23 March 2024, IELTS Reading Module

                                                IELTS  Spectra Reading 

(Test Date: 23 March '24)

Teaching Methodology


Type 1. YES/NO/Not Given


Question 1 -5

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage? In boxes 1 -5 on your answer sheet , write: YES/NO/NOT GIVEN 

1. The Pacific Islands were uninhabited when migrants arrived by sea from Southeast Asia.

2. Andrew Sharp was the first person to write about the migrants to islanders.

3. Andrew Sharp believed migratory voyages were based more on luck than skill

4. Despite being controversial, Andrew Sharp's research had positive results.

5. Edwin Doran disagreed with the findings of Lewis's research.


How to do Yes/No/ NG

Step 1. Read the question carefully and identify the                               keywords (KWs)

Step 2. Go the Text (T) and locate the KWs of the question.                   Read the sentence carefully to see the synonyms of                 the KWs.

Step 3. Compare the KWs of the question with the synonyms               in  the T.


Qtn 1. The Pacific Islands were uninhabited when migrants arrived by sea from Southeast Asia.

Step 1. Read the question carefully and identify the                               keywords (KWs)
          KWs

            i)   uninhabited

            ii)  when migrants arrived by sea

            iii)  Southeast Asia

Step 2. Go the Text (T) and locate the KWs of the question.                   Read the sentence carefully to see the synonyms of                 the KWs.

Text: Paragraph 1.

The many tiny islands of the Pacific Ocean had no human population until ancestors of today's islanders sailed from Southeast Asia in ocean-going canoes approximately 2,000 years ago. At the present time, the debate continues about exactly how they migrated such vast distances across the ocean, without any modern technologies we take for granted.

Step 3. Compare the KWs of the question with the synonyms               in  the T.

 i)   uninhabited  = had no human population 

 ii)  when migrants arrived  =  until ancestors of today's                                                             islanders

 iii)  arrived bSoutheast Asiasailed from Southeast Asia

Explanation: The statement agrees with the claims of the writer; therefore, the answer : TRUE


Question 2. Andrew Sharp was the first person to write about the migrants to islanders.

Step 1. Read the question carefully and identify the                               keywords (KWs)

Keywords: 

Andrew Sharp

the first person

to write about the migrants to islanders.


Step 2. Go the Text (T) and locate the KWs of the question.                   Read the sentence carefully to see the synonyms of                 the KWs.

Text Paragraph 2: Although the romantic vision of some early twentieth-century writers of fleets of heroic navigators simultaneously setting sail had come to be considered by later investigators to be exaggerated, no considered assessment of Pacific voyaging was forthcoming until 1956 when the American historian Andrew Sharp published his research. Sharp challenged the 'heroic vision'  by asserting that the expertise of the navigators was limited, and that the settlement of the islands was not systematic, being more dependent on good fortune by drifting canoes. Sharp's theory was widely challenged, and deservedly so. If nothing else, however, it did spark renewed interest in the topic and precipitated valuable new research.

Step 3. Compare the KWs of the question with the synonyms               in  the T.

Explanation: The T says: "some early twentieth-century writers of fleets of heroic navigators simultaneously setting sail had come to be considered by later investigators to be exaggerated........."  It means, before Andrew Sharp  published his research (in 1956), some early twentieth century writers set sail to Pacific islands. Andrew Sharp was not the "first person". Therefore, the statement contradicts the claim of the writer. Answer: NO.


Question 3. Andrew Sharp believed migratory voyages were based more on luck than skill

Step 1. Read the question carefully and identify the                               keywords (KWs)

KWs: (i)  migratory voyages 

         (ii) based more on luck 

        (iii) than skill


Step 2. Go the Text (T) and locate the KWs of the question.                   Read the sentence carefully to see the synonyms of                 the KWs.

Text Paragraph 2: Although the romantic vision of some early twentieth-century writers of fleets of heroic navigators simultaneously setting sail had come to be considered by later investigators to be exaggerated, no considered assessment of Pacific voyaging was forthcoming until 1956 when the American historian Andrew Sharp published his research. Sharp challenged the 'heroic vision'  by asserting that the expertise of the navigators was limited, and that the settlement of the islands was not systematic, being more dependent on good fortune by drifting canoes. Sharp's theory was widely challenged, and deservedly so. If nothing else, however, it did spark renewed interest in the topic and precipitated valuable new research.

