Cambridge IELTS 18 reading Test 4 answers with explanation
Reading passage 1
Green roofs
Which paragraph contains the following information?
1 mention of several challenges to be overcome before a green roof can be installed.
D – Paragraph D. From 1st line to 7th. For green roofs to become the norm for new development, there needs to be support from public authorities and private investors…………………………………… as well as planning restrictions and disruption from regular activities in and around the buildings during installation.
Explanation:- Challenges that are needed to overcome before installing green roofs are 1. Support from public authorities and private investors is required. 2. Skilled and volunteer workers required. 3. Installation of drainage paths needed. 4. Allowing access to the public 5. Planning restrictions and disruption from regular activities. All these challenges are listed in the D paragraph.
2 reference to a city where green roofs have been promoted for many years.
C – Paragraph C. 4th and 5th line. Toronto, Canada, has policies dating from the 1990s, encouraging the development of urban farms on rooftops.
3 a belief that existing green roofs should be used as a model for new ones.
E – Paragraph E. 3rd to 7th line. Improvement in the science and technology underpinning green roof development have also led to new variations in the concept………………………………………………….which are wilder in nature and maximize biodiversity.
Explanation:- Due to the development of science and technology, which has led to green roof development, these green roofs now work as a model for new types of roofs, such as blue roofs that store water and brown roofs that maintain biodiversity.
4 examples of how green roofs can work in combination with other green urban initiatives.
B – Paragraph B. from line 1 to 5. Ongoing research is showcasing how green roofs in cities can integrate with ‘living walls’…………………………………………. and the built environment is made more sustainable.
Explanation:- As given in B paragraph, green roofs can work in combination(integrate) with ‘living walls’ and drainage systems on the ground, such as street trees.
5 the need to make a persuasive argument for the financial benefits of green roofs.
D – Paragraph D. 7th and 8th line. To convince investors and developers that installing green roofs is worthwhile, economic arguments are still the most important.
Explanation:- Economic = related to finance. If the financial (economic) benefits of green roofs are told to investors and developers, they may develop an interest in them. So, economic arguments are crucial.
Complete the summary below
6 These include lessening the likelihood that floods will occur, reducing how much money is spent on………………………….and creating environment that are suitable for wildlife.
energy – Paragraph A. 3rd and 4th line. Among the benefits are saving on energy costs, mitigating the risk of floods, making habitats for urban wildlife.
7 In many cases, they can also be used for producing ………………………….
food – Paragraph A. 3rd to 5th lines. Among the benefits are saving on energy costs, mitigating the risk of floods, making habitats for urban wildlife, tackling air pollution and even growing food.
8 For example, the medical profession recommends…………………………. as an activity to help people cope with mental health issues.
gardening – Paragraphs B. 6th and 7th line. Doctors are increasingly prescribing time spent gardening outdoors for patients dealing with anxiety and depression.
9 Studies have also shown that the availability of green spaces can prevent physical problems such as………………………….
obesity – Paragraph B. last two lines. And research has found that access to even the most basic green spaces can provide can provide a better quality of life to dementia sufferers and help people avoid obesity.
Question 10 and 11
Which TWO advantages of using newer buildings for green roofs are mentioned in the Paragraph C of this passage?
C – greater water-storage capacity, Paragraph C. 7th & 8th line. Being able to keep enough water at roof height and distribute it right across the rooftop is crucial to maintaining the plants on any green roof.
Explanation:- Being able to keep enough water at roof height = grater water storage capacity.
D – ability to cultivate more plant types. Paragraph C, last 2 lines. Having a stronger roof also makes it easier to grow a greater variety of plants, since the soil can be deeper.
Question 12 and 13
Which TWO aims of new variations on the concept of green roofs are mentioned in Paragraph E of the passage?
A – to provide habitats for a wide range of species, Paragraph E. 6th & 7th line. There are also combinations of green roofs with solar panels, and ‘brown roofs’ which are wilder in nature and maximize biodiversity.
Explanation:- Brown roofs are a variation of green roofs, which can provide a place of living for many types of animal species.
D – to generate power from a sustainable source, Paragraph E. 6th line. There are also combinations of green roofs with solar panels.
Explanation:- Solar panels are a sustainable power source that can be used on green roofs to generate energy.
Reading Passage 2
The growth mindset
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
14 What can we learn from the first passage?
B – when ideas about the nature of intelligence began to shift. Full 1st paragraph. Over the past century, a power idea has taken root in the educational landscape………………………………………………….given the right environment.
Explanation:- The whole paragraph describes that intelligence was considered innate(natural/from birth), but for 100 years(century), it has been believed that intelligence can be increased with training and the right environment. It is the shift(change) in the idea.
15 The second paragraph describes how schools encourage students to
C – have confidence in their potential to succeed, 2nd paragraph. 2nd paragraph, 1st to 5th line. Growth mindset theory is a relatively new………………………………………………..as a change to improve that ability
Explanation:- Schools now have motivational posters, and they play speeches about the mindset of sports stars who trust in themselves to reach the top. Schools also encourage students not to misjudge their abilities on failure but to see it as a chance to improve them. All these measures can help students to build their confidence in that they can succeed.
