IELTS Reading

Matching Features/Name Questions

There is a good chance that you will get a name matching question in your IELTS Reading test. These can
seem quite simple at first sight as it’s easy to find the location of the answers. However, you’re ability to
interpret the text will be put to the test here.
I want to give you all the help I can and include in this page:
 An overview of skills needed
 The task
 Key tips
 A proven strategy
 Examples & model answers

Skills needed
Name matching questions test your ability to:

 Scan the text for names

 Recognise synonyms & paraphrasing

 Use context to guess meaning

They also require you to recognise at least one of the following:

 an expression of opinion

 a theory

 research findings

The task
For name matching questions, you have to match a list of people’s names to a list of statements using the
information in the text to make the correct matches.

The names will normally be of:

 researchers

 experts

 scientists

The statements will normally be:

 research findings

 theories

 years

 places
Key tips

 The statements will not appear in the same order in the text as they are listed in the instructions.
Neither will the names appear in the same order that they are listed.

 The statements will usually paraphrase information in the text.

 Some of the names might be shortened in the text to an initial and surname, or just the first name or
last name might be used. For example, ‘Gregor Borek’ may be shortened to ‘G. Borek’, ‘Gregor’ or
‘Borek’.

 It can be helpful to have different coloured pens to underline the different names in the text.

 Don’t spend too long on any one statement. If you get stuck, move on to the next one. Come back to
it when you’ve eliminated other statements and there are thus fewer to choose from.

 In some test papers, there will be more statements than there are names and you will be told in the
instructions that you can use a letter (i.e. a name) more than once. This is the case in the following
instructions from a real test paper.

Strategy

Follow this strategy for answering name matching questions in your IELTS Reading test.

1)  Carefully read the statements and try to understand what they mean. Don’t spend too long on this but get
the general meaning if you can.

2)  Scan the text for the names and underline them. Do this before reading the text. You'll find them extra
quickly by focusing on the capital letter at the start of the name.

Some names will appear more than once. Using a different coloured pen for each name can be helpful.
Ignore any names not in the list of answers.

3)  The easiest names to match to a statement will be those that appear only once in the text. Do these first.
This will also quickly eliminate the matching statements from further consideration thus narrowing the
options for the rest of the names.

4)  The opinion, research findings or theory of the person may be stated either before or after their name
appears so read the section of text around the name to locate it.

5)  Carefully read the details of their opinion, research findings or theory. As you do so, think of likely
synonyms that might be used in the matching statement.

6)  Go to the list of statements and look for a match. When you are sure you have the correct match, fill in
your answer and cross through the statement.

7)  Repeat this process with the rest of the names.

Example with answers

The Science of Yoga

The term yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yuji’ meaning yoke or union. Yoga is said to unite the mind
and body. There are many different forms but all include physical poses, meditation and breathing exercises
intended to bring relaxation and stress reduction. It’s physical and mental benefits have been lauded for
centuries and now science can back up some of these claims.

A number of studies have looked at the effect of yoga on stress. Research carried out in 2005 by Andreas
Michalsen of the University of Duisberg- Essen in Germany, followed 24 women suffering from emotional
distress on a three-month yoga programme. Findings showed a significant reduction in their levels of
cortisol which is the primary stress hormone. Their levels of anxiety, stress, fatigue and depression also
dropped considerably.

A comparable study was carried out in 2007 at the University of South Australia by researcher Caroline
Smith, in this case, comparing the effect of yoga and relaxation on stress and anxiety. Smith’s work with
131 people over a period of 10 weeks showed similar results. In addition, yoga did appear to provide a
comparable improvement in stress, anxiety and health status compared to relaxation.

Another area of health that has been subject to research is heart health. Scientists at the Department of
Physiology, Government College, Nagpur, focused their research on the effect of yoga on the cardiovascular
system in subjects over 40 years old. The results were encouraging with Vijay Bharshankar reporting that,
“participants over 40 years of age who practiced yoga for five years had a lower blood pressure and pulse
rate than those who didn’t”.

