A researcher argues that procrastination is poor mood management, not laziness. Unpleasant or threatening tasks get delayed because avoiding them feels good for a moment, but guilt follows. The costs are real: cheating and fake excuses among students, lower pay and less job security at work, worse health. The way out is to value the task and forgive yourself.
The paragraph matching (14-16) uses B twice and F once. The summary (17-22) runs through B and C in order. Questions 23-24 are in D, and 25-26 are in F.
Matching information (paragraphs A-F)
Questions 14-16
How to attack this block: B holds both the false beliefs (laziness, bad time management) and the brain-imaging evidence, so it's the answer twice. The reminder that we're not the first or last to procrastinate is near the end of F.
Question 14
Answer: BParagraph B, first sentence
Which paragraph mentions wrong ideas about the cause of procrastination?
Contrary to popular belief, procrastination is not due to laziness or poor time management.
Question says → Passage says
false assumptionsContrary to popular belief… is not due to
why people procrastinatelaziness or poor time management
Why: 'Popular belief' is the assumption, and 'not due to' tells you it's false. The two wrong causes are laziness and poor time management. B.
The trap: Paragraph A says berating ourselves is 'one of the worst things we can do', which sounds like correcting a mistaken idea. It's about how to react to procrastination, not about why it happens.
Question 15
Answer: FParagraph F, near the end
Which paragraph mentions recognising that other people procrastinate too?
We should remind ourselves that we're not the first person to procrastinate, nor the last.
Question says → Passage says
the realisationremind ourselves
others also procrastinatewe're not the first person to procrastinate, nor the last
Why: If you're not the first or the last, plenty of others have done it too. F presents this as a way to ease the bad feelings. F.
The trap: Paragraph A says 'We all do it from time to time', which also says everyone procrastinates. But that's the writer stating a fact, not someone coming to realise it, and the 'reminding ourselves' wording only appears in F.
Question 16
Answer: BParagraph B, last sentence
Which paragraph gives brain evidence linking procrastination with emotion?
Research involving brain imaging has found that areas of the brain linked to detection of threats and emotion regulation are actually different in people who chronically procrastinate
Why: 'Neurological' means to do with the brain and nerves, so scan for brain research. The imaging study shows that emotion-regulation areas differ in chronic procrastinators. That's B, a second time.
The trap: Paragraph C is all about emotion and mood repair, but it gives no brain evidence. Many people skip B because they've already used it for question 14.
Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 17-22
How to attack this block: The summary follows B and C almost line by line. Several gaps need a change of form, so check grammar: after 'feel' you need an adjective, and the group of people who fear judgement needs a plural noun. The last gap is the feeling left after the short-term mood repair.
Question 17
Answer: lazinessParagraph B, first sentence
What do many people wrongly believe causes procrastination?
Contrary to popular belief, procrastination is not due to laziness
Question says → Passage says
Many people thinkpopular belief
is the result ofis not due to
Why: The summary splits the two false beliefs: 'Others believe… an inability to organise time' is poor time management, so the first gap is the other one, 'laziness'. It needs a noun after 'the result of'.
The trap: 'Mood' is the word a lot of people write, but poor mood management is the real cause, which comes in the next summary sentence.
Question 18
Answer: anxiousParagraph B, fourth sentence
How might thinking about a task make us feel?
If just thinking about the task threatens our sense of self-worth or makes us anxious, we will be more likely to put it off.
Question says → Passage says
damage our self-esteemthreatens our sense of self-worth
cause us to feelmakes us
put offput it off
Why: After 'feel' you need an adjective, and the passage gives one: 'anxious'. Self-esteem matches self-worth, so you know you're in the right sentence.
The trap: 'Anxiety' is the noun people write by mistake. 'Feel anxiety' isn't natural English, and it isn't the passage's word.
Question 19
Answer: threatsParagraph B, last sentence
The brain regions that differ are linked to regulating emotions and detecting what?
areas of the brain linked to detection of threats and emotion regulation are actually different
Question says → Passage says
brain regions associated withareas of the brain linked to
identifyingdetection of
regulating emotionsemotion regulation
Why: The passage pairs two functions; the summary has already used 'regulating emotions', so the gap is the other one. 'Identifying' = 'detection of', and the plural noun is 'threats'.
The trap: 'Emotions' fits after 'identifying' grammatically, but the summary has used it already, in reverse order.
Question 20
Answer: examsParagraph C, first sentence
What is a typical task that's hard to prepare for?
