Baseball's Automated Ball-Strike System tells the human umpire whether each pitch is a strike. It is precise and ends the arguments, and MLB hopes a reshaped strike zone can bring back the action that young fans want. Coaches, players and a philosopher push back: the human give-and-take was part of the game, and perfection may not be fun.
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN (27-32) runs from A to G in order. The summary (33-37) rewinds to B and C. The multiple choice (38-40) covers E, F, and the closing views in I.
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN
Questions 27-32
How to attack this block: Both NOs directly reverse the text: DeJesus made no judgements himself, and the fastball made the game less exciting, not more. The two NOT GIVENs invent details: money spent on accuracy, and arguments about baseball bats (bats were discussed, then ruled out, with no mention of fierce debate).
Question 27
Answer: NOParagraph A, second sentence
Did DeJesus make strike decisions together with the ABS?
Instead of making any judgments himself about a strike, DeJesus had decisions fed to him through an earpiece
Question says → Passage says
shared decision-makingInstead of making any judgments himself
with ithad decisions fed to him through an earpiece
Why: Sharing would mean DeJesus made some of the calls. The passage says he made none: every decision was fed to him. That contradicts the statement, so NO.
The trap: He still announced the calls (paragraph B), which can feel like a shared role. Announcing a decision isn't making it.
Question 28
Answer: YESParagraph D, first two sentences
Did MLB change the zone's size because players complained?
During the first robo-umpire season, players complained about some strange calls. In response, MLB decided to tweak the dimensions of the zone
Question says → Passage says
criticisms were received from playersplayers complained about some strange calls
amend the size of the strike zonetweak the dimensions of the zone
whenIn response
Why: Complaints came first, and 'In response' shows MLB acted because of them. 'Tweak the dimensions' is a small change to the size. YES.
The trap: 'Considered it necessary' might seem too strong to some readers. But MLB 'decided' to make the change in direct response, which is the same idea.
Question 29
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph D, middle
Is MLB eager to show that the money spent on ABS accuracy was worth it?
MLB says the device is near-perfect, precise to within fractions of an inch.
Question says → Passage says
the accuracy of ABS's calculationsnear-perfect, precise to within fractions of an inch
Why: MLB praises the system's precision, and Manfred says it will reduce controversy. But no cost is mentioned anywhere, so you can't say whether MLB is justifying spending. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: MLB defending the device can look like 'justifying' it, which pushes people to YES. The statement is specifically about money, and the passage says nothing about it.
Question 30
Answer: NOParagraph F, last two sentences
Did the very fast fastball make baseball more exciting?
It flattened the game into strikeouts, walks, and home runs - a type of play lacking much action.
Question says → Passage says
The hundred-mile-an-hour fastballthe hundred-mile-an-hour fastball, which is difficult to hit and control
a more exciting style of playa type of play lacking much action
Why: Fans said action was what made baseball exciting, and the fastball 'flattened' the game into play 'lacking much action'. So it made the game less exciting, not more. NO.
The trap: A 100-mile-an-hour pitch sounds thrilling, and that's the trap. Go by what the writer says its effect was, not by how it sounds.
Question 31
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph G, first two sentences
Did ideas about changing the bat cause heated arguments in Sword's team?
Any rule that existed, they talked about changing - from changing the bats to changing the geometry of the field.
Question says → Passage says
Sword's teamSword's team brainstormed potential fixes
alterations to the baseball batchanging the bats
Why: Changing the bats was one idea the team 'talked about' and then ruled out. Nothing is said about different bat proposals or about how heated the discussion was. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Some people choose NO because the team 'brainstormed', which sounds calm. Brainstorming tells you how ideas were produced, not whether the discussion was fierce, so there's nothing to contradict.
Question 32
Answer: YESParagraph G, last two sentences
Does ABS make it possible to change the shape of the strike zone?
once you get the technology right, you can load any strike zone you want into the system. 'It might be a triangle, or a blob, or something shaped like Texas.
Question says → Passage says
feasibleyou can load any strike zone you want
changes to the shapea triangle, or a blob, or something shaped like Texas / allow the zone to change
Why: A triangle, a blob, Texas: those are different shapes, and 'you can load any strike zone you want' means it's possible. YES.
The trap: Sword is the one saying it, and the statement asks for the writer's claims. The writer reports this view without disagreeing, and later calls ABS 'a perfect vehicle for change', so YES stands.
Summary completion (phrase list A-H)
Questions 33-37
How to attack this block: Each gap paraphrases a phrase from B or C. 'As they would have done in the past' becomes former roles, a 'judgment call' becomes a subjective assessment, and 'an imaginary zone' becomes a perceived area. 'Pitch boundary' sounds right for the strike zone, but the passage stresses that the zone is imaginary.
Question 33
Answer: FParagraph B, first sentence
MLB wanted human umpires to call decisions as they had in their what?
wanted human umpires to announce the calls, just as they would have done in the past
Question says → Passage says
shout out decisionsannounce the calls
as they had in their former rolesjust as they would have done in the past
Why: 'In the past' becomes 'former', and the gap follows 'their', so it needs something umpires had: their roles. F, 'former roles'.