Other research suggests that making yoga a part of a healthy lifestyle can actually help to slow the
progression of heart disease. A study on 113 patients with heart disease conducted by Dr J. Yogendra of The
Yoga Institute, Santacruz, Mumbai, looked at the effects of a lifestyle change that included one year of yoga
training combined with dietary modifications and stress management. The encouraging results showed an
average decrease in cholesterol of 23% and the progression of heart disease stopped in 47% of patients.
While it was unclear how much of a role yoga had versus other factors like diet, yoga was shown to reduce
stress which is one of the major contributors to heart disease.

Questions 1–4
Look at the following ideas (Questions 1–4) and the list of researchers below.
Match each idea with the correct researcher, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter, A, B C or D, in the boxes 1–4 on your answer sheet.
 
 1  the importance of yoga in decreasing the main hormone linked to stress 
 2   the advantage of yoga compared to relaxation in decreasing stress and anxiety 
 3   the significance of yoga in relation to existing cases of heart disease 
 4   the connection between practicing yoga and improvements in the circulatory system 
 
List of Researchers
   A     Caroline Smith
   B     Jayadeva Yogendra
   C     Andreas Michalsen
   D     Vijay Bharshankar  

Answers
 1C
 2A
 3B
 4D
 PRACTICE SESSIONS

PRACTICE 1
Answer questions 1-4 based on the reading passage below.
Telepathy
Can humans communicate by their thoughts alone? From more than a 100 years ago experiments on
telepathy have divided the scientific community. Today it is still a controversy among top scientists. 
Since the 1970s, parapsychologists at leading universities and research institutes around the world have been
mocked by sceptical colleagues for putting the various claims for telepathy to the test in many rigorous
scientific studies. The results and their implications are dividing even the researchers who discovered them. 
Some researchers say the results contain strong evidence that telepathy is real. Other parapsychologists
believe the field is on the brink of collapse, because they failed to produce definitive scientific evidence.
Sceptics and advocates alike do agree on one issue: that the most impressive evidence so far has come from
the 'ganzfeld' experiments, a German term that means 'whole field'. Reports of telepathic experiences
experienced by people while meditating lured parapsychologists to suspect that telepathy might involve
'signals' passing between people that were so faint that they were usually lost by normal brain activity. In
such cases these signals might be more easily detected by those performing meditation-like tranquillity in a
relaxing 'whole field' of light, sound and warmth.
In the ganzfeld experiment, they try to recreate these conditions with participants sitting in soft reclining
chairs in a sealed room, listening to relaxing sounds, eyes covered with special filters and letting in only
pink light. In the early ganzfeld experiments in 1980, the telepathy experiment involved identifying a picture
from a group of 4 taken from a larger group of images. The idea was that a person acting as the 'sender'
would attempt to send the image over to the 'receiver' in the sealed room.
After the session, this person was asked to identify which of the 4 images had been used. Random guessing
would give a hit-rate of 25%; if telepathy is real, however, the hit-rate would be higher. In 1982, the results
from the first ganzfeld studies were analysed by the American parapsychologist Charles Honorton. They
pointed to typical hit-rates of more than 30% - a small effect, but one which statistical tests say could not be
put down to chance.

Questions 1 - 4
Look at the following Questions 1-4 and the list of the statements below. Match each 
statement with the correct one
Write the correct letter A-E on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

1. Years since the telepathic experiments started

2. Year when first results of ganzfeld experiments were analysed by Charles Honorton
3. Year when early ganzfeld experiments started
4. Year when parapsychologists stated putting claims for telepathy

