IELTS READING

IELTS Reading: multiple choices

A. Tips of Simon:
Try following these steps when doing multiple choice questions:
1. Read the question and underline the "keywords" - these are the words that you will try
to find in the passage (the main words that give the meaning of the question).
2. Read the choices and underline one or two keywords for each one. Focus on words that
make the difference between each choice.
3. Go to the passage and look for the keywords from the question.
4. When you have found the right part of the passage, look for keywords from the choices.
5. Read the relevant part of the passage carefully, comparing it to each choice.
6. To be sure you have the right answer, you should be able to show that the other answer
choices are wrong.
B. Practice exercises

1. Read the following passage about a tunnel in London.

The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel that was built beneath the River Thames in London
between 1825 and 1843. It is 396 metres long, and runs at a depth of 23 metres below the river
surface. It was the first tunnel known to have been constructed successfully underneath a
navigable river.
Although it was a triumph of civil engineering, the Thames Tunnel was not a financial success,
with building costs far exceeding initial estimates. Proposals to extend the entrance to
accommodate wheeled vehicles failed, and it was used only by pedestrians. However, the tunnel
did become a major tourist destination, attracting about two million people a year, each of whom
paid a penny to pass under the river.
The construction of the Thames Tunnel showed that it was indeed possible to build underwater
tunnels, despite the previous scepticism of many engineers. Its historic importance was
recognised on 24th March 1995, when the structure was listed Grade II* in recognition of its
architectural importance.
Which THREE of the following statements are correct?
A) The Thames Tunnel was the world’s first ever tunnel.
B) Construction of the tunnel was more expensive than predicted.
C) There were plans to allow vehicles to use the tunnel.
D) Tourism eventually made the tunnel profitable.

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 1
IELTS READING

E) Many engineers had already tried to build underwater tunnels.

F) The Thames Tunnel is now considered to be a significant work of architecture
2. Read the following text, and chose the best answer to the questions below.
The Placebo Effect
A placebo is a sham or simulated medical intervention. Sometimes patients given a placebo
treatment will have a perceived or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon
commonly called the placebo effect.
A study of Danish general practitioners found that 48% had prescribed a placebo at least 10
times in the past year. The most frequently prescribed placebos were antibiotics for viral
infections, and vitamins for fatigue. Specialists and hospital-based physicians reported much
lower rates of placebo use.
1. The placebo effect refers to
A) a simulated medical treatment
B) an improvement in a patient’s health as a result of a simulated medical treatment
C) a common medical phenomenon
2. According to a study, placebos were prescribed in Denmark
A) mainly by doctors working in hospitals
B) instead of antibiotics
C) for fatigued patients or those suffering with viruses
3. Read the following text and answer the questions below.
The ethos of the aristocracy, as exemplified in the English public schools, greatly influenced
Pierre de Coubertin. The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important
part of education, an attitude summed up in the saying 'mens sana in corpore sano', a sound mind
in a sound body. In this ethos, a gentleman was one who became an all-rounder, not the best at
one specific thing. There was also a prevailing concept of fairness, in which practising or
training was considered tantamount to cheating.
1. De Coubertin agreed with the idea that:
A) sport is an activity for gentlemen.
B) schooling should promote both physical and mental health.
C) sport is the most important part of a child's education.
2. In De Coubertin's view:
A) it is easier to be good at many sports, rather than the best at one sport.
B) training is necessary if you want to be an all-rounder.
C) training gives the athlete an unfair advantage.

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 2
IELTS READING

4. Read the passage and choose the correct answers to the questions below.
A new ‘super-Earth’ has been discovered that could have a life-supporting climate and water.
The planet, given the catchy name HD 40307g, was discovered in a multi-world solar system 42
light years from the Sun and lies at exactly the right distance from its star to allow liquid surface
water. It orbits well within the star's “habitable” or “Goldilocks” zone - the region where
temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold to sustain life.
Professor Hugh Jones, from the University of Hertfordshire said: “The longer orbit of the new
planet means that its climate and atmosphere may be just right to support life. Just as Goldilocks
liked her porridge to be neither too hot nor too cold but just right, this planet or indeed any
moons that is has lie in an orbit comparable to Earth, increasing the probability of it being
habitable.” The ‘super earth’ is one of six planets believed to circle the dwarf star HD 40307 in
the constellation Pictor. All the others are located outside the habitable zone, too close to their
parent star to support liquid water.
(Taken from this article in The Independent)
1. Why is it thought that the planet may be able to support life?
A) It has been shown to have water.
B) It is 42 light years from the Sun.
C) It orbits its own star at the perfect distance.
D) It has several moons.
2. Which statement is true of the “Goldilocks” zone?
A) It is the region of a planet which has a habitable climate.
B) It refers to a zone which is too close to the parent star.
C) It refers to a planet with several moons and a long orbit.
D) It is an orbit region which is comparable to the Earth’s.
5. Read the following text and choose the best answer for each question.
The term "IQ" comes from German "Intelligenz-Quotient", coined by the German psychologist
William Stern in 1912, who proposed a method of scoring children's intelligence tests. Since the
early 20th century, scores on IQ tests have increased in most parts of the world. The
phenomenon of rising score performance means that if test-takers are scored by a constant
standard scoring rule, IQ test scores have been rising at an average rate of around three IQ points
per decade. This phenomenon was named the Flynn effect in the book The Bell Curve after
James R. Flynn, the author who did the most to bring this phenomenon to the attention of
psychologists.
1. “IQ” refers to
A) a type of intelligence test for children
B) a means of rating intelligence tests
C) an area of psychology

