MockmeeMockmee
Start now
Reading answers with explanations

IELTS · Part 2 · Cambridge 13 — Test 3

How baby talk gives infant brains a boost: Reading answers

Answers to questions 14–26 (13 in all), each with why it is right.

Sit it first, then check

Read the whole passage and answer in the exam interface, timed as on the day.

Practise this part

The passage opens

A The typical way of talking to a baby - high-pitched, exaggerated and repetitious - is a source of fascination for linguists who hope to understand how 'baby talk' impacts on learning.Most babies start developing their hearing while still in the womb, prompting some hopeful parents to play classical music to their pregnant bellies.Some research even suggests that infants are listening to adult speech as early as 10 weeks before being born, gathering the basic building blocks of their family's native tongue. B Early language exposure seems to have benefits to the brain - for instance, studies suggest that babies raised in bilingual homes are better at learning how to mentally prioritize…

Answers 14–26

  1. 14

    the importance of adults giving babies individual attention when talking to them

    B: Nairán Ramirez-Esparza Matching features

  2. 15

    the connection between what babies hear and their own efforts to create speech

    C: Patricia Kuhl Matching features

  3. 16

    the advantage for the baby of having two parents each speaking in a different way

    A: Mark Van Dam Matching features

  4. 17

    the connection between the amount of baby talk babies hear and how much vocalising they do themselves

    B: Nairán Ramirez-Esparza Matching features

  5. 18

    recording devices Note completion

  6. 19

    fathers / dads Note completion

  7. 20

    bridge hypothesis Note completion

  8. 21

    repertoire Note completion

  9. 22

    vests / audio-recording vests Note completion

  10. 23

    vocabulary Note completion

  11. 24

    a reference to a change which occurs in babies' brain activity before the end of their first year

    F Matching information

  12. 25

    an example of what some parents do for their baby's benefit before birth

    A Matching information

  13. 26

    a mention of babies' preference for the sounds that other babies make

    E Matching information

More Reading answers

IELTS · Part 2

How could multilingualism benefit India's poorest schoolchildren?

IELTS · Part 3

How stress affects our judgement

IELTS · Part 1

How tennis rackets have changed

IELTS · Part 3

How to make wise decisions

IELTS · Part 2

I contain multitudes

IELTS · Part 3

Information theory - the big idea

Mockmee is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge.