IELTS Reading test similar to 14 June 2025:
🌍 Passage 1 – Chimpanzee Culture
Read the passage and answer Questions 1–13.
Passage Text
A. Chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, display a rich repertoire of learned behaviours—most notably their diverse tool-use methods. In the Taï Forest of West Africa, chimps are observed using stones and wooden hammers to crack open hard nuts, a practice not found elsewhere in wild chimp populations.
B. This regional variation suggests that such behaviours are culturally acquired, not genetically predetermined. A coordinated research initiative spanning several primatology institutes across Africa has catalogued over fifty distinct cultural traditions among chimpanzee troops, including methods of communication, territory marking, social grooming rituals, and tool use.
C. The seminal work of Jane Goodall, beginning in 1960 at Gombe National Park, Tanzania, provided the first concrete evidence. She recorded chimpanzees fashioning twigs and grass stems into tools to extract termites from underground nests.
D. Notably, Goodall’s observations showed that juvenile chimps learn by observing and imitating elder members of the troop, rather than inheriting tool-use behaviours genetically. Such findings support the hypothesis of cultural transmission within non-human primates.
E. By 1973, Goodall had identified thirteen types of tool-using behaviours and eight distinct social rituals in the Gombe chimpanzee community. She emphasised that the observed behaviours were socially rather than genetically passed on between generations.
F. Despite this growing understanding of chimpanzee sophistication, their populations are under severe threat. Habitat destruction, illegal poaching, and diseases like Ebola are causing alarming declines in numbers, which undermines continued opportunity for natural cultural evolution.
🧠 Passage 1 – Questions 1–13
🔄 Questions 1–5
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A–F in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.
1. The year when Jane Goodall began studying chimpanzees
2. A behaviour found only in chimpanzees of one region
3. Observations of young chimps copying older ones
4. The total number of social and tool-use behaviours recorded
5. Risks that threaten the survival of chimpanzees
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✅ Questions 6–10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In boxes 6–10, write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
6. Chimpanzees in all parts of Africa crack nuts using tools.
7. The use of tools by chimpanzees is instinctive and passed down genetically.
8. Goodall started her work on chimpanzees before 1960.
9. By 1973, more than a dozen tool-using behaviours had been documented.
10. Cultural traditions among chimpanzees include both tools and social rituals.
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✏️ Questions 11–13
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
11. In which year were 13 tool-use behaviours identified?
12. What is one major cause of declining chimpanzee numbers?
13. Where is Gombe National Park located?
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🍼 Passage 2 – How Baby Talk Builds Babies' Brains
Passage Text
A. Caregivers instinctively use a softer, higher-pitched speaking style—often called baby talk or infant-directed speech (IDS)—when engaging with infants. Studies show that infants as young as 4½ months can recognize their own name when spoken, distinguishing it from similar-sounding names.
B. Research using small audio recorders worn by parents revealed that mothers tend to use IDS more frequently than fathers, who often switch to regular adult speech patterns. This blend—sometimes called a “speech bridge”—helps infants gradually adapt from baby talk to mainstream adult speech.
C. Infants exposed to greater amounts of IDS show earlier and richer language development. Studies indicate that more IDS correlates with increased babbling by around 6–8 months and leads to larger vocabularies by age two.
D. When babies were given rare or novel words to remember around nine months old, infants exposed to IDS retained those patterns longer than infants who received adult-style input—suggesting early sensitivity to speech frequency patterns.
E. Babies also demonstrate a stronger response to baby vocalizations—i.e., sounds made by other infants—than to even adult speech, reinforcing the idea that peer-like vocal interactions boost speech learning in early stages.
🅰️ Questions 14–17: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A–D.
14. At what age do infants first recognize their own name?
A. Six weeks
B. Four and a half months
C. Four months
D. Six months
15. Compared to mothers, fathers are less likely to:
A. Use high-pitched intonation
B. Speak in baby talk
C. Use adult-like speech
D. Switch between baby talk and adult speech
16. What did studies find about baby talk exposure?
A. Increased baby talk led to more babbling
B. Vocabulary size was unaffected
C. Fathers used more baby talk than mothers
D. Baby talk discouraged early speech
17. Infants showed stronger responses to:
A. Adult speech patterns
B. Rare or novel words
C. Baby vocalizations
D. Conversations between adults and infants
📝 Questions 18–21: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below using ONE WORD ONLY.
Infants can recognize their own name by about 18....... months, but by 4½ months they already do so. By 19, infants begin identifying common _(19) in speech. Frequent one-on-one baby talk increases early (20) .......and leads to a broader (21) ........by toddlerhood.
Certainly! Here’s Passage 3 in an authentic IELTS Academic Reading format—complete with the full passage, exam-style questions (Headings, Diagram Labeling, True/False/Not Given), and answer key with Band‑9 explanations at the end.
