies. In addition, Davies shows how the belief that inner of pleasure and displeasure can be objectively measured has informed management studies and advertising. The tendency of thinkers such as J B Watson, the founder of behaviorism*, was that human beings could be shaped, or manipulated, by policymakers and managers. Watson had no factual basis for his view of human action. When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1915, he ‘had never even studied a single human being’: his research had been confined to experiments on white rats. Yet Watson’s reductive model is now widely applied, with ‘behavior change’ becoming the goal of governments: in Britain, a ‘Behaviour Insights Team’ has been established by the government to study how people can be encouraged, at minimum cost to the public purse, to live in what are considered to be socially desirable ways.

Modern industrial societies appear to need the possibility of ever-increasing happiness to motivate them in their labours. But whatever its intellectual pedigree, the idea that governments should be responsible for promoting happiness is always a threat to human freedom.

———————– * ‘behaviorism’: a branch of psychology which is concerned with observable behaviour

Questions 27-29

Choose the correct letter,  A ,  B ,  C  or  D .

Write the correct letter in boxes  27-29  on your answer sheet.

27    What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?

A    They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham. B    They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories. C    They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness. D    They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

28    The reviewer refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in order to suggest that happiness

A    may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain. B    should not be the main goal of humans. C    is not something that should be fought for. D    is not just an abstract concept.

29    According to Davies, Bentham’s suggestion for linking the price of goods to happiness was significant because

A    it was the first successful way of assessing happiness. B    it established a connection between work and psychology. C    it was the first successful example of psychological research. D    it involved consideration of the rights of consumers.

Questions 30-34

Complete the summary using the list of words  A-G  below.

Write the correct letter,  A-G , in boxes  30-34  on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve  30 ……………………… for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase  31 ………………………… and also designed a method for the  32  …………………………. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the  33 …………………………. of prisoners at al times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its  34 ……………………….., and suggested some methods of doing this.

A    measurement B    security C    implementation D    profits E    observation F    communication G    preservation

Questions 35-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes  35-40  on your answer sheet, write

YES                   if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer NO                    if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35    One strength of  The Happiness Industry  is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

36    It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

37   Watson’s ideas on behaviorism were supported by research on humans he carried out before 1915.

38    Watson’s ideas have been most influential on governments outside America.

39   The need for happiness is linked to industrialization.

40    A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population.

Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Reading Test 4 Answers

1. FALSE 2. FALSE 3. TRUE 4. TRUE 5. FALSE 6. TRUE 7. NOT GIVEN 8. TRUE 9. wool 10. navigator 11. gale 12. training 13. fire 14. minerals 15. carbon 16. water 17. agriculture 18. C 19. E 20. A 21. D 22. E 23. C 24. F 25. G 26. F 27. D 28. A 29. B 30. F 31. B 32. G 33. E 34. A 35. YES 36. NOT GIVEN 37. NO 38. NOT GIVEN 39. YES 40. NO

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Crafting an Insightful Book Review: IELTS Reading Passage With Questions & Answers

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Updated on 09 February, 2024

upGrad Abroad Team

upGrad Abroad Team

Upgrad abroad editorial team.

upGrad Abroad Team

Introduction:

Book reviews are an essential component of literary criticism, offering readers a nuanced perspective on a text's content, style, and impact. For IELTS aspirants, understanding how to dissect a book review is crucial, as it tests one's ability to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate complex written material. The following passage is designed to simulate the IELTS reading test, providing insight into the structure and elements of a book review.

Table of Contents

Answers with explanations:, ielts reading exam tips:, download e-books for ielts preparation.

When delving into 'The Labyrinth of Solitude' by Octavio Paz, one must prepare to navigate through the intricate corridors of Mexican identity. Paz's seminal work is not merely a book but a journey into the soul of a nation. The author weaves historical, psychological, and philosophical threads to create a tapestry that portrays Mexico's quest for identity.

The narrative begins with an exploration of the Mexican psyche, dissecting the influence of the Spanish conquest and the subsequent periods of political upheaval. Paz argues that these events have left an indelible mark on the collective Mexican consciousness, leading to a sense of solitude that permeates the nation's culture.

As the reader progresses through the chapters, they encounter a profound analysis of traditions such as the Day of the Dead. Paz uses these cultural phenomena to illustrate the dichotomy between Mexican intimacy with death and their celebration of life.

The eloquence of Paz's prose is matched by his deep understanding of Mexican history and culture. He does not shy away from critiquing the aspects that have hindered Mexico's development, such as the tendency towards authoritarianism and the challenges of modernization.

In concluding, 'The Labyrinth of Solitude' stands as a monumental work that challenges the reader to consider the complexities of Mexican culture. It is a book that invites introspection and provides a reflective mirror for Mexico and, by extension, the world.

Q1. What is the primary focus of 'The Labyrinth of Solitude' by Octavio Paz?

A. The history of the Spanish conquest

B. Mexican food and cuisine

C. The search for Mexican identity

D. Modernization of Mexican cities

Q2. Which cultural event does Paz analyze to discuss the Mexican approach to life and death?

A. The Day of the Dead

B. The Festival of Lights

C. Christmas

D. The Running of the Bulls

Q3. According to the passage, how does Paz view the events that have shaped Mexican culture?

A. As unimportant

B. As solely positive

C. As detrimental to progress

D. As leaving a deep impact

Q4. Fill in the blank: Octavio Paz uses ________ phenomena to highlight the contrasts in Mexican culture.

A. culinary

B. cultural

D. political

Q5. True or False: The author of the passage believes that Octavio Paz has a superficial understanding of Mexican history.

Q6. Which aspect of Mexican culture is critiqued by Paz in the book?

A. The vibrant street art

B. The authoritarian tendencies

C. The popular music industry

D. The fashion and textile design

Q7. The passage describes 'The Labyrinth of Solitude' as which of the following?

A. A journey

B. A short story

D. An essay

Q8. Fill in the blank: Paz's prose is described as being both eloquent and ________.

B. insightful

C. simplistic

D. humorous

Q9. True or False: The book review suggests that 'The Labyrinth of Solitude' is an easy read with a light-hearted tone.

Q10. What does the passage imply about the book's impact on readers?

A. It is forgettable

B. It encourages introspection

C. It is primarily entertaining

D. It is outdated

A1. C. The search for Mexican identity

Explanation: The passage emphasizes that Paz's work explores the depths of Mexican identity, influenced by historical and cultural events.

A2. A. The Day of the Dead

Explanation: The review specifically mentions the Day of the Dead as an example Paz uses to discuss life and death in Mexican culture.

A3. D. As leaving a deep impact

Explanation: Paz views the events like the Spanish conquest as leaving an indelible mark on the Mexican psyche, contributing to a national sense of solitude.

A4. B. cultural

Explanation: The passage refers to cultural phenomena, particularly the Day of the Dead, to illustrate the dichotomy in Mexican culture.

A5. B. False

Explanation: The passage commends Paz's deep understanding of Mexican history and culture, contrary to the idea of it being superficial.

A6. B. The authoritarian tendencies

Explanation: Paz critiques certain aspects of Mexican culture, including authoritarianism, which hinders the country's development.

A7. A. A journey

Explanation: The book is metaphorically described as a journey into the soul of Mexico, rather than a literal journey, which aligns more with a novel or a story.

A8. B. insightful

Explanation: Alongside being eloquent, the passage praises Paz's prose for its deep insights into Mexican history and culture.

A9. B. False

Explanation: The passage describes the work as monumental, challenging, and reflective, indicating a complex and serious tone rather than light-hearted.

A10. B. It encourages introspection

Explanation: The review concludes by saying the book invites introspection and acts as a reflective mirror, suggesting its profound impact on readers.

Tip 1: Focus on Keywords

When reading passages, identify and underline keywords or phrases that capture the main ideas or themes.

Tip 2: Understand the Question Types

Familiarize yourself with different types of questions (e.g., multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks) and practice them regularly.

Tip 3: Don't Overlook Context

Pay attention to the context surrounding fill-in-the-blank spaces or the statements for true/false questions, as it can influence the answer.

Tip 4: Practice Skimming and Scanning

Develop the ability to quickly skim for general understanding and scan for specific information.

Tip 5: Manage Your Time

Allocate time for each question and passage. Practice pacing yourself to ensure you have enough time to read and review your answers.

IELTS IDIOMS GUIDE

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ielts-material

Book Review on Musicophilia IELTS Reading Answers

Nehasri Ravishenbagam

14 min read

Updated On Oct 31, 2023

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Book Review on Musicophilia IELTS Reading Answers

Recent IELTS Reading Test with Answers - Free PDF

Book Review on Musicophilia is a reading passage that appeared in the recent IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. The  Reading Module of the IELTS can be the top-scoring category with diligent practice. To achieve the best results in this section, you must understand how to approach and answer the different Question types in the Reading Module.

This page contains – Book Review on Musicophilia IELTS reading answers and its passage for you to practice. If you want more passages to solve, try taking one of our  IELTS reading practice tests.

The question types found in this passage are:

  • Multiple Choice Question   (Q. 1-4)
  • True/False/Not Given   (Q. 5-10)
  • Matching Sentence Endings   (Q. 11-14)

Want to boost your IELTS Reading score? Check out the video below!

Reading Passage 1

Book review on musicophilia.

Norman M. Weinberger reviews the latest work of Oliver Sacks on music.

A   Music and the brain are both endlessly fascinating subjects, and as a neuroscientist specialising in auditory learning and memory, I find them especially intriguing. So I had high expectations of Musicophilia, the latest offering from neurologist and prolific author Oliver Sacks. And I confess to feeling a little guilty reporting that my reactions to the book are mixed.

B   Sacks himself is the best part of Musicophilia. He richly documents his own life in the book and reveals highly personal experiences. The photograph of him on the cover of the book-which shows him wearing headphones, eyes closed, clearly enchanted as he listens to Alfred Brendel perform Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata-makes a positive impression that is borne out by the contents of the book. Sacks’ voice throughout is steady and erudite but never pontifical. He is neither self-conscious nor self-promoting.

C   The preface gives a good idea of what the book will deliver. In it, Sacks explains that he wants to convey the insights gleaned from the “enormous and rapidly growing body of work on the neural underpinnings of musical perception and imagery, and the complex and often bizarre disorders to which these are prone.” He also stresses the importance of “the simple art of observation” and “the richness of the human context.” He wants to combine “observation and description with the latest in technology,” he says, and to imaginatively enter into the experience of his patients and subjects. The reader can see that Sacks, who has been practicing neurology for 40 years, is torn between the “old-fashioned” path of observation and the new-fangled, high-tech approach: He knows that he needs to take heed of the latter, but his heart lies with the former.

