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Section A
In the immediate aftermath of Black Tuesday, Hoover sought to reassure Americans of the strong financial future of their country. In 1929 he was quoted as saying, “Any lack of confidence in the economic future or the strength of business in the United States is foolish.” Then, in 1931, he promised to provide federal aid in the case that starvation would ever become a reality in his country. When he stated this, though, thousands of American children and the elderly had already been starving to death. Some historians find fault with this president's selection of words and reactions when solving the great financial crisis during his presidency. While it is easy to criticize one's choice of words, a more balanced take on his rhetoric and personal ideals is necessary to truly understand Hoover's leadership approach.
Section B
Despite the evidence, Hoover was neither unsympathetic nor intentionally unsighted towards the obvious economic hurdles facing society at the time. That is, he simply subscribed to a set of beliefs that remained unaltered as society experienced the new reality of the Great Depression. Hoover strongly believed in the transformative power of “The American Dream”, which is the idea that steadfast hard work results in rewards. His own personal views were a fitting testament to that idea. Hoover was born into a poor family, put himself through college at a leading American university, and became an engineer. These experiences, in addition to his extensive world travels in Europe and Asia, shaped his ideas regarding The American Dream.
Section C
The mere thought of providing assistance to the American people on behalf of the government was a strange and perhaps even harmful policy, according to Hoover, even during a time of economic crisis. However, what remains striking to historians who study Hoover is the opposite reaction he had employed in Europe. When Europeans needed assistance, such as in Belgium after World War I, Hoover jumped at the chance to provide hunger relief programs, which sought to alleviate the burden of food shopping with meager earnings. When it came to his home country, rather, he was known to believe that Americans would benefit from a different type of aid--one that would enable them to contribute directly to the efforts rather than solely “receiving” assistance, as was the case in Europe. This further showcases his belief that the government has the ability to “destroy” its citizens' characters, which he had been quoted as mentioning in various radio broadcasts of the time.
Section D
Prior to the Great Depression, it had been noted that Hoover demonstrated an understanding of the potential harm that would fall upon the American population in terms of the great stock crash. During his time as Secretary of Commerce, Hoover had warned the previous president, Calvin Coolidge, of the potential risks, but these supposedly fell on deaf ears. Before his official inauguration, Hoover freely offered dozens of interviews to newspapers and magazines, urging Americans to cut back on their eager stock investments, and even encouraged the Federal Reserve to raise the discount rate. Many believe that this would have made it more expensive for local banks to lend money to speculators.
Section E
Despite his predictions, neither Hoover, nor any other politician for that matter, had given serious thought to the government's exaggerated power when it came to regulating the stock market. This was even reminiscent of his personal choices and guiding principles, as Hoover often complained of having provided poor advice regarding stocks to business acquaintances, without realizing the true consequences of the counsel. When the crash came about, however, Hoover settled these business affairs by buying back all of the shares that he urged his acquaintances to purchase. Acclaimed by present-day historians as an example of Hoover's honest character, this anecdote is used to portray Hoover's somewhat inconsolable feelings of guilt, coupled with his veraciousness.
Section F
Acting along these guidelines, Hoover's response to the crash focused on two aspects that fit right along with “The American Dream”. He asked each and every American to work twice as hard as they already had, and pleaded businesses to keep workers on, despite the dwindling economy. Although the public's reception to Hoover's ideals was most mostly positive, not all American citizens immediately took on to his theories. Those who were recently unemployed, for example, believed Hoover's proclamations regarding work to be downright impossible. Further, womens' groups were also adamant in their protests for having been excluded from the economic rhetoric, since they were not as welcomed in the workforce as their male counterparts.
Section G
In order to appease the business community, Hoover sustained the idea that all would be resolved in the end if strong business practices were adhered to, even during a time of crisis. Due to his persuasive tactics, Hoover was able to pass a $160 million tax cut in order to bolster the American economy. For this reason, Hoover is known to be a calming force (with strong financial and negotiating skills) in a turbulent time in American history. Many historians and politicians alike call upon these examples when citing presidential examples in terms of financial power and esteem.
