How humans came to count. Early peoples cared whether they had enough rather than how many, needed proper numbers once they farmed, and used gestures, fingers and pebbles. The real breakthrough was seeing a number as an idea separate from objects, and some languages still keep traces of older systems.
The sentence endings (27-31) follow paragraphs 2 to 6 in order. The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (32-40) restart at paragraph 2 and go through to paragraph 7, also 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.
How to attack this block: Each beginning sits in its own paragraph, so you can match by paragraph first. Several endings start 'was necessary', so read past those words to what follows. Watch 'all societies': a system surviving in some languages doesn't persist everywhere.
Question 27
Answer: BParagraph 2, second half
When did a developed number system become necessary?
As they began to settle, grow plants and herd animals, the need for a sophisticated number system became paramount.
Question says → Passage says
A developed system of numberinga sophisticated number system
was necessarythe need… became paramount
when people began farmingAs they began to settle, grow plants and herd animals
Why: Growing plants and herding animals is farming. 'Sophisticated' is 'developed', and a need that is 'paramount' means it was necessary. B.
The trap: G (a characteristic of early numeration systems) sounds possible because the paragraph is about early humans. But early tribes had only basic systems. The developed one came with farming.
Question 28
Answer: EParagraph 3, second half
When was an extra hand gesture used?
the number and words are often accompanied by gestures to help resolve any confusion
Question says → Passage says
An additional hand signalaccompanied by gestures / see how many fingers I am showing you
the range of number words was restrictedThis basic approach is limited in the range of numbers that it can express
Why: With a 'one, two, many' system, 'many' needs fingers to show how many. Gestures fill in where the number words run out, so E.
The trap: G tempts because these are early-style systems. But the sentence ending must explain when the gesture was used, and the passage ties it to the limited words.
Question 29
Answer: AParagraph 4, last sentence
What was being able to count to a certain number needed for in seventh-century Europe?
In fact, to qualify as a witness in a court of law a man had to be able to count to nine!
Question says → Passage says
the ability to count to a certain numberbe able to count to nine
fulfil a civic roleto qualify as a witness in a court of law
Why: Being a court witness is a public duty, which is what 'civic role' means. Counting to nine was the requirement, so A.
The trap: F (traced back to early European languages) comes from the same paragraph, about Gothic and Anglo-Saxon number words. It describes the words, not what counting was needed for.
Question 30
Answer: CParagraph 5, last sentence
What did thinking of numbers as separate from objects make possible?
When the number 4 can be registered in the mind as a specific word, independent of the object being referenced, the individual is ready to take the first step toward the development of a notational system for numbers and, from there, to arithmetic.
Question says → Passage says
concepts separate from physical objectsan abstract idea / independent of the object being referenced
necessary for the development of arithmeticready to take the first step toward… arithmetic
Why: Once 4 means 4 whatever it counts, people can build a notation and then arithmetic. The abstract idea comes first, so it's necessary for arithmetic: C.
The trap: B (necessary when people began farming) also uses 'was necessary', but that's about the number system in paragraph 2, not abstract thinking.
Question 31
Answer: GParagraph 6
What is true of using different number words for different kinds of item?
Traces of the very first stages in the development of numeration can be seen in several living languages today.
Question says → Passage says
Expressing number differently according to class of itemseven distinct sets of words for numbers according to the class of the item being counted
a characteristic of early numeration systemsthe very first stages / the relics of an older system
Why: The Tsimshian sets of counting words are called 'traces of the very first stages' and 'relics of an older system'. So counting by class of item belonged to early systems, G.
The trap: D (persists in all societies) tempts because the system survives in Tsimshian and Japanese. But that's 'some widely used languages', not all societies.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 32-40
How to attack this block: Count when you're asked to count: the Tasmanian system is short. Two NOT GIVENs tempt you to use general knowledge, about the word 'thousand' and about fingers versus pebbles. The Tsimshian pair needs careful reading of how the seven sets are split.
Question 32
Answer: TRUEParagraph 2, third sentence
Did the earliest tribes care more about 'enough' than 'how many'?
their considerations would have been more of the kind Is this enough? rather than How many?
Question says → Passage says
sufficiencyIs this enough?
quantityHow many?
more important thanmore of the kind… rather than
Why: 'Is this enough?' is about sufficiency and 'How many?' is about quantity. Their thinking was 'more of' the first 'rather than' the second, so TRUE.
Question 33
Answer: FALSEParagraph 3, second sentence
Did indigenous Tasmanians use only four number words?
