What's the purpose of gaining knowledge?: reading answers and analysis
A philosophy lecturer uses a real course called 'Arson for Profit' to ask whether learning a skill says anything about how it will be used. Drawing on Kant, he argues that every field is defined by both its means and its end, so marketing done unethically is fraud, just as fire knowledge misused is arson.
The headings (27-32) take one section each, A to F. The summary (33-36) comes from A and B. The YES / NO / NOT GIVEN statements (37-40) go back to A and B and finish in F, so they follow the passage too.
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.
How to attack this block: There are two headings about a course title, so you need to decide which section introduces the title as a surprise and which plays on two meanings of a word in a title. Section E is the writer's central argument that two things matter equally, and F gives the different words for the same knowledge used for different ends.
Question 27
Answer: viSection A, second half
Which heading fits Section A?
But what would the founders of these two institutions have thought of a course called 'Arson for Profit'? I kid you not: we have it on the books.
Question says → Passage says
A surprising course titlea course called 'Arson for Profit'? I kid you not
Why: Section A builds up a list of normal career courses, then drops 'Arson for Profit' on you. 'I kid you not' is the writer admitting how surprising the title is, so the heading is vi.
The trap: ii also talks about a course title, but A doesn't play with any word's meaning. The two-meanings title is 'Principles of Marketing' in C.
Question 28
Answer: viiiSection B, second sentence
Which heading fits Section B?
But wouldn't this also be the perfect course for prospective arsonists to sign up for?
Question says → Passage says
the wrong kind of studentprospective arsonists
attractingto sign up for
Why: The course is meant for arson investigators, but the writer asks whether would-be arsonists might enrol too, and notes some firefighters do start fires. That's the risk of attracting the wrong students: viii.
The trap: B also mentions the professionalisation of many jobs, which can point you to i (commitment). That's a side comment; the paragraph's worry is who signs up.
Question 29
Answer: iiSection C, middle
Which heading fits Section C?
a subject matter can have principles in the sense of being codified, having rules, as with football or chess, without being principled in the sense of being ethical
Question says → Passage says
A course titlethe title of the course: 'Principles of Marketing'
two meaningsin the sense of being codified… in the sense of being ethical
Why: The writer takes the title 'Principles of Marketing' and asks if marketing is 'principled'. He then separates two senses: having rules, and being ethical. A title with two meanings: ii.
The trap: vi (a surprising course title) is the obvious pull, but nothing about 'Principles of Marketing' is surprising. The point is the double meaning.
Question 30
Answer: ivSection D
Which heading fits Section D?
perhaps marketing is by definition principled. My inspiration for this judgement is the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who argued that any body of knowledge consists of an end (or purpose) and a means
Question says → Passage says
Applying a theoryMy inspiration for this judgement is the philosopher Immanuel Kant
in an unexpected contextwhich may sound downright crazy in light of the evidence
Why: The writer brings Kant's theory about ends and means into a marketing class, and admits it sounds 'downright crazy'. That's a theory used somewhere you wouldn't expect it: iv.
The trap: iii (two key issues of equal importance) sounds close, because Kant's means and end are mentioned here. But the argument that both matter equally is made in E, not D.
Question 31
Answer: iiiSection E, last two sentences
Which heading fits Section E?
A field of knowledge or a professional endeavor is defined by both the means and the end; hence both deserve scrutiny.
Question says → Passage says
equal importancedefined by both… both deserve scrutiny
two key issuesthe means and the end / how to achieve X, and also what X is
Why: E rejects the two common attitudes to marketing's purpose and concludes that means and end both deserve study. Two issues, equally important: iii.
The trap: v (financial benefits) is tempting because E says one view of marketing is to 'make money'. The writer rejects that as the full answer, so it isn't the main idea.
Question 32
Answer: viiSection F, second half
Which heading fits Section F?
But we would not call that firefighting. We have a separate word for it: arson.
Question says → Passage says
Different namesa separate word for it: arson / another term for it: fraud
different outcomesto achieve their divergent ends
Why: F shows the same knowledge leading to different ends, and each end gets its own name: firefighting or arson, marketing or fraud, medicine or murder. That's vii.
The trap: viii (the wrong kind of student) comes back to mind because arson is mentioned again. In F, though, the point is the naming, not who enrols.
Summary completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)
Questions 33-36
How to attack this block: Everything is in the opening two sections. The first gap is the programme name, so copy both words. The other three come from one long sentence in B about what the course teaches. Each gap needs a noun, and one needs a plural.
Question 33
Answer: fire scienceSection A, last sentence
What programme are the undergraduates on?
Any undergraduates who have met the academic requirements can sign up for the course in our program in 'fire science'.
Question says → Passage says
students who are undergraduatesAny undergraduates
who are studyingour program in
Why: The course sits inside the university's programme in fire science. The gap allows two words, and you need both.
