IELTS Reading: true, false, not given

Read the following text about sharks, then answer the questions below.

Contrary to the common wisdom that sharks are instinct-driven "eating machines", recent studies have indicated that many species possess powerful problem-solving skills, social skills and curiosity. The brain- to body-mass ratios of sharks are similar to those of mammals and birds, and migration patterns in sharks may be even more complex than in birds, with many sharks covering entire ocean basins. However, shark behaviour has only begun to be formally studied, so there is much more to learn.

A popular myth is that sharks are immune to disease and cancer; however, this remains to be proven. The evidence that sharks are at least resistant to cancer and disease is mostly anecdotal and there have been few, if any, scientific or statistical studies that show sharks to have heightened immunity to disease.

According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given?

1. Research shows that sharks are more intelligent than most people think.
2. Relative to their body size, sharks have bigger brains than birds.
3. There is no real evidence proving that sharks are resistant to diseases.

Comments

[satyam]

is it ng,f,t simon

[Ayub]

hi simon my answers are
1.F
2.NG
3.T

[AHMED]

T,NG,F

[AHMED]

HI SIMON,,,,F,NG,T

[Jean]

Hello Simon,

My answers are:
1. T
2. F
3. T

[kabir]

Answers are:

1.not given.

2.false

3.true

[Thành Chương]

HI SIMON,
my answers is
1. not given
2. not given
3. false

[prakash]

Hi Simon,
my answers are:
1. NG
2. F
3. T

Regards
Prakash

[Jay]

The answers are.....
1. Not Given ( recent studies have indicated that many species possess )

2. False ( The brain- to body-mass ratios of sharks)

3. True (however, this remains to be proven.)

Thanks....
Jay

[Afshin]

HI Simon,

My answer is:
1- NG
2- False
3- True

[Karin]

Hi Simon
my answers:
1. T (Contrary to the common wisdom...)
2.F ( ...similar to ....birds...)
3. NG ( They only talk about cancer and heightened immunity)

Regards
Karin

[Alfiya]

Hi Simon,
1-True
2-False
3-Not Given

Thanks

[mhatab]

hi simon
my answer
1- TRUE; as Contrary to the common wisdom ........recent studies have indicated that many species possess powerful problem-solving skills = Research shows that sharks are more intelligent than most people think
2-NOT GIVEN; as it compares each species body mass to its brain and not compare the brains of species together
3- FALSE; as have been few ... scientific or statistical studies that show sharks to have heightened immunity to disease = few evidence is present.

[Agnes]

Hi, Simon

1. True
2.Not Given
3.False

[khadija]

Hi Simon
NG
F
T
Khadija

[Nik]

1.T
2.F
3.T

[param]

Hiii Simon
1. True
2. NG
3. False

Param

[Elena]

Hi, Simon.
I have a question.
I have recently taken an IELTS exam. the thing is that all three texts were extremely easy in terms of vocabulary and sentences' structures. I mean they were much easier those that i used to read in Economist or even in IELTS exam's preparation book. But what was the most awful is that all three texts were very very very long. about 900-850 words.
And all three texts have multiple choice questions - the options were as well endless ( each option out of four was about two texts lines in length) drama)))
as it happened, I didnt have enough time to finish.
What is the problem here? poor reading skills? my speed reading problem? and problem with precise question type? and how to increase the speed reading WITHOUT compromising the comprehansion....

thank you very much! sorry if it is very long to read...

and i can tell you the writing quetion part two, if you wish (it was about robots - disaster as well):)

[RUBY]

1.T
2.NG
3.NG

[Dana]

Hi Simon

My answer are:
1. NG
2. F
3. T
Thanks

[Krishi]

Hi Simon,

answers are NG,F

[Krishi]

and T

[Nghia]

My answers are:
1. NG
2. F
3. F

[Sameer]

1-Not given
2-False

3-True

[Van Anh]

Hi Simon,

My answers are:
1-T
2-NG
3-F

Thanks

[solange]

Hi Simon,

My answers are:
True
False
Not Given

thanks...

[Shelley]

Hi, Simon
1. True
2. False
3. True
Thank you

[Marya]

Hi Simon,
My answers are
1-NG
2-F
3-T

Thank you
Regards,
Marya

[Simon]

CORRECT ANSWERS FROM SIMON:

1. TRUE - 'contrary to common wisdom' means 'the opposite to what most people think'. 'Problem-solving skills etc.' refers to 'intelligence'.

2. FALSE - relative mass to body size is similar, not bigger. (You could say that 'mass' is not strictly the same as 'size' but this is too technical for IELTS)

3. TRUE - 'this remains to be proven'.

Keep working hard!

...

Hi Elena,

Yes, if the texts are easy, the IELTS writers often make the questions more difficult (or longer).

