Tea Times, Caveat Scriptor, Pronunciation and Physiognomy Reading Answers
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The IELTS Reading passage, Tea Times, along with the other two Academic passages – Caveat Scriptor and Pronunciation and Physiognomy make this a complete Reading practice test.
You will have 60 minutes to complete the whole test, which consists of 40 questions in total.
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Here are the question types in this reading test
Reading Passage 1 (Tea Times)
- Matching headings
- Sentence completion
Reading Passage 2 ( Caveat Scriptor)
- Summary completion
- Multiple Choice Questions
- Sentence completion
Reading Passage 3 (Pronunciation and Physiognomy)
- Matching feature
- Yes/No or Not Given
- Matching sentence endings
Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the practice test with the Tea Times PDF here.
Tea Times
Questions 1-8
Reading Passage 1 has nine paragraphs A-I.
From the list of headings below choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph.
Write the appropriate numbers i – xiii in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. Diverse drinking methods
ii. Limited objections to drinking tea
iii. Today’s continuing tradition – in Britain and China
iv. Tea – a beverage of hospitality
v. An important addition – tea with milk
vi. Tea and alcohol
vii. The everyday beverage in all parts of the world
viii. Tea on the move
ix. African tea
x. The fall in the cost of tea
xi. The value of tea
xii. Tea-drinking in Africa
xiii. Hospitality among the Bedouin
Example Answer
Paragraph F xiii
1 Paragraph A
2 Paragraph B
3 Paragraph C
4 Paragraph D
5 Paragraph E
6 Paragraph G
7 Paragraph H
8 Paragraph I
Questions 9-13
Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 1.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your answers in the blank spaces next to 9-13 on your answer sheet.
9 For centuries, both at home and in society, tea has had an important role in…………….
10 Falling tea prices in the nineteenth century meant that people could choose the……………………….of the tea they could afford.
11 Because of it………………….. Seventh-day Adventists do not approve of the drinking of tea.
12 In the desert, one group that is well known for its traditions of hospitality is the………………………..
13 In India,……………………, as well as tea, are added to boiling milk to make ‘chai’.
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Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-27, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the practice test with the Caveat Scriptor PDF here.
Caveat Scriptor
Questions 14-21
Complete the summary below using words from the box.
Write your answers in the blank spaces next to 14-21 on your answer sheet.
People often associate writing with 14…………………… But being a writer involves managing conflicting emotions as well as 15……………………… and instinct. Advanced technology, contrary to what might be thought, does not make the 16……………………….faster. When a writer has a draft of the text ready, it is a good idea to have a 17……………………. for friends and agents to look at. If an author is accepted by a publisher, the draft of the book is given to 18……………………. for vetting. 19……………………… are then often made, which are not easy for the writer to agree. However, 20………………….. is compelling, even though there are 21……………………..
| editing process | beware | first draft | glamour | a literary agent |
| alterations | profession | publisher | challenges | writing |
| dictating | research | publishing | summary | ups and downs |
| roller-coaster | readers |
Questions 22 and 23
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answers next to questions 22-23 on your answer sheet.
22 In the planning stages of a book,
A instincts can replace market research.
B market research can replace instinct.
C market research is essential.
D instinct frequently replaces market research.
23 The problem with the use of advanced technology in editing is that
A it becomes different from the original.
B it is unfortunate.
C it is a luxury.
D many writers cannot resist changing the text again and again.
Questions 24-27
Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 2.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your answers in the blank spaces next to 24-27 on your answer sheet.
24 Once a text is finished, the writer needs to get the………………..of other people.
25 Some agents may reject the draft of a book, while others may offer………………………..
26 Apart from the need for a draft to conform to an in-house style, a publisher’s changes to a text may include…………………..
27 The publisher’s alterations to a book are difficult for a writer, as is the………………….as the book grows.
Reading Passage 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-40, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the practice test with the Pronunciation And Physiognomy PDF here.
Pronunciation And Physiognomy
Questions 28-30
Look at the following people (Questions 28-30) and the list of statements below.
Match each person with the correct statement.
Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 28-30 on your answer sheet.
28 Koestler
29 Fish berg
30 Emerson
A Americans use their jaw more to enunciate
B immigrants acquire physiognomical features common among the indigenous population
C facial expression and physical features are hereditary
D lifestyle affects physiognomy
E Americans have a broadened jaw
F is friend’s appearance had changed since they moved to the United States.
G the change of countenance was unremarkable
Questions 31-36
Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet write
YES, if the statement agrees with the information in the passage
NO, if the statement contradicts the information in the passage
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information about the statement in the passage
31 Further study into the science of voice production will cost considerable sums of money.
32 The psychological and socio-linguistic factors that make it difficult for adult learners of foreign languages to gain ‘good’ pronunciation are not as important as other factors.