D   The book consists mainly of detailed descriptions of cases, most of them involving patients whom Sacks has seen in his practice. Brief discussions of contemporary neuroscientific reports are sprinkled liberally throughout the text. Part, “Haunted by Music,” begins with the strange case of Tony Cicoria, a nonmusical, middle-aged surgeon who was consumed by a love of music after being hit by lightning. He suddenly began to crave listening to piano music, which he had never cared for in the past. He started to play the piano and then to compose music, which arose spontaneously in his mind in a “torrent” of notes. How could this happen? Was the cause psychological? (He had had a near-death experience when the lightning struck him.) Or was it the direct result of a change in the auditory regions of his cerebral cortex? Electroencephalography (EEG) showed his brain waves to be normal in the mid-1990s, just after his trauma and subsequent “conversion” to music. There are now more sensitive tests, but Cicoria has declined to undergo them; he does not want to delve into the causes of his musicality. What a shame!

E   Part II, “A Range of Musicality,” covers a wider variety of topics, but unfortunately, some of the chapters offer little or nothing that is new. For example, chapter 13, which is five pages long, merely notes that the blind often has better hearing than the sighted. The most interesting chapters are those that present the strangest cases. Chapter 8 is about “amusia,” an inability to hear sounds like music, and “dysharmonia,” a highly specific impairment of the ability to hear harmony, with the ability to understand melody left intact. Such specific “dissociations” are found throughout the cases Sacks recounts.

F   To Sacks’s credit, part III, “Memory, Movement and Music,” brings us into the underappreciated realm of music therapy. Chapter 16 explains how “melodic intonation therapy” is being used to help expressive aphasic patients (those unable to express their thoughts verbally following a stroke or other cerebral incident) once again become capable of fluent speech. In chapter 20, Sacks demonstrates the near-miraculous power of music to animate Parkinson’s patients and other people with severe movement disorders, even those who are frozen into odd postures. Scientists cannot yet explain how music achieves this effect

G   To readers who are unfamiliar with neuroscience and music behavior, Musicophilia may be something of a revelation. But the book will not satisfy those seeking the causes and implications of the phenomena Sacks describes. For one thing, Sacks appears to be more at ease discussing patients than discussing experiments. And he tends to be rather uncritical in accepting scientific findings and theories.

H   It’s true that the causes of music-brain oddities remain poorly understood. However, Sacks could have done more to draw out some of the implications of the careful observations that he and other neurologists have made and of the treatments that have been successful. For example, he might have noted that the many specific dissociations among components of music comprehension, such as loss of the ability to perceive harmony but not melody, indicate that there is no music center in the brain. Because many people who read the book are likely to believe in the brain localisation of all mental functions, this was a missed educational opportunity.

I   Another conclusion one could draw is that there seem to be no “cures” for neurological problems involving music. A drug can alleviate a symptom in one patient and aggravate it in another or can have both positive and negative effects in the same patient. Treatments mentioned seem to be almost exclusively antiepileptic medications, which “damp down” the excitability of the brain in general; their effectiveness varies widely.

J   Finally, in many of the cases described here the patient with music-brain symptoms is reported to have “normal” EEG results. Although Sacks recognises the existence of new technologies, among them far more sensitive ways to analyze brain waves than the standard neurological EEG test, he does not call for their use. In fact, although he exhibits the greatest compassion for patients, he conveys no sense of urgency about the pursuit of new avenues in the diagnosis and treatment of music-brain disorders. This absence echoes the book’s preface, in which Sacks expresses fear that “the simple art of observation may be lost” if we rely too much on new technologies. He does call for both approaches, though, and we can only hope that the neurological community will respond.

Book a FREE trial session   with our IELTS experts to learn more tips and techniques of IELTS Reading!

Questions 1-4

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

1 Why does the writer have a mixed feeling about the book?

A The guilty feeling made him so.

B The writer expected it to be better than it was.

C Sacks failed to include his personal stories in the book.

D This is the only book written by Sacks.

2 What is the best part of the book?

A the photo of Sacks listening to music

B the tone of voice of the book

C the autobiographical description in the book

D the description of Sacks’ wealth

3 In the preface, what did Sacks try to achieve?

A make a herald introduction of the research work and technique applied

B give a detailed description of various musical disorders

C explain why he needs to do away with the simple observation

D explain why he needs to do away with the simple observation

4 What is disappointing about Tony Cicoria’s case?

A He refuses to have further tests.

B He can’t determine the cause of his sudden musicality.

C He nearly died because of the lightning.

D His brain waves were too normal to show anything.

Questions 5-10

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the Reading Passage?

In boxes 5-10 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE  if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

FALSE  if the statement contradicts with the views of the writer

NOT GIVEN  if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

5 It is difficult to give a well-reputable writer a less than totally favorable review.

6 Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata is a good treatment for musical disorders.

7 Sacks believes technological methods are of little importance compared with traditional observation when studying his patients.

8  It is difficult to understand why music therapy is undervalued.

9  Sacks held little skepticism when borrowing other theories and findings in describing reasons and notions for phenomena he depicts in the book.

10  Sacks is in a rush to use new testing methods to do treatment for patients.

Questions 11-14

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.

11 The content covered dissociations in understanding between harmony and melody

12 The study of treating musical disorders

13 The EEG scans of Sacks’ patients

14 Sacks believes testing based on new technologies

A show no music-brain disorders.

B indicates that medication can have varied results.

C is key for the neurological community to unravel the mysteries.

D should not be used in isolation.

E indicate that not everyone can receive a good education.

F show a misconception that there is a function centre localized in the brain

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Answers of Book Review on Musicophilia Reading Answers With Explanation 

Read further for the explanation part of the reading answer.

1 Answer:  B

Question type:  Multiple Choice Question

Answer location:  Paragraph A, line 2-line 3

Answer explanation:  In the given location, it is given that  “ So I had high expectations of Musicophilia, the latest offering from neurologist and prolific author Oliver Sacks. And I confess to feeling a little guilty reporting that my reactions to the book are mixed. ” . These lines point out that the author finds himself guilty of having mixed feelings about the book while reporting as he had high expectations (expected it to be better than it was). Hence, the answer is B (The writer expected it to be better than it was.).

2 Answer:  C

Answer location:  Paragraph B, line 1-line 2

Answer explanation:  In the specified lines, it is given that  “ Sacks himself is the best part of Musicophilia. He richly documents his own life in the book and reveals highly personal experiences. ” . It proves that the best part of the book (Musicophilia) was the rich description of the author’s own life and personal experiences (autobiographical description). Hence, the answer is C (the autobiographical description in the book).

3 Answer:  A

Answer location:  Paragraph C, line 2 -line 3

Answer explanation:  In the mentioned lines, it is stated that  “ In it, Sacks explains that he wants to convey the insights gleaned …also stresses the importance of “the simple art of observation” and “the richness of the human context.” ” . It can be concluded that in the preface, Sacks had provided a detailed introduction of the research (insights) and the technique applied (simple art of observation and richness of human context). Hence, the answer is A (make a herald introduction of the research work and technique applied).

4 Answer:  A

Answer location:  Paragraph D, line 10- line 11

Answer explanation:  In the cited lines, it is stated that  “ There are now more sensitive tests, but Cicoria has declined to undergo them; he does not want to delve into the causes of his musicality. What a shame! ”.  Based on the comment of the author (What a shame), it can be concluded that he found it disappointing that Cicoria refused (declined) to have further tests (more sensitive tests). Hence, the answer is A (He refuses to have further tests.).

5 Answer:  True

Question type:  True/False/Not Given

Answer location:  Paragraph A, line 3

Answer explanation:  In the mentioned line, it is given that  “ And I confess to feeling a little guilty reporting that my reactions to the book are mixed. ”.  Based on this reference, it can be concluded that the author is feeling guilty of giving a mixed reaction as according to him, it is difficult to give a well-reputable writer, like Oliver Sacks anything less than a favorable review. As the statement agrees with the views of the writer, the answer is True.

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6 Answer:  Not Given

Answer location:  N.A.

Answer explanation:  Although there is a reference to Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata in the passage, there is no mention of whether it is a good treatment for musical disorders. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

7 Answer:  False

Question type:  Matching Features

Answer location:  Paragraph C, line 4

Answer explanation:  In the cited lines, it is stated that  “ He wants to combine “observation and description with the latest in technology,” he says, and to imaginatively enter into the experience of his patients and subjects. ”.  Based on these references, it can be concluded that Sacks wanted to apply the latest technological advances to study his patients, even though he did not do that in the end. As the statement contradicts with the views of the writer, the answer is False.

8 Answer:  Not Given

Answer explanation:  Although there is a mention that in Part III, Sacks brings out the underappreciated realm of music therapy, there is no mention of the reasons it is difficult to understand this undervalue. Hence, the answer is Not Given.

9 Answer:  True

Answer location:  Paragraph G, line 4

Answer explanation:  The given lines specify that  “ And he tends to be rather uncritical in accepting scientific findings and theories. ”.  It is indicated that Sacks had little skepticism (was rather uncritical) about accepting or borrowing other scientific findings and theories. As the statement agrees with the views of the writer, the answer is True.

10 Answer:  False

Answer location:  Paragraph J, line 2

Answer explanation:  In Paragraph J, it is mentioned that  “ Although Sacks recognises the existence of new technologies, among them far more sensitive ways to analyze brain waves than the standard neurological EEG test, he does not call for their use.” .  It shows that even though Sacks recognized the new methods, he did not use them or was in no rush to use them. As the statement contradicts with the views of the writer, the answer is False.

11 Answer:  F

Question type:  Matching Sentence Endings

Answer location:  Paragraph H, line 3

Answer explanation:  In Paragraph H, it is noted that  “ For example, he might have noted that the many specific dissociations among components of music comprehension, such as loss of the ability to perceive harmony but not melody, indicate that there is no music center in the brain.” .  Based on the reference, it can be said that Sanks noted many dissociations between harmony and melody (the ability to perceive harmony and not melody) indicate the fact that the function centre located in the brain is a misconception. Hence, the answer is F (show a misconception that there is a function centre localized in the brain).

12 Answer:  B

Answer location:  Paragraph I, line 1-line 2

Answer explanation:  In the mentioned portion, it is reported that  “ Another conclusion one could draw is that there seem to be no “cures” for neurological problems involving music. A drug can alleviate a symptom in one patient and aggravate it in another or can have both positive and negative effects in the same patient. ”.  It can be concluded that from the study of musical disorders, a second conclusion has been made that medication for neurological problems related to music can have different/varied effects on different people. Hence, the answer is B (indicates that medication can have varied results.).

13 Answer:  A

Answer location:  Paragraph J, line 1

Answer explanation:  In the mentioned line, it is given  “ Finally, in many of the cases described here the patient with music-brain symptoms is reported to have “normal” EEG results. ”.  It can be deduced from this statement that even for patients with music-brain disorders, the ECG scan shows no signs of disorders. It means that Sacks failed to find any symptoms. Hence, the answer is A (show no music-brain disorders.).

