Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 1 of 10 IELTS (Academic) Question Types - Samples 1. Matching Headings Choose the correct heading for sections A-D and F from the list of headings below. Write the correct number i-vii in boxes 1-4. Section A The role of governments in environmental management is difficult but inescapable. Sometimes, the state tries to manage the resources it owns, and does so badly. Often, however, governments act in an even more harmful way. They actually subsidise the exploitation and consumption of natural resources. A whole range of policies, from farm-price support to protection for coal-mining, do environmental damage and (often) make no economic sense. Scrapping them offers a two-fold bonus: a cleaner environment and a more efficient economy. Growth and environmentalism can actually go hand in hand, if politicians have the courage to confront the vested interest that subsidies create. Section B No activity affects more of the earth's surface than farming. It shapes a third of the planet's land area, not counting Antarctica, and the proportion is rising. World food output per head has risen by 4 per cent between the 1970s and 1980s mainly as a result of increases in yields from land already in cultivation, but also because more land has been brought under the plough. Higher yields have been achieved by increased irrigation, better crop breeding, and a doubling in the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers in the 1970s and 1980s. Section C All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts. For example, land clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion; and the spread of monoculture and use of high-yielding varieties of crops have been accompanied by the disappearance of old varieties of food plants which might have provided some insurance against pests or diseases in future. Soil erosion threatens the productivity of land in both rich and poor countries. The United States, where the most careful measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one-fifth of its farmland was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil's productivity. The country subsequently embarked upon a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to meadow or forest. Topsoil in India and China is vanishing much faster than in America. Section D In poor countries, governments aggravate other sorts of damage. Subsidies for pesticides and artificial fertilisers encourage farmers to use greater quantities than are needed to get the highest economic crop yield. A study by the International Rice Research Institute of pesticide use by farmers in South East Asia found that, with pest-resistant varieties of rice, even moderate applications of pesticide frequently cost farmers more than they saved. Such waste puts farmers on a chemical treadmill: bugs and weeds become resistant to poisons, so next year's poisons must be more lethal. One cost is to human health. Every year some 10,000 people die from pesticide poisoning, almost all of them in the developing countries, and another 400,000 become seriously ill. As for artificial fertilisers, their use world-wide increased by 40 per cent per unit of farmed land between the mid-1970s and late 1980s, mostly in the developing countries. Overuse of fertilisers may cause farmers to stop rotating crops or leaving their land fallow. That, in turn, may make soil erosion worse. List of Headings i. Farming and food output ii. The probable effects of the new international trade agreement iii. The environmental impact of modern farming iv. The effects of government policy in rich countries v. The effects of government policy in poor countries vi. The effects of government policy on food output vii. Governments and management of the environment 1. Section A _____ 2. Section B _____ 3. Section C _____ 4. Section D _____
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 2 of 10 2. Multiple Choice Questions Travel is the best form of education One learns a lot while serving in the United States Army. Foreing places, stressful conditions, and absence from home can foster an out-of-the-classroom education that crosses the boundary of the odd and unusual. Today, tales of strange sea creatures and haunted islands seem like a bad Sci-Fi marathon. But these were realities for one U.S. Army soldier stationed overseas at the thrun of the 20th century. The art of journal keeping, letter writing and daily diary entries are becoming extinct as methods of memory management are changing in today's technology driven world. What once was detailed on paper with memory fresh at hand is now posted on YouTube Today, blogs replace diary entries. Hand-written letters to loved ones are far slower than a quick Facebook 'poke' or a cell phone text message. Historians enjoy a deep appreciation for the written word. They savour the ability to see the world through the eyes of someone who never had satellite TV, the Internet or cell phone. Where explanation was not readily at hand in the strange lands of the Philippine Islands, the environment was ripe for adventure and the unknown. Placing one's self in such situations fosters an education that cannot be duplicated in any classroom, book or blockbuster movie. A survivor of deadly and savage situations, Colonel Horace P. Hoobs recorded these well-documented experiences that lend a degree of depth to the retelling and re-imagining of Army history. The odd education of Colonel Horace