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🏗️ Passage 3 – Termite Mound Architecture
Passage Text
A. In the arid regions of Namibia, researchers study the towering mounds built by termites—some reaching eight metres in height. These structures are more than shelters; they function as living, breathing natural systems that maintain stable internal environments.
B. Beneath the surface, a maze of chambers and tunnels extends downward. Termites meticulously select fine soil grains to construct these galleries, forming compartments for nesting, food storage, and fungus cultivation.
C. The tunnel network functions like lungs, drawing in fresh air and expelling stale air. This design keeps interior temperature fluctuation within approximately 3 °C, despite external daily variations of nearly 50 °C.
D. Certain termite species enhance ventilation by building tall chimneys or shafts that harness wind and temperature differences to create air currents, further stabilizing conditions inside.
E. Some termite colonies cultivate symbiotic fungi in specially humid chambers inside the mound. The fungus aids in cellulose digestion, benefiting both the termites and the internal ecosystem.
F. Inspired by these natural systems, architects and engineers have modeled buildings—such as the famous Eastgate Centre in Harare—on termite mounds. These human-made structures often regulate climate naturally and reduce energy usage.
G. As global temperatures rise and energy costs increase, such biomimetic designs offer promising solutions for eco-friendly, self-regulating buildings in extreme climates.
Questions 22–27: Matching Headings
Match each paragraph (A–G) with the most suitable heading from the list below.
Write the correct letter (i–vii) in boxes 22–27 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings:
i. Building materials and construction methods
ii. Role of air flow in temperature control
iii. Adaptations to extreme external temperatures
iv. Fungus farming within insect societies
v. Human architecture influenced by nature
vi. Underground structure of termite mounds
vii. Specific species’ structural differences
22. Paragraph A
23. Paragraph B
24. Paragraph C
25. Paragraph D
26. Paragraph E
27. Paragraph F
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Questions 28–31: Diagram Labeling
Complete the labels on the diagram of a termite mound using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage.
Labels:
28. Soil __________ used to build galleries
29. Tunnel system acts like __________ for air circulation
30. Internal chambers dedicated to __________ cultivation
31. Top structures help __________ inside the mound
Questions 32–34: True/False/Not Given
Decide if the following statements agree with the information in the passage. Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
32. Buildings inspired by termite mounds are already successfully built and operate.
33. Internal temperature of termite mounds can vary up to 50 °C during a day.
34. Fungal cultivation inside mounds takes place in airtight chambers.
✅ Answer Key with Band-9 Explanations
Question Answer Explanation
1 C Paragraph C states Goodall began in 1960.
2 A Paragraph A discusses nut-cracking only in Taï Forest chimps.
3 D Paragraph D describes young chimps learning by watching elders.
4 E Paragraph E gives numbers: 13 tool uses and 8 social rituals.
5 F Paragraph F mentions habitat loss, poaching, and disease threats.
6 FALSE Only some chimpanzees use tools to crack nuts; not all do.
7 FALSE Tool-use is learned, not inherited genetically.
8 FALSE She began in 1960, not earlier.
9 TRUE 13 behaviours were documented by 1973.
10 TRUE Cultural traditions include both tools and social rituals.
11 1973 “By 1973...” – date mentioned for 13 tool-use types.
12 habitat destruction Listed in paragraph F along with poaching and disease.
13 Tanzania The country where Gombe National Park is located.
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✅ Answer Key with Band‑9 Explanations
Q# Answer Explanation
14 B Infants recognise their name by “four and a half months.”
15 A Fathers use less “high-pitched intonation” than mothers, per the study.
16 A Greater baby talk was linked to increased babbling (not unaffected or discouraging).
17 C Infants responded more to “baby vocalizations.”
18 nine Recognizing by “nine months” (contrasted with self-name at 4½ months).
19 patterns Infants detect “frequent patterns” in speech.
20 babbling Exposure led to increased “babbling.”
21 vocabulary Resulted in larger “vocabulary” in toddlers.
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✅ Answer Key & Band‑9 Explanations
Matching Headings (22–27)
Question Paragraph Heading Explanation
22 A iii Paragraph A notes protection in extreme external temperatures.
23 B i B details soil grains and chamber construction.
24 C ii C describes tunnel airflow temperature control.
25 D vii D mentions species-specific chimney/shaft differences.
26 E iv E focuses on fungus farming inside the mound.
27 F v F discusses human architecture inspired by termite structures.
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Diagram Labeling (28–31)
28. grains — “select fine soil grains” (Para B)
29. lung — “acts like lungs, drawing in fresh air” (Para C)
30. fungus — “chambers … for fungus cultivation” (Para B/E)
31. ventilation — chimneys help “stabilizing conditions inside” (referencing air currents, Para D)
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True/False/Not Given (32–34)
Question Answer Explanation
32 TRUE F references Eastgate Centre as a real, functioning building.
33 FALSE Internal variation is about 3 °C, despite external variations (~50 °C) (Para C).
34 NOT GIVEN While chambers are used for fungus, airtightness isn’t specified.
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