14 Answer:  D

Answer location:  Paragraph J, line 4- line 5

Answer explanation:  In the quoted lines, it is stated that  “ This absence echoes the book’s preface, in which Sacks expresses fear that “the simple art of observation may be lost” if we rely too much on new technologies. He does call for both approaches… ”.  It can be pointed out that Sacks believed that relying completely on new technology will result in loss of observation and therefore should not be used alone. As a result, he stressed on the use of both. Hence, the answer is D (should not be used in isolation.).

Tips for Answering the Question Type in the above Reading Passage 

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the type of questions in the ‘Book Review on Musicophilia ’ IELTS Reading Answers passage.

True/False/Not Given: 

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

  • True statements  are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
  • False statements  are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
  • Not Given statements  are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

Multiple Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

  • Before reading the passage, read the question and select the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the question statement is short on information.
  • Then, using the keywords, read the passage to find the relevant information.
  • To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant words and match them with each option.
  • You will find several options with keywords that do not correspond to the information.
  • Try opting for the elimination method mostly.
  • Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than just the keywords.

Great work on attempting to solve the reading passage! To crack IELTS Reading in the first go, Try solving more of the recent IELTS reading passages  here.

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book review reading answers

EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES A Book Review Reading Questions and Answers

The Blog post contains the following IELTS Reading Questions:

  • IELTS Reading Matching Features
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IELTS Reading passage – EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES A Book Review

book review reading answers

EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES A Book Review

The title of Fats, Shoots and Leaves refers to a famously misplaced comma in a wildlife manual that ended up suggesting a panda rather violently “eats, shoots and leaves” instead of eating shoots and leaves. The author of this book, journalist Lynne Truss, is something akin to a militant linguist, dedicating this “zero tolerance” manifesto on grammar to the striking Bolshevik printers of St. Petersburg who, in demanding the same remuneration for punctuation as they received for letters, ended up setting in motion the first Russian Revolution.

Some of the book involves humorous attacks on erroneous punctuation. There is the confused Shakespearian thespian who inadvertently turns a frantic plea: “Go, get him surgeons!” into the cheerful encouragement of “Go get him, surgeons!” Street and shop signs have a ubiquitous presence. A bakery declares “FRESH DONUT’S SOLD HERE” and a florist curiously announces that “Pansy’s here!” (Is she?). The shameless title of a Hollywood film Two Weeks Notice is reeled in for criticism – “Would they similarly call it One Weeks Notice?’’, Truss enquires – and sometimes, as in the case of signs promoting “ANTIQUE’S” and “Potatoe’s” – one questions whether we are bearing witness to new depths of grammar ignorance, or a postmodern caricature of atrocious punctuation.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not just a piece of comedy and ridicule, however, and Truss has plenty to offer on the question of proper grammar usage. If you have ever wondered whether it is acceptable to simply use an “em dash”1 in place of a comma – the verdict from Truss is that you can. “The dash is less formal than the semicolon, which makes it more attractive,” she suggests. “It enhances conversational tone; and … it is capable of quite subtle effects.” The author concludes, with characteristic wry condescension, that the em dash’s popularity largely rests on people knowing it is almost impossible to use incorrectly. Truss is a personal champion of the semicolon, a historically contentious punctuation mark elsewhere maligned by novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr., as a “transvestite hermaphrodite representing absolutely nothing”. Coming to the semicolon’s defence, Truss suggests that while it can certainly be Overused, she refers to the dying words of one 20th century writer: “I should have used fewer semicolons, the semicolon can perform the role of a kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights.”

Truss has come under criticism on two broad points. The first argument criticises the legitimacy of her authority as a punctuation autocrat. Louis Menand, writing in the New Yorker, details Eats, Shoots and Leaves’ numerous grammatical and punctuation sins: a comma-free non-restrictive clause; a superfluous ellipsis; a misplaced apostrophe; a misused parenthesis; two misused semicolons; an erroneous hyphen in the word “abuzz”, and so on. In fact, as Menand notes, half the semicolons in the Truss book are spuriously deployed because they stem from the author’s open flouting of the rule that semicolons must only connect two independent clauses. “Why would a person not just vague about the rules but disinclined to follow them bother to produce a guide to punctuation?” Menand inquires. Ultimately, he holds Truss accused of producing a book that pleases those who “just need to vent” and concludes that Eats, Shoots and Leaves is actually a tirade against the decline of language and print that disguises itself, thinly and poorly, as some kind of a style manual.

Linguist David Chrystal has criticised what he describes as a “linguistic purism” coursing through Truss’ book. Linguistic purism is the notion that one variety of language is somehow more pure than others, with this sense of purity often based on an idealised historical point in the language’s development, but sometimes simply in reference to an abstract ideal. In The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot and Left, Chrystal – a former colleague of Truss – condemns the no-holds-barred approach to punctuation and grammar. “Zero tolerance does not allow for flexibility,” he argues. “It is prescriptivism taken to extremes. It suggests that language is in a state where all the rules are established with 100 per cent certainty. The suggestion is false. We do not know what all the rules of punctuation are. And no rule of punctuation is followed by all of the people all of the time.”

Other detractors of Truss’ “prescriptivism” are careful to disassociate needless purism from robust and sensible criticism, an oppositional stance they call descriptivism. “Don’t ever imagine,” Geoffrey K. Pullum on the Language Log emphasises, “that I think all honest attempts at using English are just as good as any others. Bad writing needs to be fixed. But let’s make sure we fix the right things.” In other words, we do not require a dogmatic approach to clean up misused language. Charles Gaulke concurs, noting that his opposition to “prescriptivism” does not require contending with the existence of standards themselves, but questioning whether our standards should determine what works, or whether what works should determine our standards.

Ultimately, it is unlikely the purists and pedagogues will ever make absolute peace with those who see language as a fluid, creative process within which everyone has a role to play. Both sides can learn to live in a sort of contentious harmony, however. Creativity typically involves extending, adapting and critiquing the status quo, and revising and reviving old traditions while constructing new ones. Rules must exist in order for this process to take place, if only for them to be broken. On the flip side, rules have an important role to play in guiding our language into forms that can be accessed by people across all manner of differences, so it is vital to acknowledge the extent to which they can be democratic, rather than merely autocratic in function. Nevertheless, all the regulations in the world cannot stem the natural spring of language, which bursts through rivets and snakes around the dams that linguistic authorities may try to put in place. We should celebrate rather than curse these inevitable tensions.

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Questions 27-32

Look as the following statements (Questions 27-32) and the list of people below. Match each statement with the correct person A-E. NB You may use any letter more than once.

27 Mistakes should be corrected on the basis of common sense. 28 No one has legitimacy as an ultimate authority on punctuation use. 29 Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not the type of book it claims to be. 30 The idea that some forms of language can be better than others is wrong. 31 The semicolon has no real purpose. 32 We can ask whether rules are helpful without undermining the need for rules.

List of people

A  Kurt Vonnegut Jr B  Louis Menand C  David Chrystal D  Geoffrey K. Pullum E  Charles Gaulke

Improve your performance in Matching Features questions by clicking here to access our comprehensive guide. Learn how to match specific features or characteristics with the options provided in the IELTS Reading section.

Questions 33-37

Complete the summary below. Choose  NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS  from the passage for each answer.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a book on punctuation by journalist Lynne Truss, who could be described as a (33)………………………..She dedicates the book to the Bolshevik printers who started the (34)…………………………..by protesting for better pay conditions. The book is partly a humorous criticism of incorrect punctuation. Some of the examples are so bad it is possible that they are actually a (35)……………………………….Truss also guides the reader on correct punctuation usage. She likes them dash because it is not as (36)……………………….as the semicolon, for example, but remains a (37)………………………………of the latter due to its ability to discipline areas of text that are crowded with commas.

Boost your performance in Summary, Notes, Table, and Flowchart Completion tasks . Click here to explore our detailed guide and learn how to effectively complete summaries, notes, tables, and flowcharts in the IELTS Reading section.

Questions 38-40

Choose  THREE  letters, A—G. Write the correct letters in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.

Which  THREE  of the following statements form part of the author’s conclusion?

A  Rules prevent the creation of new things. B  A centralised point of control can effectively guide the flow of language. C  Both the descriptivists and prescriptivists have important roles to play in language evolution. D  Disputes over matters of language rules need not be condemned. E  Prescriptivists and descriptivists are both wrong. F  Rules help everyone use language and do not merely prescribe usage. G  An essential part of creativity is the rejection of that which has come before.

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Book review on Musicophilia

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Norman M. Weinberger reviews the latest work of Oliver Sacks on music.

Music and the brain are both endlessly fascinating subjects, and as a neuroscientist specialising in auditory learning and memory, I find them especially intriguing. So I had high expectations of Musicophilia, the latest offering from neurologist and prolific author Oliver Sacks. And I confess to feeling a little guilty reporting that my reactions to the book are mixed.

Sacks himself is the best part of Musicophilia. He richly documents his own life in the book and reveals highly personal experiences. The photograph of him on the cover of the book-which shows him wearing headphones, eyes closed, clearly enchanted as he listens to Alfred Brendel perform Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata-makes a positive impression that is borne out by the contents of the book. Sacks’ voice throughout is steady and erudite but never pontifical. He is neither self-conscious nor self-promoting.

The preface gives a good idea of what the book will deliver. In it, Sacks explains that he wants to convey the insights gleaned from the “enormous and rapidly growing body of work on the neural underpinnings of musical perception and imagery, and the complex and often bizarre disorders to which these are prone.” He also stresses the importance of “the simple art of observation” and “the richness of the human context.” He wants to combine “observation and description with the latest in technology,” he says, and to imaginatively enter into the experience of his patients and subjects. The reader can see that Sacks, who has been practicing neurology for 40 years, is torn between the “old-fashioned” path of observation and the new-fangled, high-tech approach: He knows that he needs to take heed of the latter, but his heart lies with the former.

The book consists mainly of detailed descriptions of cases, most of them involving patients whom Sacks has seen in his practice. Brief discussions of contemporary neuroscientific reports are sprinkled liberally throughout the text. Part, “Haunted by Music,” begins with the strange case of Tony Cicoria, a nonmusical, middle-aged surgeon who was consumed by a love of music after being hit by lightning. He suddenly began to crave listening to piano music, which he had never cared for in the past. He started to play the piano and then to compose music, which arose spontaneously in his mind in a “torrent” of notes. How could this happen? Was the cause psychological? (He had had a near-death experience when the lightning struck him.) Or was it the direct result of a change in the auditory regions of his cerebral cortex? Electroencephalography (EEG) showed his brain waves to be normal in the mid-1990s, just after his trauma and subsequent “conversion” to music. There are now more sensitive tests, but Cicoria, has declined to undergo them; he does not want to delve into the causes of his musicality. What a shame!