P. Hobbs is revealed in his voluminous personal papers held at the U.S. Army Military History Institute. A letter of August 16, 1918, soothes his wife while he is stationed in France during World War I. "You see it is the women who suffer most during a war. Now I know you and mother are worrying about me and I am living in the most luxurious comfort and perfect safety just now." He goes to great lengths to explain his lush surroundings and the comfort he is experiencing, from bathing in a nearby brook to the size of his room and the servants who provide for him, as he attempts to console a worry-sick wife. It would seem, however, that Mrs Hobbs had been through worse as a military spouse. Her husband was stationed in the Philippines during the insurrection from 1899 to 1901. Colonel Hobbs wrote a book from his collected journals and memoirs entitled, "Kris and Krag: Adventures among the Moros of the Southern Philippine Islands”. Among his many tales, the Colonel tells about a strange native custom on one of the small islands of taking their boats across a narrow strait to another island and returning before dark. They explained to him that the island was the home of the 'wok-wok', a powerful ghost who must be appeased with gifts of rice so they will not harm the people. Upon further inspection, the Army discovered the 'wok-wok’ to be large apes. Another bizarre chapter in the Colonel's education came when he was asked by some villagers to kill a sea creature which wreaked havoc among the people whenever they Slaughtered an animal for food. The blood would run into the water, and out would come the creature. The Colonel waited for the apparition to appear after a slaughter, and he was not disappointed. Upon further inspection he described the animal as being some kind of mix between an alligator and a crocodile, but one he had never seen before. Experience in foreign places, blended with curiosity and a desire to learn, enabled Colon to obtain a far greater grasp of the world. These traits provided him with an education that the average person today cannot obtain from watching television or searching the web. Questions 1-5 Choose the correct letter, a, b, c or d. 1. What offers a non-traditional form of education? A. Being away from home B. Being in foreign countries C. Situations that cause stress D. All of the above 2. Historians enjoy the chance to see A. Satellite TV. B. The world through other's eyes. C. The world. D. Popular documented experiences.
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 3 of 10 3.While in France, the Colonel A. Looked after his sick wife. B. Lived with his wife. C. Wrote letters to the U.S. Army Military History Institute, D. Comforted his wife with his letters. 4. A sea creature would appear A. Whenever the Colonel was in the village. B. And make the Colonel disappointed. C. When blood from a dead animal ran into the water. D. And slaughter an animal. 5. What traits helped a Colonel to get a good education? A. A desire to travel to foreign places B. Curiosity and a good grasp of the world C. Watching TV and using the Internet D. Curiosity and a desire to learn 3.True - False - Not Given sample 1 No one doubts that intelligence develops as children grow older. Yet, the concept of intelligence has proved both quite difficult to define in unambiguous terms and unexpectedly controversial in some respects. Although at one level, there seem to be almost as many definitions of intelligence as people who have tried to define it, there is broad agreement on two key features. That is, intelligence involves the capacity to not only to learn from experience but also to adapt to one’s environment. However, we cannot leave the concept there. Before turning to what is known about intelligence development, it is necessary to consider whether we consider the growth of one or many skills. That question has been tackled in rather different ways by psychometricians and by developmentally. 1. _____ As children grow older, Intelligence evolves. 2. _____ The concept of intelligence has failed to win over the controversies regarding the definition of intelligence. 3. _____ Intelligence can be defined as the capacity to learn from experience and learn to adapt to the environment. 4. _____ It is unnecessary to consider how many skills are involved in the evolution of intelligence. 5. _____ Many psychometricians have avoided giving an exact definition of intelligence. sample 2 Hot-air ballooning is generally a safe activity, and serious accidents are rare. In the event that something does go wrong, several items of safety gear are useful to have on board. In case, the pilot light and the auxiliary piezo ignition fail, it is a good idea to have a welding torch flint sparker available for the pilot’s use. Given the propane combustion used to propel the hot-air balloon, a fire extinguisher is an absolute necessity. Flame-resistant gauntlets made out of either leather or Nomex are required for the pilot so that a gas valve can be disabled even if an open flame is present. While Nomex is a specially manufactured synthetic form of fire-retardant material, synthetic clothing is generally a hindrance to fire safety, and clothing made of natural fiber is a superior option for pilots. Finally, a handling line – a long rope that can be thrown overboard – is a vital precautionary measure that allows people on the ground to steer the balloon away from trouble. 1. Fatal accidents are more common in hot-air balloons _____ 2. Safety gears are always available on the hot-air balloons _____ 3. It is unnecessary to carry a fire extinguisher in the hot-air balloons. _____ 4. Flame-resistant gauntlets made of leather are one of the required items for a pilot. _____ 5. People on the ground use handling rope to steer the balloon. _____
