keyboard_return Exit
keyboard_arrow_left

IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 42

settings  Settings
settings App Settings
close
close
BestMyTest IELTS course is developed by a team of certified IELTS teachers from across the globe. Here, you can seek guidance and ask questions directly to our team of experienced instructors.

Get 5 Ask Instructor questions as a reward
for singing up free today.

close Filter
search
expand all collapse all Hide completed
 
schedule20:00

This reading practice simulates one part of the IELTS Academic Reading test. You should spend about twenty minutes on it. Read the passage and answer questions 27-40.

Subscribe to take the test

Section A“The moai” is the name given to a group of several hundred mysterious statues found on Easter Island. Easter Island, or Rapu Nui, as it's known by locals, remained isolated for centuries until it was settled by the Polynesians. Construction of the moai, some standing up to ten metres t...
Sign up free for more Premium Content

Questions 27-33
The reading passage has seven sections, A-G.

Choose the correct heading for sections A-G from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number i-ix in boxes 27-33 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings
  1. Creative ways to farm in the harsh environment
  2. Other factors besides the people may have destroyed the forest
  3. An accepted answer to a question about the moai
  4. What can we learn from the story of Easter Island?
  5. A theory which supports a local belief
  6. A historical description of the barren island that was once lush
  7. How the statues may have worsened conditions on the island
  8. The future of the Easter Island
  9. The future of the moai statues

27. Section A

28. Section B

29. Section C

30. Section D

31. Section E

32. Section F

33. Section G

Questions 34-37
Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 34-37 on your answer sheet.

According to Jared Diamond, settlers who came to the island of Rapa Nui used trees for fuel.  However, pollen preserves found by researchers indicate that once covered the island. Diamond suggests that when there was no wood left to build boats, the islanders resorted to eating . In his view, the mighty moai statues were built to be a display of  .

Questions 38-40
Choose three letters A-F.

Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.

In what points do Hunt and Lipo differ from Jared Diamond’s view?
  1. the loss of the island’s trees
  2. the influence of the moai on Rapa Nui’s society
  3. how the moai were carved
  4. the origins of the people who made the moai
  5. how the moai were transported
  6. who built the moai

38

39

40

Answer Sheet
1
N/A
2
N/A
3
N/A
4
N/A
5
N/A
6
N/A
7
N/A
8
N/A
9
N/A
10
N/A
11
N/A
12
N/A
13
N/A
14
N/A
15
N/A
16
N/A
17
N/A
18
N/A
19
N/A
20
N/A
21
N/A
22
N/A
23
N/A
24
N/A
25
N/A
26
N/A
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
BestMyTest IELTS reading Report

Score Summary
0 / 1
Multiple Choice
Matching Sentence Endings
Note Completion
Table Completion
Flow Chart Completion
Summary Completion
Short Answer
Matching Headings
Matching Features
Matching Information
Identifying Information
Identifying Viewer Claims
Sentence Completion
Diagram Labelling
Hello!   :)

Submit your academic reading answers to auto generate this report.
Key Words Found in this practice
Related Words
IELTS reading LessonsCompleted: 0 / 72
play_circle_outlineWelcome to IELTS Tutor
Tips to improve your reading speed
To get a high score on the IELTS reading section, you need to have a fast reading speed. To have a fast reading speed, you need to improve your vocabulary and practice dissecting sentences. One strategy to dissect a sentence is to look for the subject and verb of the sentence. Finding the subject and verb will help you better understand the main idea of said sentence. Keep in mind, a common feature of a IELTS reading passage is to join strings of ideas to form long compound sentences. This produces large chunks that students have a hard time absorbing. Do not get overwhelmed by its length, just look for the subject and verb, the rest of the ideas will flow.

Keep in mind, having a slow reading speed makes skimming or scanning a reading passage more difficult. The process of quickly skimming through a reading passage for specific keywords or main ideas is a requirement for you to employ successful reading strategies to improve your IELTS reading score. In other words, skimming and scanning are critical skills to ensure you complete all questions in the allotted time frame.
IELTS Reading Strategies
Once you can read and comprehend a passage with a rate of, at least, 220 words per minute, you'll be ready to start implementing our strategies. All too often, students spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time answering the questions. Here is a step by step guide for tackling the reading section.

  1. Step 1: Read questions first

    One of the most common mistakes that candidates make when approaching the reading exam is reading every single word of the passages. Although you can practice for the exam by reading for pleasure, "reading blindly" (reading without any sense of what the questions will ask) will not do you any favors in the exam. Instead, it will hurt your chances for effectively managing your time and getting the best score.

    The main reason to read the questions first is because the type of question may determine what you read in the passage or how you read it. For example, some question types will call for the "skimming" technique, while others may call for the "scanning" technique.

    It is important to answer a set of questions that are of the same question type. You'll need to determine which question type you want to tackle first. A good strategy would be to start with the easier question type and move on to more difficult question types later. The Easiest question types are the ones where you spend less time reading. For example, the Matching Heading question type is an easier one because you only need to find the heading that best describes the main idea of a paragraph. An example of a difficult question type would be Identifying Information. For this question type, you'll need to read each paragraph to find out if each statement is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN according to the passage.

    Here is a table that lists the difficulty levels for each question type. Use this table as a reference when choosing which question type you want to tackle first.

    Difficulty level Question Type
    Easy Sentence Completion
    Short answer
    Medium Matching Features
    Multiple choice
    Matching Headings
    Summary, Table, Flow-Chart Completion
    Difficult Matching Sentence Endings
    Matching Information
    Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
    Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

  2. Step 2: Read for an objective

    After you've read the questions for the passage, you will be able to read for an objective. What does this mean? For example, if you come across a question that includes the year "1896", you can make a note of when this year comes up in the text, using it to answer the question later on. There are two reading techniques that will help you stay on track with reading for an objective. The first one, skimming, is best defined as reading fast in order to get the "gist", or general idea, or a passage. With this technique, you are not stopping for any unfamiliar words or looking for specific details. The second technique, scanning, is best defined as reading for specific information. With this technique, you are not reading for the overall gist, but rather, specific information. Notice how each of these techniques has a specific objective in mind. This will help you find information more quickly.

  3. Step 3: Take notes

    As you're reading for an objective, you should also be making notes on the margins of the passage, placing stars next to key information, or underlining things that you believe will help you answer the various questions. This will make it easier for you to check back when you are asked certain things in the questions. Choose whichever note-taking system is right for you - just make sure you do it!

  4. Step 4: Answer wisely

    After you've read the questions, read the passage, and have taken any appropriate notes, you you should have located the part of the text where you where you need to read carefully. Then just read carefully and think critically to determine the correct answer.

IELTS Reading Question Types

The IELTS reading test contains many different question types:

Matching HeadingsIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Headings
Matching InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Information
Matching FeaturesIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Features
Summary CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Summary Completion
Identifying InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Information
Identifying Writer's claimsIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Writer's claims
Multiple ChoiceIELTS Reading Lesson: Multiple Choice
Short AnswerIELTS Reading Lesson: Short Answer
Match Sentence EndingIELTS Reading Lesson: Match Sentence Ending
Sentence CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Sentence Completion
Table CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Table Completion
 
star_border
close