33 Speech organs are muscles.
34 New phonemes are difficult to learn.
35 People often make fun of standard British RP.
36 Facial features contribute to the incomprehensibility of Midlands English.
Questions 37- 40
Complete each of the following statements (Questions 37-40) with the best ending A-I from the box below.
Write the appropriate letters A-I in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet
37 Voice coaches
38 The Scouse accent
39 Whether the way we look affects the way we speak or the other way round
40 It is important to prove that pronunciation
A can be achieved by using a mental aid.
B is irrelevant.
C is worth investigating.
D use images to assist students with the desired pronunciation.
E is a chicken and egg conundrum.
F get the target.
G can affect appearance.
H is not as easy as a Belfast one.
I makes you smile.
Answers
Tea Times Reading Answers (Passage 1)
1 Answer: iv
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly a line in the paragraph states that “tea, now an everyday beverage in many parts of the world, has over the centuries been an important part of the rituals of hospitality both in the home and in trader society.” From this information, we can infer that this paragraph is about the link between tea and hospitality.
2 Answer: viii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. You must note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it is said that “tea originated in China, and in Eastern Asia tea making and drinking ceremonies have been popular for centuries.” The phrase on the move means going from one place to another. And this information confirms how the tea originated in China but the tea-drinking culture is getting popular all over the world.
3 Answer: i
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1 & 5
Answer explanation: The opening line of paragraph C suggests that “as, over the last four hundred years, tea-leaves became available throughout much of Asia and Europe, the ways in which tea was drunk changed.” Also. “the variations are endless.” Since it is given that tea drinking has changed over the years and various types of endless versions emerged, it implies that the paragraph deals with the various ways in which tea has been drunk.
4 Answer: x
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “when the price of tea fell in the nineteenth century poor people took up the drink with enthusiasm.” Here, the term “price of tea fell” has been paraphrased as the fall in the cost of tea. Thus, we can deduce that this paragraph is about the cost of tea, in financial terms. The paragraph shows that tea was for the middle classes, but when the price fell the poor started drinking it.
5 Answer: ii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1, and last line
Answer explanation: Paragraph E puts forward the information that “throughout the world today, few religious groups object to tea drinking.” Also, “however, Seventh-Day Adventists, recognizing the beverage as a drug containing the stimulant caffeine, frown upon the drinking of tea.“ The theme of the paragraph is the fact that most religious groups do not object to tea drinking, i.e. few do. The example of the Islamic cultures supports the point of there being no objections. Also, you can note the comparison in tea/coffee with alcohol.
6 Answer: xii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims “techniques of tea preparation have been adapted. In West African countries, such as Senegal and The Gambia, it is fashionable for young men to gather in small groups to brew Chinese “gun-powder” tea. The tea is boiled with large amounts of sugar for a long time.” Here, the author explains the techniques/ways in which northern and western African people prepare tea. Thus, we can state that this paragraph focuses on tea drinking in Africa.
7 Answer: v
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that “there, tea made entirely with milk is popular, ‘Chai’ is made by boiling milk and adding tea, sugar and some spices. This form of tea making has crossed the Indian Ocean and is also popular in East Africa, where tea is considered best when it is either very milky or made with water only.” The author states that tea made entirely with milk is popular, and explains how it became popular across the globe. Hence, we can deduce that this paragraph is about the importance of the addition of milk to tea in many parts of the world.
8 Answer: iii
Question Type: Matching Headings
Answer location: Paragraph I, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line in the passage specifies that “yet, the convention of afternoon tea lingers. At conferences, it remains common practice to serve coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. Contemporary’ China, too, remains true to its long tradition.” Since it is said that it ‘remains’ a practice, we can infer that it is still continuing in today’s tradition in Britain and China.
9 Answer: rituals of hospitality OR hospitality
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph A, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims, “tea, now an everyday beverage in many parts of the world, has over the centuries been an important part of the rituals of hospitality both in the home and in trader society.” The author states that tea has become important to the world now, which signifies it plays an important role both at home and in society through rituals of hospitality.
10 Answer: grade(s) and blend(s) OR different grades OR different blends
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D, last line
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer that, “when the price of tea fell in the nineteenth century poor people took up the drink with enthusiasm. Different grades and blends of tea were sold to suit every pocket.” Here, the term suit every pocket has been paraphrased to tea they could afford. Hence, with the falling of tea prices in the 19th century people took up drinking with enthusiasm as people could now choose different grades and blends of tea.
11 Answer: contains caffeine
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, last line
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “however, Seventh-Day Adventists, recognising the beverage as a drug containing the stimulant caffeine, frown upon the drinking of tea.“ Here, the Seventh-Day Adventists consider tea/coffee beverage as a drug. Since it contains caffeine, they do not approve of the drinking of tea.