The trap: 'Arson' or 'philosophy' are wrong: arson is the course title's topic, and philosophy is what the writer teaches.
Question 34
Answer: investigatorsSection B, first sentence
What jobs are the students expected to go into?
Naturally, the course is intended for prospective arson investigators
Question says → Passage says
The expectation is that they will becomeprospective
specialising in arsonarson investigators
Why: 'Prospective' means they're expected to become something, and that something is arson investigators. The summary already says 'specialising in arson', so the gap needs only 'investigators', plural.
The trap: 'Arson investigators' repeats arson, which the summary already has. 'Arsonists' is the opposite of what the course is for.
Question 35
Answer: evidenceSection B, first sentence
What will the students learn to find to show criminal intent?
discovering who did it, and establishing a chain of evidence for effective prosecution in a court of law
Question says → Passage says
find ___ of criminal intentestablishing a chain of evidence
detect cases of arsondetecting whether a fire was deliberately set
Why: After detecting the fire, investigators build a chain of evidence. The gap needs a noun after 'find', and 'evidence' is the key word. 'Chain of evidence' is too long and repeats 'of'.
The trap: 'Tricks' appears earlier ('all the tricks of the trade'), but tricks are what the students learn, not what they find.
Question 36
Answer: prosecutionSection B, first sentence
What successful outcome in court does the evidence lead to?
establishing a chain of evidence for effective prosecution in a court of law
Question says → Passage says
successfuleffective
in the courtsin a court of law
Why: 'Successful ___ in the courts' paraphrases 'effective prosecution in a court of law'. The gap takes the noun 'prosecution'.
The trap: 'Prosecute' appears in Section F as a verb. After 'successful', you need the noun.
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN
Questions 37-40
How to attack this block: These test the writer's views, so look for his own comments, not description. Two are NO because he says the opposite: he welcomes fire science courses, and the students' answer was a broad generalisation, not a detailed definition. The NOT GIVEN is about attracting students, which he never discusses.
Question 37
Answer: NOT GIVENSection A
Does the writer think it's hard to get students onto courses that don't lead to a career?
A student can prepare for a career in resort management, engineering, interior design, accounting, music, law enforcement, you name it.
Question says → Passage says
courses that… focus on a careerprepare for a career
Why: The writer lists career courses at his university, but he never talks about courses without a career focus or how easy they are to fill. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: The long list of career courses makes it feel as if non-career courses must be unpopular. That's your inference, not his view.
Question 38
Answer: YESSection B, second sentence
Does the writer think the arson course would help would-be arsonists?
But wouldn't this also be the perfect course for prospective arsonists to sign up for?
Question says → Passage says
useful forthe perfect course for
people intending to set fire to buildingsprospective arsonists / a firefighter to torch a building
Why: His rhetorical question means 'yes, it would'. 'Prospective arsonists' are people planning to start fires, and 'perfect' is stronger than 'useful'. YES.
The trap: Because it's phrased as a question, some students think the writer isn't giving a view and write NOT GIVEN. A rhetorical question is an opinion.
Question 39
Answer: NOSection B, middle
Does the writer think fire science courses are too academic to train good firefighters?
My point is not to criticize academic programs in fire science: they are highly welcome as part of the increasing professionalization of this and many other occupations.
Question says → Passage says
Fire science coursesacademic programs in fire science
too academicnot to criticize… they are highly welcome
Why: The writer says outright that he isn't criticising these programmes and that they're welcome. The statement criticises them, so it contradicts his view: NO.
The trap: His worry about arsonists signing up can sound like criticism of the course. But that's a different concern from being 'too academic'.
Question 40
Answer: NOSection F, third sentence
Did the fire science students give a detailed definition of their field's purpose?
they eventually generalize to something like, 'The safety and welfare of society, which seems right.
Question says → Passage says
provided a detailed definitioneventually generalize to something like
the purpose of their studiesthe end, or purpose, of their field
Why: The students 'eventually generalize', meaning they end up with a short, broad phrase. That's the opposite of a detailed definition, so NO.
The trap: The writer agrees with their answer ('which seems right'), so people write YES. Being right isn't the same as being detailed.
Section C is about the title 'Principles of Marketing' and the two senses of 'principled'. Many students pick the 'surprising course title' heading, but that belongs to A.
NOT GIVEN. The writer lists many career courses, but says nothing about how hard it is to fill courses without a career focus.
Words from this passage worth keeping
apt(A)
suitable or fitting
prospective(B)
expected to become something in the future
prosecution(B)
taking legal action against someone in court
codified(C)
organised into a set of written rules
downright(D)
completely (used to stress something negative)
scrutiny(E)
close and careful examination
articulate(F)
express an idea clearly in words
divergent(F)
different, moving in different directions
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The full Cambridge 12 Test 5 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 5, 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.