Part II, “A Range of Musicality,” covers a wider variety of topics, but unfortunately, some of the chapters offer little or nothing that is new. For example, chapter 13, which is five pages long, merely notes that the blind often has better hearing than the sighted. The most interesting chapters are those that present the strangest cases. Chapter 8 is about “amusia,” an inability to hear sounds like music, and “dysharmonia,” a highly specific impairment of the ability to hear harmony, with the ability to understand melody left intact. Such specific “dissociations” are found throughout the cases Sacks recounts.

To Sacks’s credit, part III, “Memory, Movement and Music,” brings us into the underappreciated realm of music therapy. Chapter 16 explains how “melodic intonation therapy” is being used to help expressive aphasic patients (those unable to express their thoughts verbally following a stroke or other cerebral incident) once again become capable of fluent speech. In chapter 20, Sacks demonstrates the near-miraculous power of music to animate Parkinson’s patients and other people with severe movement disorders, even those who are frozen into odd postures. Scientists cannot yet explain how music achieves this effect

To readers who are unfamiliar with neuroscience and music behavior, Musicophilia may be something of a revelation. But the book will not satisfy those seeking the causes and implications of the phenomena Sacks describes. For one thing, Sacks appears to be more at ease discussing patients than discussing experiments. And he tends to be rather uncritical in accepting scientific findings and theories.

It’s true that the causes of music-brain oddities remain poorly understood. However, Sacks could have done more to draw out some of the implications of the careful observations that he and other neurologists have made and of the treatments that have been successful. For example, he might have noted that the many specific dissociations among components of music comprehension, such as loss of the ability to perceive harmony but not melody, indicate that there is no music center in the brain. Because many people who read the book are likely to believe in the brain localisation of all mental functions, this was a missed educational opportunity.

Another conclusion one could draw is that there seem to be no “cures” for neurological problems involving music. A drug can alleviate a symptom in one patient and aggravate it in another or can have both positive and negative effects in the same patient. Treatments mentioned seem to be almost exclusively antiepileptic medications, which “damp down” the excitability of the brain in general; their effectiveness varies widely.

Finally, in many of the cases described here the patient with music-brain symptoms is reported to have “normal” EEG results. Although Sacks recognises the existence of new technologies, among them far more sensitive ways to analyze brain waves than the standard neurological EEG test, he does not call for their use. In fact, although he exhibits the greatest compassion for patients, he conveys no sense of urgency about the pursuit of new avenues in the diagnosis and treatment of music-brain disorders. This absence echoes the book’s preface, in which Sacks expresses fear that “the simple art of observation may be lost” if we rely too much on new technologies. He does call for both approaches, though, and we can only hope that the neurological community will respond.

Questions 1-4

Choose the correct letter,  A ,  B ,  C  or  D .

Write your answers in boxes  1-4  on your answer sheet.

1.  Why does the writer have a mixed feeling about the book?

A    The guilty feeling made him so.

B    The writer expected it to be better than it was.

C    Sacks failed to include his personal stories in the book.

D    This is the only book written by Sacks. Answer: B

2.     What is the best part of the book?

A    the photo of Sacks listening to music

B    the tone of voice of the book

C    the autobiographical description in the book

D    the description of Sacks’ wealth Answer: C

3.  In the preface, what did Sacks try to achieve?

A    make a herald introduction of the research work and technique applied 

B    give a detailed description of various musical disorders 

C    explain why he needs to do away with the simple observation

D    explain why he needs to do away with the simple observation Answer: A

4. What is disappointing about Tony Cicoria’s case?

A    He refuses to have further tests.

B    He can’t determine the cause of his sudden musicality.

C    He nearly died because of the lightening.

D His brain waves were too normal to show anything. Answer: A

Questions 5-10

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage?

In boxes  5-10  on your answer sheet, write

TRUE                if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

FALSE               if the statement contradicts with the views of the writer

NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

5 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN    It is difficult to give a well-reputable writer a less than totally favorable review. Answer: YES

6 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN    Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata is a good treatment for musical disorders. Answer: NOT GIVEN  

7 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN    Sacks believes technological methods is of little importance compared with traditional observation when studying his patients. Answer: NO

8 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN    It is difficult to understand why music therapy is undervalued Answer: NOT GIVEN

9 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN    Sacks held little skepticism when borrowing other theories and findings in describing reasons and notion for phenomena he depicts in the book. Answer: YES

10 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN    Sacks is in a rush to use new testing methods to do treatment for patients. Answer: NO

Questions 11-14

Complete each sentence with the correct ending,  A-F , below.

Write the correct letter,  A-F , in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.

11 A B C D E F    The content covered dissociations in understanding between harmony and melody Answer: F

12 A B C D E F    The study of treating musical disorders Answer: B

13 A B C D E F    The EEG scans of Sacks’ patients Answer: A

14 A B C D E F    Sacks believes testing based on new technologies Answer: D

A    show no music-brain disorders.

B    indicates that medication can have varied results.

C    is key for the neurological community to unravel the mysteries.

D    should not be used in isolation.

E    indicate that not everyone can receive a good education.

F    show a misconception that there is a function centre localized in the brain

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book review reading answers

Literacy Ideas

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

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WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

how to write a book review | what is a Book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

book_reviews_vs_book_reports.jpg

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

how to write a book review | movie response unit | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

⭐ Make  MOVIES A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM  with this engaging collection of tasks and tools your students will love. ⭐ All the hard work is done for you with  NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

This collection of  21 INDEPENDENT TASKS  and  GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS  takes students beyond the hype, special effects and trailers to look at visual literacy from several perspectives offering DEEP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES by watching a  SERIES, DOCUMENTARY, FILM, and even  VIDEO GAMES.

ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

how to write a book review | writing a book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

how to write a book review | 9 text response | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

how to write a book review | 9 1 proof read Book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

how to write a book review | LITERACY IDEAS FRONT PAGE 1 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

how to write a book review | book review graphic organizer | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

101 DIGITAL & PRINT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

how to write a book review | digital graphic organizers 1 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Introduce your students to 21st-century learning with this GROWING BUNDLE OF 101 EDITABLE & PRINTABLE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS. ✌ NO PREP REQUIRED!!! ✌ Go paperless, and let your students express their knowledge and creativity through the power of technology and collaboration inside and outside the classroom with ease.

Whilst you don’t have to have a 1:1 or BYOD classroom to benefit from this bundle, it has been purpose-built to deliver through platforms such as ✔ GOOGLE CLASSROOM, ✔ OFFICE 365, ✔ or any CLOUD-BASED LEARNING PLATFORM.

Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

how to write a book review | book review year 3 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

how to write a book review | 2 book review tutorial28129 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

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Pretty Mess Reading

Book Blog, Unapologetic, Unfiltered, Honest

book review questions

Book Review Questions You Need To Ask Yourself

I don’t think there is s right way or wrong way to write a book review. I do believe that book review questions prepared before you start writing it helps guide you to write the best review you can.

book review questions

Up until recently, I would spend hours trying the write the perfect review. Sometimes I would delete a review that I spent hours writing only to start over. Now I have a list of book review questions to help guide me through the process of writing that perfect book review.

The book review questions or guide formula is super easy to follow, and it only takes me about twenty to thirty minutes to write out! So, let’s get straight to it.

Make sure you have your favorite book lover cup ready for your favorite drink. Mine is usually vodka, tea, or water. It depends on my mood.

Book Review Question #1

It’s easy to forget which books we’ve read afterward, that’s why I recommend keeping a log of your books right after you finish reading. You can see at first glance what you’ve read. You’re able to notice if you are missing any books in a series and the order of said series.

book review questions

List the books you’ve read by title, author, genre and rating.

Often you can compare an author’s work to their latest book. Your ratings are all there to view at once. This gives you the ability to let readers know if the authors’ work has improved over time. You can compare star rating within a series, which will add even more depth to your review. Readers love to know whether they should invest in a long book series before they pick up a book. They want your thoughts.

When you are looking at your star ratings, you can decide if you want readers to learn about your 1 star or 5-star reads. It’s all up to you. I like to use this to give variety to my reviews.

Let’s say the last two books I read were both 3-star reviews but I want to give readers a 5-star book review. I’m able to look back to my list and find a 5-star review on my blog.

Or, if I feel like sharing my favorite author’s book, I can take a glance at my list and write a whole review letting readers know that said author is all about.

Book Review Question #2

Start planning your review as you’re reading a book. This is so important when you are reading a physical copy of a book and not on an e-reader . On an e-reader , you’re able to highlight paragraphs and leave notes so you can go back and use later.

book review questions

Start filling out your book review sheet as soon as you pick up a book.

Keeping track of your start and stop date is essential to a good book review. We all know that we read books we love a lot quicker than others. If you have a book you started one day and finished the very next day, I’ll be money it must have been a good one.

Tell the reader in your review. Let them know that this book was so good that you couldn’t put it down.

Make note of your thoughts as you are reading. When something stands out to you, good or bad, write it down. Write down a couple of sentences and I guarantee you will be able to turn those sentences into paragraphs.

Write down your favorite quotes or the page number to use in your review. Readers love a good quote. It gives substance to your review. It’s human nature to feel inspired or connected to quotes. Those alone will help the reader connect to the same emotions you felt while reading the book.

The beauty of quotes in a review is also that you can produce at least one paragraph that leads up to or follows this portion of the book.

You should jolt down at least three questions that you thought of when reading. Once you start writing your review, you can answer a said question or express how much you would love to ask the questions to the author. You’ll have another paragraph or two from your questions alone.

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book review questions

Book Review Questions #3

Pretend like you are a book club for one. I know it sounds silly but I’ll explain how beneficial it will be. You won’t be considered crazy for answering your own questions either.

book review questions

Ask yourself questions that you would want to discuss with other people.

When you are writing a review you are having a conversation with the reader. Think of them as your best friend in your book club. Ask yourself what would my friend want to, then answer it.

The most frequently asked question in a book club is, “What do you like most about the book?” Your reader wants to know that. There is so much you can say without giving anything away. It could be the writing style, the funny conversations, the setting, the style of clothes, etc.

Pick 3 to 5 questions from the list provided in the free book reviews guide and turn them into paragraphs.

One of my favorite questions is, “What were some of the important themes?” That question alone could fill an entire review. Readers want to know what the author was trying to convey without giving the story away.

Answer the question according to the book you’re reviewing. If you are reviewing a romance novel, go beyond the love story. Focus on the personal accomplishments of the main characters.

Once you have gathered all the information you need from your book review guide, put everything in order. Start at the beginning of the book and work your way to the end as best as possible without spoiling it for the reader.