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 4 of 10 4. Summary Questions Sample 1 The instructions accompanying do-it-yourself products are regularly cited as a source of unnecessary expense or frustration. Few companies seem to test their instructions by having them followed by a first-time user. Often, essential information is omitted, steps in the construction process are taken for granted, and some degree of special knowledge is assumed. This is especially worrying in any fields where failure to follow correct procedures can be dangerous. Objections to material in plain English have come mainly from the legal profession. Lawyers point to the risk of ambiguity inherent in the use of everyday language for legal or official documents, and draw attention to the need for confidence in legal formulations, which can come only from using language that has been tested in court over the course of centuries. Complete the summary below. Choose No More Than Two Words from the passage for each answer. Consumers often complain that they experience a feeling of 1_____________________ when trying to put together do-it-yourself products which have not been tested by companies on a 2___________________ . Institutions where not keeping to the correct procedures could affect safety issues, it is especially important that 3_________________ information is not left out and no assumptions are made about a stage being self-evident or the consumer having a certain amount of 4__________________ .Lawyers, however, have raised objections to the use of plain English. They feel that it would result in ambiguity in documents and cause people to lose faith in 5___________________ as it would mean departing from language that has been used in the courts for a very long time. Sample 2 Biometrics Until the late 1800s, identification largely relied upon ‘photographic memory.’ In the 1890s, an anthropologist and police desk clerk in Paris named Alphonse Bertillon sought to fix the problem of identifying convicted criminals and turned biometrics into a distinct field of study. He developed a method of multiple body measurements which was named after him – Bertillonage. Bertillon based his system on the claim that the measurement of adult bones does not change after the age of 20. His system was used by police authorities throughout the world, until 1903, when two identical measurements were obtained for two different persons at Fort Leavenworth prison. The prison switched to fingerprinting the following day and the rest of the world soon followed, abandoning Bertillonage forever. After the failure of Bertillonage, the police started using fingerprinting, which was developed by Richard Edward Henry of Scotland Yard, essentially reverting to the same methods used by the Chinese for years. For security reasons, often two, or all three, of these systems are combined but as times progress, we are in constant need for more secure and accurate measures. Authentication by biometric verification is becoming increasingly common in corporate and public security systems, consumer electronics and point-of-sale applications. In addition to security, the driving force behind biometric verification has been convenience. Already, many European countries are introducing a biometric passport which will carry a paper-thin computer chip to store the facial image and at least one additional biometric identifier. This will help to counter fraudulent efforts to obtain duplicate passports and will verify the identity of the holder against the document. Questions 1-4 Complete the summary from the list of words below. Write the correct word in blank spaces As long ago as the 14th century, the Chinese made use of biometrics in order to tell young children apart, but it was only in the 1890s when it was first used by the authorities as a means of 1______________________ in criminal cases. The system developed by the Frenchman Bertillon – that of measuring adult bones – was flawed, however, and so police adopted 2____________________ as a more reliable way of identifying suspects. Apart from security, another important 3____________________behind biometric verification has been 4______________________ A identification B fingerprinting C convenience D scanning E measuring F approval G security H identity I apprehension J violation K justification L factor
