The Benefits of Being Bilingual: reading answers and analysis
Most people in the world now speak two or more languages, and new research shows this changes the brain. The passage explains how both languages stay active at once, why that helps with conflict management and task switching, how bilinguals hear better in noise, and how the advantage reaches from babies to people with Alzheimer's.
The table (27-31) is all in B and C, in order. The YES / NO / NOT GIVEN claims (32-36) run from A to F. The paragraph matching (37-40) is out of order and uses D, G, B and C.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the passage yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 27-31 · Table completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
How to attack this block: The table lists tests and findings, and the passage puts most of the key terms in quotation marks or names them clearly. Copy the exact two-word terms, including the hyphen in one of them. The last gap comes at the end of a long sentence about switching tasks, so don't stop reading early.
Question 27
Answer: eye movementsParagraph B, second half
What did researchers watch in Russian-English bilinguals as they picked objects?
Some of the most compelling evidence for this phenomenon, called 'language co-activation', comes from studying eye movements.
Question says → Passage says
Observingstudying
asked to select certain objectsasked to 'pick up a marker' from a set of objects
Why: The test watched where people looked: a Russian speaker looked at a stamp (marka) when told to pick up a marker. 'Observing' matches 'studying', and the two-word answer is 'eye movements'.
The trap: 'Marker' or 'stamp' are the objects in the example, not what was observed. Writing 'eyes' alone loses the idea of movement.
Question 28
Answer: language co-activationParagraph B, second half
What's the name for both languages being active at the same time?
Some of the most compelling evidence for this phenomenon, called 'language co-activation'
Question says → Passage says
engage both languages simultaneouslywhen a bilingual person uses one language, the other is active at the same time
a mechanism known asthis phenomenon, called
Why: The phenomenon of both languages switching on together is named in quotation marks: language co-activation. 'Known as' paraphrases 'called'. Copy the hyphen.
The trap: 'Word recognition' appears just before it, but that's the general process everyone uses, not the bilingual mechanism.
Question 29
Answer: Stroop TaskParagraph C, middle
What is the colour-naming test called?
In the classic Stroop Task, people see a word and are asked to name the colour of the word's font.
Question says → Passage says
focusing on naming coloursasked to name the colour of the word's font
A test called thethe classic
Why: The test where you name the font colour of a word is the Stroop Task. The gap allows two words and the table already has 'the', so write 'Stroop Task'.
The trap: 'Classic' is an adjective describing it, not part of the name. Adding it gives three words.
Question 30
Answer: conflict managementParagraph C, middle
What skill are bilinguals better at, according to the colour test?
For this reason, bilingual people often perform better on tasks that require conflict management.
Question says → Passage says
are more able to handle tasksoften perform better on tasks
involving a skillthat require
Why: The table's finding is a near copy of the sentence: bilinguals do better on tasks requiring conflict management. The Stroop Task is then given as an example of such a task.
The trap: 'Cognitive control' is also a skill bilinguals are better at, but it belongs to the task-switching test, the next row of the table.
Question 31
Answer: cognitive controlParagraph C, last sentence
What do bilinguals show more of when switching strategies?
reflecting better cognitive control when having to make rapid changes of strategy
Question says → Passage says
When changing strategieswhen having to make rapid changes of strategy
superiorbetter
Why: In the switching task, bilinguals change from colour to shape faster, which shows better cognitive control. 'Superior' is 'better', and the gap takes the two-word noun phrase after it.
The trap: 'Conflict management' is the previous row. This row is about switching, and the answer is at the very end of the long sentence.
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN
Questions 32-36
How to attack this block: Watch strong words: 'consistently', 'in all situations', 'fewer'. Two statements are NO because the passage gives the opposite or a clear exception. The NOT GIVENs take a real topic, word guessing and Alzheimer's, and add a comparison the writer never makes.
Question 32
Answer: YESParagraph A, second and third sentences
Have views on bilingualism shifted lately?
In the past, such children were considered to be at a disadvantage compared with their monolingual peers. Over the past few decades, however
Question says → Passage says
Attitudeswere considered to be at a disadvantage
have changed in recent yearsIn the past… Over the past few decades, however… several clear benefits
Why: Bilingual children used to be seen as disadvantaged. In the last few decades research has found clear benefits. That's a change in how bilingualism is viewed, so YES.
The trap: Some people feel 'decades' isn't 'recent years'. In context, 'in the past' versus 'over the past few decades' is exactly a then-and-now shift.
Question 33
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph B, third sentence
Are bilinguals better than monolinguals at correctly guessing words before they end?
Long before the word is finished, the brain's language system begins to guess what that word might be.
Question says → Passage says
guessing… what words are before they are finishedLong before the word is finished… begins to guess what that word might be
Why: The passage says everyone's brain guesses a word before it ends. For bilinguals, the guesses come from both languages. It never says whose guesses are more accurate, so NOT GIVEN.
