Oxytocin was first known as the 'love hormone' from animal research and early human studies showing more trust and generosity. Later work found a darker side: envy, favouritism, less cooperation with strangers, and effects that depend on the person. Researchers now think it sharpens attention to social cues, and that an ancient molecule simply does many things.
The paragraph matching (14-17) uses B twice, then F and E. The researcher matching (18-20) is all in B and C. The summary (21-26) runs from A to D in passage order.
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.
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Questions 14-17 · Matching information (paragraphs A-F)
How to attack this block: B holds two answers: the early research showing benefits and the lonely years when few studied the hormone. Keep apart two kinds of ignoring: nobody studying the field (B) and researchers overlooking awkward results (E). F is where the reasons for the complexity are.
Question 14
Answer: BParagraph B, second half
Which paragraph reports research showing oxytocin is good for people?
These follow-up studies have shown that after a sniff of the hormone, people become more charitable, better at reading emotions on others' faces and at communicating constructively in arguments.
Question says → Passage says
research showingThese follow-up studies have shown
the beneficial effects of oxytocin on peoplepeople become more charitable, better at reading emotions
Why: B describes the early human studies: more investment, more generosity, better emotion-reading and arguing. All of them show oxytocin helping people, and it's research, not reputation.
The trap: A says oxytocin can make people 'more trusting, empathetic, generous', but it's what 'it is claimed', a reputation. A's actual research is on voles, sheep and childbirth. The item wants research on people.
Question 15
Answer: FParagraph F
Which paragraph explains why oxytocin's effects are so complicated?
'It's a very simple and ancient molecule that has been co-opted for many different functions,'
Question says → Passage says
reasons whyPerhaps we should not be surprised / so it's going to have
the effects of oxytocin are complexthe oxytocin story has become more perplexing / many effects on just about everything
Why: F gives the reasons: it's an ancient molecule used for many jobs, it acts on primitive brain areas, and our higher thinking makes its basic effects show up differently in different people and situations.
The trap: E is about how complex the effects are too, but it lists hypotheses about the core function. F is the paragraph that says why the complexity exists.
Question 16
Answer: BParagraph B, middle
Which paragraph mentions a time when few scientists studied oxytocin?
'For eight years, it was quite a lonesome field,' Heinrichs recalls. 'Now, everyone is interested.'
Question says → Passage says
a periodFor eight years
attracted little scientific attentionquite a lonesome field
Why: A 'lonesome field' is an area of research with hardly anyone in it, and 'eight years' is the period. 'Now, everyone is interested' confirms the contrast.
The trap: E says researchers once 'took no notice of such findings', which sounds similar. That's researchers ignoring some results, which is the next item, not a time when the whole topic was ignored.
Question 17
Answer: EParagraph E, third sentence
Which paragraph says researchers overlooked parts of their own results?
Where once researchers took no notice of such findings, now a more nuanced understanding of oxytocin's effects is propelling investigations down new lines.
Question says → Passage says
people ignoringresearchers took no notice of
certain aspects of their research datasuch findings / oxytocin influenced only certain individuals or in certain circumstances
Why: 'Took no notice of' is 'ignoring', and 'such findings' are the results where oxytocin only worked for some people. So researchers ignored those parts of their data.
The trap: B's 'lonesome field' is about nobody studying oxytocin. Here people were studying it, but ignoring the awkward results.
Matching features (researchers A-F)
Questions 18-20
How to attack this block: Six names for three findings, so most are distractors. The trust finding is an experiment that never uses the word 'trust': people invested money with a stranger. Envy is the paraphrase for jealousy. Watch DeClerck, whose results vary by who you meet, not by who you are.
Question 18
Answer: AParagraph B, second and third sentences
Who found that oxytocin makes people trust more?
participants who had sniffed oxytocin via a nasal spray beforehand invested more money than those who received a placebo instead
Question says → Passage says
more trustinginvested more money / invest money with an anonymous person who was not guaranteed to be honest
Why: A, Heinrichs. Giving money to a stranger who might not be honest is a test of trust, and the oxytocin group invested more. The word 'trust' isn't used; the experiment shows it.
The trap: DeClerck (D) also studied cooperation, but she found people became less cooperative with strangers, the opposite direction.
Question 19
Answer: BParagraph C, second sentence
Who found that oxytocin makes people more jealous?
those who inhaled the hormone showed more pleasure when they beat other players, and felt more envy when others won
Question says → Passage says
increases people's feelings of jealousyfelt more envy
Why: B, Shamay-Tsoory. In her competitive game, people on oxytocin 'felt more envy when others won'. Envy and jealousy are near-synonyms here.
