Research by Igor Grossmann suggests wisdom isn't a rare trait but depends heavily on the situation. Wise reasoning means intellectual humility, seeing wider perspectives, expecting change and seeking compromise. The most reliable trick is to step back and view your problem as an outsider would, which made both job-seeking graduates and arguing couples reason more wisely.
The multiple choice (27-30) covers the first five paragraphs. The summary (31-35) is in the fourth and fifth paragraphs. TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (36-40) covers the two experiments and the final paragraph.
Multiple choice
Questions 27-30
How to attack this block: The first paragraph challenges the assumption that only a few people are wise. Grossmann says context matters more than previously imagined, so its importance was underestimated. The third paragraph says wisdom changes with the situation. The fifth recommends the third-person view as a strategy.
Question 27
Answer: BParagraph 1, second sentence
What is the writer's point in the opening paragraph?
Although the truly wise may seem few and far between, empirical research examining wisdom suggests that it isn't an exceptional trait possessed by a small handful of bearded philosophers after all
Question says → Passage says
A basic assumption about wisdomthe truly wise may seem few and far between
may be wrongit isn't an exceptional trait… after all / most of us have the ability to make wise decisions
Why: The common belief is that only a few people are wise. Research 'suggests' that isn't true, and 'after all' signals the correction of an old idea. A belief that may be mistaken is B.
The trap: C picks up 'Across cultures', but the paragraph says wisdom is respected in every culture, not that each culture defines it differently. D sounds sensible but the paragraph reports findings, not unknowns. A is never suggested.
Question 28
Answer: CParagraph 2, first sentence
What does Grossmann say about the ability to reason wisely?
'It appears that experiential, situational, and cultural factors are even more powerful in shaping wisdom than previously imagined,'
Question says → Passage says
certain influences on itexperiential, situational, and cultural factors
was underestimatedeven more powerful… than previously imagined
Why: If the factors are 'more powerful than previously imagined', people used to think they mattered less than they do. That is underestimating their importance. C.
The trap: A echoes 'varies dramatically', but read what it varies across: 'experiential and situational contexts', not from one person to another. Grossmann's whole point is that the situation matters more than the person. D picks up the list of psychology branches, but they agree, they don't define it differently.
Question 29
Answer: BParagraph 3, last two sentences
In paragraph 3, what does Grossmann say about how much wisdom a person shows?
wisdom is not solely an 'inner quality' but rather unfolds as a function of situations people happen to be in. Some situations are more likely to promote wisdom than others.
Question says → Passage says
will be differentunfolds as a function of
in different circumstancessituations people happen to be in / Some situations are more likely to promote wisdom than others
Why: Wisdom 'unfolds as a function of situations' means it depends on the situation, so the same person will show different levels of wisdom in different circumstances. B.
The trap: C is the view Grossmann rejects: it's 'not so much that some people simply possess wisdom', and it's 'not solely an inner quality'. D brings in life experience, which the paragraph doesn't discuss; it's about the situation you're in now.
Question 30
Answer: DParagraph 5, first sentence
What does the fifth paragraph describe?
one of the most reliable ways to support wisdom in our own day-to-day decisions is to look at scenarios from a third-party perspective, as though giving advice to a friend
Question says → Passage says
a recommended strategyone of the most reliable ways
help people to reason wiselysupport wisdom in our own day-to-day decisions / foster cognitive processes related to wise decisions
Why: The paragraph gives a method (take a third-person view) and explains why it works. 'Most reliable ways to support wisdom' is a recommendation. D.
The trap: A is tempting because the first-person view narrows our focus, but that's offered as the contrast, not as the topic. The difficulty of having a personal stake comes in paragraph 6. B fails: no type of person is described, only a technique anyone can use.
Summary completion (word list A-J)
Questions 31-35
How to attack this block: Match the four characteristics and the strategy: intellectual humility becomes modesty, wider perspectives become other people's opinions, a broad view, and then looking at scenarios with objectivity. The third-person view makes us focus on justice and impartiality, which is fairness.
Question 31
Answer: DParagraph 4, second sentence
What should we have regarding how far our knowledge goes?
One is intellectual humility or recognition of the limits of our own knowledge
Question says → Passage says
a certain degree of modesty (D)intellectual humility
regarding the extent of our knowledgerecognition of the limits of our own knowledge
Why: Humility means not thinking too highly of yourself, which is modesty (D). The rest of the sentence, 'limits of our own knowledge', matches 'extent of our knowledge'.
The trap: Confidence (B) fits the grammar ('a degree of confidence') but means the opposite of humility. It's the classic word-list trap: a word from the right topic with the wrong meaning.
Question 32
Answer: AParagraph 4, third and fourth sentences
What should we take into account that may differ from our own?
Sensitivity to the possibility of change in social relations is also key, along with compromise or integration of different attitudes and beliefs.
Question says → Passage says
take into accountcompromise or integration of
opinion (A) which may not be the same as our owndifferent attitudes and beliefs
Why: The summary reorders the four characteristics. This gap is the fourth one: bringing together 'different attitudes and beliefs'. Attitudes and beliefs are opinions, and 'different' = 'not the same as our own'. A.
The trap: View (C) also means an opinion, but 'take a broad ___' in the next sentence needs it more: you take a view, you don't 'take a broad opinion'. Experiences (H) doesn't match 'attitudes and beliefs'.