The trap: The passage says bilinguals activate more possible words, which can sound like being better at guessing. More options isn't the same as more correct answers.
Question 34
Answer: NOParagraph C, second sentence
Do bilinguals always name pictures faster than monolinguals?
knowing more than one language can cause speakers to name pictures more slowly
Question says → Passage says
name imagesname pictures
fastermore slowly
Why: The passage says knowing two languages can make people name pictures more slowly, which is one of the costs of language competition. The statement says the opposite, so NO.
The trap: Bilinguals do name colours better in the Stroop Task, a few lines later. That's a different task, so don't let it overturn the picture-naming result.
Question 35
Answer: NOParagraph D, second and third sentences
Do bilingual brains handle single sounds better than monolingual brains every time?
When monolingual and bilingual adolescents listen to simple speech sounds without any intervening background noise, they show highly similar brain stem responses.
Question says → Passage says
single soundssimple speech sounds
more efficiently… in all situationswithout any intervening background noise, they show highly similar
Why: Without background noise, the two groups' responses are 'highly similar'. The bilingual advantage appears only with noise, so 'in all situations' is wrong. NO.
The trap: The striking result is the larger bilingual response in noise, so people remember that and say YES. 'In all situations' is the word that breaks it.
Question 36
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph F, middle
Do fewer bilinguals than monolinguals get brain disease when old?
bilingual patients reported showing initial symptoms of the disease an average of five years later than monolingual patients
Question says → Passage says
brain disease in old ageAlzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disease
Why: The study only included people who already had Alzheimer's, and found bilinguals showed symptoms later. Nothing is said about how many bilinguals get the disease in the first place. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Later symptoms sound like protection, so people write YES. Delaying a disease isn't the same as fewer people getting it. The follow-up even found more physical signs of disease in bilingual brains.
Matching information (paragraphs A-G)
Questions 37-40
How to attack this block: Translate each item into plain terms first. 'Non-verbal auditory input' means simple sounds in noise, 'before we learn to speak' means babies, and 'negative consequences' means the difficulties of bilingualism. The process of identifying words is the 'can', 'candy', 'candle' example.
Question 37
Answer: DParagraph D, third sentence
Which paragraph shows bilingual and monolingual brains reacting differently to sounds in noise?
When researchers play the same sound to both groups in the presence of background noise, however, the bilingual listeners' neural response is considerably larger
Question says → Passage says
brains respond differentlythe bilingual listeners' neural response is considerably larger
auditory inputthe same sound / background noise
Why: D compares brain stem responses to a sound played over background noise. The groups react differently, with the bilingual response 'considerably larger'. It's about sound and pitch, not words, so it's the non-verbal input.
The trap: B also involves hearing, but its example is about recognising words, which is verbal input.
Question 38
Answer: GParagraph G
Which paragraph shows the bilingual advantage starting before children can talk?
researchers taught seven-month-old babies growing up in monolingual or bilingual homes… only the bilingual babies were able to successfully learn the new rule
Question says → Passage says
a bilingual upbringinggrowing up in… bilingual homes
even before we learn to speakseven-month-old babies
Why: Seven-month-old babies can't speak yet, and only those from bilingual homes learned the new puppet rule. That's the benefit before speech.
The trap: A mentions children growing up with two languages, but it gives no evidence about babies or any test.
Question 39
Answer: BParagraph B, second and third sentences
Which paragraph explains how we work out which word we're hearing?
When we hear a word, we don't hear the entire word all at once: the sounds arrive in sequential order. Long before the word is finished, the brain's language system begins to guess
Question says → Passage says
the process by which people identify wordsthe brain's language system begins to guess what that word might be / the earlier stages of word recognition
Why: B describes the step-by-step process: sounds arrive in order, the brain guesses early, and 'can' activates 'candy' and 'candle'. That's how people identify words they hear.
The trap: D is also about listening, but it measures brain responses to sounds, not how we identify words.
Question 40
Answer: CParagraph C, first two sentences
Which paragraph mentions downsides of being bilingual?
Having to deal with this persistent linguistic competition can result in difficulties, however.
Question says → Passage says
negative consequencescan result in difficulties
of being bilingualknowing more than one language
Why: C opens with the problems: slower picture naming and more 'tip-of-the-tongue' moments. Those are negative consequences, before the paragraph turns to the advantages.
The trap: A mentions that bilingual children were once thought to be at a disadvantage, but that's an old opinion, not an actual negative effect.
NOT GIVEN. Everyone guesses words before they're finished; the passage never says bilinguals guess more accurately.
Words from this passage worth keeping
cognitive(A)
to do with thinking and mental processes
sequential(B)
coming one after another in order
compelling(B)
very convincing
persistent(C)
continuing all the time
juggling(C)
handling two or more things at the same time
excel at(C)
be extremely good at
degenerative(F)
getting gradually worse over time
impart(G)
give or pass on
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 12 Test 6 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 6, Reading Passage 3. The passage and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full text, or sit the test on Langujet.