Reading Passage Vocabulary
Section A
In the immediate aftermath of Black Tuesday, Hoover sought to reassure Americans of the strong financial future of their country. In 1929 he was quoted as saying, “Any lack of confidence in the economic future or the strength of business in the United States is foolish.” Then, in 1931, he promised to provide federal aid in the case that starvation would ever become a reality in his country. When he stated this, though, thousands of American children and the elderly had already been starving to death. Some historians find fault with this president's selection of words and reactions when solving the great financial crisis during his presidency. While it is easy to criticize one's choice of words, a more balanced take on his rhetoric and personal ideals is necessary to truly understand Hoover's leadership approach.
Section B
Despite the evidence, Hoover was neither unsympathetic nor intentionally unsighted towards the obvious economic hurdles facing society at the time. That is, he simply subscribed to a set of beliefs that remained unaltered as society experienced the new reality of the Great Depression. Hoover strongly believed in the transformative power of “The American Dream”, which is the idea that steadfast hard work results in rewards. His own personal views were a fitting testament to that idea. Hoover was born into a poor family, put himself through college at a leading American university, and became an engineer. These experiences, in addition to his extensive world travels in Europe and Asia, shaped his ideas regarding The American Dream.
Section C
The mere thought of providing assistance to the American people on behalf of the government was a strange and perhaps even harmful policy, according to Hoover, even during a time of economic crisis. However, what remains striking to historians who study Hoover is the opposite reaction he had employed in Europe. When Europeans needed assistance, such as in Belgium after World War I, Hoover jumped at the chance to provide hunger relief programs, which sought to alleviate the burden of food shopping with meager earnings. When it came to his home country, rather, he was known to believe that Americans would benefit from a different type of aid--one that would enable them to contribute directly to the efforts rather than solely “receiving” assistance, as was the case in Europe. This further showcases his belief that the government has the ability to “destroy” its citizens' characters, which he had been quoted as mentioning in various radio broadcasts of the time.
Section D
Prior to the Great Depression, it had been noted that Hoover demonstrated an understanding of the potential harm that would fall upon the American population in terms of the great stock crash. During his time as Secretary of Commerce, Hoover had warned the previous president, Calvin Coolidge, of the potential risks, but these supposedly fell on deaf ears. Before his official inauguration, Hoover freely offered dozens of interviews to newspapers and magazines, urging Americans to cut back on their eager stock investments, and even encouraged the Federal Reserve to raise the discount rate. Many believe that this would have made it more expensive for local banks to lend money to speculators.
Section E
Despite his predictions, neither Hoover, nor any other politician for that matter, had given serious thought to the government's exaggerated power when it came to regulating the stock market. This was even reminiscent of his personal choices and guiding principles, as Hoover often complained of having provided poor advice regarding stocks to business acquaintances, without realizing the true consequences of the counsel. When the crash came about, however, Hoover settled these business affairs by buying back all of the shares that he urged his acquaintances to purchase. Acclaimed by present-day historians as an example of Hoover's honest character, this anecdote is used to portray Hoover's somewhat inconsolable feelings of guilt, coupled with his veraciousness.
Section F
Acting along these guidelines, Hoover's response to the crash focused on two aspects that fit right along with “The American Dream”. He asked each and every American to work twice as hard as they already had, and pleaded businesses to keep workers on, despite the dwindling economy. Although the public's reception to Hoover's ideals was most mostly positive, not all American citizens immediately took on to his theories. Those who were recently unemployed, for example, believed Hoover's proclamations regarding work to be downright impossible. Further, womens' groups were also adamant in their protests for having been excluded from the economic rhetoric, since they were not as welcomed in the workforce as their male counterparts.
Section G
In order to appease the business community, Hoover sustained the idea that all would be resolved in the end if strong business practices were adhered to, even during a time of crisis. Due to his persuasive tactics, Hoover was able to pass a $160 million tax cut in order to bolster the American economy. For this reason, Hoover is known to be a calming force (with strong financial and negotiating skills) in a turbulent time in American history. Many historians and politicians alike call upon these examples when citing presidential examples in terms of financial power and esteem.
IELTS General Reading Tips for Success
Tips to improve your reading speed
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
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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 answerMedium Matching Features
Multiple choice
Matching Headings
Summary, Table, Flow-Chart CompletionDifficult Matching Sentence Endings
Matching Information
Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)
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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.
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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!
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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.