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 5 of 10 5.Yes, No, Not Given Text 1 But salt is also an essential element. Without it, life itself would be impossible since the human body requires the mineral in order to function properly. The concentration of sodium. ions in the blood is directly related to the regulation of safe body fluid levels. And while we are all familiar with its many uses in cooking; we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000 commercial applications. From manufacturing pulp and paper to setting dyes in textiles and fabric, from producing soaps and detergents to making our roads safe in winter, salt plays an essential part in our daily lives. Salt has a long and influential role in world history. From the dawn of civilization, it has been a key factor in economic, religious, social and political development in every corner of the world, it has been the subject of superstition, folklore, and warfare, and has even been used as currency. Questions 1. It is possible to live without consuming salt. ____________ 2. Sodium ions control body fluid levels. ____________ 3. Salt has only culinary uses. ____________ 4. Salt deficiency results in diseases. ____________ 5. Salt has been used as money. ____________ 6. Sentence Completion Hydroelectric plants harness energy by passing flowing water through a turbine. The water turbine rotation is delivered to a generator, which generates electricity. The quantity of electricity that can be produced at a hydroelectric plant relies upon two variables. These variables are the vertical distance that the water falls, called the “head”, and the flow rate, calculated as volume over time. The amount of electricity that is produced is thus proportional to the head product and the flow rate. Until only recently people believed almost universally that hydroelectric power was an environmentally safe and clean means of generating electricity. Hydroelectric stations do not release any of the usual atmospheric pollutants emitted by power plants fuelled by fossil fuels so they do not add to global warming or acid rain. Nevertheless, recent studies of the larger reservoirs formed behind dams have implied that decomposing, flooded vegetation could give off greenhouse gases equal to those from other electricity sources. Questions: Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Hydroelectric plants produce energy by passing 1_______________________________ through a turbine. Electricity is produced by delivering water 2__________________________________ to a generator. The amount of electricity that can be produced at a hydroelectric plant relies upon 3__________________ and 4______________________ Hydroelectric power plants do not release any pollutants into the atmosphere, so they do not cause 5_________________________ 7. Table completion: By the early nineteenth century – the start of the railway age – men such as John McAdam and Thomas Telford had created a British road network totalling some 200,000 km, of which about one sixth was privately owned toll roads called turnpikes. In the first half of the nineteenth century, many roads in the US were built to the new standards, of which the National Pike from West Virginia to Illinois was perhaps the most notable. In the twentieth century, the ever-increasing use of motor vehicles threatened to break up roads built to nineteenth-century standards, so new techniques had to be developed. On routes with heavy traffic, flexible pavements were replaced by rigid pavements, in which the top layer was concrete, 15 to 30 centimeters thick, laid on a prepared bed. Nowadays steel bars are laid within the concrete. This not only restrains shrinkage during setting, but also reduces expansion in warm weather. As a result, it is, possible to lay long slabs without danger of cracking Questions:
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 6 of 10 Complete the table below. Use ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Time period Type of roads Early 19th century Turn pikes also called as 1_____________________ roads First half of the 2__________________ century National Pike 20th century flexible pavements were replaced by 3_____________________ pavements Now 4___________________________ bars are laid within the concrete 8. Diagram completion: In their new location, the beekeeper will pay the farmer to allow his bees to feed in such places as orange groves. The honey produced here is fragrant and sweet and can be sold by the beekeepers. To encourage the bees to produce as much honey as possible during this period, the beekeepers open the hives and stack extra boxes called supers on top. These temporary hive extensions contain frames of empty comb for the bees to fill with honey. In the brood chamber below, the bees will stash honey to eat later. To prevent the queen from crawling up to the top and laying eggs, a screen can be inserted between the brood chamber and the supers. Three weeks later the honey can be gathered. Label the diagram below. Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Questions: 8 ________________ 9 ________________ 10 ________________ 11 ________________ 9. Matching Features A. Keystone, an American-based research company reported. In 2005, one computer became obsolete for every new one introduced in the die market. By the year 2010, experts estimate that in the USA there will be over 500 million obsolete computers. Most of these computers will be destined for landfills, incinerators or hazardous waste exports.’ Old, outdated keyboards, monitors and hard drives all combine to produce what is now widely known as ‘e-waste’ and the way to appropriately dispose of them is proving to be a challenge. In an effort to explore other alternatives, landfills have been tried, Studies have shown, however, that even the best landfills are not completely safe, in feet, the shortcomings of dealing with waste via modern landfills are well documented. According to Phil Stevenson, managing director of CleanCo, a recycling plant in the UK, ‘Everyone knows that landfills leak – it has become common knowledge. Even the best, state-of-the-art landfills are not completely tight throughout their lifetimes, to one degree or another, a certain amount of chemical and metal leaching occurs.
