IELTS · Part 2 · Volume 9 Test 6
Speaking of Nothing: 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.
The passage opens
Answers 14–26
- 14
Paragraph 14
vii: Some occupations involve little or no interesting conversation Matching headings
Paragraph 14 describes jobs with little meaningful conversation, matching heading vii, “Some occupations involve little or no interesting conversation.”
“these three types of work stand out for another reason: they're characterised by a lack of conversation or by meaningless small talk”
- 15
Paragraph 15
iv: A study that categorised types of spoken exchanges Matching headings
Paragraph 15 describes a study that sorted conversations into two types, matching heading iv, “A study that categorised types of spoken exchanges.”
“catalogued each overheard conversation as either 'small talk' or 'substantive'”
- 16
Paragraph 16
i: How sounds and physical contact strengthen social connections Matching headings
Paragraph 16 links vocal exchanges with grooming and social closeness, matching heading i, “How sounds and physical contact strengthen social connections.”
“the animals reserve their call-and-response conversations, equivalent to human chitchat, for the animals they groom the most”
- 17
Paragraph 17
iii: An experiment that led to surprising results Matching headings
Paragraph 17 reports that commuters expected conversations to be unwelcome, but those who started them received positive reactions. This surprising result matches heading iii.
“Participants had predicted precisely the opposite outcome. They expected that the others on the train would have preferred to be left alone.”
- 18
Paragraph 18
ix: A range of common situations that were enhanced by small talk Matching headings
Paragraph 18 gives several situations—coffee shops, galleries and a waiting room—where small talk improved social experiences, matching heading ix.
“Every day we have opportunities to transform potentially impersonal exchanges into genuine social interactions”
- 19
Paragraph 19
v: The personality types that find small talk more difficult Matching headings
Paragraph 19 explains how personality affects starting and developing small talk, matching heading v, “The personality types that find small talk more difficult.”
“people who were rated by the researchers as 'less curious about all aspects of life' had trouble getting a conversation going on their own”
- 20
Interacting socially is preferable to hurrying through a transaction.
D: Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn Matching features
Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn found that chatting with a server was associated with feeling better than rushing through the interaction. This matches option D.
“people who had a social interaction with a server in a coffee shop felt better emotionally than people who were in a rush to get everything done”
- 21
People whose conversations are mainly of a personal and meaningful nature are more satisfiedwith their lives.
A: Matthias R. Mehl and Simine Vazire Matching features
Mehl and Vazire found that people with more substantive, or meaningful, conversations were more likely to feel happy and fulfilled. This matches option A.
“people who had more substantive conversations were more likely to say they were feeling happy and fulfilled overall”
- 22
There is more than one species whose members communicate for social reasons.
B: Ipek Kulahci Matching features
Kulahci studied lemurs communicating through call-and-response exchanges and compared this with human chitchat, showing social communication in more than one species. This matches option B.
“the animals reserve their call-and-response conversations, equivalent to human chitchat, for the animals they groom the most”
- 23
Some people find it easier than others to change the subject of a conversation.
E: Todd Kashdan Matching features
Kashdan’s study shows that curious people could more easily move from ordinary subjects to intimate ones, while less curious people needed topics to help them. This matches option E.
“people who were deemed 'curious' needed no help transforming conversations about ordinary things like favourite holidays into other areas of conversation that allowed for intimate exchanges”
- 24
commuters Note completion
The passage says the volunteers were told whether to talk with other commuters who regularly took the same train. The missing word is “commuters.”
“talk with other commuters who usually took the same train to work every day”
- 25
paintings Note completion
Visitors who were drawn into conversation felt more connected to the paintings. The missing word is “paintings.”
“the visitors felt happier and more connected to the paintings than those who were not approached”
- 26
topics Note completion
The passage says less curious people benefited from being supplied with topics to help start and develop conversations. The missing word is “topics.”
“they had greater luck building closeness with others when they were supplied with topics that encouraged people to open up”
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