Tasks that are emotionally loaded or difficult, such as preparing for exams, are prime candidates for procrastination.
Question says → Passage says
Getting ready to takepreparing for
a typical examplesuch as
often cause us to procrastinateare prime candidates for procrastination
Why: 'Getting ready to take' paraphrases 'preparing for', so the noun after it is 'exams'. You 'take' exams, which confirms the fit.
The trap: 'Report' and 'home repairs' are also examples of avoided tasks in C, but they're not something you 'take', and they aren't introduced as typical emotionally loaded tasks.
Question 21
Answer: perfectionistsParagraph C, third sentence
Apart from people with low self-esteem, who tends to procrastinate?
Another group of people who tend to procrastinate are perfectionists, who worry their work will be judged harshly by others.
Question says → Passage says
People who are likely to procrastinateAnother group of people who tend to procrastinate
those with low self-esteemPeople with low self-esteem are more likely to procrastinate
Why: The summary gives the low self-esteem group, and 'either… or' wants the other group, a plural noun for people: 'perfectionists'.
The trap: 'Others' fits the grammar if you grab it from 'judged harshly by others', but those are the people doing the judging, not a group of procrastinators.
Question 22
Answer: guiltParagraph C, last sentence
What feeling usually follows the short-term mood boost?
Afterwards, people tend to be left with a sense of guilt that not only increases their negative mood, but also reinforces their tendency to procrastinate.
Question says → Passage says
only a short-term measureThe 'mood repair' we experience is temporary
followed by a feeling ofAfterwards… left with a sense of
worsens our mood and leads to more procrastinationincreases their negative mood… reinforces their tendency to procrastinate
Why: 'Followed by' = 'afterwards', and 'a feeling of' = 'a sense of'. The noun after it is 'guilt', and the rest of the summary sentence matches the rest of the passage sentence.
The trap: 'Mood' and 'negative' both sit next to the answer, but the summary already says 'worsens our mood'. The gap is the cause of that, which is guilt.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 23-24
How to attack this block: The 22,000-employee survey gives exactly two differences: lower annual income and less job stability. Work quality, job satisfaction and colleagues all sound likely but are never mentioned.
Question 23-24
Answer: A and C (in either order)Paragraph D, last two sentences
Which two differences between frequent procrastinators and other employees are mentioned?
participants who said they regularly procrastinated had less annual income and less employment stability
Question says → Passage says
Their salaries are lowerless annual income / annual income decreased by US$15,000
They don't keep their jobs for as longless employment stability
Why: The US survey gives exactly two differences. A: 'less annual income' means lower salaries. C: 'less employment stability' means they don't hold on to jobs as long.
The trap: B (work quality) is the most tempting, because D opens with 'the toll on productivity'. But productivity is about how much gets done, and the passage never says the work is worse. D (enjoying work) and E (colleagues) aren't mentioned.
Multiple choice (choose TWO)
Questions 25-26
How to attack this block: F recommends managing distractions and forgiving yourself rather than being harsh. Reminding yourself why a task matters sounds like prioritising by importance, but that's a different idea. Goals and rewards aren't mentioned.
Question 25-26
Answer: A and E (in either order)Paragraph F
Which two things does the writer recommend to break the procrastination cycle?
strategies that can help us fend off distractions… We should admit that we feel bad, but not be overly critical of ourselves.
Question says → Passage says
not judging ourselves harshlynot be overly critical of ourselves / Forgiving ourselves and feeling compassion
avoiding things that stop us concentratingfend off distractions that can occupy our minds
Why: A: 'not be overly critical of ourselves' is not judging ourselves harshly, backed up by forgiving ourselves. E: fending off distractions is avoiding what stops us focusing on the task.
The trap: D tempts because F mentions remembering 'why the task is important and valuable'. That's about feeling more positive towards one task, not ranking tasks by importance. B (manageable aims) and C (rewards) are never mentioned.
D tempts because F talks about why a task is 'important and valuable'. That is about feeling better about one task, not ranking tasks against each other.
The brain areas are linked to detecting threats and regulating emotion. The summary has already used the emotion half, so the answer is 'threats'.
Words from this passage worth keeping
berate(A)
criticise someone angrily
chronically(B)
persistently, over a long time
prime candidates(C)
the most likely things to be chosen for something
reinforce(C)
make a habit or feeling stronger
misconduct(D)
dishonest or unacceptable behaviour
fraudulent(D)
dishonest, intended to deceive
prone to(E)
likely to do or suffer from something
fend off(F)
keep something away or defend yourself against it
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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 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.
