This Academic IELTS Reading post focuses on solutions to a Reading Test 4 Reading Passage 2, which is titled ‘Does Education Fuel Economic Growth?’. This is a targeted post for IELTS candidates who have major problems finding and understanding Reading Answers in the AC module. This post can guide you the best to understand every Reading answer without much trouble. Finding out IELTS Reading answers is a steady process, and this post will assist you in this respect.
Test 4: AC Reading Module
Reading Passage 2: Questions 14-26
The headline of the passage: Does Education Fuel Economic Growth?
Questions 14-18: Identifying information
[This question asks you to find information from the passage and write the number of the paragraph (A, B, C or D … .. ) in the answer sheet. Now, if the question is given in the very first part of the question set, I’d request you not to answer them. It’s mainly because this question will not follow any sequence, and so it will surely kill your time. Rather, you should answer all the other questions first. And just like the List of Headings, only read the first two lines or last two lines of the expected paragraph initially. If you find the answers, you need not read the middle part. If you don’t find answers yet, you can skim the middle part of the paragraph. Keywords will be a useful matter here.]
Question no. 14: an explanation of the need for research to focus on individuals with a fairly consistent income
Keywords for the question: explanation, need, research, focus, individuals, fairly consistent income,
To find the answer to this question, we must find synonyms for the main keywords ‘fairly consistent income’. We can look for words like same, similar, salary, pay, wages, wealth etc.
In section E, the writer says in lines 3-4, “ .. .. This involves following the lives of different people with the same level of wealth over a period of time. . .. .. … .”
Here, different people = individuals, same level = fairly consistent, wealth = income,
So, the answer is: E
Question no. 15: examples of the sources the database has been compiled from
Keywords for the question: examples, sources, database, compiled from,
We find the word ‘database’ in the very first line of section A. Let’s read that.
The writer says here, “Over the last decade, a huge database about the lives of southwest German villagers between 1600 and 1900 has been compiled by a team led by Professor Sheilagh Ogilvie at Cambridge University’s Faculty of Economics. It includes court records, guild ledgers, parish registers, village censuses, tax lists and – the most recent addition – 9,000 handwritten inventories listing over a million personal possessions belonging to ordinary women and men across three centuries.
Here, court records, guild ledgers, parish registers, village censuses, tax lists & 9,000 handwritten inventories listing over a million personal possessions = examples of the sources the database has been compiled from,
So, the answer is: A
Question no. 16: an account of one individual’s refusal to obey an order
Keywords for the question: account, one individual’s refusal, obey an order,
The answer can be found in lines 8-11 of section D, as the writer mentions here, “ .. . .. . . The database also reveals the case of Juliana Schweickherdt, a 50-year-old spinster living in the small Black Forest community of Wildberg, who was reprimanded in 1752 by the local weavers’ guild for ‘weaving cloth and combing wool, counter to the guide ordinance’. . . … ..”
Here, Juliana Schweickherdt = one individual, counter to the guide ordinance = refusal to obey an order,
So, the answer is: D
Question no. 17: a reference to a region being particularly suited to research into the link between education and economic growth
Keywords for the question: region, particularly suited, research, link between, education and economic growth,
Section F contains two paragraphs. In lines 2-4 of the first paragraph, the writer says, “ .. …. .. . One thing is already clear, she says: the relationship between education and economic growth is far from straightforward. ‘German-speaking central Europe is an excellent laboratory for testing theories of economic growth,’ she explains. .. . .. . .”
Here, relationship between education and economic growth = link between education and economic growth, German-speaking central Europe = a region, an excellent laboratory = particularly suited to research,
So, the answer is: F
Question no. 18: examples of the items included in a list of personal possessions.
Keywords for the question: items included, a list of personal possessions,
In paragraph no. 1 in section C, lines 1-4 say, “ . . . .. .. . In the handwritten inventories that Ogilvie is analysing are the belongings of women and men at marriage, remarriage and death. From badger skins to Bibles, sewing machines to scarlet bodices – the villagers’ entire worldly goods are included. Inventories of agricultural equipment and craft tools reveal economic activities; ownership of books and education-related objects like pens and slates suggests how people learned. .. .. ..”
Here, the belongings of women and men at marriage, remarriage and death. From badger skins to Bibles, sewing machines to scarlet bodices – the villagers’ entire worldly goods = many studies, troubling downstream effects = items included in a list of personal possessions,
So, the answer is: C
Questions 19-22: Summary completion with ONE WORD ONLY
[In this kind of question, candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill-in-the-blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers to fill in the gaps.]
The title of the summary: Demographic reconstruction of two German communities
Question no. 19: The database that Ogilvie and her team have compiled sheds light on the lives of a range of individuals, as well as those of their ________ over a 300-year period.