The indigenous peoples of Tasmania were only able to count one, two, many
Question says → Passage says
Indigenous TasmaniansThe indigenous peoples of Tasmania
only four termsone, two, many
Why: Count them: one, two, many. That's three terms, not four, so FALSE.
The trap: The South African system right after it has more steps, and readers sometimes mix the two lists. Only the Tasmanian list matters here.
Question 34
Answer: TRUEParagraph 3, third sentence
Do some peoples with simple number systems use gestures to avoid confusion?
But in real situations the number and words are often accompanied by gestures to help resolve any confusion.
Question says → Passage says
body languagegestures
prevent misunderstandinghelp resolve any confusion
Why: Gestures are body language, and resolving confusion is preventing misunderstanding. The example of showing fingers confirms it. TRUE.
Question 35
Answer: FALSEParagraph 4, first sentence
Have all cultures been able to express large numbers clearly?
The lack of ability of some cultures to deal with large numbers is not really surprising.
Question says → Passage says
All cultures have been ableThe lack of ability of some cultures
large numberslarge numbers
Why: The passage says some cultures lacked the ability to handle large numbers. If some couldn't, then not all could, so FALSE.
The trap: 'Not really surprising' can confuse people into thinking the writer is denying the problem. He's saying the inability is expected, which still confirms it existed.
Question 36
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 4, middle
Does the word 'thousand' come from Anglo-Saxon?
the word teon had become interchangeable with the tachund or hund of the Anglo-Saxon language, and so 100 was denoted as hund teontig
Question says → Passage says
Anglo-Saxon originsthe Anglo-Saxon language
Why: The passage traces Anglo-Saxon words for ten and a hundred, but 'thousand' never appears. With nothing about it, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Because 'hund' looks like 'hundred', people assume the writer would say the same about 'thousand'. Don't fill the gap with your own knowledge; the passage stops at 100.
Question 37
Answer: TRUEParagraph 4, last two sentences
Did ordinary seventh-century Europeans count poorly?
The average person in the seventh century in Europe was not as familiar with numbers as we are today.
Question says → Passage says
In general, peopleThe average person
had poor counting abilitynot as familiar with numbers / had to be able to count to nine
Why: 'The average person' is 'in general, people', and they weren't familiar with numbers. Counting to nine being a test for court witnesses shows how low the standard was. TRUE.
The trap: Some answer NOT GIVEN because 'poor' isn't used. 'Not as familiar with numbers', plus the count-to-nine rule, says the same thing.
Question 38
Answer: FALSEParagraph 6, second sentence
In Tsimshian, do long objects and canoes share a number word?
seven distinct sets of words for numbers according to the class of the item being counted
Question says → Passage says
the same wordseven distinct sets of words
long objects and canoesfor long objects and trees, for canoes
Why: Long objects (with trees) have one set, and canoes have a separate set. The sets are 'distinct', so they use different words. FALSE.
The trap: A canoe is a long object, so it feels like it should share the word. The passage lists canoes as their own class, so it contradicts the statement.
Question 39
Answer: TRUEParagraph 6, third sentence
Does Tsimshian contain both older and newer counting systems?
It seems that the last is a later development while the first six groups show the relics of an older system.
Question says → Passage says
olderthe relics of an older system
newera later development
Why: Six sets are relics of an older system, and the general-purpose seventh set came later. Old and new side by side, so TRUE.
The trap: 'It seems' makes some people hesitate. The writer still states the idea, so it's TRUE, not NOT GIVEN.
Question 40
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 7, second and third sentences
Did early peoples find fingers easier to count with than pebbles?
it is possible to count by matching the items being counted against a group of pebbles, grains of corn, or the counter's fingers
Question says → Passage says
using their fingersthe counter's fingers
a group of pebblesa group of pebbles
Why: Fingers and pebbles appear in the same list as equal options. The passage never says which was easier, so NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Paragraph 3 shows people holding up fingers, which suggests fingers were popular. Popular isn't the same as easier, and there's no comparison with pebbles anywhere.
G. Counting by class of item is called a relic of an older system. D (all societies) overstates its survival in a few languages.
Words from this passage worth keeping
feat(Paragraph 1)
an impressive achievement
paramount(Paragraph 2)
more important than anything else
suffice(Paragraph 3)
be enough
denoted(Paragraph 4)
shown or represented by
hindrance(Paragraph 5)
something that gets in the way
within the grasp(Paragraph 5)
able to be understood by
relics(Paragraph 6)
things surviving from an earlier time
indispensable(Paragraph 7)
absolutely necessary
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The full Cambridge 6 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 6, 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.