A. 1970
B. 1980
C. 1982
D. 1970
E. 1992
F. 100

PRACTICE 2 
Answer questions 1-5 based on the reading passage below.
 Reducing the Effects of Climate Change
Our dependence on fossil fuels, and the volume of carbon dioxide already released into the atmosphere, has
led experts to agree that global warming is now inevitable. They believe that the best we can do is keep the
emission levels low. At present the only valid option for us is to cut down our carbon emissions. While a
few countries are taking major action in this regard, other countries are having difficulty even limiting the
rate of increase, let alone reversing it. An increasing number of scientists are exploring the alternative of
geo-engineering — a term which refers to the calculated large-scale manipulation of the environment.
According to its promoters, geo-engineering is like a backup generator. If Plan A - reducing our dependence
on fossil fuels - fails, then we require Plan B - devise grand schemes to slow down or reverse the process of
global warming.
Geo-engineering has proved to show results on a small localised scale. For many years, MayDay parades
conducted in Moscow have taken place under clear skies, aircraft deposited dry ice, silver iodide and cement
powder to disperse clouds. Many of the schemes now suggested look to reduce the amount of sunlight
reaching Earth. The most catchy idea of all is suggested by Professor Roger Angel of the University of
Arizona. According to his scheme they have to employ up to 16 trillion minute spacecraft weighing about 1
gms each, to form a transparent sunshade refracting sunlight in an orbit 1.5 million kms above the surface of
the Earth. This could reduce the amount of light reaching the Earth by 2%, says Angel. 
Majority of the geo-engineering projects carried out so far include planting forests in deserts depositing iron
in the ocean to stimulate the growth of algae. They have focused on achieving a general cooling of our
planet. But some suggest reversing the melting at the poles, particularly the Arctic. The reason is that if we
can bring back the ice sheets and frozen waters of the high latitudes, more light will be reflected back into
space thus reducing the heating of the waters and atmosphere.

Questions 1 - 5 
Look at the following Questions 1-5 and the list of the statements below. Match each statement with the
correct one
Write the correct letter A-F on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

1. Present valid option to stop climate change

2. Devise grand schemes to slow down or reverse the process of global warming
3. Reduce dependence on fossil fuels
4. Option that shows result in small scale
5. Option to stimulate growth of algae in oceans

A. Plan B
B. Carbon emission reduction
C. Deposit iron
D. Plan A
E. Restore ice sheets
F. Geo-engineering

PRACTICE 3
Answer questions 1-7 which are based on the reading passage below.
OBJECTS FROM DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS
Objects from lost civilisations can tell us about the social relationships and the way of life of the people
belonging to those societies. The Indus valley civilisation and the Chinese civilisation have been influential
with their innovations and contributions to advanced technology. The Indus Valley civilization is also called
the Harappan civilization. Developing along the mighty Indus River, it was at its peak around 2500 and
3500 BC. This Bronze Age civilisation is believed to be among the oldest world civilisations together with
the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilisations. The famous figurine of the dancing girl from the Harappa
region shows the advances made in art and metallurgy at the time. The statue describes details such as the
hairstyle and ornaments prevalent then such as the more than 20 bangles in her left arm and four on her right
arm, and the necklace. Although the bronze statuette is in standing position, it was named the dancing girl
by assuming that it was her profession. 
The seals are other famous objects from the Bronze Age. Seals are beautifully carved out of stone and then
fired for durability. Over 3,500 seals discovered are mostly square with different symbols at the top, an
animal in the centre and a few more symbols at the bottom are, which are presumed to be the inscription of
the Indus valley language. The inscription indicates that people of this age wrote the first line from right to
left, the second line from left to right and so on. Some common animal inscriptions on these seals include
elephants, unicorns, rhinoceros, and bulls. On the reverse face, most seals have projections with a hole to
possibly carry it comfortably. The imprint on some of the seals suggests that they were used as clay tags for
sacks of traded goods such as grain, which means that the Harappan people were involved in long-distance
trading networks. Hunting tools show that the Indus people were fond of game. Many of the toys are carts
and animals made from baked clay, and most were for children, which has led to the conclusion that the
people had an active social life. 
Standardised measurement is another valuable contribution of the Indus valley people. The oldest ruler with
markings was a copper alloy rod found by a German archaeologist and he claims that it was used as a
standard measurement unit. He mentions that the measurements on the ruler are divided into units that
correspond to 1.32 inches which are further divided into perfectly calculated decimal subdivisions.
Measurements of the bricks found in excavations of the Mohenjo Daro and Harappan civilisations match
with those on the ruler mentioned by the German archaeologist. 
China was the first nation to invent paper. In the older civilisations, words were written on natural materials
such as grass stalks, earthen plates, wood and bamboo strips, tree leaves, and sheepskins. The first paper
from the Chinese people was known as bo and was made of silk. However, it was expensive. In the 2nd
century, a new kind of paper was produced from rags, bark, wheat stalks, and other materials, which was not
only cheaper but was also durable and could be used for brush writing. Papermaking had spread to other
parts of the world in the beginning of the third century. Ancient China also gets credit for the invention of
gunpowder. In a collection of most important military techniques as described in Wujing Zongyao that was
edited in 1044 by Zeng Gong Liang, three formulas of making gunpowder were discovered and have been
described as the earliest formulas of such kinds. Another significant gift from China was the compass. It was
developed after some miners got hold of a piece of a natural magnetite that attracted iron and pointed north.
The compass that we use today is a result of a series of improvements to the earliest design. Before it was
invented, navigators depended on the position of the moon, sun, and the polestar for their bearings. 