Step 3. Compare the KWs of the question with the synonyms               in  the T.

KWs: (i)  migratory voyages =  "heroic vision"

         (ii) based more on luck =  more dependent on good                                                           fortune

        (iii) than skillthe expertise of the navigators was                                            limited

Explanation: The statement agrees with the claims of the writer; therefore, the answer : TRUE.

_____________________________________________


Question 4. Despite being controversial, Andrew Sharp's research had positive results.

Step 1. Read the question carefully and identify the                               keywords (KWs)

 KWs: (i) Despite being controversial

           (ii) Andrew Sharp's research had positive results.

Step 2. Go the Text (T) and locate the KWs of the question.                   Read the sentence carefully to see the synonyms of                 the KWs.

Paragraph 3.  Since the 1960s a wealth of investigations has been conducted, and most of them, thankfully, have been of the 'non-armchair' variety. While it would be wrong to denigrate all 'arm-chair' research - that based on an examination of available published materials - it has turned out that so little progress had been made in the area of Pacific voyaging because most writers relied on the same old source - travelers' journals or missionary narratives compiled by unskilled observers. After Sharp, this began to change, and researchers conducted most of their investigations not in libraries, but in the field.

Step 3. Compare the KWs of the question with the synonyms               in  the T.

(i) Despite being controversial =  Sharp's theory was widely                                                   challenged, and deservedly so.

                                                  (Paragraph 2 - T)

(ii) Andrew Sharp's research had positive results = =                   researchers conducted most of their investigations not in           libraries, but in the field. (Positive result)

Explanation: The statement agrees with the claims of the writer; therefore, the answer : TRUE.

_______________________________________________


Question 5. Edwin Doran disagreed with the findings of Lewis's research.


Step 1. Read the question carefully and identify the                               keywords (KWs)

KWs: (i) Edwin Doran 

         (ii) disagreed with   

        (iii) findings of Lewis's research 


Step 2. Go the Text (T) and locate the KWs of the question.                   Read the sentence carefully to see the synonyms of                 the KWs.

Para 4. In 1965, David Lewis, a physician and experienced yachtsman, set to work using his own unique philosophy: he took the yacht he had owned for many years and navigated through the islands in order to contact those men who still find their way at sea using traditional methods. He then accompanied these men, in their traditional canoes,  on test voyages from which modern instruments were banished from sight, though Lewis secretly used them to confirm the navigators' calculations. His most famous such voyage was a return trip around 1,000 nautical miles between two islands in midocean. Far from drifting, as proposed by Sharp, Lewis found that ancient navigators would have known which course to steer by memorizing which stars rose and set in certain positions along the horizon and this gave them fixed directions by which to steer their boats. 


Para 5. The geographer Edwin Doran followed a quite different approach. He was interested in obtaining exact data on canoe sailing performance, and to that end employed the latest electronic instrumentation. Doran traveled on board traditional sailing canoes in some of the most remote parts of the Pacific, all the while using instruments to record canoe speeds in different strengths - from gales to calms - the angle canoes could sail relative to the wind. In the process, he provided the first really attributes of traditional sailing canoes.




Step 3. Compare the KWs of the question with the synonyms               in  the T.

KWs: (i) Edwin Doran = The name is in the para 5

         (ii) disagreed with = The text says, followed a quite                                                  different approach. The text does                                                not say if he agreed or disagreed

         (iii) findings of Lewis's research = Lewis found that ancient navigators would have known which course to steer by memorizing which stars rose and set in certain positions along the horizon and this gave them fixed directions by which to steer their boats. 

Explanation: The Text does not say whether Doran agreed or Disagreed with Lewis's Research: therefore 'it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about it' .

Answer: NG 
________________________________________________ 

Type 2. MCQs - 4 Choices

Question 6-10

Choose the correct letter A,B,C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 6 - 10 on  your answer sheet.