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 3
IELTS READING

2. Flynn noticed that

A) IQ scores were constant around the world
B) IQ was a global phenomenon
C) intelligence scores had gradually risen over several decades
6. Read the following short text, and answer the question below.

The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in

Switzerland. Since 1935, at least sixty-four climbers have died attempting the Eiger’s north face,
earning it the German nickname Mordwand, literally "murder wall" - a pun on its correct title of
Nordwand (North Wall). Before it was successfully climbed, in 1938, most of the attempts on the
face ended tragically and the Bernese authorities even banned climbing it and threatened to fine
any party that should attempt it again. Since the first successful attempt, the north face has been
climbed many times, but even today it is regarded as a formidable challenge.
Which TWO of the following statements are true according to the text?
A) The Eiger is the most dangerous mountain in the Bernese Alps.
B) The north face of the mountain has an infamous history.
C) The Nordwand was finally conquered in 1938.
D) The Bernese authorities fined climbers who attempted the north face.
E) Climbers consider the north face to be the world’s most challenging climb.
7. Read the following passage about 'learning styles'.
The term ‘learning styles’ refers to a variety of ways of learning. The ‘learning styles’ theory is
based on the observation that most people prefer an identifiable method of interacting with,
taking in, and processing stimuli or information. The idea of individualised ‘learning styles’
originated in the 1970s, and acquired enormous popularity. Proponents say that teachers should
assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each
student's preference.
The basis and efficacy of these proposals are extensively criticised. Although children and adults
express personal preferences, there is no evidence that identifying a student's learning style
produces better outcomes, and there is significant evidence that the hypothesis (that a student
will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for his or her learning style) may be
invalid.

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 4
IELTS READING

Choose the best answer (A, B, or C) for questions 1 and 2 below.

1. The idea that people should learn according to their preferred learning style
A) has influenced all teachers.
B) became popular around 40 years ago.
C) has never been disputed.
2. There is no evidence that
A) people have learning preferences.
B) the hypothesis might be wrong.
C) it is beneficial to identify students’ preferred learning styles.
8. Read the following text and answer the multiple choice questions below.
In linguistics, a corpus (plural corpora) is a large and structured set of texts (now usually
electronically stored and processed). A corpus may be used to help linguists to analyse a
language, or for the purpose of dictionary writing or language teaching. The British National
Corpus (BNC) is a 100-million-word text corpus of samples of written and spoken English from
a wide range of sources. The corpus covers British English of the late twentieth century from a
wide variety of genres with the intention that it be a representative sample of spoken and written
British English of that time.
1. What is a corpus?
A) A type of large dictionary.
B) A single written text.
C) A tool for language analysis.
2. Why was the BNC compiled?
A) For the purpose of language teaching.
B) To document written and spoken English from a particular period in time.
C) To document the history of the English language.

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 5
IELTS READING

C.Correct answers from Simon:

Ex1.
B
C
F
C is correct - there were plans / proposals, and it doens't matter whether they failed or not.
D is wrong because there is no mention of profit being made.
Ex2:

B
C

Ex3:

1. B (physical and mental health = a sound mind in a sound body)

2. C (training gives an unfair advantage = practising or training was considered tantamount to
cheating)
"tantamount to" means "the equivalent of" or "almost the same as"
Ex4:

1. C
2. D
In question 2, the answer "A" was a trick - the Goldilocks zone is not a region (on the surface) of
a planet, it's a habitable region for the whole planet within a solar system.
Ex5:

1. B
2. C
1. a means of rating intelligence tests = a method of scoring (children's) intelligence tests

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 6
IELTS READING

2. intelligence scores had gradually risen over several decades = IQ test scores have been rising
at an average rate of around three IQ points per decade
Ex6:

B and C
A is wrong because we don't know whether it's the MOST dangerous - there is no comparison
with other mountains
B is correct. Infamous means 'famous for bad reasons' (e.g. the deaths, known as "murder wall"
etc.)
C is correct - it was successfully climbed in 1938
D is wrong because we only know that they 'threatened' to fine people.
E is wrong - similar to 'A' - there is no comparison with other mountains.
Ex7:

B
C

Ex8:

1. C
- a corpus is a collection of texts used to help linguists analyse a language.
2. B
- the BNC was made to document British English from the 20th century as "a representative
sample of spoken and written British English of that time".

Collected by Ly Na Tran
Resources: ielts-simon.com Page 7