Questions 1-7
The reading passage mentions a number of objects/achievements related to Indus Valley and Chinese
civilisations and their relevance.
Match each object/ achievement (Questions 1-7) in List A with its relevance (A-J) in List B.
Write the correct letter, A-J, as your answer.
List A List B
1 figurine of the dancing girl  A strength and affordability of a product
2 seals for marking goods B the various uses of clay
3 weapons for hunting C spread of commerce in a wide area
4 toys for children D advancements in metal craft
5 copper alloy ruler E recognition of dance as a profession
6 production of paper from plant material F social activity
7 invention of the compass G a consequence of the discovery of natural magnet
H  navigators depended on astronomical bodies J the consumption of wild birds and animals as
food
I use of standard measurements in construction

PRACTICE 4
Answer questions 1-5 which are based on the reading passage below.
Why can't we live forever?
The only certainties in life, said Benjamin Franklin, are death and taxes. Don't expect eithe to disappear
anytime soon. The prospects for a longer life currently seem rosy, at least if yo, are a laboratory mouse. This
year has seen headlines about mice, engineered to produce lots of antioxidants, who can live 20 percent
longer than usual, and equally impressive gain for animals altered to produce high levels of a peptide
hormone known as Klotho (after the minor Greek deity). Ultra-low-calorie diets, big doses of vitamin E, and
even transferring ovaries from a younger mouse into elderly females also seem to extend lifespan. Shepherds
may say that sheep are just looking for new ways to die, but mice seem to be susceptible to almost anything
that can make them live a bit longer.
So what are the prospects for a rather larger mammal that normally lives 70-80 years, and very occasionally
makes it to 120 before keeling over? Will, what works in mice, work in humans?
There are well-publicised optimists who think it will. The most often quoted is Aubrey de Grey of
Cambridge, a proponent of a big expansion of research on what he has called Strategies for Engineered
Negligible Senescence. He is also one of the leading lights of the Methuselah Mouse Prize, which is offered
to the scientific team that develops the longest lived mouse.
But for all his energy and revolutionary zeal, Professor de Grey is not actually doing the research - his day
job is as a computer expert in a genetics lab. And many researchers in biogerontology are sceptical about his
predictions. That scepticism came through recently when Tom Kirkwood of the University of Newcastle's
Institute for Ageing and Health asked in Nature: “Why must advocates of life extension make preposterous
claims about imminent longevity gains if they are to gain public notice?"
Professor Kirkwood is the author of the influential 'disposable soma’ theory of ageing that states the body
decays because there is little genetic interest in keeping it going beyond reproductive age. This means that
he sees no programmed limit to lifespan, in mice or people. Ageing is a biological sin of omission, not
commission. So perhaps we could block whatever is doing the damage. But, he stresses, “This does not
imply that major increases in lifespan are imminent. As we grow older , the accumulated burden of
molecular and cellular damage increases and the going gets harder."
Others in the field tend to agree. One reason is simply that ageing is very complex, and e do not know
enough to make sensible predictions. Caleb Finch of the University of Southern California says: “I have a
simple view: we don't know what we don't know about egeing processes. So, what can be said on future
longevity?"
Linda Partridge of University College London's Centre for Research on Ageing, well known for work on
fruit flies, backs Professor Kirkwood. In any case, she adds, "I think that we should be working to promote
health during ageing rather than on increases in lifespan per et." Either way, she believes that “Progress will
be gradual and based on existing promising areas of work, rather than based on unproven approaches”.
Her colleague David Gems, who works on nematode worms, is optimistic that the basic biology of ageing
will be understood in the next decade or two. But he stresses that how easily this translates into treating or
preventing ageing-related diseases depends on what ageing really turns out to be: "There's a huge margin of
uncertainty." He suggests that cancer treatments are a better historical guide than, say, antibiotics - and most
cancers femain incurable.
Martin Brand of the Medical Research Council's Dunn Human Nutrition Unit in Cambridge also urges
caution. "There have been spectacular increases in lifespan caused by simple treatments and mutations in
model organisms," he concedes. But he is mindful that flies and mice in the laboratory tend to live shorter
lives than wild strains. "I worry that these results can be explained as putting right bad husbandry of the
model organisms rather than affecting ageing itself.”

