An inquiry into the existence of the gifted child: reading answers and analysis
The writer argues that high achievers are made more than born. Maryam Mirzakhani was weak at maths until a puzzle hooked her, and Einstein was a slow starter. Research from Eyre, Ericsson and Bloom points to taught habits, deliberate practice and supportive adults, and even disadvantaged children succeed when someone values their education.
Questions 27-40 · 14 marks · 3 question blocks
Where the answers sit
The summary (27-32) covers the first two paragraphs. YES / NO / NOT GIVEN (33-37) runs from the third paragraph to Einstein's closing quote. The multiple choice (38-40) takes Eyre, Ericsson and the second-to-last paragraph in that order.
Questions 27-32
Decide what kind of word each gap needs before you look at the list: gap 27 needs an adjective, 28 a noun after 'little', 29 a past participle after 'was'. Several options fit the grammar but not the meaning ('single' vs 'unique', 'devoted' vs 'determined'), so check each one against what the passage says about her.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | H | — |
| 28 | A | — |
| 29 | C | — |
| 30 | B | — |
| 31 | J | — |
| 32 | I | — |
Questions 33-37
These test the writer's claims, not facts. Two are NOT GIVEN because the writer describes Einstein's early failures and his quote without explaining the cause or mentioning the public. The single NO is his own words: he credits staying with problems longer, not speed.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | YES | — |
| 34 | NOT GIVEN | — |
| 35 | YES | — |
| 36 | NOT GIVEN | — |
| 37 | NO | — |
Questions 38-40
Each question names its source, so go straight to Eyre, Ericsson, or the paragraph on disadvantaged children. The wrong options borrow real details (memory training, the 10,000 hours, free school meals) and stretch them into claims the passage doesn't make.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | C | — |
| 39 | B | — |
| 40 | D | — |
The questions most people get wrong
H (unique), not D (single). She was the only woman to win the medal, which makes her unique. 'Single' is about number, not distinction.
NO. Einstein says he stays with problems longer. That is persistence, the opposite of solving them quickly.
D tempts with the 10,000 hours, but the passage says it isn't a magic number. Ericsson's point is that innate talent is not the key (B).
D. The interviews found an adult who valued education. Free meals point to poverty, and most of these children had only one parent, so A and B contradict the text.
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The full Cambridge 19 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 19, Test 2, Reading Passage 3. The passage name belongs to Cambridge University Press. No passage text or question wording is reproduced on this page. The answers are published for self-marking, and the analysis is our own.