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 7 of 10 B. The situation is far worse for older or less strict landfill sites. If uncontrolled fires are allowed to burn through these landfill areas, other toxic chemicals such as lead and cadmium are released. In the USA for example, Datatek, a research company, estimated that it was 12 times cheaper to ship old computer monitors to China than it was to recycle them. Data on the prevalence of this activity is scarce due to past bad publicity and dealers of e-scrap not bothering to determine the final destination of the products they sell in 1989 the world community established the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste for final Disposal to stop the industrialized nations of the OECD from dumping their waste on and in less-developed countries. Look at the following list of statements (Questions 1-4) and the list of companies below. ( A-D ) Match each statement with the correct company. N.B You may use any letter more than once. 1 waste sites without strict dumping rules lead to big problems _____ 2 e-waste should be relocated to other countries _____ 3 most old computers will be buried or burned _____ 4 it is impossible to contain metal waste in soil ______ 10. Matching Sentence Endings Is there more to video games than people realize? A. Games are human products and lie within our control. This doesn’t mean we yet control or understand them fully, but it should remind us that there is nothing inevitable or incomprehensible about them. No matter how deeply it may be felt, instinctive fear is an inappropriate response to a technology of any kind. So far, the dire predictions many traditionalists have made about the ‘death’ of oldfashioned narratives and imaginative thought at the hands of video games cannot be upheld. Television and cinema may be suffering, economically, at the hands of interactive media. But literacy standards have failed to decline. Young people still enjoy sport, going out and listening to music and most research – including a recent $1.5m study funded by the US government suggests that even pre-teens are not in the habit of blurring game worlds and real worlds. B. The sheer pace and scale of the changes we face, however, leave little room for complacency. Richard Battle, a British writer and game researcher, says Times change: accept it; embrace it.’ Just as, today, we have no living memories of a time before radio, we will soon live in a world in which no one living experienced growing up without computers. It is for this reason that we must try to examine what we stand to lose and gain before it is too late. Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-E, below. Write the correct letter, A-E in the blank spaces next to 1-3 on your answer sheet. 1. There is little evidence for the traditionalists’ prediction that …………………………. 2. A recent study by the US government found that …………………………… 3. Richard Battle suggests that it is important for people to accept the fact that ……………………………. A. young people have no problem separating their own lives from the ones they play on the screen. B. levels of reading ability will continue to drop significantly. C. new advances in technology have to be absorbed into our lives. D. games cannot provide preparation for the skills needed in real life. E. young people will continue to play video games despite warnings against doing so. List of companies A Noranda Smelter B Datatek C Keystone D CleanCo
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 8 of 10 11. Short Answer Questions The Falkirk Wheel A unique engineering achievement A. The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland is the world’s first and only rotating boat lift. Opened in 2002, it is central to the ambitious £84.5m Millennium Link project to restore navigability across Scotland by reconnecting the historic waterways of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals. B. The major challenge of the project lay in the fact that the Forth & Clyde Canal is situated 35 metres below the level of the Union Canal. Historically, the two canals had been joined near the town of Falkirk by a sequence of 11 locks – enclosed sections of canal in which the water level could be raised or lowered – that stepped down