Questions 1-5
Look at the following statements and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person.
NB - You may use any answer more than once.
1. The condition of the body starts to decline when we can't have offspring. 
2.Only two things are predictable in life.
3. Living longer is less important than how healthy we are as we age.
4.People make ridiculous statements about how long we can live.
5. We can't predict the future because we don't know enough about the ageing proces
List of People 
А Aubrey de Grey 
B Caleb Finch 
C David Gems 
D Linda Partridge 
E Benjamin Franklin 
F Martin Brand 
G Tom Kirkwood

PRACTICE 5
Answer questions 1-5 which are based on the reading passage below.
MIGRAINE
"One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small and the ones that mother gives you, dors do
anything at all," words from 'Alice in Wonderland'. It is believed that Lewis Carroll, who made us
experience this wonderful journey of 'Alice in Wonderland' also suffered from a Migraine.
Migraine is a complex disorder pertaining to the head, which involves the recurrence of severe and constant
headaches. The intensity of headaches ranges from moderate to grievous. Associated symptoms can be
hypersensitivity to light, sound or smell, nausea and vomiting. Migraine is assumed to be hereditary and
highly influenced by environmental changes. Hormones play a crucial role, especially in the case of boys
when they reach puberty, who are majorly affected by migraine as compared to girls of the same age.
Contradicting the fact, the number of older female patients is twice or thrice that of males. However, the
threat of migraine is less during pregnancy.
In 1988, The International Headache Society provided valuable input on the major classification of migraine
- the International Classification of Headache Disorders system - which was later adopted by the World
Health Organisation. The research team divided migraine into two prime categories: migraine without aura
and migraine with aura. More than three-fourths of the migraine sufferers experience symptoms of migraine
without aura: Partial and intense throbbing of the head which lasts for more than 2-3 days associated with
nausea and occasional vomiting, blurred or smeared vision and developed sensitivity towards the light,
sounds or peculiar smells. In certain cases, symptoms can also comprise stiffness of the neck and shoulders.
The migraine with aura refers to a range of neurological interventions prior to an initial headache Only 20%
of migraine sufferers fall in this category. The general complications constitute flashy lights, scintillating
scotoma - usually, some zigzag patterns targeting the centre of the vision and encompassing a larger area
accompanied with distortions of shapes and figures, blind spots which generally pose threats in the normal
working conditions of an individual. Migraine without headaches only comprises 1% of the sufferers. From
a tender age Carl, one of the subjects in a study, had seen his father suffer from bouts of severe headaches
followed by persistent vomiting leaving him sick in bed. At the age of 45, Carl says," I have been suffering
from migraine from the age much younger than my father. It is the worst experience of my life." He further
adds, "I mostly feel my genes are responsible for this painful condition. Though I visit the doctor quite often
medicines provide limited help." m
The classification system also includes some rare types of migraines. A Hemiplegic Migraine where
symptoms often start in childhood or teenage sometimes leads to reversible paralysis due to the excessive
weakening of muscles. An Ophthalmologic migraine affects the muscles responsible for eye movement. A
Vestibular Migraine or Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV) interferes with the coordination of sensory
nerves from the eyes and ears to the brain.

