Activities for Children Reading Answers

Jun 16, 2026

Activities for Children Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Activities for Children Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions. In the question set you have to choose which paragraph contains the given statement. In the next question set given, you have to state whether the statement is true, false, or not given with the information given in the text.

In the last question set given, you have to Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

Activities for Children

A. Twenty-five years ago, children in London walked to school and played in parks and playing fields after school and at the weekend. Today, they are usually driven to school by parents anxious about safety and spend hours glued to television screens or computer games. Meanwhile, community playing fields are being sold off to property developers at an alarming rate. This change in lifestyle has, sadly, meant greater restrictions on children,' says Neil Armstrong, Professor of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of Exeter. 'If children continue to be this inactive, they'll be storing up big problems for the future.'

B. In 1985, Professor Armstrong headed a five-year research project into children's fitness. The results, published in 1990, were alarming. The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 percent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation. Armstrong adds, "The heart is a muscle and needs exercise, or it loses its strength." It also found that 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls were overweight. More disturbingly, the survey found that over a four-day period, half the girls and one-third of the boys did less exercise than the equivalent of a brisk 10-minute walk. High levels of cholesterol, excess body fat, and inactivity are believed to increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

C. Physical education is under pressure in the UK - most schools devote little more than 100 minutes a week to it in curriculum time, which is less than many other European countries. Three European countries are giving children a head start in PE: France, Austria and Switzerland - offer at least two hours in primary and secondary schools. These findings, from the European Union of Physical Education Associations, prompted specialists in children's physiology to call on European governments to give youngsters a daily PE programme. The survey shows that the UK ranks 13th out of the 25 countries, with Ireland at the bottom, averaging under an hour a week for PE. From age six to 18, British children received, on average, 106 minutes of PE a week. Professor Armstrong, who presented the findings at the meeting, noted that since the introduction of the national curriculum, there had been a marked fall in the time devoted to PE in UK schools, with only a minority of pupils getting two hours a week.

D. As a former junior football international, Professor Armstrong is a passionate advocate for sport. Although the Government has poured millions into beefing up sport in the community, there is less commitment to it as part of the crammed school curriculum. This means that many children never acquire the necessary skills to thrive in team games. If they are not good at them, they lose interest and establish an inactive pattern of behaviour. When this is coupled with a poor diet, it will lead inevitably to weight gain. Seventy per cent of British children give up all sport when they leave school, compared with only 20 per cent of French teenagers. Professor Armstrong believes that there is far too great an emphasis on team games at school. "We need to look at the time devoted to PE and balance it between individual and pair activities, such as aerobics and badminton, as well as team sports. "He added that children need to have the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of individual, partner, and team sports.

E. The good news, however, is that a few small companies and children's activity groups have reacted positively and creatively to the problem. Take That, shouts Gloria Thomas, striking a disco pose astride her mini-spacehopper. Take That, echo a flock of toddlers, adopting outrageous postures astride their space hoppers. 'Michael Jackson, she shouts, and they all do a spoof fan-crazed shriek. During the wild and chaotic hopper race across the studio floor, commands like this are issued and responded to with untrammelled glee. The sight of 15 bouncing seven-year-olds who seem about to launch into orbit at every bounce brings tears to the eyes. Uncoordinated, loud, excited, and emotional, children provide raw comedy.

F. Any cardiovascular exercise is a good option, and it doesn't necessarily have to be high intensity. It can be anything that gets your heart rate up, such as walking the dog, swimming, miming, skipping, or hiking. "Even walking through the grocery store can be exercise," Samis-Smith said. What they don't know is that they're at a Fit Kids class, and that the fun is a disguise for the serious exercise plan they're covertly being taken through. Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children. 'Ninety per cent of children don't like team sports,' says company director, Gillian Gale.

G. A Prevention survey found that children whose parents keep in shape are not more likely to have," says healthy Elizabeth body weights Ward, themselves. "There's nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do and R.D., a Boston nutritional consultant and author of Healthy Foods, Healthy Kids. "Set a good example and get your nutritional house in order first." In the 1930s and '40s, kids expended 800 calories a day just walking, carrying water, and doing other chores, notes Fima Lifshitz, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist in Santa Barbara. "Now, kids in obese families are expending only 200 calories a day in physical activity," says Lifshitz, "incorporate more movement in your family's life, park farther away from the stores at the mall, take stairs instead of the elevator, and walk to nearby friends' houses instead of driving."

Questions 14-17

Which paragraph contains the following information?

14. Health and living condition of children

Answer: B

Supporting statement: The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 percent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels... It also found that 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls were overweight.

Keywords: cholesterol levels, overweight, body fat, health, children

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 2-5

Explanation: Paragraph B outlines the health metrics (cholesterol levels and weight issues) of children, which directly reflect their health status and lifestyle conditions.

15. Health organization monitored physical activity

Answer: B

Supporting statement: found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 percent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation.

Keywords: safe cholesterol levels, American Heart Foundation

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 3-4

Explanation: This paragraph names a specific health organization (the American Heart Foundation) whose standards were used to evaluate and monitor the physical well-being and health risks of the children surveyed.