Question 33
Answer: CParagraph 4, second sentence
What broad thing should we take of a situation?
another is appreciation of perspectives wider than the issue at hand
Question says → Passage says
a broadwider
view (C)perspectives
of any situationthe issue at hand
Why: 'Perspectives wider than the issue at hand' means seeing the bigger picture. 'Take a broad view' is the natural English phrase for this. C.
The trap: Range (I) seems to suit 'broad', but 'take a broad range of a situation' isn't English. Always read the words around the gap.
Question 34
Answer: FParagraph 5, first sentence
How is it better to look at scenarios?
look at scenarios from a third-party perspective, as though giving advice to a friend
Question says → Passage says
regard scenarios withlook at scenarios from
objectivity (F)a third-party perspective / a third-person, observer viewpoint
avoiding the first-person perspectivea first-person viewpoint
Why: Looking at your situation as an outsider, as if advising a friend, means looking at it without your personal feelings. That's objectivity (F).
The trap: Fairness (G) is close in meaning, but it belongs to the next gap, where the passage names 'justice and impartiality'. Here the idea is the detached outsider's view.
Question 35
Answer: GParagraph 5, second sentence
What do we focus on more when we drop the first-person view?
we reason more broadly and focus more on interpersonal and moral ideals such as justice and impartiality
Question says → Passage says
we focus more onfocus more on
fairness (G) and on other moral idealsmoral ideals such as justice and impartiality
Why: The summary keeps 'focus more on' and 'moral ideals', so the gap replaces 'justice and impartiality'. Both mean being fair, so G.
The trap: Objectivity (F) is near-synonymous with impartiality, but it's already used in question 34. Each box letter fits only one gap here.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 36-40
How to attack this block: The students were assigned a perspective, not given a choice (FALSE). In both experiments the outsider view gave wiser reasoning (TRUE), and the link with intelligence is only 'small' (TRUE). Whether couples knew the study's aim, and whether relationship length mattered, are never discussed.
Question 36
Answer: FALSEParagraph 7, second and third sentences
Could students in the job experiment pick which perspective to take?
The students were instructed to imagine their career either 'as if you were a distant observer' or 'before your own eyes as if you were right there'. Participants in the group assigned
Question says → Passage says
could choosewere instructed / the group assigned
one or two perspectiveseither 'as if you were a distant observer' or 'before your own eyes
Why: 'Instructed' and 'assigned' mean the researchers decided which perspective each student took. The students had no choice, so FALSE.
The trap: 'Either… or' looks like a choice. It is a choice, but the researchers made it, not the students.
Question 37
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 8, first two sentences
Did the couples know the study was about wise reasoning?
couples in long-term romantic relationships were instructed to visualize an unresolved relationship conflict either through the eyes of an outsider or from their own perspective
Question says → Passage says
Participants in the couples experimentcouples in long-term romantic relationships
Why: You learn what the couples were told to do (visualise, discuss, write), but nothing about what they were told the study was for. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Because they were given instructions, it's easy to assume they were briefed on the aim. Following instructions doesn't tell you what they knew about the research.
Question 38
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 8, first and last sentences
Did how long couples had been together affect the results?
couples in long-term romantic relationships… Couples in the 'other eyes' condition were significantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning
Question says → Passage says
the length of the couples' relationshipslong-term romantic relationships
the resultssignificantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning
Why: All the couples were 'long-term', and the only factor that changed the results was the perspective they took. Relationship length is never compared, so NOT GIVEN.
The trap: 'Long-term' is the hook. It describes who took part; it isn't a variable that was measured.
Question 39
Answer: TRUEParagraph 7, last sentence; Paragraph 8, last sentence
In both studies, did the more detached viewpoint lead to wiser thinking?
Participants in the group assigned to the 'distant observer' role displayed more wisdom-related reasoning… Couples in the 'other eyes' condition were significantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning
Question says → Passage says
a more detached viewpoint'distant observer' role / 'other eyes' condition / through the eyes of an outsider
tended to make wiser decisionsdisplayed more wisdom-related reasoning / significantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning
Why: Check each study. Job seekers: the 'distant observer' group showed more wise reasoning. Couples: the 'other eyes' group was more likely to reason wisely. Both match, so TRUE.
The trap: With 'both' statements you must confirm each half. Students who find only the first experiment sometimes stop and answer NOT GIVEN.
Question 40
Answer: TRUEParagraph 10, first sentence
Does Grossmann think intelligence decides wisdom only slightly?
research shows only a small positive relationship between wise thinking and crystallized intelligence
Question says → Passage says
only a very limited extentonly a small positive relationship
a person's wisdomwise thinking
their intelligencecrystallized intelligence
Why: A 'small' link between intelligence and wise thinking means intelligence explains little of a person's wisdom. Grossmann's quotes then stress that the situation matters far more. TRUE.
The trap: 'Positive relationship' makes some people say FALSE, because there is a link. The statement agrees there's a link; it just says it's limited, and 'only a small' says the same.
C. Contextual factors are 'even more powerful ... than previously imagined', meaning their importance was underestimated. A describes Grossmann's finding about situations, not people.
Words from this passage worth keeping
revered(Paragraph 1)
deeply respected and admired
few and far between(Paragraph 1)
rare
empirical(Paragraph 1)
based on observation or experiment, not theory
cumulatively(Paragraph 2)
when added together over time
humility(Paragraph 4)
not thinking you're better or know more than you do
foster(Paragraph 5)
encourage something to develop
impartiality(Paragraph 5)
treating everyone equally, without taking sides
retaliate(Paragraph 10)
do something harmful back to someone who has hurt you
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 16 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 16, Test 2, 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.