As per 2004 consensus, almost 80% of people suffer from some kind of severe pain in the head As per
which results in high absenteeism in schools, offices and other institutions. How is a headache different from
a migraine? A headache is generally an acute pain in the head extending to the neck. As per the researchers
at the Mayo Clinic, headaches are discomfort or pain in the head or face. In technical terms, headache is
called cephalgias. Headaches can be caused as a result of disturbances in the network of nerves over the
scalp, throat, face, resulting in turbulent blood vessels . Tension headaches are the most common types of
headaches, the symptoms being acute pain in the temples and back of the neck. Experts believe this could be
possible due to changes in brain chemicals. Over-the-counter drugs can give some relief.
Another most frequent headache is a cluster headache. This is more common in men. It causes excruciating
pain on one side of the head, accompanied by watery eyes and, at times, nasal congestion. The source and
cause are unknown, but hereditary conditions are somewhere to be blamed. Though counter medications can
curb the pain, no cure is available. A thin line can differentiate a migraine and headaches with the varying
degree of pain, where headaches could be an outcome of stress, hangovers or emotional instability, migraine
is actually a disease. In the case of Rosemary, a stock consultant who presumed that alcohol triggered her
constant headache later through diagnosis by doctors that high level of estrogen in the birth control pills she
consumed played the trick. She says. "It is important to know the triggers that cause and try to avoid them.
Having a balanced diet is equally important."
Is migraine curable? More than 35 million people suffer from migraines, and no one knows why. Dodick, a
neurologist at the Mayo Clinic and president of the American Headache Society, how the thalamus the
integral part of the brain which contains sensory information, is for transferring migraine pain directly to
pain receptors in the different sections of the. He further states, "Scientists have evolved with a treatment
wherein a minuscule battery wired to patient's spine which helps to transmit pulses of electricity to the
thalamus. This treatment is called as neurostimulation." Despite this treatment, the antidote is a far-fetched
reality. Neurologists from Gulf, Germany and Italy do collectively assert that neurostimulation reduces and
controls pain but scientifically it is still an enigma.
 
To resolve this problem, we need to believe that every brain works differently, and so does its cure. Every
treatment has to be unique because so is the brain. Comprehensive research is still awaited to cure this
ailment. It is observed that each time science thinks it has pulled strings, many more mysteries emerge. Our
brain works singularly; hence, the cure needs to be distinctive.

Questions 1-5
Look at the following categories (Questions 1-5) and the list of descriptions below 
Match each category with the correct description, A - G. 
Write the correct letter, A - G, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
1    Migraine without aura 
2    Hemiplegic Migraine 
3    Migraine Associated Vertigo 
4    Cluster headache 
5    Tension headache

A     disturbs the transmission of messages between brain, eyes and ears
B     neurological factors are responsible for headaches head
C    causes tense muscles in the neck and both sides of the
D     causes discomfort in the eyes and nasal tract along with a severe headache on one side only
E     triggered by external stimuli such as typical odour or noise 
F     could paralyse the body temporarily 
 ANSWERS
Practice 1 - Answers
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is
taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1 F 100
Explanation: From more than a 100 years ago experiments on telepathy have divided the scientific
community.

2 C 1982
Explanation: In 1982, the results from the first ganzfeld studies were analysed by the American
parapsychologist Charles Honorton

3 B 1980
Explanation: In the early ganzfeld experiments in 1980, the telepathy experiment involved identifying a
picture from a group of 4 taken from a larger group of images. 

4 D 1970
Explanation: Since the 1970s, parapsychologists at leading universities and research institutes around the
world have been mocked by sceptical colleagues for putting the various claims for telepathy to the test in
many rigorous scientific studies.
Practice 2 - Answers
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is
taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1 B Carbon emission reduction

Explanation: At present the only valid option for us is to cut down our carbon emissions. 