Remember, you don't need to read the whole text. Just look for key words from the questions. It takes practice to get faster at skimming to find the answers, so don't worry too much - just keep practising and you will get better at it.

[dana]

Hi Simon

I think what has confused me in the first question are the words "many species".

I thought it is en general ie it is not related to sharks only that is why i put NG

thank you

[Simon]

Hi Dana

I see what you mean. "Many species" must refer to shark species in this text.

[dana]

Thank you for your comment

[Simon]

No problem Dana.

[Cheryl]

Hello Simon,
"The brain- to body-mass ratios of sharks are similar to those of mammals and birds"
According to me, the phrase means: Shark's brain/ Shark's body-mass = Mammal's brain/ Mammal's body-mass = Bird's brain/ bird's body-mass
And the body-mass of shark is greater than that of birds which makes shark's brain bigger than bird's because of the above ratios. I think the answer to question no2 should be True.
Could you explain me where I was wrong?

Please forgive me if what I have written are nonsense :D My apology if my comment is too long.
Thank you for reading Simon. Have a nice weekend!

[Simon]

Hi Cheryl,

You are right that the shark's brain is bigger than the bird's brain. However, the RELATIVE size means the size of the brain in comparison with the body size. The 'ratio' means the relative size, and this is the same.

I hope this makes it clearer. I hope you had a good weekend too!

[Clement]

Hi Simon,

I have difficulty on True, False, Not Given.

What is the best answer if:

At passage: "test 1: basic riding"

Then on question: "the test requires basic knowledge about riding on motorway"

Thanks

[Simon]

Hi Clement,

I guess the answer would be true (it's a bit confusing without the full context).

Look through my reading lessons for more practice.

[umber]

not given
false
true

[suman]

not given
false
true

[Simon]

CORRECT ANSWERS FROM SIMON:

1. TRUE - 'contrary to common wisdom' means 'the opposite to what most people think'. 'Problem-solving skills etc.' refers to 'intelligence'.

2. FALSE - relative mass to body size is similar, not bigger. (You could say that 'mass' is not strictly the same as 'size' but this is too technical for IELTS)

3. TRUE - 'this remains to be proven'.

[dushyant]

Hi Simon,

In this reading passage, it only written that 'recent studies have indicated that many species possess'...

so answer would be Not Given to Research shows that sharks are more intelligent than most people think... can you please put some light...

[Simon]

Hi Dushyant,

Research shows = recent studies have indicated.

'contrary to common wisdom' means 'the opposite to what most people think'. 'Problem-solving skills etc.' refers to 'intelligence'.

Hope this helps

[onur]

Hi Simon,

I think that something "similar" can be bigger or smaller than something so ıt should be NG because it does not say that its the same its similar Can you explain where ı am wrong??

[Simon]

Hi Onur,

You are "over-thinking" the answer. Just keep the thinking simple: 'similar' means 'almost the same', so 'bigger' must be false.

[UT]

Hi Simon,

I do not understand much question 2, why the answer is True.
It is said that the ratio between body and brain of shards is similar to that of birds; therefore, i think that the body of shark is certainly much bigger than bird's body and the brain of shark is too.

Please help me for this question.
Thanks in advance.

[UT]

I am sorry for reviewing my comment.

I do not understand the answer of question 2 is False not True.

Please explain it to me.
Thank you very much.

[Simon]

Hi UT,

You are right that the shark's brain is bigger than the bird's brain.

However, the RELATIVE size means the size of the brain in comparison with the body size. The 'ratio' means the relative size, and this is the SAME for both sharks and birds.

[UT]

Hi Simon,

Thank you very much for your comment.
Now, I confuse question 3.
In the paragraph, "there have been few scientific and statistical evidence" so may we say that are few real evidence?

Please explain it to me
Sorry to bother you.
Thanks in advance

[Simon]

Hi UT,

no real evidence = few, if any, studies

Don't confuse "a few" (positive meaning) with "few" (negative meaning).

"A few people" means "some people", but "few people" means "almost nobody".

"few, if any" means "almost none or none".

[UT]

Thank you very much, Simon.
Your reply is very useful to me.
Thank you again.
Wish you have a good health.

[Gokce]

Hi Simon,
About 2nd question even i read all comments, I guess if I see the question again, i will say true as a answer again. So just want to ask if the statement indicates like "Relative to their body size, sharks have bigger brain SIZES than birds" than can it be true?
Thank you so much
btw you are doing extraordinary work in here I really appreciate

[Simon]

Hi Gokce,

"Relative to their body size, sharks have bigger brain SIZES than birds" = in this case the answer would be true.

However, sharks do NOT have bigger brains RELATIVE to body size.

I'm glad you like the site!