You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on reading text 3.
What is the main theme in Jane Austen’s writings?
A
One of the most important themes in Jane Austen’s writings is society and a woman’s place in it. To deliver this theme she uses satire to get her female readers (and her male ones) to see themselves in the comical and small-minded antics of her characters and to relate to that and think how they can improve in the elements that apply to them – each reader as an individual. For example, are they like fluffy and empty-headed and short-sighted like Mrs Bennet? Or perhaps they are Lydia (impetuous, naive, impulsive and similarly short-sighted? perhaps they are a tad arrogant and full of themselves to the extent that they are thoughtlessly hurtful to others (‘badly done Emma, badly done!) For other readers, perhaps a female reader may recognize Mr Wickham as some irresponsible, self-serving youth as someone they know – a male reader may, of course, recognize himself! With gentle humour, Austen gets us to see society in a new way.
B
Austen was born in a rectory and died, unmarried, at the age of 41. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral, which she probably would have preferred to the Poets’ Corner in Westminster. Austen’s life is easily summarised because we don’t know much about it. We can assume, however, that nothing much happened in her life other than the writing of her novels. Unlike her contemporary Mary Wollstonecraft, Austen seems not to have held fierce views on the rights of women. She accepted the world into which she had been born and the status of women within it.
C
The heroine of her first novel, Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland, is just 15, growing from a tomboyish adolescence into womanhood. The plot of Northanger Abbey revolves around the question: Who will Catherine marry, and how will she get to the altar? The theme, however, focuses on a different question: What is it to be grown up? What is it to be morally mature? How does one become the kind of person who can deal with the complicated issues of life? Austen intertwines that question with another question: What, in the process of growing up, is the function of the English novel? Austen believed that the novel could help readers mature; it could serve as a moral instructor, with a similar role as the weekly sermons the author would have heard in church. ion, which is romantic, addicting, light-headed, and corrupting. The point for Austen, though, is how fiction is used and, more importantly, the relationship of the novel to moral maturity and growth.
D
In another early novel, Sense and Sensibility, Austen pondered, in the characterization of the two Dashwood sisters, which was the road to maturity—sense and rationalism, as embodied in the elder sister, Eleanor, or sensibility and passion, as embodied in the younger sister, Marian? In typically English fashion, the answer lies in the middle road.
E
In a later novel, Mansfield Park, probably composed around 1810, Austen debates a central issue for her: Should a woman marry for love or for interest, prudently, that is, with an eye toward finances? The ironic opening of Mansfield Park recalls the decisions on this all-important question of three sisters of the Ward family. The novel tells us that there is no magic formula for happiness. This opening sets the stage for the novel proper, the story of Fanny Price, the namesake daughter of Frances, adopted from her impoverished house in Portsmouth to Mansfield Park, a grand estate, where she is never quite accepted. In the course of the novel, Fanny manages to resist pressures and make the right marriage choices. She becomes the mistress of Mansfield Park and a leading figure in society. These are the questions that Jane Austen asks: sense or sensibility, love in a cottage or love in a castle, marriage or independence? Time is an enemy here; a woman has only a few years in which to make these important choices.
F
In Austen’s last completed novel, Persuasion, the heroine, Anne Elliott, at age 28, has lost her bloom. Will she be able to marry at her age? In her novels, Austen asks the most important questions in a woman’s life. How does any woman determine the course that her life will take? Such decisions depend on the situation in which the woman finds herself. For Austen, novels, particularly great works of morality such as her own, can help women negotiate these paths.
Questions 27-32
Reading text 3 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
27. The author questioned how one should navigate their growth.
28. The author loved to write.
29. The author thought about the personality traits of the two main characters.
30. There is no alchemy that can create bliss.
31. The character of this book showed the immaturity of their youth.
32. Characters were created in a playful way.
Questions 33 and 34
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 33 and 34 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of these points are made by the writer of the text of the novel Mansfield Park by Jane Austen?
A. Crucial decisions must be made in good time in order to have a happy life.
B. Choosing to be secure over love is key.
C. A woman has the right to choose her own destiny.
D. Women should always be dependent.
E. Choosing marriage should always be the right choice.
Questions 35 and 36
Choose two letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in boxes 35 and 36 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following themes are regularly included in Jane Austen’s Novels?