across a distance of 1.5 km. This had been dismantled in 1933, thereby breaking the link. When the project was launched in 1994, the British Waterways authority were keen to create a dramatic twenty-first- century landmark which would not only be a fitting commemoration of the Millennium, but also a lasting symbol of the economic regeneration of the region. Using NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS, answer the following questions. Write your answers in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet. 1. What is the world’s first rotating boat lift? ________________________________________ 2. What keeps the Forth & Clyde Canal and Union Canal joined? ____________________________________ 3. Who wanted to create a dramatic landmark? ________________________________________ 12. flow chart question Doll Restoration This is a good example of how the average doll collector receives a doll. They will find a beautiful antique doll that does not look as beautiful as it should, but with proper restoration, she can be as beautiful as the day she was created. Here, there are two main problems, the eye mechanism has lost its original look, and it has a loose head. We removed the mohair wig and removed the eye system. Then we separated the head from the composition body and chemically cleaned the head, removing old dirt, and wax, but not harming the original artwork. We repaired the missing porcelain teeth by making duplicate porcelain teeth to match and reinserted them. Then we took the original eye system and reconditioned it. We then did the waxing of the eye mechanism and reset the eyebar so the eyebar would open and close as it originally did. What a wonderful difference to chemically clean and restyle the original mohair wig. Our seamstress took over point with suggestions from the owner on likes and dislikes using original period designs. She now looked, I'm sure, very much as she would have originally looked when the little child fell in love with her for the first time.
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 9 of 10 Complete the flow chart below Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer The main problems : 1 ___________________________________and 2 ____________________________________ 3 _____________________________________the head from the torse Cleaned the head with chemicals to eliminate 4 ________________________and 5 Damaged teeth fixed with a duplicate set Reconditioned 6______________________________and mechanism . Gave a fresh look to the 7__________________________________ Dressed doll in authentic 8 ___________________________of the time
Fakher Moalla IELTS Trainer Academic Reading Sample Question Types Page 10 of 10 ANSWER KEY 1. Matching Headings 1 vii 2 i 3 iii 4 v 2. Multiple Choice Questions 1. d. All the above 2. b. The world through other’s eyes 3. d. Comforted his wife with his letters. 4. c. When blood from a dead animal ran into the water. 5. d. Curiosity and a desire to learn True False Not Given Sample 1 1. True 2. Not given 3. True. 4. False. 5. Not Given. Sample 2 1. False 2. True 3. False 4. True. 5. True 3. Summary Questions Sample 1 1. frustration 2. first-time user 3. essential 4. special knowledge 5. legal formulations Sample 2 1. Identification 2. Fingerprinting 3. Factor 4. Convenience 5. Yes, No, Not Given Sample 1 1. NO 2. YES 3. NO 4. NOT GIVEN 5. YES Sample 2 1. No. 2. Yes. 3. Yes. 4. Not Given. 5. Yes. 6. Sentence Completion 1. flowing water 2. turbine rotation 3. head product 4. flow rate 5. global warming 7. Table completion: 1. toll 2. nineteenth 3.rigid 4.steel 8. Labeling diagram 8. comb 9. Frames 10. screen 11. Brood chamber 9. Matching Features 1. D CleanCo 2. B Datatek States 3. C Keystone 4. D CleanCo 10. Matching sentence ending Video games 1. B levels of reading ability will continue to drop significantly. 2. A young people have no problem separating their own lives from the ones they play on the screen. 3. C new advances in technology have to be absorbed into our lives. 11. Short answer 1. Falkirk Wheel in Scotland 2. Sequence of 11 locks 3. The British waterways authority 12. Flow chart 1. (the) eye mechanism 2. (a) loose head 3. separated 4. old dirt 5. wax 6. original eye system 7. (original) mohair wig 8. clothing designs