This IELTS Reading post is the second of the series post deals with a total solution package for Cambridge IELTS Series Book 13 Reading test 3 Passage 2 which is entitled How baby talk gives infant brains a boost. In this post I’ve talked about all the answers and solutions for Reading Passage 2. This is another aimed post for candidates who have huge difficulties in finding and understanding IELTS Reading Answers. This post can easily direct you the best to figure out every Reading answer without much trouble. Finding IELTS Reading answers is a step-by-step routine and I hope this post can assist you in this topic.

Reading Passage 2:

The headline of the passage: How baby talk gives infant brains a boost

Questions 14-17: (Matching references with researchers)

(In this type of question, candidates need to relate references which are given by or links to researchers in the passage. This question is similar to matching names with statements. The rules for finding answers to this sort of question are simple. Just find the name of the person and read around it carefully. Then, give a quick look to check whether there is another statement or idea provided by the same person in the text. If there is, check the reference carefully and decide your answer. Remember, the questions may not follow any sequential order.)

Question 14: the importance of adults giving babies individual attention when talking to them

Keywords for this question: individual attention

The reference of individual attention is found in paragraph no. D lines 10-11 where the writer includes the quotes of Narián Ramirez-Esparza. “….. says Narián Ramirez-Esparza of the University of Connecticut. ‘We also found that it really matters whether you use baby talk in a one-to-one context,’ she adds.”

Here,one-to-one context = individual attention

So, the answer is: B (Narián Ramirez-Esparza)

Question 15: the connection between what babies hear and their own efforts to create speech

Keywords for this question: what babies hear, their own efforts to create speech

The answer is in Paragraph F, lines 8-11. The writer includes the comment of Patricia Kuhl. “Finding activation in motor areas of the  brain when infants are simply listening is significant, because it means the baby brain in engaged in trying to talk back right from the start, and suggests that seven-month-olds’ brains are already trying to figure out how to make the right movements that will produce words,” says co-author Patricia Kuhl.”

So, the answer is: C (Patricia Kuhl)

Question 16: the advantage for the baby of having two parents each speaking in a different way

Keywords for this question: advantage, having two parents, each speaking, different way

The answer can be found in lines 10-12 of Paragraph C. Here, the writer gives reference to Mark VanDam’s  comments about both parents’ speaking with the baby which clarifies the answer for us. “The idea is that a kid gets to practice a certain kind of speech with mom and another kind of speech with dad, so the kid then has a wider repertoire of kinds of speech to practice,’ says VanDam.’

So, the answer is: A (Mark VanDam)

Question 17: the connection between the amount of baby talk babies hear and how much vocalising they do themselves

Keywords for this question: amount of baby talk, babies hear, how much vocalising, themselves

In Paragraph D, lines 7-9 give us information about the amount of baby talk that babies hear. Here, the writer gives account of Narián Ramirez-Esparza, “…. . Those children who listened to a lot of baby talk were talking more than the babies that listened to more adult talk or standard speech,” says Nairán Ramírez-Esparza of the University of Connecticut.”

So, the answer is: B (Narián Ramirez-Esparza)

Question 18-23: (Summary completion with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)

(In this kind of questions candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. As these are fill in the blanks or gaps, there is a condition of writing no more than ONE, TWO or THREE words for each answer and candidates must maintain this condition. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords form the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers for fill in the gaps.)

The title of the summary is:  Research into how parents talk to babies

Question 18: Researchers at Washington State University used _________, together with specialised computer programs,

Keywords for this question: Washington State University, specialised computer programs

The answer is in lines 2-3 of paragraph C. Here the writer says, “… . ..Mark VanDam of Washington State University at Spokane and colleagues equipped parents with recording devices and speech-recognition software to study the way they interacted with their youngsters during a normal day.”

Here, speech recognition software = specialised computer programs

So, the answer is: recording devices

Question 19: The study reveals that _________ tended not to modify their ordinary speech patterns when interacting with their babies.

