Obtaining Linguistic Data: reading answers and analysis
The passage explains how linguists collect language data. They use their own judgement or other speakers as informants, choose informants carefully, record them with audio or video while trying to keep speech natural, elicit specific forms in structured sessions, and build corpora, which always need native speakers' intuitions as well.
The paragraph matching (27-31) uses C to F, with D twice. The table (32-36) follows paragraphs B, D and E in order. The summary (37-40) is entirely in paragraph G, in order.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the passage yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
Q
Your answer
Answer
Questions 27-31 · Matching information (paragraphs A-G)
How to attack this block: D holds two answers: the problem (people talking abnormally on tape) and the fixes (hiding the recorder, radio microphones). E is about what audio misses, and F is a list of elicitation methods. Look for the specific idea, not just the topic of recording.
Question 27
Answer: DParagraph D, fourth sentence
Which paragraph says being recorded changes how people speak?
People talk abnormally when they know they are being recorded, and sound quality can be poor.
Question says → Passage says
the effect of recordingwhen they know they are being recorded
on the way people talkPeople talk abnormally
Why: 'Talk abnormally' is the effect, and knowing they're being recorded is the cause. This is the 'observer's paradox' D goes on to name. D.
The trap: E also points out a problem with recordings, but it's that speech on tape is unclear, not that people change how they speak.
Question 28
Answer: EParagraph E, third sentence
Which paragraph stresses noting down body language?
the recording has to be supplemented by the observer's written comments on the non-verbal behaviour of the participants
Question says → Passage says
taking notesthe observer's written comments
body languagethe non-verbal behaviour of the participants / A facial expression
Why: 'Non-verbal behaviour' is body language, and 'written comments' are notes. E also gives the facial-expression example to show why it matters.
The trap: D talks about the observer too, in the 'observer's paradox', but that's about people knowing they're watched, not about writing notes.
Question 29
Answer: CParagraph C, second and third sentences
Which paragraph says the social situation affects the language people use?
The topic of conversation and the characteristics of the social setting (e.g. the level of formality) are also highly relevant
Question says → Passage says
social situationthe characteristics of the social setting (e.g. the level of formality)
language is influenced bythese factors are known to influence the kind of language used
Why: C lists what shapes the language informants use: age, sex, social background, and the social setting, such as how formal it is. That's C.
The trap: D's tip about asking older people how times have changed is about getting natural speech, not about social situation shaping language.
Question 30
Answer: DParagraph D, second half
Which paragraph explains ways to help informants feel less self-conscious?
attempts can be made to make the speaker forget about the recording, such as keeping the tape recorder out of sight, or using radio microphones
Question says → Passage says
helped to be less self-consciousmake the speaker forget about the recording
howkeeping the tape recorder out of sight / using radio microphones / introduce a topic that quickly involves the speaker
Why: D lists techniques: hiding the recorder, radio microphones, and choosing a topic the speaker gets absorbed in. All of these help people forget they're being studied. D again, which the NB allows.
The trap: F also describes techniques for working with informants, but they're for getting specific data, not for relaxing the speaker.
Question 31
Answer: FParagraph F
Which paragraph lists methods for getting particular pieces of data?
Often, the researcher wishes to obtain information about just a single variable, in which case a restricted set of questions may be used
Question says → Passage says
various methodstranslation techniques / interview worksheets and questionnaires / several direct methods of elicitation
generate specific dataobtain information about just a single variable
Why: F is a list of methods for drawing out specific language: translation, worksheets, word lists for one pronunciation feature, fill-the-blank frames and correction tasks. F.
The trap: G mentions corpora that deal 'only with a particular linguistic feature', which sounds like specific data. But a corpus is a collection, not a method of eliciting data from an informant.
Table completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 32-36
How to attack this block: Each row is one method with its pros and cons. One answer needs you to reorder passage words ('sound quality can be poor'), and another needs a phrase the passage uses for what audio can't capture. Keep plurals as they are in the passage.
Question 32
Answer: linguistParagraph B, third to fifth sentences
Also accepted: linguists / a linguist
Who acts as informant in the convenient but less objective method?
Often, when studying their mother tongue, linguists act as their own informants
Question says → Passage says
convenientThe convenience of this approach
method of enquiry not objective enoughrecourse is needed to more objective methods of enquiry
Why: The convenient method is linguists using their own judgement, and the problem is that it isn't objective. The next row is 'non-linguist', so this row is its opposite: 'linguist'.
The trap: 'Native speaker' appears in the definition of an informant, but the table contrasts linguists with non-linguists, so it needs 'linguist'.
Question 33
Answer: foreign languagesParagraph B, last sentence
Apart from child speech, when must non-linguists be used as informants?
The latter procedure is unavoidable when working on foreign languages, or child speech.
Question says → Passage says
necessaryunavoidable
with ___ and child speechwhen working on foreign languages, or child speech
Why: 'The latter procedure' is using non-linguists, and 'unavoidable' means necessary. The other case listed with child speech is 'foreign languages'.