Keywords for the question: database, Ogilvie and her team, compiled, sheds light on, lives of a range of individuals, as well as, those of their, over a 300-year period,
The first lines of the question include the phrase ‘over a 300-year period’. Let’s look for this in the passage. In section D, we find the phrase ‘across 300 years’. So, it is highly possible that all the answers for this question type can be found in Section D.
In Section D, lines 1-4, the writer explains, “Ogilvie and her team have been building the vast database of material possessions on top of their full demographic reconstruction of the people who lived in these two German communities. ‘We can follow the same people – and their descendants – across 300 years of educational and economic change,’ she says.. .. .. .. .”
Here, across 300 years = over a 300-year period,
We can follow the same people = sheds light on the lives of a range of individuals,
and their = as well as those of their,
So, the answer is: descendants
Question no. 20: For example, Ana Regina and Magdalena Riethmüllerin were reprimanded for reading while they should have been paying attention to a _______________.
Keywords for the question: For example, Ana Regina and Magdalema Riethmüllerin, were reprimanded, reading, while, should, paying attention to a,
In lines 4-6, “ . .. . .. Individual lives have unfolded before their eyes. Stories like that of the 24-year-olds Ana Regina and Magdalena Riethmüllerin, who were chastised in 1707 for reading books in church instead of listening to the sermon. .. . .. …”
Here, were chastised = were reprimanded,
instead of listening to = should have been paying attention to,
So, the answer is: sermon
Question no. 21: There was also Juliana Schweickherdt, who came to the notice of the weavers’ guild in the year 1752 for breaking guild rules. As a punishment, she was later given a ____________ .
Keywords for the question: also Juliana Schweickherdt, came to the notice of the weavers’ guild, 1752, breaking guild rules, As, punishment, later given a,
In lines 8-13 say, “ … … . . … .. The database also reveals the case of Juliana Schweickherdt, a 50-year-old spinster living in the small Black Forest community of Wildberg, who was reprimanded in 1752 by the local weavers’ guild for ‘weaving cloth and combing wool, counter to the guide ordinance’. When Juliana continued taking jobs reserved for male guild members, she was summoned before the guild court and told to pay a fine equivalent to one third of a servant’s annual wage.. .. .. .. .”
Here, counter to the guide ordinance = breaking guild rules, she was summoned before the guild court = As a punishment, told to pay = given,
So, the answer is: fine
Question no. 22: Cases like this illustrate how the guilds could prevent __________ and stop skilled people from working.
Keywords for the question: Cases like this, illustrate, how the guilds could prevent, stop skilled people from working,
The final lines of section D say, “.. . . The dominance of guilds not only prevented people from using their skills, but also held back even the simplest industrial innovation.”
Here, guilds not only prevented people from using their skills = guilds could stop skilled people from working,
So, the answer is: innovation
Questions 23-26: Choosing TWO letters/ options from a given list:
[In this kind of question, candidates have to choose two or three answers for each question from five or six options. The answers will not follow any sequential order as they are randomly spread in the text, so this question will be time-consuming. Skimming will come handy and previous reading of the text can come in use. Therefore, other questions should be done first before answering this question.]
Questions no. 23 & 24: Which TWO of the following statements does the writer make about literacy rates in Section B?
A. Very little research has been done into the link between high literacy rates and improved earnings.
B. Literacy rates in Germany between 1600 and 1900 were very good.
C. There is strong evidence that high literacy rates in the modern world result in economic growth.
D. England is a good example of how high literacy rates helped a country industrialize.
E. Economic growth can help to improve literacy rates.
Let’s have a look at Section B.
In lines 4-6, the writer says, “ . .. … .. . Between 1600 and 1900, England had only mediocre literacy rates by European standards, yet its economy grew fast and it was the first country to industrialise. During this period, Germany and Scandinavia had excellent literacy rates, .. .. .. . .”
These lines match with option B.
Again, in lines 7-9, the writer says, “ . . .. .. . . .. ‘Modern cross-country analyses have also struggled to find evidence that education causes economic growth, even though there is plenty of evidence that growth increases education,’ she adds.”
These lines match with option E.
So, the answers are:
B. Literacy rates in Germany between 1600 and 1900 were very good.
E. Economic growth can help to improve literacy rates.
Questions no. 25 & 26: Which TWO of the following statements does the writer make in Section F about guilds in German-speaking Central Europe between 1600 and 1900?
A. They helped young people to learn a skill.
B. They were opposed to people moving to an area for work.
C. They kept better records than guilds in other parts of the world.
D. They opposed practices that threatened their control over trade.
E. They predominantly consisted of wealthy merchants.
Let’s have a look at Section F.
Section F contains two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, the final lines say, “ . .. .. .. . .. In villages throughout the region, guilds blocked labour migration and resisted changes that might reduce their influence.”
Here, guilds blocked labour migration = They were opposed to people moving to an area for work,
resisted changes that might reduce their influence = They opposed practices that threatened their control over trade,
So, the answers are:
B. They were opposed to people moving to an area for work.
D. They opposed practices that threatened their control over trade.
