The Blog post contains the following IELTS Reading Questions:
- IELTS Reading Yes, No, and Not given
- IELTS Reading matching features
- IELTS Reading multiple choice questions
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IELTS reading passage – Please hold the line
Please hold the line
Almost everyone has been placed on “musical hold,” which means that when you call any customer service number, you should expect to hear at least a few bars of monotonous elevator music before an operator answers the phone. The question is whether to hang up or stay on the line. According to research reported by University of Cincinnati Associate Professor of Marketing, James Kellaris it either depends on the type of music played or gender.
Kellaris has been researching the effects of music on consumers for over a decade, and she recently collaborated with Sigma Research Management Group to assess the effects of ‘hold music’ for a company that operated a customer service line.
Researchers tested four types of ‘on-hold’ music on 71 company customers, including 30 women. Light jazz, classical, rock, and the company’s current adult alternative format were all evaluated. The sample included individual consumers, small businesses, and large businesses. Participants were asked to estimate the time. In addition, the researchers solicited and quantified their responses and comments.
The service providers do not want you to be on hold, but if you are, they want you to have a pleasant experience. However, Kellaris’ findings could spell bad news for businesses. The time spent “on hold,” regardless of the music, was frequently underestimated. The actual wait time in the study was 6 minutes, while the average estimate was 7 minutes and 6 seconds.
He informed the client who had hired him of some good news. Their alternative type is most likely their best option. It was a wise decision because of two factors. For starters, it did not elicit significantly more positive or negative responses from people. Second, male and female reactions to this type of music differed less.
Other findings of Kellaris, however, make the state of musical hold a little less firm: time spent ‘on hold’ seemed slightly shorter when light jazz was played, but the effect of music format differed for men and women. Males appeared to wait the least when classical music was performed. This could be due to variations in attention levels and musical tastes.
Males gave the most positive responses to classical music, while females gave the most positive responses (and the shortest waiting time estimates) to light jazz. Rocks were the least desired by both genders, resulting in the longest estimated wait times. The driving beat of rock music, according to Kellaris, tends to aggravate people who call customer service with a problem. “The longer the wait appeared to be, the better the response to the music.” “Perhaps time does fly when you’re having fun, even if you’re on musical hold,” Kellaris jokes.
Men and women perceive music differently, which is unfortunate for businesses that use on-hold music. Kellaris jokingly suggests that the recorded message instruct male callers to press one and female callers to press two. Please hang up and try again later if you are upset.’
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Renewable Energy IELTS Reading Question with Answer
Please hold the line Reading Questions
Questions 1-6
Complete the sentences below with words taken from Please hold the line reading passage
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer?
Write:YES – if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO – if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN – if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1.The research sample consisted of actual customers of the company.
2.Businesses want to cut down on the amount of time they spend on hold.
3.Researchers only asked participants to estimate how long they were “on hold.”
4.There were an equal number of males and females in the sample.
5.Advertising is regarded as an inadequate substitute for ‘on-hold’ music.
6.The consumer service organisation polled was listening to classical music.
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Questions 7-11
Choose the type of music from the list A-D below which corresponds to the findings of the study.
Types of music
A.Light jazz
B.Alternative
C.Classical
D.Rock
7. Favoured music by men
8. estimated longest waiting time (both sexes)
9. Avoiding music during phone hold
10. Music to use if the majority of clients are female
11. Best overall selection of “on-hold” music
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Questions 12-13
Choose the correct letter A-D
12. Researchers reached the conclusion that________.
A.Subjects overestimate the duration of time spent “on hold.”
B.It is preferable for businesses not to use “on-hold” music.
C.Overall, light jazz was the most acceptable genre of music.
D.Both gender and musical genre affect callers’ responses.
13. The researchers suggested that______________
A.Their customers still play alternative music.
B.People “on hold” should be offered four different types of music.
C.Music is preferable to advertising.
D.Women can endure longer wait times than men.
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Recommended Questions:
Renewable Energy IELTS Reading Question with Answer
Please hold the line reading answers
1.YES
2. YES
3. NO
4. NO
5. NOT GIVEN
6. NO
7. C
8. D
9. D
10. A
11. B
12. D
13. A
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