A. Feminism.
B. Women and their place in the community.
C. Friendships.
D. Love, marriage and money.
E. The themes are all very similar.
Questions 37-40
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
The Themes in Austen’s Work
The themes within Jane Austen’s novels were as relevant in the 1800’s as they are today. One of the most regular themes is that of 37. …………………………….. and their place in society. Austen liked to develop characters that her readers could identify with and perhaps recognise their characteristics within themselves. Many of the novel’s themes centre on love, finding a good match to 38. ………………………… and financial security. Many of the author’s heroines are faced with the dilemma of marrying or having 39. …………………………………… The novels look at how women make 40. …………………………… to shape their lives, by giving in to the pressures to marry and be with someone who can provide or to make it on their own, without anyone to depend on.
If you need help to answer these questions with extra practice please read the posts below >>
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
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If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
Essential strategies and practice techniques for this IELTS Reading question type. Learn how to manage time and improve accuracy.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
Reading Text 1
This text is from Science Mag and written by Carrie Arnold
You should spend around 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on reading text 1.
Shhh, The Ants Are Talking
If you want to survive as an ant, you’d better get ready to make some noise. A new study shows that even ant pupae—a stage between larvae and adult—can communicate via sound and that this communication can be crucial to their survival.
“What’s very cool about this paper is that researchers have shown for the first time that pupae do, in fact, make some sort of a sound,” says Phil DeVries, an entomologist at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana who was not involved in the study. “This was a very clever piece of natural history and science.”
Scientists have known for decades that ants use a variety of small chemicals known as pheromones to communicate. Perhaps the most classic example is the trail of pheromones the insect’s place as they walk. Those behind them follow this trail, leading to long lines of ants marching one by one. However, the insects also use pheromones to identify which nest an ant is from and its social status in that nest. Because this chemical communication is so prevalent and complex, researchers long believed that this was the primary way ants shared information.
However, several years ago, researchers began to notice that adults in some ant genuses, such as Myrmica, which contains more than 200 diverse species found across Europe and Asia, made noise. These types of ants have a specialised spike along their abdomen that they stroke with one of their hind legs, similar to dragging the teeth of a comb along the edge of a table. Preliminary studies seemed to indicate that this noise served primarily as an emergency beacon, allowing the ants to shout for help when being threatened by a predator.
Larvae and young pupae have soft outer skeletons, which means their specialised spikes haven’t yet formed and they can’t make noise. However, as the pupae mature, their covering hardens into a tough exoskeleton like that found in adult ants. These older pupae do have fully functional spikes but were generally thought to be silent.
Karsten Schönrogge, an entomologist at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, in the United Kingdom, thought it odd that mature pupae would have the capability to produce sound but remain silent. So he and his colleagues listened in to a group of Myrmica scabrinodisants. These 4- to 5-millimeter-long, reddish-brown ants are commonly found in northern Europe, in low-lying areas like peat bogs.
Using an extra-sensitive microphone that would pick up on the faint acoustic signals, the researchers measured the sounds produced by 10 differentM. scabrinodis larvae, six immature pupae, and six mature pupae. Whereas the larvae and immature pupae were completely silent, the mature pupae produced brief pulses of sound, the team reports online today in Current Biology.
Further analysis of this noise showed that it was a simplified version of the more complex adult sound. It was as if the mature pupae were saying, “Help!” while the adults were saying “Hey, I’m over here! Please come help! It’s your friend!”
To test the function of these noises in the mature pupae, the researchers first played back the sounds made by either the mature pupae or adult M. scabrinodis. Adult worker ants responded the same way to both recordings, such as walking over to the speaker, rubbing their antennae against it, and guarding it. They didn’t show these responses when Schönrogge and colleagues played white noise. These behaviours, which represent a worker ant’s attempts to protect its nestmates, indicate that acoustic communication served to bring assistance in both mature pupae and adult ants.
To see how the ants used this acoustic communication, the team removed the abdominal spike from some of the mature pupae in a nest. The researchers then disturbed the nest, spilling out larvae, pupae, and adult workers into an experimental arena. Normally, the adult ants rescue their nestmates in a specific order: mature pupae, immature pupae, and, finally, the larvae. In the experiments by Schönrogge and colleagues, the adult workers indeed rescued the unmuted mature pupae first. However, the adult ants completely ignored the muted ants. It was as if the mute mature pupae simply didn’t exist.