The trap: Remember the plural. 'Foreign language' changes the meaning slightly and may be marked wrong.
Question 34
Answer: poor qualityParagraph D, fourth sentence
What's the downside of recording in terms of sound?
People talk abnormally when they know they are being recorded, and sound quality can be poor.
Question says → Passage says
___ of soundsound quality can be poor
Why: The table says '___ of sound', so you have to turn 'sound quality can be poor' around: 'poor quality'. The words come from the passage, just in a different order.
The trap: 'Talk abnormally' is the other disadvantage in that sentence, but the gap is tied to 'of sound'. Don't write 'good-quality', which is from the sentence before.
Question 35
Answer: non-verbal behaviourParagraph E, third to fifth sentences
Also accepted: non-verbal behavior / facial expressions / facial expression
What does video let you see in the speakers that audio misses?
written comments on the non-verbal behaviour of the participants… A facial expression, for example, can dramatically alter the meaning of what is said. Video recordings avoid these problems to a large extent
Question says → Passage says
allows… to be observedVideo recordings avoid these problems
Why: Audio can't capture non-verbal behaviour, so the observer has to note it. 'Video recordings avoid these problems', because you can see it. The gap follows 'speakers'', so 'non-verbal behaviour' fits. 'Facial expressions' is also accepted.
The trap: 'Context' is mentioned in the same sentence as non-verbal behaviour, but 'speakers' context' doesn't work well. The facial-expression example points to behaviour.
Question 36
Answer: cameraParagraph E, last sentence
Also accepted: the camera / video camera
What might miss things when you video an informant?
even they have limitations (the camera cannot be everywhere)
Question says → Passage says
might miss certain thingscannot be everywhere
Disadvantageseven they have limitations
Why: The limitation of video is in brackets: the camera can't be everywhere, so it misses things. Answer: 'camera'.
The trap: 'Observer' appears at the end of the sentence, but the observer's commentary is what fills in what the camera misses.
Summary completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
Questions 37-40
How to attack this block: The summary follows G sentence by sentence, with simple paraphrases: 'objectively' for 'unbiased', 'focus on' for 'deals only with'. Copy the full noun phrase where the gap allows three words.
Question 37
Answer: frequency of usageParagraph G, second sentence
What can a corpus let a linguist comment on objectively?
A corpus enables the linguist to make unbiased statements about frequency of usage
Question says → Passage says
comment objectively onmake unbiased statements about
Why: 'Unbiased statements' means objective comments. What follows 'about' is 'frequency of usage', three words.
The trap: 'Accessible data' comes in the same sentence, but that's what the corpus provides for other researchers, not what you comment on.
Question 38
Answer: particular linguistic featureParagraph G, fourth sentence
What do some corpora focus on, instead of a wide range of language?
others are extremely selective, providing a collection of material that deals only with a particular linguistic feature
Question says → Passage says
Some corpora include a wide range of languageSome corpora attempt to cover the language as a whole
others are used to focus on aothers are extremely selective… deals only with a
Why: The summary keeps the passage's 'some… others' contrast. The selective corpora deal with 'a particular linguistic feature', exactly three words after 'a'.
The trap: Writing just 'linguistic feature' loses 'particular', which carries the idea of focus.
Question 39
Answer: sizeParagraph G, fifth sentence
What does the time the process takes affect?
The size of the corpus depends on practical factors, such as the time available to collect, process and store the data
Question says → Passage says
will affect the ___ of the corpusThe size of the corpus depends on
the length of time the process takesthe time available to collect, process and store the data
Why: The passage says size depends on time, and the summary turns it round: time affects size. 'Size' fits 'the ___ of the corpus'.
The trap: 'Range' is mentioned together with size ('Its range and size are variable'), but the time factor is only linked to size.
Question 40
Answer: intuitionsParagraph G, last sentence
What extra information from native speakers do linguists rely on?
always need to be supplemented by data derived from the intuitions of native speakers of the language
Question says → Passage says
No corpus can ever cover the whole languageall corpora, whatever their size, are inevitably limited in their coverage
those who speak the language concernednative speakers of the language
Why: The summary's 'the ___ of those who speak the language' matches 'the intuitions of native speakers'. 'Intuitions' is plural, as in the passage.
The trap: 'Introspection or experimentation' come right after, but they're the ways of getting the intuitions, not the information itself.
The answer is in E, linked to video by 'these problems'. Students who look for a sentence about video seeing something miss the link back to non-verbal behaviour.
G's corpus 'dealing with a particular linguistic feature' sounds like specific data, but F is the paragraph that lists methods for generating it.
Words from this passage worth keeping
introspection(A)
examining your own thoughts and feelings
utterances(B)
things someone says
recourse(B)
the option of turning to something for help
scrupulous(C)
very careful and thorough
paradox(D)
a situation that seems to contradict itself
elicit(F)
draw out a response or information from someone
corpus(G)
a large collection of written or spoken texts used for study
inevitably(G)
in a way that cannot be avoided
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 4 Test 3 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 4, Test 3, 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.
