IELTS Reading: choose the best summary

Yesterday I recommended reading descriptions and reviews on amazon.com. Here's an example description, with a quick exercise below.

Description of the book What are Universities for?

Across the world, universities are more numerous than they have ever been, yet at the same time there is unprecedented confusion about their purpose and scepticism about their value. What Are Universities For? offers a spirited and compelling argument for completely rethinking the way we see our universities, and why we need them.

Stefan Collini challenges the common claim that universities need to show that they help to make money in order to justify getting more money. Instead, he argues that we must reflect on the different types of institution and the distinctive roles they play. In particular we must recognise that attempting to extend human understanding, which is at the heart of disciplined intellectual enquiry, can never be wholly harnessed to immediate social purposes - particularly in the case of the humanities, which both attract and puzzle many people and are therefore the most difficult subjects to justify.

At a time when the future of higher education lies in the balance, What Are Universities For? offers all of us a better, deeper and more enlightened understanding of why universities matter, to everyone.

Which statement best summarises the book's message?

A) We do not necessarily need universities nowadays
B) Universities should be harnessed for social purposes
C) Universities must justify the money they are given
D) We need to change our understanding of the role of universities

Comments

[Zhijie Chen]

hello simon
is the answer D?

[Tereza]

D

[Aleksandra Bucholc]

D- Yes,-The book offers a spirited and compelling argument for completely rethinking the way we see our universities

No- A-why we need them
B-can never be wholly harnessed to immediate
social purposes
C-S.Collini challenges this common claim

[Aleksandra Bucholc]

D answer only is correct,because it is about the general aim of the book
B-indicates social purposes,but they are only additional aims of uni
(of course,in my opinion)

[Elle]

I think answer is D

[Raya]

D :
It is about changing of our understanding of the main of the universities.

[Elle]

Simon I would ask you another question.I had this question on my listening part.North West or North-West?car-park or car park?Is it important to write dash??Thanks a lot!

[ali_ahmadi]

D, I guess.

[murali]

i think D is right one

[Han Jeong Won]

The answer is D

[roro]

D

[Charee]

Answer: D (What Are Universities For? offers a spirited and compelling argument for completely rethinking the way we see our universities, and why we need them.)

[Dave]

Hi simon,
My question is quit weird, if you finish your second paragraph on the last line of the page, do you need to have a space for your third paragraph on the next page? What i did was i did not provide a space in my last exam.tnx

[AHMED]

D

[nata]

Hi Simon hi guys.i really need your help.i should write outline to the essays,but i don't know how to write,please help to me.its reall important for me. my email addres: nata19912606@mail.ru
or nata19912606@hotmail.ru

[nur]

d is the answer.

[Hemn Merany]

I think D is better one

[RRaveen]

Hi,

My answer is,
D

tnx

[Martin]

Hi Simon,

Thanks for your weekly listening and reading exercises.

I think today's small exercise shows that any reading material from books, magazines, newspapers, or the Internet can easily be an IELTS question.

To make regular reading even more productive (and challenging), students can practise by themselves by coming up with their own one-sentence summary (or list of main ideas) for anything they read. Although it could be time consuming, I think this way of learning can help improve one's reading comprehension ability as well as analytical skill.

Cheers,
Martin

[Qumar ul hasan]

answer is D.

[Rony]

Hi,
The Answer Is D.

[Charles Wang]

(D)
Thanks Simon!

[Simon]

CORRECT ANSWER FROM SIMON:

D

...

Hi Elle,

Both ways are fine. Don't worry about the dash.

...

Hi Dave,

I don't think you need to leave a line if you start a new page, but you can if you want. It's probably clear that it's a new paragraph either way.

...

I agree as usual Martin!

[Nguyen Hoang Bach]

Hi,
MY answer is D.
Thanks Simon!

[dave]

tnx so much simon. take care

[Dmitry]

Answer is D

I'd suggest everyone to read books in english in order to improve reading skills! Currently I have band 8.5 because of that.

[Rafi]

i also circled D letter. but in real test i can't get a great score in reading module :(

[Aliya]

Hi Simon,
In one of your lesson on reading, you mentioned that we need to find a "keyword" in question so to find the answer.
I cant understand how do you define the "keyword" in the question? When I do reading, I try to understand the meaning of the question, and then to find the answer?
But sometimes my answers are not correct.
Thank you!

[Filo]

The answer is D

[minh]

d??

[gagandeep singh chandi]

d

[DIVYA]

The answer is: D

[Ahmed]

Hi Simon

When I fill the blanks in reading test, do I have to use exactly the same word mentioned in the text? or shall I put it on my own words.

Thank you

[Simon]

Hi Ahmed,

The instructions will tell you what to do. Normally, you are told to use words from the passage.

[sabi]

answer is (D)

[Saja]

D

[khanda]

hi
D is the answer

[kuljinder]

hi simon
i want practice difficult reading

[Reema Boufis]

D

[Giang]

D