“The sounds they make rescue them by signalling their social status,” Schönrogge says. “There is complex information in these signals,” that combine with chemical signals to provide an array of information about the individual. Researchers have yet to decode everything the ants are communicating by sound and how the ants interpret these signals. Acoustic communication may be especially important in mature pupae because they don’t yet produce the full array of adult pheromones, but they also don’t smell and behave like larvae, either.
DeVries cautions that the discovery doesn’t mean that chemical communication in ants is less important. “Ants live in these enormously sophisticated societies,” he says. “Acoustic signalling adds another gorgeous piece to what we know about how insect societies communicate.”
Questions 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?
In boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet, write
True – if the statement agrees with the information
False – if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given – if there is no information present
1. Adult ants have spiked legs
2. Mature ants and pupae can convey they need help by creating sounds
3. The larvae do no produce any signals
4. Quiet ants were not retrieved by the mature ants
5. The ants tested did not show any positions relating to hierarchy
6. Ants live in practical communities
Questions 7-9
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F below
Write the correct letter A-F, in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
7. The ants can use their sense of smell
8. Some ants can create a sound
9. Some researchers
A. to detect other insects
B. to talk to each other and gain knowledge of their place in the hierarchy
C. from using their antennae
D. that is used to ask for help
E. documented the tone from various stages of ant formation
F. created a support network for the ants
Questions 10-13
Complete the flow chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
If you need help to answer these questions with extra practice please read the posts below >>
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
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You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on reading text 2.
Questions 14-18
The text below has five paragraphs A-E.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. A new beginning
ii. A career like no other
iii. Integration and education
iv. The result of the overall benefits
v. Some drawbacks of working in the healthcare system
vi. From the initial process to the workplace
vii. The future of healthcare for refugees and migrants
viii. Examples of medical staff success
14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
17. Paragraph D
18. Paragraph E
World Refugee Day: WHO training enables Syrian doctors and nurses to provide health care in Turkey
A
“We and the Turkish doctors are working like brothers and sisters.” These are the words of Muhammed Hattab, 1 of more than 3 million Syrian refugees now living in Turkey – the country with the highest number of refugees in the world. A doctor who fled his home in Aleppo more than 2 years ago, Muhammed did not know whether by leaving northern Syria he was also abandoning his profession and the career he had built in his home country. However, thanks to a joint programme of the WHO Country Office in Turkey and the Turkish Ministry of Health, he has been able to begin a new chapter of his life and career, working in the Turkish national health system and providing care for his fellow Syrians in Turkey.
B
In 2016, the Turkish government enacted a law that allows Syrian health professionals to enter the workforce in the Turkish health system, with the aim of both integrating Syrian professionals into the health system and also ensuring that Syrian refugees can receive health care without encountering language or cultural barriers. In order to implement this law, the Public Health Institution of Turkey, associated with the Ministry of Health, and the WHO Country Office developed an adaptation training for Syrian health workers living Turkey – including doctors, nurses and midwives. The initiative is supported financially by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Operations (ECHO).The training provides classroom and practical coursework, resulting in a certificate that authorises Syrian health-care workers to practice in refugee health centres established in Turkey and to deliver health services to Syrian refugees.
C
Since the trainings began in November 2016, over 380 doctors and 360 nurses and midwives have received vocational competence certificates, allowing them to serve refugee populations in Turkey. Ultimately, they will staff the 260 refugee health centres and 600 refugee health units that the Ministry of Health has opened and will establish in the future. These centres and units provide primary health care, with services offered to Syrian refugees free of charge. “This project in Turkey was the salvation for Syrian doctors,” says Muhammed. “With this programme, we felt like doctors for the first time in 2 years.”
D
While the health-care profession has general underlying principles that are universal across different parts of the world, some important regulations and practices differ greatly from country to country. The adaptation training seeks to give Syrian health workers the knowledge and experience they need in order to be fully competent and skilled in the Turkish setting. They must first apply for the programme and go through a selection process. Once approved by the Ministry of Health, they undergo a 1-week classroom training with Turkish university professors and lecturers, followed by 6 weeks of on-the -job training in a Refugee Health Centre. By working under the mentorship of Turkish health professionals for several weeks, they are able to familiarise themselves with the Turkish health system and prepare to provide care within this system. They are also evaluated at each stage of the training process before becoming certified to work in Turkey, helping to ensure good results for Syrian patients in the country.