16 In the thirds paragraph, the writer suggests that students with a fixed mindset
D – are afraid to push themselves beyond what they see as their limitation. 3rd paragraph 6th to 8th line. Meanwhile, the former took on only those tasks that would not risk their sense of worth………………………failure and the lack of effort.
Explanation:- Here, the former is the first group who was told their results were due to their intelligence(fixed mindset), and they chose to do tasks that would not risk their sense of worth. It means they were afraid of doing tasks beyond their limitation. On the other hand, the group that was told their efforts brought the results (growth mindset) was more willing to put effort into their future tasks.
Questions 17 – 22
Match each statement with the correct person or people, A–E.
17 The methodology behind the growth mindset studies was not strict enough.
C – Andrew Gelman. 5th paragraph from 1st line to 4th line. Aside from implementation problem…………………………………………..just about any theory at all.
Explanation:- Andrew Gelman claims that their research design has enough degree of freedom that they could take their data to support just about any theory at all. It means the research design was not strict enough, so it can be used to support any theory.
Freedom = not strict
18 The idea of the growth mindset has been incorrectly interpreted.
B – Carol Dweck. 6th paragraph’s first three lines. Much of his criticism is not lost on Dweck………………………………………………………..and misapplied in a range of ways.
Explanation:- Carol Dweck argues that her work has been misunderstood and misapplied in a range of ways, which clearly means that her work on growth mindset has been incorrectly interpreted.
19 Intellectual ability is an unchangeable feature of each individual.
A – Alfred Binet. 1st paragraph from 1st line to fifth line. Over the past century………………………………………………..and sought to quantify cognitive ability.
Explanation:– Alfred Binet held the earlier view that intelligence is something innate. It means intelligence (Intellectual ability) comes from birth and cannot be changed.
20 The growth mindset should be promoted without students being aware of it.
E – David Yeager and Gregory Walton. 7th paragraph from 3rd to last line. David Yeager and Gregory Walton claim that interventions should be delivered… ………………………………………………undo its intended effects.
Explanation:- David Yeager and Gregory Walton claim that help to children should be given secretly, and children should not become aware of it because if they know, it will not have the intended effect.
Subtle = a change or distinction so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe.
21 The growth mindset is not simply about boosting students’ morale.
B – Carol Dweck. 6th paragraph’s last three lines. For me the growth mindset………………………………………………. for making children feel good.
Explanation:- As per Carol Dweck, growth mindset is a tool for leaning and improvement. It is not a tool to make children feel good (by boosting their morale).
22 Research shows that the growth mindset has no effect on academic achievement.
D – Timothy Bates. 5th paragraph from 4th to last line. Professor of Psychology Timothy Bates………………………………………… after our intervention study.
Explanation:- Timothy Bates tried to copy Carol Dweck’s growth mindset work, but he did not get any results. He also noted that people with a growth mindset did not get better grades, which means no effect on academic achievement.
Questions 23 – 26
YES/NO/NOT GIVEN
23 Dweck has handled criticism of her work in an admirable way.
YES – 6th paragraph’s first three lines. Much of this criticism is not lost on Dweck…………………………………in a range of ways.
Explanation:- Carol Dweck responded to her criticism by modifying her work as required. She also argues that her work has been misunderstood and misapplied in many ways. So, she took the criticism as feedback to improve her work. So the answer is Yes.
24 Student’s self perception is a more effective driver of self-confidence than actual achievement is.
NO – 8th paragraph from 2nd to last line. But there is evidence to suggest that ……………………………………………… vague notion of ‘motivation’ itself.
Explanation:- Opposite is given in the paragraph than the question. The paragraph says the actual effect of achievement on self-perception is stronger than other ways around. However, the question says self-perception is a more effective driver of self-confidence than actual achievement. So the answer is NO.
25 Recent evidence about growth mindset interventions has attracted unfair coverage in media.
NOT GIVEN – No information about media coverage of the growth mindset is given in the passage.
26 Deliberate attempts to encourage students to strive for high achievement may have a negative effect.
YES – Last paragraph’s 1st two lines. Motivational posters and talks are often a waste of time, and might well give students a deluded notion of what success actually means.
Explanation:- Motivational speeches and posters are used to encourage students to make efforts to achieve something. It is considered a waste of time as it may give the wrong notion (belief) about success, which has a negative effect. So the answer is YES.
Reading Passage 3
Alfred Wegener: science, exploration and the theory of continental drift
Questions 27 – 30
YES/NO/NOT GIVEN
27 Wegener’s ideas about continental drift were widely disputed while he was alive.
YES – 1st paragraph’s last three lines. His book on the subject, ……………………… ………………………….some years after his death.
Explanation:- Wegener published his ideas about continental drift in a book in different editions, which was the focus of international controversy (dispute) in his lifetime and after his death. So the answer is YES.
28 The ideas that the continents remained fixed in place was defended in a number of respected scientific publications.
NOT GIVEN – No such information is given in any paragraph of this passage.
