Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 1, Reading Passage 3

    Children's Thinking: reading answers and analysis

    The Kendlers tested children on a two-step machine (press a button for a marble, then use the marble to get a toy) and concluded they couldn't reason deductively. Cole found African adults also failed, but they succeeded with familiar objects (match-boxes and a key). Hewson made the machine less mysterious and five-year-olds' success jumped from 30% to 90%.

    Questions 28-40 · 13 marks · 2 question blocks

    Where the answers sit

    The researcher classification (28-35) needs the whole passage, and Cole and Hewson are the answer three times each. YES / NO / NOT GIVEN (36-40) runs from the Kendlers to Hewson's results.

    Classification (which researcher)

    Questions 28-35

    Hull is the 'eminent' psychologist. Cole showed that adults struggle too, used match-boxes instead of marbles, and chose familiar objects. Hewson changed the apparatus (drawers, the marble-swapping game) and showed the earlier conclusions were wrong. The book's key gives the college-student comparison to the Kendlers, because it was in their experiments that college students were tested.

    QuestionAnswerAlso accepted
    28A—
    29C—
    30C—
    31D—
    32D—
    33C—
    34B—
    35D—
    YES / NO / NOT GIVEN

    Questions 36-40

    The Kendlers trained each stage separately but not the link between them (YES), and Cole showed that apparatus and procedure matter (YES). The book's key reads Hewson's swapping game as using equivalent same-size marbles (YES). Three-year-olds didn't improve, so not all ages benefited (NO). Being Hull's followers doesn't mean they studied under him (NOT GIVEN).

    QuestionAnswerAlso accepted
    36NOT GIVEN—
    37YES—
    38YES—
    39YES—
    40NO—

    The questions most people get wrong

    Question 40

    NO. Three-year-olds showed no improvement, even a slight drop, so the success rate didn't rise for all ages.

    Question 36

    NOT GIVEN. The Kendlers are called 'followers' of Hull, which doesn't mean they studied under him.

    Question 34

    B (the Kendlers) in the official key. The college-student results come from 'the Kendlers' own experiments', which is why Hewson isn't the answer.

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