6. David Lewis's research was different because 

A. he observed traditional navigators at work

B. he continued test voyages using his own yacht 

C. he carried no modern instruments on test voyages 

D. he  spoke the same language as the islanders he sailed with

7. What did David Lewis's research discover about traditional navigators?

A. They used the sun and moon to find their position 

B. They could not sail further than 1,000 nautical miles.

C. They knew which direction they were sailing in

D. They were able to drift for long long distances

 

8. What were we told about Edwin Doran's research?

A. Data were collected after the canoes had returned to land.

B. Canoe characteristics were recorded using modern instruments.

C. Research was conducted in the most densely populated regions 

D. Navigators were not allowed to see the instruments Doran used 


9. Which of the following did Steven Horvath discover during his research?

A. Canoe design was less important than human strength

B. New research methods had to be developed for use in canoes.

C. Navigators became very tired on longest voyages

D. Human energy may have been used to assist sailing canoes. 


Question 10. What is the writer's opinion of Wall Garrard's research?

A. He is disappointed, it was conducted in the laboratory

B. He is impressed by the originality of the techniques used

C. He is surprised it was used to help linguists with their research

D. He is concerned that the island studied are long distances apart.


How to Do MCQs

Step 1. Identify the KW of the question.
Step 2. Go back to the Text and locate the KW. Read and                 understand the sentence containing the KW. If                     there is no KW, start from the topic sentence
Step 3. Go back to the Answer Choice (ac) and Identify                  the KWs of the ac
Step 4. Compare the ac and Texts.
______________________________________________

Question 6. 
6. David Lewis's research was different because

Step 1. Identify the KW of the question.

KWs: (i) David Lewis
          (ii) research
          (iii) different

Step 2. Go back to the Text and locate the KW. Read and                 understand the sentence containing the KW. If                     there is no KW, start from the topic sentence.

Paragraph 4. In 1965, David Lewis, a physician and experienced yachtsman, set to work using his own unique philosophy: he took the yacht he had owned for many years and navigated through the islands in order to contact those men who still find their way at sea using traditional methods. He then accompanied these men, in their traditional canoes,  on test voyages from which modern instruments were banished from sight, though Lewis secretly used them to confirm the navigators' calculations. His most famous such voyage was a return trip around 1,000 nautical miles between two islands in midocean. Far from drifting, as proposed by Sharp, Lewis found that ancient navigators would have known which course to steer by memorizing which stars rose and set in certain positions along the horizon and this gave them fixed directions by which to steer their boats. 

Step 3. Go back to the Answer Choice (ac) and Identify                  the KWs of the ac

6. David Lewis's research was different because 

A. he observed traditional navigators at work

B. he continued test voyages using his own yacht 

C. he carried no modern instruments on test voyages 

D. he  spoke the same language as the islanders he sailed           with

Step 4. Compare the ac and Texts.

A. he observed traditional navigators at workDavid Lewis, a                   physician and experienced yachtsman, set to                             work using his own unique philosophy: he took the                     yacht he had owned for many years and navigated                   through the islands in order to contact those men                      who still find their way at sea using traditional                            methods. He then accompanied these men, in their                  traditional canoes, on test voyages (Paraphrase of                   ac)

              (i) David Lewis = paragraph 4
              (ii) research  = set to work
             (iii) different = his own unique philosophy

Answer:  A

Elimination: 

B. he continued test voyages using his own yacht 

Explanation: Text does not reveal how/why it was 'different'.

C. he carried no modern instruments on test voyages

Explanation: Wrong. "Lewis secretly used them (T) 

D. he  spoke the same language as the islanders he sailed           with

Explanation: NG

Therefore the ac A confirmed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. What did David Lewis's research discover about traditional navigators?

A. They used the sun and moon to find their position 

B. They could not sail further than 1,000 nautical miles.

C. They knew which direction they were sailing in

D. They were able to drift for long long distances


How to Do MCQs

Step 1. Identify the KW of the question.