29 Wegener relied on a limited range of scientific field to support his theory of continental drift.
NO – 2nd paragraph from 3rd to 5th line. Wegener showed in great detail how such continental movements were plausible and how they worked, using evidence from a large number of sciences including geology, geophysics, paleontology, and climatology.
Explanation:- Wegener based his theory on a large number of scientific fields, such as geology, geophysics, paleontology, and climatology. The opposite is written in the question than the passage, so the answer is NO.
30 The similarities between Wegener’s theory of continental drift and modern-day plate tectonics are enormous.
NO – 2nd paragraph from line 7 to 9. Plate tectonics is in many respects quite different from Wegener’s proposal, in the same way that modern evolutionary theory is very different from the ideas Charles Darwin proposed in 1850s about biological evolution.
Explanation:- It is clearly written that plate tectonics is different from Wegener’s proposal. Hence, the answer is NO.
Questions 31 – 36
Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-J, below
Wegener’s life and work
31 One of the remarkable things about Wegener from a………………………… is that although he proposed a theory of continental drift, he was not a geologist.
I – (biographer’s perspective). 3rd paragraph’s first three lines. When I started writing about Wegener’s life and work, one of the most intriguing things about him for me was that, although he came up with a theory on continental drift, he was not a geologist.
Explanation:- In these lines, “I” refers to the biographer (the person who wrote about Wegener’s life). According to the biographer’s perspective, it was intriguing (interesting/ remarkable) to write a theory on continental drift for a person who is not a geologist.
32 His………………………… were limited to atmospheric physics.
F – professional interests. 3rd paragraph’s third line. He trained as an astronomer and pursued a career in atmospheric physics.
Explanation:- Career = Professional Interest
33 However, at the time he proposed his theory of continental drift in 1912, he was already a person of………………………… .
A – Modest fame. 3rd paragraph from 4th to 6th line. When he proposed the theory of continental displacement in 1912, he was a lecturer in Physics and astronomy at the University of Marburg, in southern Germany. However, he was not ‘unknown’.
Explanation:- He was “not unknown”, which means some people knew him. He was moderately famous.
34 Six years previously, there had been his …………………………of 52 hours in a hot-air balloon,
C – record-breaking achievement. 3rd paragraph’s line 6th and 7th line. In 1906, he had set a world record (with his brother Kurt) for time afloat in a hot-air balloon: 52 hours.
Explanation:- World record = record-breaking achievement.
35 followed by his well-publicised but………………………… of Greenland’s coast.
H – hazardous exploration. 3rd paragraph from line 7th to 9th. Between 1906 and 1908 he had taken part in a highly publicized and extremely dangerous expedition to the coast of northeast Greenland.
Explanation:- Hazardous exploration = extremely dangerous expedition
36 With the publication of his textbook on thermodynamics, he had also come to the attention of a ………………………… of German scientists.
E – select group, 3rd paragraph’s last 4 lines. He had also made a name for himself amongst a small circle of meteorologists and atmospheric physicist in Germany as the author of a textbook, Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere (1911), and of a number of interesting scientific papers.
Explanation:- Select group = a small circle
Questions 37 – 40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
37 What is Mott T Greene doing in the fifth paragraph?
B – explaining why it is desirable to read the whole book. The whole fifth paragraph.
Explanation:- As you can read in this paragraph, Wegener’s investigations were not continuous. He stopped one and started doing another. Then, after some years, he started doing the first one again. You can say that he did not do investigation/research continuously. So, the biographer divided his life into different parts based on careers in different sciences. But reading parts does not make much sense. So the whole book should be read.
38 What is said about Wegener in the sixth paragraph?
A – He was not a particularly ambitious person. 6th paragraph from 5th to last line. He was not active (with a few exceptions) in scientific societies, and did not seek to find influences or advance his ideas through professional contact and politics, spending most of his time at home in his study reading and writing, or in the field collecting observations.
Explanation:- From these lines, it is clear that he was not much determined for his work. You can say that he did not put extra effort into his work. He worked ordinarily. He had not tried to develop his ideas by contacting professionals and becoming influential via politics, which could make him more successful. It means he was not very ambitious.
39 What does Greene say about some other famous scientists?
D – They are easier subjects to write about than Wegener. The whole second-last paragraph. Some famous scientists, such as Newton, Darwin and Einstein, left mountains of written material behind………………………………………………. ………………………………………. Ideas took shape and evolved.
Explanation:- At the start of the 6th paragraph, it is written that Wegener left very little data about his work. In the second last paragraph, the writer writes that the more data a biographer has about the scientist, the better they can write about their ideas’ evolution. So, writing about Wegener is more difficult than other scientists, such as Newton, Darwin and Einstein.
40 What is Greene’s main point in the final paragraph?
C – People have little control over many aspects of their lives. Last paragraph’s first three lines. I am firmly of the opinion that most of us, Wegener included, are not in any real sense the authors of our own lives. We plan, think and act often with apparent freedom, but most of the time our lives ‘happen to us’.
Explanation:- Life happen to us = there are things we cannot foresee, control or prepare for. The meaning of these lines is that many times, there are several things in our lives that we cannot control even when we think, plan and act. We are not the real author of our lives.