E
“These trainings are not only a way to address language barriers but a good example of the collaboration between national and international partners in Turkey to help the integration of Syrian medical doctors, nurses and midwives to serve the community of refugees. We appreciate that the Government of Turkey, the Ministry of Health and Turkish health staff ensure equitable access to health services. And we consider this a one-of-a-kind collaboration among WHO, academia and the Ministry of Health to set an example for other countries, accommodating high numbers of refugees and migrants,” comments Dr Pavel Ursu, WHO Representative to Turkey. WHO supports the classroom portion of the training, in collaboration with the Ministry, and is committed to making sure that Syrian health professionals are equipped with the essential theoretical background for their future career. In addition, WHO provides trainees with financial support for the duration of practical training to cover living expenses and travel costs.
Questions 19-22
Look at the following titles/names (Questions 19-22) and the list of statements below.
Match each title/name with the correct statement, A-F.
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.
19. Muhammed Hattab
20. The Turkish Government
21. The Ministry of Health
22. Dr Pavel Ursu
A. Moved to Turkey
B. Provides healthcare for Syrians in Turkey
C. Implemented a system allowing migrant and refugee medical workers to undergo training in similar practices
D. Are evaluating the Turkish health system
E. Has opened many places for people to receive free healthcare
F. Gives praise to the new collaboration amongst professionals and the government
Questions 23-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
23. Muhammed Hattab refers to working with fellow Syrians like working with brothers ………………………………………….
24. The Turkish government is making it easier for Syrians to be treated medically by fellow ……………………………
25. Syrian medical professionals are entered into a …………………………. program that updates their knowledge of the Turkish healthcare system.
26. Everyone involved is trying to set an ………………………. to other places in the world.
If you need help to answer these questions with extra practice please read the posts below >>
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
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If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on reading text 3.
Mental Health and the Effects of Social Media
Is Facebook making you depressed? If so, you’re not alone. According to a recent study by UK disability charity Scope, of 1500 Facebook and Twitter users surveyed, 62 percent reported feeling inadequate and 60 percent reported feelings of jealousy from comparing themselves to other users.
I’ve heard similar complaints from friends and I’ve felt it myself on a bad day. Most frequently, I hear such statements from those who are struggling with depression. It makes sense that if you are already in a low mood or not feeling good about yourself, having pictures of happy couples and smiling babies pop up on your screen on a consistent basis may make you feel worse. The same is true if you tend to generally have a negative outlook on life.
If Facebook posts depress you, the solution is simple. Here are four things you can do today to help you cope:
Deactivate your Facebook account (you can always reactivate it later)
Unfollow your most (seemingly) happy and successful, friends
Remember that Facebook isn’t a representation of reality
Turn off the computer and go make your own annoyingly happy moments
Should you really take the four actions above?
In a 2015 study on the effects of Facebook use on mental health, researchers at the University of Missouri discovered that regular use could lead to symptoms of depression if the site triggered feelings of envy in the user.
“If it is used as a way to size up one’s own accomplishments against others, it can have a negative effect,” said Professor Margaret Duffy, one of the professors who co-authored the research. She explains that if it’s used “to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship – things that cause envy among users – use of the site can lead to feelings of depression.”
However, those who use the site primarily to feel connected do not experience the negative effects. In fact, when not triggering feelings of envy, the study shows, Facebook could be a good resource and have positive effects on well-being.
Further studies have shown that the majority of social media users tend to edit and post only their most attractive pictures, or ‘put a rose-tinted gloss over their lives’ in an effort to idealise themselves and, researchers believe, to improve others’ impressions of them.
To avoid Facebook-induced depression, users should be aware of the risks of using the site as a tool for comparison. Furthermore, users should be aware that most people are presenting a biased, positive version of reality on social media. Finally, if you’re still feeling down, angry, or generally disillusioned because of the positive news shared by your Facebook friends, on or offline, you should question why you feel that way.
Barring clinical depression or a recent life setback, is it really such a bad thing to see another human being enjoying life, especially if it’s a friend- or at least someone you tolerate enough to accept as a Facebook friend?
With all of the suffering and pain in the world, wouldn’t it be a tragedy if people stopped sharing joyful events for fear of making someone else jealous? Imagine if people only discussed all of the negative things that surrounded them. Especially over this past year, don’t we have enough tragic posts appearing in our newsfeeds 24/7?