16. Comparison of exercise time between the UK and other countries

Answer: C

Supporting statement: Three European countries are giving children a head start in PE: France, Austria and Switzerland - offer at least two hours in primary and secondary schools... The survey shows that the UK ranks 13th out of the 25 countries

Keywords: UK ranks 13th, European countries, France, Austria, Switzerland

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 2-5

Explanation: Paragraph C explicitly contrasts the time devoted to physical education in the UK (averaging 106 minutes a week) with other European nations like France, Austria, Switzerland, and Ireland.

17. Wrong approach for school activity

Answer: D

Supporting statement: Professor Armstrong believes that there is far too great an emphasis on team games at school. 'We need to look at the time devoted to PE and balance it between individual and pair activities

Keywords: too great an emphasis, team games, balance

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 6-8

Explanation: Paragraph D details how schools are taking the wrong approach by overemphasizing team sports, which causes children who do not excel at them to lose interest and drop out of sports entirely.

Questions 18-21

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet, 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

18. According to the American Heart Foundation, cholesterol levels of boys are higher than girls.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 percent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation.

Keywords: 48 per cent of girls, 41 percent of boys, cholesterol levels

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 2-4

Explanation: The text states that 48% of girls exceeded safe cholesterol levels compared to 41% of boys. Therefore, girls had higher rates of elevated cholesterol than boys, contradicting the statement.

19. British children generally do less exercise than in some other European countries.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: Physical education is under pressure in the UK - most schools devote little more than 100 minutes a week to it in curriculum time, which is less than many other European countries.

Keywords: less than, European countries, under pressure

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 1-2

Explanation: The text clearly asserts that the time UK schools dedicate to PE is less than what is offered in many other European countries.

20. Skipping becomes more and more popular in schools in the UK.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: While skipping is mentioned by Samis-Smith as an example of a good cardiovascular activity, the text never discusses whether it is increasing in popularity within UK schools.

21. According to Healthy Kids, the first task is for parents to encourage their children to keep the same healthy body weight.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: There's nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do... Set a good example and get your nutritional house in order first,' says healthy Elizabeth body weights Ward, themselves. R.D., a Boston nutritional consultant and author of Healthy Foods, Healthy Kids.

Keywords: telling a child, Set a good example, house in order first

Keyword Location: Para G, Lines 2-4

Explanation: Elizabeth Ward (author of Healthy Foods, Healthy Kids) explicitly states that parents should not just tell children what to do; instead, the first task is for parents to set a good example and manage their own nutrition first.

Questions 22-26

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

22. According to paragraph A, what does Professor Neil Armstrong concern about?

A. Spending more time on TV affects academic level

B. Parents have less time to stay with their children

C. Future health of British children

D. Increasing speed of the property's development

Answer: C

Supporting statement: If children continue to be this inactive, they'll be storing up big problems for the future.'

Keywords: big problems, future, inactive

Keyword Location: Para A, Line 7

Explanation: In the text, Professor Armstrong explicitly states that the current sedentary lifestyle of children is "storing up big problems for the future."

23. What does Armstrong indicate in Paragraph B?

A. We need to take a 10-minute walk every day

B. We should do more activity to exercise the heart

C. Girls' situation is better than boys

D. Exercise can cure many disease

Answer: B

Supporting statement: Armstrong adds, 'The heart is a muscle and needs exercise, or it loses its strength.

Keywords: heart, muscle, needs exercise, loses its strength

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The text quotes Armstrong explaining that "the heart is a muscle and needs exercise, or it loses its strength." This statement directly supports option B, emphasizing the physiological necessity of physical activity to keep the heart functioning properly.

24. What is the aim of Fit Kids' training?

A. Make a profit by running several sessions

B. Only concentrate on one activity for each child

C. TO guide parents on how to organize activities for children

D. Spread the idea that team sport is better

Answer: C

Supporting statement: Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children.

Keywords: trains parents to run fitness classes

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 4

Explanation: The passage explicitly defines the purpose of the organization by stating, "Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children.

25. What did Lifshitz suggest at the end of this passage?

A. Create opportunities to exercise your body

B. Taking the elevator saves your time

C. Kids should spend more than 200 calories each day

D. We should never drive but walk

Answer: A

Supporting statement: incorporate more movement in your family's life, park farther away from the stores at the mall, take stairs instead of the elevator, and walk to nearby friends' houses instead of driving

Keywords: incorporate more movement, take stairs, walk

Keyword Location: Para G, Lines 7-9

Explanation: Dr. Lifshitz suggests practical, everyday changes such as parking farther away, taking the stairs, and walking to friends' houses. These examples are all meant to help families deliberately build small opportunities for physical movement into their daily routines

26. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. health of the children who are overweight is at risk in the future

B. Children in the UK need proper exercises

C. Government's mistaken approach for children

D. Parents play the most important role in children's activity

Answer: B

Supporting statement: This change in lifestyle has, sadly, meant greater restrictions on children... If children continue to be this inactive, they'll be storing up big problems... We need to look at the time devoted to PE and balance it

Keywords: inactive, physical education, UK schools, exercise

Keyword Location: Throughout the text

Explanation: The overall text analyzes the decline of physical activity among British children, compares UK school PE times unfavorably to other European nations, and highlights new initiatives designed to combat this sedentary trend. Therefore, the central theme is that children in the UK require structured and proper exercise to avoid future health crises

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