2 A Plan B
Explanation: we require Plan B - devise grand schemes to slow down or reverse the process of global
warming.

3 D Plan A
Explanation: Plan A - reducing our dependence on fossil fuels

4 F Geo-engineering
Explanation: Geo-engineering has proved to show results on a small localised scale. 

5 C Deposit iron
Explanation: Majority of the geo-engineering projects carried out so far include planting forests in deserts
depositing iron in the ocean to stimulate the growth of algae.
Practice 3 - Answers
Objects from different civilizations
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is
taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)
1.D
Explanation: Paragraph 2 - This famous figurine of the dancing girl from the Harappa region shows the
advances made in art and metallurgy at the time.

2.C
Explanation: Paragraph 3 - The imprint on some of the seals suggests that they were used as clay tags for
sacks of traded goods such as grain, which indicates that the Harappan people were involved in long-
distance trading networks.

3.J
Explanation: Paragraph 3 - Hunting tools indicate that the Indus people were fond of game.
‘Game’- wild animals and birds that are hunted for food or sport are also called game

4.F
Explanation: Paragraph 3 - Many of the toys are carts and animals made from baked clay, and most were
for children, which has led to the conclusion that the people had an active social life. 

5.I
Explanation: Paragraph 4 - The oldest ruler with markings was a copper alloy rod, found by a German
archaeologist and he claims that it was used as a standard measurement unit ... Measurements of the bricks
found in excavations of the Mohenjo Daro and Harappan civilisations match with those on the ruler
mentioned by the German archaeologist. 

6.A
Explanation: Paragraph 6 - In the 2nd century, a new kind of paper was produced from rags, bark, wheat
stalks, and other materials, which was not only cheaper but was also durable ...

7.G
Explanation: Paragraph 6 - Another significant gift from China was the compass. It was developed after
some miners got hold of a piece of a natural magnetite that attracted iron and pointed north.
Practice 4 - Answers
Why can't we live forever?
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is
taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1.G
Explanation: Paragraph 5 - Professor Kirkwood is the author of the influential 'disposable soma' theory of
ageing that states the body decays because there is little genetic interest in keeping it going beyond
reproductive age.

2.E
Explanation: Paragraph 1 - The only certainties in life, said Benjamin Franklin, are death and taxes.

3.D
Explanation: Paragraph 7 - Linda Partridge of University ... she adds, “I think that we should be working
to promote health during ageing rather than on increases in lifespan per se.
4.G
Explanation: Paragraph 4 - Tom Kirkwood of the University of Newcastle's Institute for Ageing and
Health asked in Nature: "Why must advocates of life extension make preposterous claims about imminent
longevity gains if they are to gain public notice?"

5.B
Explanation: Paragraph 6 - Caleb Finch of the University of Southern California says: “I have a simple
view: we don't know what we don't know about ageing processes. So, what can be said on future longevity?"
Practice 5 - Answers
Endangered Languages
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is
taken or inferred. The text in regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1.E
Explanation: Paragraph 2 - More than three-fourths of the migraine sufferers experience symptoms of
migraine without aura: Partial and intense throbbing of the head which lasts for more than 2-3 days
associated with nausea and occasional vomiting, blurred or smeared vision and developed sensitivity
towards the light, sounds or peculiar smells

2.F
Explanation: Paragraph 4 - A Hemiplegic Migraine where symptoms often start in childhood or teenage
sometimes leads to reversible paralysis due to the excessive weakening of muscles

3.A
Explanation: Paragraph 4 - A Vestibular Migraine or Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV) interferes with
the coordination of sensory inputs from the eyes and ears to the brain 

4.D
Explanation: Paragraph 6 - Another most frequent headache is a cluster headache ... It causes excruciating
pain on one side of the head, accompanied by watery eyes and, at times, nasal congestion

5.C
Explanation: Paragraph 5 - Tension headaches are the most common types of headaches, the symptoms
being acute pain in the temples and back of the neck