Keywords for this question: tended to modify, ordinary speech, interacting with babies

In Paragraph C, lines 6-8 say, “But we found that dads aren’t doing the same thing. Dads didn’t raise their pitch or fundamental frequency when they talked to kids.” Here, the lines mean that dads don’t have the tendency to modify their speech the way moms did.

So, the answer is: dads  

Question 20: According to an idea known as __________, they may use a more adult type of speech to prepare infants for the language they will hear outside the family home.     

Keywords for this question: idea known as, more adult type of speech, prepare infants

In Paragraph C, lines 8-10 say, “. . .. Their role may be rooted in what is called the bridge hypothesis, which dates back to 1975. It suggests that fathers use less familial language to provide their children with a bridge to the kind of speech they’ll hear in public.”  Here, bridge hypothesis indicates that fathers use adult type of language more which is less familiar to infants or children.

So, the answer is: bridge hypothesis

Question 21: . … .. . ‘normal’ language from the other expands the baby’s _________ of types of speech which they can practise.

Keywords for this question: ‘normal’ language, other, expands, types of speech  

In Paragraph C lines 11-12, the author says, “The idea is that a kid gets to practice a certain kind of speech with mom and another kind of speech with dad, so the kid then has a wider repertoire of kinds of speech to practice,’ says VanDam.”

Here, wider = expands, kinds of speech = types of speech

So, the answer is: repertoire  

Question 22: ….. the University of Connecticut recorded speech and sound using special __________ that the babies were equipped with.  

Keywords for this question: University of Connecticut recorded speech and sound, special

The answer is in line 3 of Paragraph D. Here, the writer says, “ ….. the University of Connecticut collected thousands of 30-second conversations between parents and their babies, fitting 26 children with audio-recording vests that captured language and sound during a typical eight-hour day.” This clearly indicates that the babies were equipped with audio-recording vests.

So, the answer is: (audio-recording) vests

Question 23: … … .. at the age two, they found that those who had heard a lot of baby talk in infancy had a much larger ________ than those who had not.

Keywords for this question: at the age two, who heard, a lot of baby talk in infancy, much larger  

We find the reference of hearing a lot of baby talk in Paragraph D. Here, in lines 5-7, the writer mentions, “.. . .. And when researchers saw the same babies at age two, they found that frequent baby talk had dramatically boosted vocabulary, regardless of socioeconomic status.”

Here, boosted = larger

So, the answer is: vocabulary

Question 24-26 : (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. For this passage, first answer question 4- 13. After finishing with these questions, come to question 1-3. And just like 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.]

Question 24: a reference to a change which occurs in babies’ brain activity before the end of their first year

Keywords for this answer: change, occurs, babies’ brain activity, before, end of first year

In paragraph F, lines 7-11 say, “Finding activation in motor areas of the brain when infants are simply listening is significant, because it means the baby brain is engaged in trying to talk back right from the start, and suggests that seven-month-olds’ brains are already trying to figure out how to make the right movements that will produce words,’
Here, activation = change; seven-month-olds’ brains = before the end of their first year

So, the answer is: F

Question 25: an example of what some parents do for their baby’s benefit before birth

Keywords for this answer: some parents do, before birth

Answer to this question can be found in Paragraph A. Here, in lines 2-4, the writer says, “Most babies start developing their hearing while still in the womb, prompting some hopeful parents to play classical music to their pregnant bellies.”
Here, still in the womb = before birth

So, the answer is: A

Question 26: a mention of babies’ preference for the sounds that other babies make

Keywords for this answer: babies’ preference, sounds that other babies make    

The answer to this question is found in Paragraph E, lines 5-7, where the writer says, “ …found that babies seem to like listening to each other rather than to adults – which may be why baby talk is such a universal tool among parents.”

Here, the writer means that a baby likes to listen to another baby rather than listening to adults.

*each other = baby to baby   

So, the answer is: E

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Click here for solutions to Cambridge 13 Test 3 Reading Passage 1

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 13 Test 3 Reading Passage 3