7. What did David Lewis's research discover about traditional navigators?

KWs: (i) David Lewis's

          (ii) research 

          (iii) discover about 

          (iv)traditional navigators


Step 2. Go back to the Text and locate the KW. Read and                 understand the sentence containing the KW. If                     there is no KW, start from the topic sentence

Paragraph 4. In 1965, David Lewis, a physician and experienced yachtsman, set to work using his own unique philosophy: he took the yacht he had owned for many years and navigated through the islands in order to contact those men who still find their way at sea using traditional methods. He then accompanied these men, in their traditional canoes,  on test voyages from which modern instruments were banished from sight, though Lewis secretly used them to confirm the navigators' calculations. his most famous such voyage was a return trip around 1,000 nautical miles between two islands in midocean. Far from drifting, as proposed by Sharp, Lewis found that ancient navigators would have known which course to steer by memorizing which stars rose and set in certain positions along the horizon and this gave them fixed directions by which to steer their boats. 

Step 3. Go back to the Answer Choice (ac) and Identify                  the KWs of the ac

7. What did David Lewis's research discover about traditional navigators?

A. They used the sun and moon to find their position 

B. They could not sail further than 1,000 nautical miles.

C. They knew which direction they were sailing in

D. They were able to drift for long long distances

Step 4. Compare the ac and Texts.

A. They used the sun and moon to find their position - Wrong.

     The text say, "steer by memorizing which

                           stars rose and set"

B. They could not sail furth =er than 1,000 nautical miles.

                         - NG,  So Wrong

C. They knew which direction they were sailing in

They = "traditional travelers" (T)

knew = "would have known" (T)

which direction = "course" (T)

sailing in = "to steer by" (T)

Ac C is the right answer.

Elimination:

D. They were able to drift for long long distances - NG. Wrong

Answer 7: C

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. What were we told about Edwin Doran's research?

A. Data were collected after the canoes had returned to land.

B. Canoe characteristics were recorded using modern instruments.

C. Research was conducted in the most densely populated regions 

D. Navigators were not allowed to see the instruments Doran used 

Step 1. Identify the KW of the question.

8. What were we told about Edwin Doran's research?

KWs:  (i) Edwin Doran, (ii) research

Step 2. Go back to the Text and locate the KW. Read and                 understand the sentence containing the KW. If                     there is no KW, start from the topic sentence

Paragraph 5. The geographer Edwin Doran followed a quite different approach. He was interested in obtaining exact data on canoe sailing performance, and to that end employed the latest electronic instrumentation. Doran traveled on board traditional sailing canoes in some of the most remote parts of the Pacific, all the while using instruments to record canoe speeds in different strengths - from gales to calms - the angle canoes could sail relative to the wind. In the process, he provided the first really attributes of traditional sailing canoes.

Step 3. Go back to the Answer Choice (ac) and Identify                  the KWs of the ac

8. What were we told about Edwin Doran's research?

A. Data were collected after the canoes had returned to land.

B. Canoe characteristics were recorded using modern instruments.

C. Research was conducted in the most densely populated regions 

D. Navigators were not allowed to see the instruments Doran used 


Step 4. Compare the ac and Texts.

A. Data were collected after the canoes had returned to land.

The Text says, "all the while using instruments to record canoe speeds in different strengths" ac A Wrong

B. Canoe characteristics were recorded using modern instruments.

The Text says, "He was interested in obtaining exact data on canoe sailing performance, and to that end employed the latest electronic instrumentation.  ac B right

C. Research was conducted in the most densely populated regions. NG. ac C. Wrong

D. Navigators were not allowed to see the instruments Doran used . NG. ac D Wrong

Therefore answer  8: B

_______________________________________________

9. Which of the following did Steven Horvath discover during his research?

A. Canoe design was less important than human strength

B. New research methods had to be developed for use in canoes.

C. Navigators became very tired on longest voyages

D. Human energy may have been used to assist sailing canoes. 

Step 1. Identify the KW of the question.

9. Which of the following did Steven Horvath discover during his research?

KWs: (i) Steven Horvath (ii) discover during his research?

Step 2. Go back to the Text and locate the KW. Read and                 understand the sentence containing the KW. If                     there is no KW, start from the topic sentence

Paragraph 6. A further contribution was made by Steven Horvath. As a physiologist, Horvath's interest was not in navigation techniques or in canoes, but in the physical capabilities of the men themselves. By adapting standard physiological techniques, Horvath was able to calculate the energy expenditure required to paddle canoes of this sort at times when there was no wind to fill the sails, or when the wind was contrary. He concluded that paddles, or perhaps long oars, could indeed have propelled for long distances what were primarily sailing vessels. 