12 Answer: nomadic Bedouin(s) OR Bedouin(s)
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1
Answer explanation: The opening line of paragraph F suggests that “Nomadic Bedouin are well known for traditions of hospitality in the desert.” This line confirms that one group that is well known for its traditions of hospitality in the desert is the Nomadic Bedouin.
13 Answer: sugar and spices
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph H, line 2
Answer explanation: A few lines in said paragraph discuss that “tea drinking in India remains an important part of daily life. There, tea made entirely with milk is popular, ‘Chai’ is made by boiling milk and adding tea, sugar and some spices.” Here, author states that in India chai (tea) is made by adding sugar and some spices to boiling milk.
Caveat Scriptor Reading Answers (Passage 2)
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14 Answer: glamour
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: The first line of paragraph B puts forward the information that “people think that writing as a profession is glamorous; that it is just about sitting down and churning out words on a page, or more likely these days on a computer screen” The author states that many individuals mistakenly believe that writing is glamorous, but this is not the case. Writers require a strong mental attitude in order to devote time and attention to each project, as they must compose alone.
15 Answer: research
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph B, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, the author in the given paragraph mentions that “sometimes, however, instinct takes the place of market research and the contents are dictated not by plans and exhaustive research, but my experience and knowledge.” Here, we can observe that author says that writers sometimes go by their instinct rather than the research.
16 Answer: editing process
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 4
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer that, “while some people might think that with new technology the checking and editing process is sped up, the experienced writer would hardly agree.” All elements of written communication and the language employed are affected by technology. Contrary to what people think, it does not make the editing process faster.
17 Answer: summary
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “it also helps, at this stage, to offer a synopsis of the book, if it is a novel, or an outline if it is a textbook. This acts as a guide for the author, and a general reference for friends and later for agents.” The author suggests that when the writer has the draft, it is helpful (good) to provide a synopsis of the book to friends/agents. Also, the term summary is a synonym for synopsis/outline.
18 Answer: readers
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1
Answer explanation: In the reference paragraph, the author mentions that “the lucky few taken on by publishers or agents, then have their books subjected to a number of readers, whose job it is to vet a book: deciding whether it is worth publishing and whether the text as it stands is acceptable or not.” From this information, we can infer that once the publisher/agent selects the book, they give it to some selected readers to vet a book (vetting).
19 Answer: Alterations
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can find out that “after a book has finally been accepted by a publisher, one of the greatest difficulties for the warrior lies in taking on board the publisher’s alterations to the text.” The author states that once the book is accepted by the publisher, he suggests certain alternations, which are not easy for the writer to agree.
20 Answer: writing
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Complete Paragraph H
Answer explanation: According to paragraph H, “Abandon writing? Nonsense. Once smitten, it is not easy to escape the compulsion to create and write, despite the roller-coaster ride of contradictory emotions.” The term smitten signifies strike with a firm blow. Here, the writer is talking about writing. We can say deduce that from his argument where he says it’s nonsense to abandon writing because once smitten by writing, it is difficult to overcome the emotion.
21 Answer: ups and downs
Question Type: Summary Completion
Answer location: Complete Paragraph H
Answer explanation: Paragraph H also puts forward the information that “abandon writing? Nonsense. Once smitten, it is not easy to escape the compulsion to create and write, despite the roller-coaster ride of contradictory emotions.” Note the word roller-coaster is paraphrased to ups and downs. Here, the author claims that writing is like a roller-coaster ride.
22 Answer: A
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line in the said paragraph discusses that “sometimes, however, instinct takes the place of market research and the contents are dictated not by plans and exhaustive research, but my experience and knowledge.” Here, the term “takes the place” has been paraphrased to “replace”. Thus, during the planning stage of the book, instinct often replaces market research.
23 Answer: D
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 5
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “unfortunately, advanced technology now allows the writer the luxury of countless editings; a temptation many writers find hard to resist.” Contrary to what generally people believe that technology makes the writing process easy, the use of advanced technology creates a problem of editing and many writers cannot resist changing the text again and again (countless editings).
24 Answer: appraisal
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 1
Answer explanation: Paragraph D puts forward the information that “after the trauma of self-editing and looking for howlers, it is time to show the text to other people, friends perhaps, for appraisal.” Once the writer finishes the book after doing the self-editing, he/she then show it to other people to get their appraisal.
25 Answer: some invaluable advice OR invaluable advice OR some advice OR advice OR hints
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “some agents may reject the publication out of hand, but others may prefer some invaluable advice, for example about the content or the direction to be taken, information such as this may be of use in finally being given a contract by an agent or publisher.” It is clearly mentioned that, while some agents directly reject the draft of the book others offer some invaluable advice.