I sometimes write reviews with spoilers but I always warn readers first. Those are normally the times where I’m so fired up about a book that I just have to rant, good or bad. I’m known for being pretty messy but the majority of my reviews are positive.

I hope the book review questions or guide help you push out your reviews. Let me know in the comments any tips or tricks you use to write reviews. I love find new ways to do things.

Once you’ve downloaded you book review questions or guide, tell me what you think. I want to see if it works for you too.

Don’t be afraid to add in a few personal details that connected you to the book. It humanizes the reviewer. I like to think of reviewing a book like talking to a friend and friends share personal stories to connect and bond with one another. Connecting with other book lovers is the best thing I get out of reviewing and blogging.

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Hey there! I'm Danielle! I just a girl who loves books. I love books so much that I talk about the stories like they are real. Who knows? Maybe, they are real to me. I do love the book world, it's way better than reality. . .sometimes. . .because. . .I'm also a proud mama bear, wife, and mother!

3 thoughts on “ Book Review Questions You Need To Ask Yourself ”

I don’t do book reviews but this was a great read nonetheless. I keep track of my read list by marking them on Goodreads once I’m done, but I sure could use a journal of some sort to remind me why I liked or hated a particular book (because let’s face it, a lot of it disappears from memory, and only the main gist remains). Thanks for this, Danielle!

I’m so happy you liked the article. I have a digital planner coming very soon and you’ll love this one. It’s a bit more masculine as well 🙂

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How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps

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Blog – Posted on Wednesday, Apr 03

How to write a book review in 3 steps.

How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps

If the idea of reading for free — or even getting paid to read — sounds like a dream come true, remember that it isn’t a pipe dream. There are many places aspiring book reviewers can read books for free, such as Reedsy Discovery — a new platform for reviewing indie books. Of course, if you’re giving serious thought to becoming a book reviewer, your first step should be learning how to write a book review. To that end, this post covers all the basics of literary criticism. Let’s get started!

The three main steps of writing a book review are simple:

  • Provide a summary: What is story about? Who are the main characters and what is the main conflict? 
  • Present your evaluation: What did you think of the book? What elements worked well, and which ones didn’t? 
  • Give your recommendation: Would you recommend this book to others? If so, what kinds of readers will enjoy it?

You can also download our free book review templates and use it as a guide! Otherwise, let’s take a closer look at each element.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

How to write a review of a book

Step 1. provide a summary.

Have you ever watched a movie only to realize that all the good bits were already in the trailer? Well, you don’t want the review to do that. What you do want the summary to do is reveal the genre, theme, main conflict, and main characters in the story — without giving away spoilers or revealing how the story ends.

A good rule of thumb is not to mention anything that happens beyond the midpoint. Set the stage and give readers a sense of the book without explaining how the central issue is resolved.

Emily W. Thompson's review of The Crossing :

In [Michael] Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.
An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl. Read more...

Here are a few more reviews with well-written summaries for you to check out. The summary tend to be the longest part of the book review, so we won’t turn this post into a novel itself by pasting them all here: Le Cirque Navire reviewed by Anna Brill, The Heart of Stone reviewed by Kevin R. Dickinson, Fitting Out: The Friendship Experiment reviewed by Lianna Albrizio.

Non-fiction summary tip: The primary goal of a non-fiction summary is to provide context: what problems or issues has the book spotted, and how does it go about addressing them? Be sure to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check Stefan Kløvning’s review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the framework of the book within the context of its field.

Step 2. Present your evaluation

While you should absolutely weave your own personal take of a book into the review, your evaluation shouldn’t only be based on your subjective opinion. Along with presenting how you reacted to the story and how it affected you, you should also try to objectively critique the stronger and weaker elements of the story, and provide examples from the text to back up your points.

To help you write your evaluation, you should record your reactions and thoughts as you work your way through a novel you’re planning on reviewing. Here are some aspects of the book to keep in mind as you do.

Your evaluation might focus heartily on the book’s prose:

Donald Barker's review of Mercenary : 

Such are the bones of the story. But, of course, it is the manner in which Mr Gaughran puts the bones back together and fills them with life that makes “Mercenary” such a great read. The author’s style seems plain; it seems straightforward and even simple. But an attempt at imitation or emulation quickly proves that simple it is not. He employs short, punchy sentences that generate excellent dialogue dripping with irony, deadpan humour and wit. This, mixed with good descriptive prose, draws the characters – and what characters they are – along with the tumultuous events in which they participated amidst the stinking, steaming heat of the South American jungle, out from the past to the present; alive, scheming, drinking, womanising and fighting, onto the written page.

You can give readers a sense of the book by drawing comparisons to other well-known titles or authors:

Laura Hartman's review of The Mystery of Ruby's Mistletoe :

Reading Ms. Donovan’s book is reminiscent to one of my favorite authors, Dame Agatha Christie. Setting up the suspects in a snowbound house, asking them to meet in the drawing room and the cleverly satisfying conclusion was extremely gratifying. I can picture Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot nodding at Ms. Donovan saying “Well done!”

Not everyone’s tastes are the same, and you can always acknowledge this by calling out specific story elements in your evaluation: 

Kevin R. Dickinson's review of The Heart of Stone :

Whether you enjoy Galley’s worldbuilding will depend heavily on preference. Galley delivers information piecemeal, letting the characters, not the author, navigate the reader through Hartlund. A notable example is the magic system, an enigmatic force that lacks the ridge structures of, say, a Brandon Sanderson novel. While the world’s magical workings are explained, you only learn what the characters know and many mysteries remain by the end. Similar choices throughout make the world feel expansive and authentic.

Non-fiction evaluation tip: A book’s topic is only as compelling as its supporting arguments. Your evaluation of a nonfiction book should address that: how clearly and effectively are the points communicated? Turn back to Stefan’s critique for an example of a non-fiction critique that covers key takeaways and readability, without giving away any “big reveals.”

Step 3. Give your recommendation 

At the end of the day, your critique needs to answer this question: is this a book you would (or wouldn’t) recommend to other readers? You might wrap up by comparing it to other books in the same genre, or authors with similar styles, such as: “Fans of so-and-so will enjoy this book.” 

Let’s take a look at a few more tips:

You don’t need to write, “I recommend this book” — you can make it clear by highlighting your favorable opinion:

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.
Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

Add more punch to your rating by mentioning what kind of audience will or won’t enjoy the book:

Charleigh Aleyna Reid's review of The King of FU :

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the 90’s and would like to reminisce about the time, someone who is interested to see what it was like to be a 90’s kid, or perhaps anyone who is looking for a unique, funny story about someone’s life.

Unless you found the title absolutely abhorrent, a good way to balance out a less favorable book review it to share what you did like about the book — before ultimately stating why you wouldn’t recommend the novel:

Nicola O's review of Secrets of the Sea Lord :

Overall, there are plenty of enjoyable elements in this story and fans of Atlantis and mer mythology should give it a try. Despite this, it does not rise above a three-star rating, and while I had some difficulty pinning down why this is, I concluded that it comes from a surprisingly unsophisticated vocabulary. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes, which is absolutely fine in a paranormal romance, but if they were removed, I could easily imagine this as an appealing story for middle-schoolers.

Non-fiction recommendation tip: As with fiction book reviews, share why you did or didn’t enjoy the title. However, in one of the starkest divergences from fiction book reviews it’s more important than ever that you mention your expectations coming into the non-fiction book. For instance, if you’re a cow farmer who’s reading a book on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian, you’re coming in with a large and inherent bias that the book will struggle to alter. So your recommendation should cover your thoughts about the book, while clearly taking account your perspective before you started reading. Let’s look once more at Stefan’s review for an example of a rating that includes an explanation of the reviewer’s own bias.

Bonus tips for writing a book review

Let’s wrap up with a few final tips for writing a compelling review.

  • Remember, this isn’t a book report. If someone wants the summary of a book, they can read the synopsis. People turn to book reviews for a fellow reader’s take on the book. And for that reason...
  • Have an opinion. Even if your opinion is totally middle-of-the-line — you didn’t hate the book but you didn’t love it either — state that clearly, and explain why.
  • Make your stance clear from the outset. Don’t save your opinion just for the evaluation/recommendation. Weave your thoughts about the book into your summary as well, so that readers have an idea of your opinion from the outset.
  • Back up your points. Instead of just saying, “the prose was evocative” — show readers by providing an actual passage that displays this. Same goes for negative points — don’t simply tell readers you found a character unbelievable, reference a certain (non-spoiler) scene that backs this up.
  • Provide the details. Don’t forget to weave the book’s information into the review: is this a debut author? Is this one installment of a series? What types of books has the author written before? What is their background? How many pages does the book have? Who published the book? What is the book’s price?
  • Follow guidelines. Is the review you’re writing for Goodreads? For The New York Times ? The content and tone of your review will vary a good deal from publication to publication.
  • Learn from others. One of the best ways to learn how to write a great review is to read other reviews! To help you out with that, we’ve published a post all about book review examples .

Writing book reviews can be a rewarding experience! As a book-lover yourself, it’s a great opportunity to help guide readers to their next favorite title. If you’re just getting started as a reviewer and could use a couple more tips and nudges in the right direction, check out our comprehensive blog post on how to become a book reviewer . And if you want to find out which review community is the right fit for you, we recommend taking this quick quiz:

Which review community should you join?

Find out which review community is best for your style. Takes 30 seconds!

Finally, if you feel you've nailed the basics of how to write a book review, we recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can review books for free and are guaranteed people will read them. To register as a book reviewer, simply go here !

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An illustration of Ada Limon shows a woman in her 40s with shoulder-length black hair, parted on the side, wearing a pink blouse and dangling earrings.

By the Book

Ada Limón Won’t Let Prose Touch the Poetry on Her Shelves

“I mean that as an organizing principle,” says the U.S. poet laureate, who has edited a new anthology of nature poetry called “You Are Here,” “and also as a slight against prose.”

Credit... Rebecca Clarke

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What books are on your night stand?

My night stand doesn’t speak to me anymore. That’s because, here’s the truth: I don’t read at night. The night stand is where books go to die. I think that I’ll read something before bed and then I immediately fall asleep, so the real question is, what books are on my desk? Right now that’s “Eve,” by Cat Bohannon; “Martyr!,” by Kaveh Akbar; Mosab Abu Toha’s “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear”; “You Can Be the Last Leaf,” by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat; and an advance copy of “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” by Amy Tan.

How do you organize your books?

I put them in piles during my busy travel months, then I cry and stomp when the piles feel unwieldy, and then my husband ponders if I should get rid of a few, but I will not do that, and then, very methodically I alphabetize them. I also separate them by genres. Prose cannot touch poetry in my little world. And I mean that as an organizing principle and also as a slight against prose.