The trap: 'Subjective assessment' (D) describes the old umpire job too, but 'in their subjective assessment' doesn't make sense after 'as they had'.
Question 34
Answer: DParagraph B, third sentence
What did an umpire's job once require when deciding on a strike?
Previously, calling a strike was a judgment call on the part of the umpire.
Question says → Passage says
at one timePreviously
a subjective assessmenta judgment call
Why: A 'judgment call' is a decision based on your own opinion, which is a 'subjective assessment'. 'Previously' matches 'at one time'. D.
The trap: 'Numerous disputes' (B) is tempting because judgment calls led to arguments, but the umpire's job didn't 'require' disputes. That comes in the next gap.
Question 35
Answer: HParagraph B, fourth sentence
What does a strike have to pass through?
a pitch that passes through the 'strike zone' (an imaginary zone about seventeen inches wide, stretching from the batter's knees to the middle of his chest)
Question says → Passage says
crosses throughpasses through
a perceived areaan imaginary zone
extending… from the batter's knee to his cheststretching from the batter's knees to the middle of his chest
Why: The zone isn't marked on the field: it's 'imaginary', so it exists in people's perception. 'Perceived area' is the only option that captures that. H.
The trap: 'Pitch boundary' (A) sounds like baseball vocabulary, but a boundary is a line, and the passage stresses that the zone is imagined, not a real marked edge.
Question 36
Answer: BParagraph C, first sentence
What was common over strike calls in the past?
countless arguments between a team's manager and the umpire have taken place over its boundaries
Question says → Passage says
not uncommoncountless
numerous disputescountless arguments
Why: 'Countless arguments' becomes 'numerous disputes', and 'not uncommon' means they happened often. B.
The trap: 'Team tactics' (C) might come to mind because managers are involved, but the passage is about arguing with the umpire, not about strategy.
Question 37
Answer: GParagraph B, last two sentences
How were strike calls received in DeJesus's first ABS game?
there was no heckling and no shouted disagreement. Nobody said a word.
Question says → Passage says
were met with total silenceNobody said a word
Why: 'Nobody said a word' is complete silence. G.
The trap: 'Widespread approval' (E) tempts because there were no complaints. But silence isn't approval: nobody praised the calls either.
Multiple choice
Questions 38-40
How to attack this block: Question 38 asks about the fifth paragraph (E), where Viola calls ABS unforgiving and misses the old dialogue, which suggests the game loses some appeal. Sword's reason is fear of losing young fans. Noe and Russo are there to show that accuracy and enjoyment aren't the same thing.
Question 38
Answer: BParagraph E (fifth paragraph)
What does the writer suggest about ABS in the fifth paragraph?
it was also unforgiving and pedantic, almost legalistic… There was a dialogue between pitcher and umpire.
Question says → Passage says
reduce some of the appealunforgiving and pedantic / A human, at least, yells back
the appeal of the gameThere was a dialogue between pitcher and umpire
Why: The paragraph opens with 'A human, at least, yells back', and Viola misses the old dialogue and the reward for skill. The writer is suggesting something enjoyable has gone from the game. B.
The trap: A tempts because Viola criticises ABS, but he says it 'works as designed'. The complaint is that it's too precise, not that its decisions are wrong.
Question 39
Answer: DParagraph F, second sentence
According to Sword, why was ABS introduced?
ABS was part of a larger project to make baseball more exciting since executives are terrified of losing younger fans
Question says → Passage says
ensure baseball retained a young audienceterrified of losing younger fans
the introduction of ABSABS was part of a larger project
Why: The reason given is fear of losing younger fans. Keeping a young audience is the same aim, stated positively. D.
The trap: B tempts because other sports appear, but horse racing and boxing are examples of sports that lost young fans, not developments baseball is copying. A borrows 'experiment', which is just the writer's word for the project.
Question 40
Answer: CParagraph I
Why does the writer quote Noe and Russo?
Some players I have met take a dissenting stance toward the robots too, believing that accuracy is not the answer.
Question says → Passage says
accuracy is not the same thing as enjoymentaccuracy is not the answer / I think perfect would be weird
the views of Noea movement to use algorithms to take the hard choices of living out of life
Why: Both men argue that perfection isn't what makes the game, or life, worth having. 'We watch baseball to kill time, not to maximize it' links them. Accuracy and enjoyment are different things. C.
The trap: A is wrong because both views point the same way: against the robots. The writer shows agreement, not a wide range of attitudes. B borrows Russo's 'perfect', but he's talking about technology and life, not fans' expectations of sport.
C. Both men say perfection isn't what makes baseball, or life, worth watching. A is too broad, because both views point the same way.
Words from this passage worth keeping
commission(B)
officially order something to be made
heckling(B)
shouting rude comments to interrupt someone
tweak(D)
make a small adjustment to
consensus(D)
a view that most people agree on
pedantic(E)
too concerned with small details and exact rules
delineated(H)
clearly marked out
discretion(H)
freedom to decide what's right in a situation
dissenting(I)
disagreeing with the general view
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The full Cambridge 20 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 20, 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.