Given that there will always be someone who’s taller, richer, better-looking, who has more friends, a better job, etc., we can either allow ourselves to fall into the dangerous trap of comparison, or we can choose to remember that regardless of what others around you appear to have, everyone is grappling with their own struggles. For every promotion, a book deal and Tony nomination, chances are, the recipient has experienced equally or more significant life setbacks.
Also important to remember is that for every person that seems to have more, there is another with less. For each individual whose qualities you covet, there’s someone out there who wishes they had what you have. If we can’t change our outer circumstances, at least we can try to change our perspective and learn to be grateful for what we have. We can also learn to celebrate other’s successes. Sharing in other people’s joy can often lift our spirits.
“Be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins” – Jim Stovall
These suggestions may be difficult, especially if you’re struggling with low self-worth or depression. If that is the case, seek help from a friend or a professional. Whether it’s reaching out for support, practising gratitude or simply surrounding yourself with more of the positive, you owe it to yourself to make the best out of this life.
Stop torturing yourself by comparing your life with everyone else’s positively biased representations of theirs. Seek to improve your own life in a realistic manner. Choose to look at the positives and to celebrate your wins… as well as theirs.
Questions 27-32
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the text?
In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet write
YES – if the statement agrees with the views or claims
NO – if the statement contradicts the views or claims
NOT GIVEN – it is impossible to say what the writer’s views/claims are
27. Social media makes many people unhappy
28. When people see photographs of others having fun it makes them feel really happy
29. There are steps you can take to lessen the effects of social media on your wellbeing
30. Research shows how certain aspects can make you feel good about yourself
31. Ask for help on Facebook and Twitter
32. Seek positivity in your own life and stop comparing yourself to others
Questions 33-40
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet.
Mental Health And Social Media
There is a desire among most people to check their social media accounts obsessively with many people feeling 33. ……………………….. when they compare their lives to others. This is often felt by those suffering from depression or who have simply had a bad day. When looking through your newsfeed and seeing photographs of people having a great time, could make you feel 34. …………………………… There are steps that can be taken to reduce these feelings, including removing yourself from Facebook or other social media accounts. Another step is to leave the computer alone and go and do something you enjoy. Research has shown that looking at Facebook obsessively can point your mental health into the direction of 35 ………………………………….. When comparing your life to those that you see on social media feeds it can have a 36………………………………. effect. When people start to envy others on social media, it can lead to a person thinking badly about their own lives and themselves. Those people who use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family experience more 37…………………………………. effects. Research also shows that most people who post photographs, heavily edit in an attempt to make others see them how they want to be seen. It is important to think about how everyone has their own problems in the world, glamorous people on Facebook included. For each person you see who inspires you to crave what they have, there are others who want what 38 ……………………………………… We should be happy for others good fortune and learn to be grateful for our own successes. If you feel like you are having difficulties with depression or low 39 …………………………………. ask for help. Even if you talk through it all with a good friend or colleague or envelop yourself in a more positive environment, small changes can make sure that you get 40 ………………………………. out of your life.
If you need help to answer these questions with extra practice please read the posts below >>
We hope you found this post useful in helping you to study for the IELTS Test. If you have any questions please let us know in the comments below or on the Facebook page.
The best way to keep up to date with posts like this is to like us on Facebook, then follow us on Instagram and Pinterest.
If you need help preparing for the IELTS Test, join the IELTS Achieve Academy and see how we can assist you to achieve your desired band score. We offer an essay correction service, mock exams and online courses.
Essential strategies and practice techniques for this IELTS Reading question type. Learn how to manage time and improve accuracy.
Originally published June 2017. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
In this post, we will look at short answer questions and sentence completion.
Short Answer Questions
Short answer questions in the test, will require you to write no more than a set number of words. You will probably be given a word limit, for example, ‘No more than two words and/or a number’. If you write more words than the instructions tell you to, your answer will be marked as incorrect. The short answers only need keywords, meaning you will not be able to write a sentence. These questions are there to see how well you can find specific information.
When you are answering short answer questions, underline/highlight the keywords that will help you to find the information you need. You can also underline any words that you think are suitable in relation to the information you need to find.
You also need to be aware of synonyms and paraphrasing – look for words that have the same meaning, don’t just look for words that are exactly the same.
Take a look at the examples below, the words in italics are what you need to find out, the key terms are in bold.
On which date was the medical research on asthma first published?