The trap: De Dreu (E) found favouritism towards your own group, which is another negative effect, but it's bias, not jealousy.
Question 20
Answer: CParagraph C, third and fourth sentences
Who found that oxytocin's effect depends on what kind of person you are?
found that it improves people's ability to read emotions, but only if they are not very socially adept to begin with
Question says → Passage says
varies from one type of person to anotherdepending on a person's disposition / only if they are not very socially adept / subjects who are particularly anxious or sensitive to rejection
Why: C, Bartz. She found it helps emotion-reading only in people who aren't socially skilled, and reduces cooperation in anxious people. Same hormone, different results for different personalities.
The trap: DeClerck (D) also found the effect varies, but by who you're dealing with (strangers), not by what kind of person you are. Carter (F) talks about many effects in general.
Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 21-26
How to attack this block: The summary follows the passage from A to D, with one gap per study. Several answers come with an adjective in front in the passage (competitive, complete, Dutch), and the one-word limit means you drop it.
Question 21
Answer: animalsParagraph A, second sentence
What were the first bonding studies on oxytocin done with?
It was through various studies focusing on animals that scientists first became aware of the influence of oxytocin.
Question says → Passage says
The earliest findingsscientists first became aware
research involvingstudies focusing on
Why: 'First became aware' is 'earliest findings', and the studies were 'focusing on animals'. That's the one word.
The trap: 'Voles' or 'sheep' are the examples, but the research involved both, so neither covers it. The general word is 'animals'.
Question 22
Answer: childbirthParagraph A, fourth sentence
When do humans produce oxytocin, according to the early findings?
It is also released by women in childbirth, strengthening the attachment between mother and baby.
Question says → Passage says
humans produce oxytocin duringIt is also released by women in
Why: 'Produce' matches 'released', and 'during' needs an event: 'childbirth'. One word, no space.
The trap: 'Women' is in the sentence, but 'during women' makes no sense. The gap is an event.
Question 23
Answer: placeboParagraph B, third sentence
What did the 2005 participants get instead of oxytocin?
invested more money than those who received a placebo instead
Question says → Passage says
were given either oxytocin or asniffed oxytocin… than those who received a
Why: The comparison group 'received a placebo', a fake treatment with no hormone in it. That's the noun after 'a'.
The trap: 'Spray' tempts because the oxytocin came in a nasal spray, but that's how it was taken, not the alternative.
Question 24
Answer: gameParagraph C, second sentence
What did the Haifa participants take part in?
Simone Shamay- Tsoory at the University of Haifa, Israel, found that when volunteers played a competitive game
Question says → Passage says
participants took part in avolunteers played a competitive
the negative emotionsfelt more envy
Why: The volunteers 'played a competitive game'. With ONE WORD ONLY, the noun is 'game'.
The trap: 'Competitive game' is two words. 'Competitive' alone is an adjective and leaves the sentence without a noun.
Question 25
Answer: strangersParagraph D, second sentence
Who were people less willing to help in the Antwerp study?
people who had received a dose of oxytocin actually became less cooperative when dealing with complete strangers
Question says → Passage says
lack of willingness to helpbecame less cooperative
while under the influence of oxytocinwho had received a dose of oxytocin
Why: 'Less cooperative' is a lack of willingness to help, and the people they wouldn't help were 'complete strangers'. One word: 'strangers'.
The trap: 'Complete strangers' breaks the word limit. Leave out 'complete'.
Question 26
Answer: namesParagraph D, third sentence
What did the Amsterdam volunteers rate more positively when it came from their own country?
Dutch men became quicker to associate positive words with Dutch names than with foreign ones
Question says → Passage says
familiar to them in their own countryDutch
more positive associationsquicker to associate positive words
those from other culturesforeign ones
Why: The Dutch men linked positive words with 'Dutch names' faster than with foreign names. The gap is followed by 'that are familiar', so it needs a plural noun: 'names'.
The trap: 'Words' is the other plural noun in the sentence, but the words were the positive part. What came from their own country was the names.
C, Bartz. The effect depends on disposition: better emotion-reading only for the less socially skilled. DeClerck's variation is about strangers, not personality types.
Words from this passage worth keeping
reinforce(A)
make stronger
empathetic(A)
able to understand other people's feelings
groundbreaking(B)
new and very important
disposition(C)
a person's natural character
socially adept(C)
skilled at dealing with other people
favouritism(D)
unfairly preferring one group or person
nuanced(E)
aware of small but important differences
perplexing(F)
confusing and hard to explain
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The full Cambridge 13 Test 2 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 13, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. 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.
