ADVANCED 1 – BRITANICO GOLD – READING TASK – NOV DEC 2023

Read the article about personality. Five sentences have been removed from the article. Choose
from the sentences A–F the one which fits each gap (1–5). There is one extra sentence which
you do not need to use.

Personality types

Why do we have the personalities we have? There has been a long debate over whether we develop
our personality as we grow up, or whether we are born with our fundamental personality. Many believe
it is somewhere between these two. There are many factors which are known to affect our personality,
such as genetics, gender and the social life we grow up within. 31 ………… In fact, researchers have
found quite defined personality types for each group, suggesting that the order we are born in has an
influence on what we are like. In this article, we will look at the characteristics that children might have
and why this happens. We will also see why three siblings who had the same upbringing might be very
different from each other.

The firstborn child often seems like a mini version of their parents; they are responsible, reliable and
cautious. The reason for this kind of personality is the care and expectation put on the first child, where
the parents are overjoyed with any achievement and terrified of any possible danger. Often, they are
high achievers and experience a sense of loss when a second child comes along.

The middle child is often a co-operative peacemaker that has to negotiate with both the oldest and
youngest child. As such, they become very skilled at dealing with people. Social ability is generally the
talent of this group, and they often build up a tight network of friends who act as their second family. 32
…………

This brings us to the youngest, who are the free and independent children of the group. In their case,
their parents aren’t as concerned with their upbringing as they are already experienced in parenthood.
33 ………… These children also often feel the most secure as they, as the ’baby’, often charm their
family who support them emotionally and physically.

Lastly, you may think that only children have a rather lonely life without any brothers or sisters to play
with. 34 ………… Often, they are intelligent and resourceful, with the ability to cope with things alone
and the maturity to talk to adults better than other groups. They also have a sense of responsibility similar
to that of the eldest children.

35 ………… The most obvious answer is yes. By understanding that the order of birth has an effect on
personality, parents can think about how they might treat their children differently, altering this parenting
pattern if desired. Perhaps awareness is the first step towards changing these patterns of personality,
for, in the end, nobody likes to think that their personality in life is determined so clearly at birth. Children
can grow up to be whatever, and whoever they want.

A. This is a role which is very much needed for this child as they deal with their forceful older sibling,
and carefree younger sibling.
B. However, this fact doesn’t seem to negatively affect these children.
C. So, can the behaviour of mothers and fathers affect these personality types?
D. We need to find ways for children to look at their personality type and identify the best kinds of
hobbies and careers that will benefit them most.
E. However, one factor which is often overlooked is whether we are the eldest, middle, youngest or an
only child.
F. So these children have a sense of freedom which is often missing from the other groups, and as
such they rely on their charm and their sense of fun to mix with others.