Which news article was eventually discussed by the media in more detail?
Read the following passage and answer the questions with no more than two words.
Approximately 90% of visually impaired people live in developing countries.
People aged 50 and over
About 65 % of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises about 20 % of the world’s population. With an increasing elderly population in many countries, more people will be at risk of visual impairment due to chronic eye diseases and ageing processes.
Children below age 15
An estimated 19 million children are visually impaired. Of these, 12 million children are visually impaired due to refractive errors, a condition that could be easily diagnosed and corrected. 1.4 million are irreversibly blind for the rest of their lives and need visual rehabilitation interventions for a full psychological and personal development.
TIP >> When answering the question, use the keywords in bold to help you find the text and the word in italics to find the information you need for the answer.
TIP >> You must use the word limit stated in the instructions – DO NOT go over this.
Questions >>
How many people have sight problems over the age of 50?
How many young people have vision and sight problems?
Which situation can quickly be changed for the better in young children?
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Sentence Completion
Similar to short-answer questions, sentence completion questions are designed to assess your ability to find specific information. You will have to choose the right words or keywords from a text to complete a sentence. The words will be in the text and when you write them, they must be grammatically correct.
The sentence will paraphrase the information from the text, so you will have to use your knowledge of synonyms, underlining or highlighting any keywords and terms. Paraphrasing is a skill that is needed in all parts of the test.
Read the following passage and answer the questions with no more than one word.
Leishmaniasis is caused by a protozoa parasite from over 20 Leishmania species and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies. Over 90 sandfly species are known to transmit Leishmania parasites. There are 3 main forms of the disease:
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar is fatal if left untreated in over 95% of cases. It is characterised by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anaemia. It is highly endemic in the Indian subcontinent and in East Africa. An estimated 50 000 to 90 000 new cases of VL occur worldwide each year. In 2015, more than 90% of new cases reported to WHO occurred in 7 countries: Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. The kala-azar elimination programmes in South-East Asia are making sustained progress towards elimination, and cases are declining in the three major endemic countries: Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form of leishmaniasis and causes skin lesions, mainly ulcers, on exposed parts of the body, leaving life-long scars and serious disability. About 95% of CL cases occur in the Americas, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and Central Asia. Over two-thirds of new CL cases occur in 6 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Iran (The Islamic Republic of) and the Syrian Arab Republic. An estimated 0.6 million to 1 million new cases occur worldwide annually.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis leads to the partial or total destruction of mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat. Over 90% of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis cases occur in Bolivia (the Plurinational State of), Brazil, Ethiopia and Peru.
Questions >>
The disease is passed on to people from the poison carried by the ………………. Sandflies.
One strain of the disease can cause death if it is ………………………
Another strain of the disease can cause skin problems and ulcers, leaving people with marks and sometimes even a severe…………….
One of the deadliest strains of this disease attacks the …………………. membranes located in the upper part of the body.
Answers are at the bottom of the page.
REVIEW AND STRATEGY
The short answer questions and sentence completion questions are common in the IELTS Reading Test, therefore you should practice and develop a strategy for answering.
Short Answer Questions Strategy
TIP >> Read the instructions before you start to read the questions or the text.
TIP >> The answers will be in the same order as the questions.
TIP >> Check the word limit – make sure you do not go over it.
TIP >> Try to find the information byscanning quicklyuntil you locate the part of the text with the information you are looking for.
TIP >> Check your spelling, make sure you have spelt the word or words correctly.
TIP >> Look for any keywords and see how they may have been paraphrased in the questions. knowing and understanding paraphrasing and synonyms will help you to reach a high score over all parts of the IELTS test.
Sentence Completion Strategy
TIP >> Read the instructions beforeyou start to read the questions or the text. Check that you understand what you have to do.
TIP >> The answers will be in the same order as the questions.
TIP >> Check the word limit – make sure you do not go over it. How many words do you have to find?
TIP >> Read the incomplete sentences then try to find the missing words in the text by skim reading (scanning through it quickly).
TIP >> Check your spelling, make sure you have spelt the word or words correctly.
TIP >> Look for any keywords and see how they may have been paraphrased in the questions. knowing and understanding paraphrasing and synonyms will help you to reach a high score over all parts of the IELTS test.
Short Answer Questions >> Answers
about 65%
19 million
refractive errors
Sentence Completion Answers >>
female
untreated
disability
mucous
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