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

I’d be reading a book in some sun-filled spot outside, while knowing every human being is safe, cared for, fed, beloved, and all wars have ended. And in our new manifested world that celebrates humanity, interconnectedness, nature and peace, I can sit outside under the oak trees and savor every line of a poem. And the music of the poem will sing back to the music of the world. That’s my ideal reading experience.

Are you able to write outside, in nature, or only at a desk?

I love writing outside. When I’m home in Kentucky, I write on my screened-in porch, that is if it’s warm enough. I love to fill the feeder and watch the birds in between writing lines of poems. Through the years, I’ve trained myself to write anywhere. Planes, hotel rooms — anywhere, really. Though it helps if there is silence. Or sounds of nature.

How did you decide whom to commission for the new anthology?

I chose the poets that I knew had recently been working in interesting ways with the subject of nature. I feel so lucky with the final collection. It’s even more powerful than I imagined.

Did anyone say no? What reason did they give?

There were exactly four poets that said no. They are all wonderful writers who were torn in too many directions by the demands of life to produce something new for the anthology. Life doesn’t always allow writers to write.

Did you line-edit or advise on specific language choices?

Along with the wonderful editor (and poet) Bailey Hutchinson, I went through each poem and made a few minor suggestions. For the most part, just gentle nudges here and there. All of these poets are excellent and sent in gorgeous, complete poems.

“A place I love is about to disappear,” one poem begins. Did you expect the collection to be so melancholy?

I don’t think the book is melancholy at all. The word “melancholy” often infers no obvious cause, just a general sort of sadness. That’s not present in this book. I do think it’s full of solastalgia, which is defined as the “distress caused by environmental change,” and I also think the book is full of an urgent praise, the way you can love something so dearly because it’s leaving or changing.

What’s the last book that made you cry?

“Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts” by Crystal Wilkinson is a cookbook and a memoir combined that celebrates generations of Black women in Appalachia. Wilkinson always has a way of saying it true and making me weep.

Do you count any books as guilty pleasures?

Oh yes, Anne Rice was a great guilty pleasure of mine. All things vampires and witches, anything with magic. What a gift those books were for me as a teenager. In some ways they were as foundational as some of the canonical books I read in school.

What’s the most interesting thing you learned from a poem in this volume?

One wonderful thing I learned about was from Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s poem, “Heliophilia”: Rhubarb makes a wild popping or crackling noise when it grows in the dark. Now I’ve seen videos of this occurrence and I love it. We have yet to truly understand the language of plants.

Did any of the poems make you want to travel to their settings?

Many: Victoria Chang’s poem set in Alaska, for example, and the desert landscape poems by Eduardo C. Corral and Rigoberto González. But for the most part the poems make me want to pay attention to wherever I am right now, to look deeply at what’s around me, and not miss it.

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“City in Ruins” is the third novel in Don Winslow’s Danny Ryan trilogy and, he says, his last book. He’s retiring in part to invest more time into political activism .

​​Jonathan Haidt, the social psychologist and author of “The Anxious Generation,” is “wildly optimistic” about Gen Z. Here’s why .

Do you want to be a better reader?   Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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I Really Like Reading Bad Reviews of My Nemesis: Am I the Literary Asshole?

Kristen arnett answers your awkward questions about bad literary behavior.

Howdy! Welcome back to the greatest lil’ drunken writing advice column this side of the hotel bar. Thanks for sticking with me. I’ve immensely enjoyed reading all your burning questions (and hey, let’s face it, sometimes your burning “this is more of a comment than a question” questions), and even more than that, I’ve enjoyed your feedback! Nothing says “I’m writing an ill-advised advice column” quite like people telling you you’re doing it wrong. That must mean I’m doing something right!

But seriously, folks—it’s been a pleasure spending time with you and your thoughts every other week. Thanks for trusting me with your questions… And thanks for laughing at my jokes (in my head, you’re all laughing). We make a great team!

I’ve got a bottle of whiskey and some ice that’s already started to melt (c’mon, this is Florida), so let’s jump straight to the questions before I accidentally wind up drinking a glass of water. Me, hydrated? What is this, amateur hour?

1) Is it alright to judge books by their covers? I just can’t help myself. If I see a blue-ish/sepia-ish cover with a woman with her back turned to me I’m going to stay way the hell away from that book. I’m sure it is probably good, but it is a signal to me that this historical fiction book is for literary book clubs and I will meet a strong woman who faces unthinkable circumstances and in some form overcomes them. If I see a cover that looks like a VHS tape I’m 100 percent buying that book right then and there regardless of back blurb.

I don’t think it’s necessarily asshole behavior to judge a book by its cover; mostly because—come on, admit it—we’re all doing that, even if it’s done subconsciously.

We’re human! We have preferences! Likes and dislikes, favorite colors, chosen designs. Hell, most of us even have a preferred font. I can admit here, amongst friends, that when I write, I exclusively use twelve-point Times New Roman, and I do it single-space, in a Word Document (yes, I am a basic bitch). For me, it just feels right.

We like what we like. There’s nothing wrong with that.

So, it makes sense that occasionally we’ll see a book cover and immediately get the ick. If you’re a person who favors a bold, graphic style, encountering a cover that swings in the opposite direction would understandably make your eyes slip to the next prospect.

However, I’d like to zoom in a bit on what you’ve also mentioned in your question. You’re not just talking about the cover here, friend. You’ve also discussed what you think that book might be about. Historical fiction , you wrote. A woman facing unthinkable circumstances . What you’ve essentially said is that you don’t enjoy that genre. And when you see a cover like the one you’ve described, you assume that the book will be about that topic. So yes, you shy away. Now, I would offer that perhaps it’s not the cover that is turning you off; it’s simply the subject matter. You don’t prefer those kinds of books.

That’s fine!

As I’ve said here before, there are simply too many books out in the world to ever read them all. Pick the ones you think you’re going to like and just enjoy them. Give yourself a break. If you miss out on a few gems because you’ve decided the cover looks like something you’d rather avoid, then I think you’ll still be fine. Plenty of VHS covers out there in the sea.

I’m parched. Let me take another swig of this whiskey and have a looksee at out next caller.

2) The question that has been beaten down to death: How to overcome reader’s block? Thanks.

You’re right, this is one of the classics! Even the most prolific readers will occasionally find themselves blocked. We’ll start a book, our eyes begin to swim, and then we’ll set it down with a discontented sigh. It’s like being hungry, but not in the mood for anything in particular. Nothing seems to satisfy.

Burnout happens.

I mean, not to everyone. There’s always the occasional individual who doesn’t have this particular problem, and I will admit, I am jealous of that. But! I will say that as a reader, I very rarely get an intense kind of burnout that lasts longer than a week. And I do credit that with one simple action: if I need a break, I give myself one.

That doesn’t mean I stop ingesting art! I’m of the very staunch opinion that almost anything can get us juiced up creatively. And by that, I mean movies, television, visual art, crafts, cooking, walks, knock-knock jokes, drinks at the bar, literary events, backyard BBQs, comedy specials, dog shows, birthday parties, etc. Almost anything can give me a boost if I’m willing to switch my focus.

Too much of a good thing can sometimes overload our minds. If you’re reading the same genre, day in, day out, it’s possible that your brain has just gotten overly saturated. Taking breaks to enjoy something different—poetry when you’re tired of fiction, graphic novels when you’re totally over memoirs—can sometimes bring us back to what we love about art in the first place.

Generally, we’ll find our way back to books after we’ve given ourselves time to enjoy something different. The world is wide, my friends, and though it can occasionally be nightmarish, it’s also full of delights. To quote the internet, Touch Grass (but really, though, when in doubt, go outside). Let yourself off the hook. When you find your way back again, I bet that next book will read all the sweeter.

Time for the round up! One last long sip of whiskey as we peruse our final question.

3) I’m mildly obsessed with finding bad reviews of the work of a writer who is very acclaimed but I don’t like at all. Am I broken???

I love that this isn’t a question of asshole behavior, but rather a question of whether you’ve stopped functioning properly. It’s like you’re a robot whose circuits have suddenly started sparking and smoking, an android on the cusp of catastrophic system failure.

Friend, you’re not broken and you’re not a robot (unless you are a robot? If that’s the case, then we’ve got a whole different set of problems to deal with here). What you are is a human being.

You haven’t mentioned whether the writer in question is an asshole, so I’ll have to assume they’re perfectly fine. When someone is a jerk, it opens the floodgates of freedom, a feeling that is akin to absolving our sins when it comes to enjoying bad literary coverage of another writer. In this case, it sounds like they’re just a random author who for some reason really gets under your skin. That’s normal! It happens. It doesn’t mean you’re broken.

I think it might mean, however, that you need to consider why you’re looking up these bad reviews. Odds are that it actually has very little to do with the author in question and more to do with how you’re currently feeling about yourself. The publishing world sets us up to feel as though we are constantly in competition with one another. When someone gets a book deal or a residency or an award or a grant, it can occasionally make it feel like there’s not enough good to go around.

If you’re at a point right now where you feel stagnant or like things aren’t really happening for you, it can be easy to transfer that feeling of doubt and depression onto another writer; especially if it’s one you don’t know. When we look at those bad reviews, we are attempting to bridge the gap. Look at this person, we say. They’re not perfect, either.

It’s totally fine to do this, I promise. But do it in moderation, friend. When you put the focus back on yourself and your own work, you’ll start to feel better.

That’s all for today, pals. Join me next time when I dig into more of your incredible questions (and attempt to make a beer float). Yee-haw.

Be the cowboy,

___________________________

Are you worried you’re the literary asshole? Ask Kristen via email at [email protected] , or anonymously here.