26 Answer: radical redrafting OR redrafting OR reworkings OR text amputations
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: A line in the paragraph denotes “more seriously, the integrity of the text may be challenged, and this may require radical re-drafting which is usually unpalatable to the author. A book’s creation period is complex and unnerving, but the publisher’s reworkings and text amputations can also be a tortuous process.” Also, the author states publishers apart from asking for a draft to conform to an in-house style ask for text to include some re-working/drafting.
27 Answer: creation period
Question Type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F, last line
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. You must note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it is said that “a book’s creation period is complex and unnerving, but the publisher’s reworkings and text amputations can also be a tortuous process.” We can conclude that the publisher’s alterations are tortuous (difficult) for a writer, which is equal to the tension during the creation period.
Pronunciation and Physiognomy Reading Answers (Passage 3)
28 Answer: F
Question Type: Matching features
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 4
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “writer Arthur Koestler once remarked that friends of his, whom he had met thirty years after they’ emigrated to the United States, had acquired an ‘American physiognomy’, i.e. a broadened jaw, an appearance which is also prevalent in the indigenous population” Here, we can observe that Arthur Koestler remarks on one of his friend whom he met after 30 years, that his appearance has changed since he emigrated (moved) to the United States.
29 Answer: B
Question Type: Matching features
Answer location: Paragraph A, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “an anthropologist friend of his attributed this to the increased use of the jaw musculature in American enunciation. This ‘change of countenance’ in immigrants had already been observed by the historian M. Fishberg in 1910.” M. Fishberg suggests that all immigrants acquire physiognomical features.
30 Answer: D
Question Type: Matching features
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 2
Answer explanation: A line in the paragraph denotes “their way of life affects their facial expression and physical features, giving the mistaken impression that these traits are of hereditary or ‘racial’ origin.” It is given that way of life affects their facial expression and physical features, which implies lifestyle affects physiognomy.
31 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that further study into the science of voice production will cost considerable sums of money.
32 Answer: NO
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, last line
Answer explanation: Few lines in the said paragraph convey that “naturally, the numerous psychological and socio-linguistic factors that inhibit most adult learners of foreign languages from acquiring ‘good’ pronunciation constitute a completely different and no less important issue that requires a separate investigation.” Here, the author mentions that numerous psychological and socio-linguistic factors that make it difficult for adult learners of foreign languages to gain ‘good’ pronunciation is a completely different and no less significant issue, which means, in effect, it is equally vital.
33 Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line that claims “we use our Speech organs in certain ways to produce specific sounds, and these muscles have to practice to learn new phonemes.” Here, the word these refer back to speech organs.
34 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that new phonemes are difficult to learn
35 Answer: YES
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, 2nd last line
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that “likewise, standard British RP is often parodied, and its whine of superiority mocked to the point of turning the end of one’s nose up as much as possible.” Hence, this line confirms that people often make fun of standard British RP .
36 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question Type: Yes/No/Not Given Questions
Answer location: N/A
Answer explanation: None of the paragraphs confirms or denies that facial features contribute to the incomprehensibility of Midlands English.
37 Answer: D
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1
Answer explanation: A line in the passage mentions that “when one learns another accent, as in the theatre, for example, voice coaches often resort to images to help their students acquire the distinctive sound of the target pronunciation.” Here, “resort to images to help their students” has been paraphrased to “use images to assist students”. Hence, voice coaches use images to assist students with the desired pronunciation.
38 Answer: A
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that “with ‘Scouse’, the mental aid employed is pushing your cheekbones up in a smile as high as they will go and you have got a very slack mouth full of cotton wool.” Here, a mental aid is said to be employed which also means using. Hence, the Scouse accent can be achieved by using a mental aid.
39 Answer: E
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line in the passage specifies that “has this contributed to an Australian ‘look’, and affected the way ‘Aussies’ speak English or vice versa? It is a curious chicken and egg conundrum, but perhaps the answer is ultimately irrelevant.” Here, the author suggests the Australian ‘look’, and affected the way ‘Aussies’ speak (whether the way we look affects the way we speak ) is a curious chicken and egg conundrum.
40 Answer: G
Question Type: Matching sentence endings
Answer location: Paragraph F, line 5
Answer explanation: If you observe, in the said paragraph to the fact that “What is important, however, is establishing pronunciation as one of the factors that determine physiognomy, and gaining a deeper insight into the origins and nature of the sounds of speech And of course, one wonders what ‘look’ one’s own group has!” It is given that it is important to establish (prove) that pronunciation determines physiognomy, and gain a deeper insight into this topic.
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