Skillful 3

Unit 1 Reading 2
How Permanent is Your Personality
T’s Copy

PART A: Warmer.
Discuss the following quotation taken from the text with your partner. What does it mean? Do you
agree with it?

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

PART B: Scanning.
Scan the text and answer the following questions about a study on changes in personality.
1. For how many years did psychologists examine a group of volunteers in Scotland?
63
1. How many areas did the test examine? 6
2. How many children were examined? 1,208
3. How many people were examined at the age of 77? 174
4. What year was the test given to children? 1950
5. What year was the test given to 77-year-olds? 2012
PART C: Summary.
Complete the following summary of Paragraphs 1-3 of the text. Do not write more than 5 words.

Although most people think that (1) a person’s personality is stable, according to a recent study, (2)
this isn’t true. Psychologists studied personality test scores of participants at the ages of 14 and 77,
and they did not find any (3) correlation. At the age of 14, their (4) teachers and at the age of 77,
their (5) friends or relatives evaluated the participants. In addition to the six categories, they were
evaluated in (6) intelligence and general well-being.

PART D: Comprehension.
Answer the following questions with information from Paragraphs 5 and 6 of the text.
1. a) What was the difference between older studies and the Scottish study?
The Scottish study was smaller in scope / The Scottish study involved fewer participants.
b) What was the finding of the Scottish study?
This led the researchers to conclude that personality shifts are more likely to occur over
long periods of time.
2. a) What is one problem with the Scottish study?
 The people who did the ratings in 1950 were not the same people who did the ratings in
2012.
b) Why couldn’t they avoid this problem?
It’s difficult for a study on something as broad as identity and personality to take all the
variables into consideration.
PART E: Main Idea.
Read Paragraph 8 and circle the statement that gives the main idea of the paragraph.

If an old friend that you didn’t get along with in the school years tries to contact you,

a) avoid him since you will not like him today, either.
b) do not avoid him since he or she may have changed.
c) do not avoid him since you may have changed.
d) do not avoid him since both of you may have changed.

PART F: Comprehension.
Complete the following sentences with information from Paragraphs 10 and 11. Do not write more
than 4 words.

- Personality affects employees’ relationships with (1) co-workers and (2) clients.
- Employers should prefer to train an employee to improve his personality rather than firing him or
her since this is (3) cheaper for them.
- It is better for a person to (4) eliminate negative personality traits instead of accepting them.
- If a person knows that he or she can change, this will lead to (5) learning how to change.

PART G: Reference.
Write what the following words refer to in the text.

1. “it” (par.1, line 5): someone’s personality

2. “they” (par.1, last line): other people
3. “it” (par.9, line 4): your friendship