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Kristen Arnett

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  • GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Book Review
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  • Luyện thi Ielts
  • Đề thi Ielts reading

Book Review giải chi tiết, dịch hoàn thiện, giải thích rõ ràng, test 4 đề đọc cam 13

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DỊCH HOÀN THIỆN ĐỀ THI IELTS READING VÀ GIẢI THÍCH ĐÁP ÁN:

Book Review

The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being . By William Davies

The Happiness Industry: Chính phủ và các doanh nghiệp lớn đã bán hạnh phúc cho chúng ta như thế nào. Viết bởi William Davies

‘Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters we can give no further external reason. It just obviously does matter.’ This pronouncement by Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of ‘ positive psychology ’, summarises the beliefs of many people today. For Layard and others like him, it is obvious that the purpose of government is to promote a state of collective well-being. The only question is how to achieve it, and here positive psychology – a supposed science that not only identifies what makes people happy but also allows their happiness to be measured – can show the way. Equipped with this science, they say, governments can secure happiness in society in a way they never could in the past. ĐOẠN 1

" Hạnh phúc là một mục tiêu tối cao nhất bởi vì nó hiển nhiên là điều tốt đẹp. Nếu chúng ta được hỏi vì sao hạnh phúc lại quan trọng, chúng ta không đưa ra được thêm lý do ngoại tại ( bên ngoài) nào khác. Nó rõ ràng là quan trọng". Tuyên bố này của Richard Layard, một nhà kinh tế kiêm nhà ủng hộ " tâm lý học tích cực", tóm tắt niềm tin của nhiều người ngày nay. Đối với Layard và những người khác giống ông ta, rõ ràng mục đích của chính phủ là nhằm thúc đẩy trạng thái hạnh phúc tập thể. Câu hỏi duy nhất là làm thế nào để đạt được điều đó, và ở đây tâm lý học tích cực - một ngành khoa học được cho là không những xác định điều gì làm người ta hạnh phúc mà còn cho phép việc đo lường sự hạnh phúc - có thể chỉ ra cách có được hạnh phúc tập thể. Họ nói, nếu được trang bị bởi môn khoa học này thì các chính phủ có thể đảm bảo hạnh phúc trong xã hội theo cách mà họ chưa bao giờ làm được trong quá khứ.

self-evidently: unquestionable

It is an astonishingly crude and simple-minded way of thinking, and for that very reason increasingly popular. Those who think in this way are oblivious to the vast philosophical literature in which the meaning and value of happiness have been explored and questioned, and write as if nothing of any importance had been thought on the subject until it came to their attention. It was the philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) who was more than anyone else responsible for the development of this way of thinking. For Bentham it was obvious that the human good consists of pleasure and the absence of pain . The Greek philosopher Aristotle may have identified happiness with self-realisation in the 4th century BC, and thinkers throughout the ages may have struggled to reconcile the p ursuit of happiness with other human values, but for Bentham all this was mere metaphysics or fiction . Without knowing anything much of him or the school of moral theory he established – since they are by education and i ntellectual conviction illiterate in the history of ideas – our advocates of positive psychology follow in his tracks in rejecting as outmoded and irrelevant pretty much the entirety of ethical reflection on human happiness to date . ĐOẠN 2

Đó là một cách suy nghĩ nông cạn và thô thiển đến mức kinh ngạc và chính kiểu suy luận đó ngày càng phổ biến. Những người nghĩ theo cách này không hề biết đến tài liệu triết học rộng lớn - mà trong đó ý nghĩa và giá trị của hạnh phúc được tìm hiểu và đặt câu hỏi và viết như thể là không có điều gì về chủ để này được cho là quan trọng cho đến họ nhận ra có sự tồn tại của những tài liệu triết học đó. Chính triết gia Jeremy Bentham ( 1748-1832) người mà hơn ai hết chịu trách nhiệm cho việc phát triển cách suy nghĩ này. Đối với Bentham rõ ràng là sự tốt đẹp của con người bao gồm niềm vui và không có đau đớn. Vào thế kỷ thứ tư trước CN Triết gia Hy Lạp Aristotle có lẽ gắn liền hạnh phúc với sự tự nhận thức và những nhà tư tưởng qua nhiều thời có lẽ đấu tranh để dung hòa sự theo đuổi hạnh phúc với giá trị khác của con người, nhưng đối với Bentham tất cả những điều này chỉ là trừu tượng hoặc hư cấu. Không biết gì nhiều về ông ta và trường phái lý thuyết răn dạy mà ông ta tạo nên - vì họ là do không hiểu biết về giáo dục và niềm tin trí tuệ của các tư tưởng trong lịch sử - những người ủng hộ tâm lý tích cực đi theo đường lối của ông ta trong việc phản đối gần như hoàn toàn các phản ánh đạo đức về hạnh phúc của con người cho đến nay là lỗi thời và không thích hợp .

But as William Davies notes in his recent book The Happiness Industry , the view that happiness is the only self-evident good is actually a way of limiting moral inquiry . One of the virtues of this rich, lucid and arresting book is that it places the current cult of happiness in a well-defined historical framework . Rightly, Davies begins his story with Bentham, noting that he was far more than a philosopher. Davies writes, ‘Bentham’s activities were those which we might now associate with a public sector management consultan t’. In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes’, and to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes . He drew up plans for a ‘frigidarium’ to keep provisions such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh. His celebrate d design for a prison to be known as a ‘Panopticon’, in which prisoners would be kept in solitary confinement while being visible at all times to the guards, was very nearly adopted. (Surprisingly, Davies does not discuss the fact that Bentham meant his Panopticon not just as a model prison but also as an instrument of control that could be applied to schools and factories.) ĐOẠN 3

book review reading answers

1. Mua bộ đề gần 400 bài ielts reading - Dịch và giải chi tiết Chỉ 199k (thời hạn 1 năm) bao gồm toàn bộ đề trong bộ Cambridge ( từ bộ 1 -18) và nhiều đề thi thực tế ( xem danh sách 400 đề ielts reading tại đây ). Xem bài mẫu tại đây, Bài mẫu 1 , bài mẫu 2 , bài mẫu 3 . Giải đề bao gồm phần dịch bài đọc, dịch phần câu hỏi, giải thích chi tiết, có thể tải về, in phần đề để luyện tập.

2. Để mua bộ đề Vui lòng điền thông tin theo form tại đây  và thanh toán theo thông tin CK trong form. 

3. Sau khi nhận được thanh toán Chúng tôi sẽ kích hoạt truy cập bộ đề qua email trong vòng 30ph. Vui lòng cung cấp địa chỉ email chính xác.

4. Ngoài ra chúng tôi sẽ tặng miễn phí bộ đề 400 bài ielts reading và đặc quyền được hỏi bất kỳ vấn đề thắc mắc nào về ngữ pháp, dịch, từ vựng hay trong quá trình làm bài tập reading đặc biệt dành cho các bạn đăng ký Khóa học Ielts Speaking 1 kèm 1 với giáo viên nước ngoài 100% . Các bạn có thể tham khảo thông tin tại đây . Hoặc inbox để được tư vấn chi tiết.

Bentham was also a pionee r of the ‘science of happiness’. If happiness is to be regarded as a science, it has to be measured, and Bentham suggested two ways in which this might be done. Viewing happiness as a complex of pleasurable sensations , he suggested that it might be quantified by measuring the human pulse rate . Alternatively, money could be used as the standard for quantification : if two different goods have the same price, it can be claimed that they produce the same quantity of pleasure in the consumer. Bentham was more attracted by the latter measure. By associating money so closely to inner experience, Davies writes, Bentham ‘ set the stage for the entangling of psychological research and capitalism that would shape the business practices of the twentieth century’. ĐOẠN 4

The Happiness Industry describes how the project of a science of happiness has become integral to capitalism . We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies . In addition, Davies shows how the belief that inner of pleasure and displeasure can be objectively measured has informed management studies and advertising. The tendency of thinkers such as J B Watson, the founder of behaviourism*, was that human beings could be shaped, or manipulated , by policymakers and managers. Watson had no factual basis for his view of human action. When he became president of the American Psychological Association in 1915, he ‘had never even studied a single human being’: his research had been confined to experiments on white rats. Yet Watson’s reductive model is now widely applied, with ‘behaviour change’ becoming the goal of governments: in Britain, a ‘Behaviour Insights Team’ has been established by the government to study how people can be encouraged, at minimum cost to the public purse , to live in what are considered to be socially desirable ways. ĐOẠN 5

Modern industrial societies appear to need the possibility of ever-increasing happiness to motivate them in their labours. But whatever its intellectual pedigre e, the idea that governments should be responsible for promoting happiness is always a threat to human freedom. ĐOẠN 6

———————– * ‘behaviourism’: a branch of psychology which is concerned with observable behaviour

Questions 27-29

Choose the correct letter, A , B , C or D .

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.

27   What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?

A    They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.

B    They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

C    They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.

D    They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

28   The reviewer refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in order to suggest that happiness

A    may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.

B    should not be the main goal of humans.

C    is not something that should be fought for.

D    is not just an abstract concept.

29    According to Davies, Bentham’s suggestion for linking the price of goods to happiness was significant because

A    it was the first successful way of assessing happiness.

B    it established a connection between work and psychology.

C    it was the first successful example of psychological research.

D    it involved consideration of the rights of consumers.

Questions 30-34

Complete the summary using the list of words A-G below.

Write the correct letter, A-G , in boxes 30-34 on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve 30 ……………………… for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase 31 ………………………… and also designed a method for the 32 …………………………. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the 33 …………………………. of prisoners at all times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its 34 ……………………….., and suggested some methods of doing this.

A    measurement B    security C    implementation D    profits E    observation F    communication G    preservation

Questions 35-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet, write

YES                     if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO                      if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35    One strength of The Happiness Industry is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

36    It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

37    Watson’s ideas on behaviourism were supported by research on humans he carried out before 1915.

38    Watson’s ideas have been most influential on governments outside America.

39    The need for happiness is linked to industrialisation.

40    A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population.

ĐÁP ÁN VÀ GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING:

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

27   What is the reviewer’s attitude to advocates of positive psychology?

Thái độ của người đánh giá đối với những người ủng hộ tâm lý tích cực

A   They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.

Họ sai khi phản đối ý tưởng của Bentham

B   They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.

Họ bị ảnh hưởng quá nhiều bởi nghiên cứu của họ về các lý thuyết của Bentham

C   They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.

Họ có cách tiếp cận mới mẻ với các tư tưởng về hạnh phúc của con người

D   They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.

Họ không biết gì về các tư tưởng mà họ đang xem xét

Giải thích: đoạn 2, những người ủng hộ tâm lý tích cực không tìm hiểu về Bentham và trường phái của ông ta mà mù quáng làm những việc thiếu hiểu biết. ( tức tư tưởng Bentham là tốt nhưng những người ủng hộ không hiểu nên làm sai)

Without knowing anything much of him or the school of moral theory he established – since they are by education and intellectual conviction illiterate in the history of ideas – our advocates of positive psychology follow in his tracks in rejecting as outmoded and irrelevant pretty much the entirety of ethical reflection on human happiness to date.

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 30-34 on your answer sheet.

Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve 30………F   communication… …………… for different Government departments.

Jeremy Bentham tích cực trong các lĩnh vực khác bên cạnh tâm lý. Vào những năm 1970 ông ấy đề xuất một kỹ thuật cải thiện liên lạc thông tin cho các phòng ban khác nhau của chính phủ.

He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase 31…………B   security ……………… and also designed a method for the 32 ……………G   preservation ……………. of food.

Ông ấy đã phát triển cách in tiền mới để tăng tính an toàn và cũng thiết kế ra một phương pháp dự trữ thức ăn.

Giải thích: đoạn 3

In the 1790s, he wrote to the Home Office suggesting that the departments of government be linked together through a set of ‘conversation tubes’= communication Q30 , and to the Bank of England with a design for a printing device that could produce unforgeable banknotes = security Q31 . He drew up plans for a ‘frigidarium’ to keep provisions = preservation Q32 such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables fresh. His celebrated design for a prison to be known as a ‘Panopticon’, 

YES              if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO               if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN    if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35T   One strength of The Happiness Industry is its discussion of the relationship between psychology and economics.