Step 3. Go back to the Answer Choice (ac) and Identify                  the KWs of the ac

9. Which of the following did Steven Horvath discover during his research?

A. Canoe design was less important than human strength

B. New research methods had to be developed for use in canoes.

C. Navigators became very tired on longest voyages

D. Human energy may have been used to assist sailing canoes

Step 4. Compare the ac and Texts.

ACanoe design was less important than human strength

NG. ac A: Wrong

BNew research methods had to be developed for use in canoes

NG. ac B: Wrong


CNavigators became very tired on longest voyages
NG. ac C: Wrong

DHuman energy may have been used to assist sailing canoes. ac D Right.

Explanation: The Text says, "He concluded that paddles, or perhaps long oars, could indeed have propelled for long distances what were primarily sailing vessels"

ac: discover = Concluded (T)
ac: Human energy may have been used to assist sailing canoes.= Paraphrase language of "He concluded that paddles, or perhaps long oars, could indeed have propelled for long distances what were primarily sailing vessels"

ac D confirmed

_________________________________________________

Question 10. What is the writer's opinion of Wall Garrard's research?

How to Do MCQs

Step 1. Identify the KW of the question.
What is the writer's opinion of Wall Garrard's research?
KWs: (i) Writer's opinion  (ii) Wall Gerrard's research

Step 2. Go back to the Text and locate the KW. Read and                 understand the sentence containing the KW. If                     there is no KW, start from the topic sentence

Paragraph 7. Finally, a team led by Wall Garrard conducted important research, in this case by making investigations while remaining safely in the laboratory. Wall Garrard's unusual method was to use the findings of linguists who had studied the languages of the Pacific Islands, many of which are remarkably similar although the islands where they are spoken are sometimes thousands of kilometers apart. Clever adaptation of computer simulation techniques pioneered in other disciplines allowed him to produce convincing models suggesting the migrations were indeed systematic, but not simultaneous. Wall Garrard proposed the migrations should be seen not as a single journey made by a massed fleet of canoes, but as a series of ever more ambitious voyages, each pushing further into the unknown ocean.


Step 3. Go back to the Answer Choice (ac) and Identify                  the KWs of the ac

Question 10. What is the writer's opinion of Wall Garrard's research?

A. He is disappointed, it was conducted in the laboratory

B. He is impressed by the originality of the techniques used

C. He is surprised it was used to help linguists with their research

D. He is concerned that the island studied are long distances apart.


Step 4. Compare the ac and Texts.
A. He is disappointed, it was conducted in the laboratory
ac Wrong. Explanation: The writer on the other hand,  praises the method.

B. He is impressed by the originality of the techniques used

ac B: Right. Explanation: Text says,Wall Garrard's unusual method was to use the findings of linguists ..... Clever adaptation of computer simulation techniques pioneered in other disciplines allowed him to produce convincing models suggesting the migrations were indeed systematic" = He is impressed by the originality of the techniques used 

(ac - paraphrased language )

C. He is surprised it was used to help linguists with their research. ac C Wrong. NG

D. He is concerned that the island studied are long distances apart.

ac D Wrong. NG

__________________________________________________

Type 3. Questions on Correct Endings

Questions 11-14

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

Write the correct letter, A-F on your answer sheet.

11. One limitation in the information produced by all of this research is that it

12. The best thing about this type of research 

13. The most important achievement of traditional navigators 

14. The migration of people from Asia to Pacific


A. was the variety of experimental techniques used

B. was not of interest to young islanders today

C. was not conclusive evidence in support of a single theory

D. was being able to change their practices when necessary

E. was the first time humans intentionally crossed an ocean

F. was the speed with which it was conducted.

Answers:

Use Elimination Method

11. One limitation in the information produced by all of this research is that it : C. was not conclusive evidence in support of a single theory (Summary of the Text)

12. The best thing about this type of research:  A. was the variety of experimental techniques used

13. The most important achievement of traditional navigators:

      Dwas being able to change their practices when                     necessary

14. The migration of people from Asia to Pacific: 

      Ewas the first time humans intentionally crossed an                ocean





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