Một điểm mạnh của The Happiness Industry là sự thảo luận về mối quan hệ giữa tâm lý và kinh tế

Giải thích: đoạn 5

The Happiness Industry describes how the project of a science of happiness has become integral to capitalism. We learn much that is interesting about how economic problems are being redefined and treated as psychological maladies.

36NG   It is more difficult to measure some emotions than others.

Khó đo lường những loại cảm xúc này hơn loại cảm xúc kia.

ĐÁP ÁN:

36. NOT GIVEN

38. NOT GIVEN

KẾT NỐI VỚI CHÚNG TÔI

Bài viết liên quan, giải chi tiết đề thi ielts reading: saving the soil.

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: SAVING THE SOIL

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Cutty Sark the fastest sailing ship of all time

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Cutty Sark the fastest sailing ship of all time

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Whatever happened to the Harappan Civilisation?

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Whatever happened to the Harappan Civilisation?

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: How baby talk gives infant brains a boost

GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: How baby talk gives infant brains a boost

The book of answers - Insight 4+

Answers from the universe, designed for ipad, screenshots, description.

Life is filled with countless conundrums and choices. In moments of confusion and indecision, why not turn to the "Book of Answers" app to discover the guidance you seek? This minimalist, focused application offers clarity without distractions—no extraneous features or ads, just pure insight. Pose a yes-or-no question regarding love, career, relationships, education, or the workplace, and receive a meaningful response. Ideally, your question should hold significant personal relevance. How to Use: 1、Access the Q&A interface within the app. 2、Silently ponder your question, press and hold for 3 seconds, and immerse in the audio to connect with your inner self. 3、Await briefly, and your answer will be revealed—often resonating with the wisdom you already possess. Ideal for Situations: - Navigating moments of doubt - Overcoming decision paralysis - Heart-to-heart gatherings with close friends - Meditation sessions - Entertainment at social events The Power of Belief: "The Book of Answers" harnesses the power of psychological suggestion, resonating deeply to inspire decisive action. Like a mirror, it reflects your true inner thoughts and feelings. Every day, we face myriad questions. Often, we know the answer yet complicate matters for ourselves. Sometimes, impulsiveness guides our choices. Occasionally, we just need a nudge in a different direction or a fresh perspective. This is the essence of the "Book of Answers": confronting you with your own truth. We invite you to set aside your worries and let the app engage with you. It might challenge you, provoke new thoughts, provide courage, uncover blind spots, or even offer healing. Embark on a journey of self-discovery and say goodbye to life's perplexities. Now, the issues you're reluctant to face, along with your anxieties, stresses, and pressures, have a source of acknowledgment and response. Download now and experience it for yourself. We welcome any feedback or suggestions during your journey. May the answers you find bring enlightenment amidst the chaos.

Version 1.1

1. Improve the running performance of the program 2. Adapt to iPad

App Privacy

The developer, 力玮 肖 , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

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The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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book review reading answers

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Up to six family members can use this app with family sharing enabled., you might also like.

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IMAGES

  1. IELTS Academic Reading ‘A Book Review’ Answers

    book review reading answers

  2. 32 Book review template ideas

    book review reading answers

  3. A Book Review

    book review reading answers

  4. Book Review Template

    book review reading answers

  5. Reading- a book review worksheet

    book review reading answers

  6. (Update 2024) Cambridge IELTS 13 Reading Test 4 Answers

    book review reading answers

VIDEO

  1. 17 Feburary 2024 ielts exam Reading answers| ielts reading tips for IELTS 9 Band

  2. Book Review The Happiness Industry

  3. The Books I’m Reading This Month #booktube #reading #booktok #books

  4. Reading Vlog

  5. REVIEWING THE 100 BOOKS I READ IN 2023 in 1 sentence each 😳 2023 Wrap-Up

  6. books I read this month \\ February 2024

COMMENTS

  1. Cambridge 13 Reading Test 4 Passage 3

    This post can simply guide you the best to figure out every Reading answer without trouble. Finding IELTS Reading answers is a step-by-step routine and I hope this post can assist you in this topic. Cambridge 13 Reading Test 4 Passage 3: The headline of the passage: Book Review. Questions 27-29: (Multiple Choice Questions)

  2. Book Review: IELTS Reading Answers

    IELTS Academic Test - Passage 12: Book Review reading with answers explanation, location and pdf. This IELTS reading paragraph has been taken from our huge collection of Academic & General Training (GT) Reading practice test PDFs. CONTENTS + Book Review. The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being ...

  3. Book Review

    Overview. The "Book Review" passage of the IELTS reading section includes a reading passage related to task 2 with three distinct question types, appropriate answers, and explanations. By utilising this practice exam, you can evaluate your performance, correct your mistakes, and devise a plan to complete the reading test in the allocated time.

  4. 'Book Review'- Reading Answer Explanation- CAM- 13

    March 20, 2023. 'Book Review'- Reading Answer Explanation- CAM- 13. Here are explanations of the Questions of passage named 'Book Review', which is from the Cambridge 13 book. The Questions that have been asked are 'MCQs', Blanks and Yes/No/Not Given. You will find the locations of the Reading Answers, Keywords ( highlighted and ...

  5. Book Review Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice

    Updated on Mar 08, 2024, 06:58. Welcome to this IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test for Book Review Reading Answers. In this test, you can practice your reading skills and test your comprehension abilities through a book review passage. The test will include a set of three types of questions: multiple-choice, summary completion, and yes/no/not ...

  6. Practice Cam 13 Reading Test 04

    READING PASSAGE 3. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below. Book Review. The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being. By William Davies 'Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good.

  7. Cambridge IELTS 13 Academic Reading Test 4 with Answers

    READING PASSAGE 3. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below. Book Review. The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being. By William Davies 'Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good.

  8. Book Review Reading Ielts Answers and Questions

    Book Review Reading Questions. Questions 1-3. Choose the correct letter, A,B,C or D. Write the correct letter in the boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet. 1. The critic mentions the Greek philosopher Aristotle, to state that happiness _____. is not something that should be fought for. may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.

  9. IELTS Academic Reading 'A Book Review' Answers

    Updated On Oct 05, 2023. Recent IELTS Reading Test with Answers - Free PDF. Download. The Academic passage 'A Book Review' is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Since questions get repeated in the IELTS exam, these passages are ideal for practice. If you want more practice, try taking an IELTS reading practice test.

  10. Crafting an Insightful Book Review: IELTS Reading Passage With

    Tip 1: Focus on Keywords. When reading passages, identify and underline keywords or phrases that capture the main ideas or themes. Tip 2: Understand the Question Types. Familiarize yourself with different types of questions (e.g., multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks) and practice them regularly.

  11. A Book Review

    A Book Review - Reading Questions and Answers. The Blog post contains the following IELTS Reading Questions: Stay informed and prepared for success - Explore our comprehensive Reading Test Info page to get valuable insights, exam format details, and expert tips for mastering the IELTS Reading section.

  12. Book Review on Musicophilia IELTS Reading Answers

    Answers of Book Review on Musicophilia Reading Answers With Explanation Read further for the explanation part of the reading answer. 1 Answer: B. Question type: Multiple Choice Question Answer location: Paragraph A, line 2-line 3 Answer explanation: In the given location, it is given that "So I had high expectations of Musicophilia, the latest offering from neurologist and prolific author ...

  13. A Book Review Reading Answers

    A Book Review Reading Answers comprises 12 questions that are to be answered in 20 minutes. A Book Review Reading Answers is taken Cambridge 13 Test 4; Reading Passage 3. This IELTS reading topic- A Book Review Reading Answers includes- Complete the summary, and Yes, no and not given question types. IELTS reading is a crucial section and ...

  14. EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES A Book Review Reading Questions and Answers

    27 Mistakes should be corrected on the basis of common sense. 28 No one has legitimacy as an ultimate authority on punctuation use. 29 Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not the type of book it claims to be. 30 The idea that some forms of language can be better than others is wrong. 31 The semicolon has no real purpose.

  15. Reading Guides

    Book Club Discussion Questions Our 3,500 Reading Guides include Discussion Questions, Book Reviews, Author Bios, and Plot Summaries.. Use the SEARCH box (title or author) If you don't find a specific guide for a book, take a look at our Discussion Tips & Ideas.. And remember to check out our other book resources:

  16. Book review on Musicophilia

    8 It is difficult to understand why music therapy is undervalued. Answer: NOT GIVEN. 9 Sacks held little skepticism when borrowing other theories and findings in describing reasons and notion for phenomena he depicts in the book. Answer: YES. 10 Sacks is in a rush to use new testing methods to do treatment for patients.

  17. Eats, Shoots and Leaves Reading Answers

    Eats, Shoots and Leaves Reading Answers is an IELTS academic reading topic that requires candidates to solve a given set of questions within 20 minutes. Eats, Shoots and Leaves Reading Answers has been referenced from the Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers and contains a total of 14 questions.

  18. How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

    The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to: Engage critically with a text. Critically evaluate a text. Respond personally to a range of different writing genres.

  19. IELTS Reading Practice 106: Book Review

    IELTS Reading Practice 106: Book Review. 1348. By IELTS Practice Online. The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being. By William Davies. 'Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters we can give no further external reason. It just obviously does ...

  20. Book Review Questions You Need To Ask Yourself

    Book Review Question #1. It's easy to forget which books we've read afterward, that's why I recommend keeping a log of your books right after you finish reading. You can see at first glance what you've read. You're able to notice if you are missing any books in a series and the order of said series.

  21. How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps

    Be sure to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check Stefan Kløvning's review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the framework of the book within the context of its field. Step 2. Present your evaluation.

  22. Interview: By the Book with Ada Limón

    Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review's podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here. "I mean that as an organizing principle," says the U.S ...

  23. I Really Like Reading Bad Reviews of My Nemesis: Am I the Literary

    Kristen Arnett Kristen Arnett is the queer author of With Teeth: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2021) which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and the New York Times bestselling debut novel Mostly Dead Things (Tin House, 2019). Her work has appeared at The New York Times, TIME, The Cut, Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Salon, The Washington Post, and elsewhere.

  24. GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Book Review

    39 The need for happiness is linked to industrialisation. 40 A main aim of government should be to increase the happiness of the population. ĐÁP ÁN VÀ GIẢI CHI TIẾT ĐỀ THI IELTS READING: Book Review. Questions 27-29. Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.

  25. ‎The book of answers

    This is the essence of the "Book of Answers": confronting you with your own truth. We invite you to set aside your worries and let the app engage with you. It might challenge you, provoke new thoughts, provide courage, uncover blind spots, or even offer healing. Embark on a journey of self-discovery and say goodbye to life's perplexities.