Activities for Children Reading Answers

Jan 27, 2023

Activities for Children Reading Answers contains sample answers about different activities for children. Activities for Children Reading Answers comprising 13 different types of questions. IELTS Activities for Children Reading Answers contains three types of questions, namely- identify the paragraph, true/false/not given and choose the correct letter. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly and identify the paragraph that contains the given statement. Candidates are required to answer whether the given statement is true, false or not given on the basis of their understanding of the passage. Candidates are supposed to choose the correct letter from the given options for the last set of questions. To gain proficiency, candidates can practise from the IELTS Reading practice papers

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Activities for Children Reading Answers

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 Science at the University of Exeter. ‘If children continue to be this inactive, they’ll be storing up big problems for the future.’
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 per cent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation. Armstrong adds, “heart is a muscle and need exercise, or it loses its strength.” It also found that 13 percent of boys and 10 percent 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.
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’s 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.
As a former junior football international, Professor Armstrong is a passionate advocate for the sport. Although the Government has poured millions into beefing up the 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 no 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 percent 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.
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-space hopper. ‘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.
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, running, skipping, 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.
A Prevention survey found that children whose parents keep in shape are much more likely to have healthy body weights themselves. “There’s nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do and not doing it yourself,” says Elizabeth Ward, 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.”

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Question 1-4
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A–G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

Health and living conditions of children.
health organizations monitored physical activity.
comparison of exercise time between the UK and other countries.
wrong approach for school activity.

Question 1:

Answer: Paragraph A
Supporting sentence: 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.
Keywords: Health, Living condition, Children
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 1st line
Explanation: According to paragraph A, youngsters in London enjoyed going to school and playing outside after school and on weekends 25 years ago. However, today's parents constantly worry about their children's safety as they send them off to school. As a result, kids spend more time indoors, glued to their televisions and video games. Hence, the answer is paragraph A.

Question 2:

Answer. Paragraph B
Supporting sentence: The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation
Keywords: Health organization, monitored, physical activity
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 2nd line
Explanation: According to paragraph B, 700 children aged 11 to 16 were observed during the survey. It was shown that 48% of girls and 41% of boys had cholesterol levels that were unsafe. These are the levels that the American Heart Foundation has established for kids. Hence, the answer is paragraph B.

Question 3:

Answer: Paragraph C
Supporting sentence: 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: Comparison, exercise time, UK and other countries
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 1st line
Explanation: According to paragraph C, there is pressure on physical education in the UK. The average school gives it no more than 100 minutes of curricular time per week. Compared to many other European nations, it is lower. Hence, the answer is paragraph C.

Question 4:

Answer: Paragraph D
Supporting sentence: there is less commitment to it as part of the crammed school curriculum.
Keywords: Wrong, approach, school activity
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 2nd line
Explanation: The crowded educational curriculum, according to paragraph D, results in less commitment. Therefore, the answer is paragraph D.

Questions 5-8:

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

In boxes 5- 8 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

According to the American Heart Foundation, cholesterol levels of boys are higher than girls’.
British children generally do less exercise than some other European countries.
Skipping becomes more and more popular in schools in the UK.
According to Healthy Kids, the first task is for parents to encourage their children to keep the same healthy body weight.

Question 5:

Answer: Not given
Supporting sentence: The survey, which monitored 700 11-16-year-olds, found that 48 per cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys already exceeded safe cholesterol levels set for children by the American Heart Foundation.
Keyword: Cholesterol, survey, girls, boys
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 2nd line
Explanation: The relevant information regarding the statement is not given in the passage.

Question 6:

Answer: True
Supporting sentence: UK ranks 13th out of the 25 countries, with Ireland bottom, averaging under an hour a week for PE.
Keywords: British children, less, exercise, European countries
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 6th line
Explanation:According to paragraph C, the UK is ranked 13th out of 25 countries, with Ireland coming in last with an average weekly PE time of around one hour. Hence, the given statement is true.

Question 7:

Answer: Not Given
Supporting sentence: It can be anything that gets your heart rate up: such as walking the dog, swimming, running, skipping, hiking.
Keyword: skipping
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 2nd line
Explanation:The relevant information regarding the statement is not given in the passage.

Question 8:

Answer: False
Supporting sentence: There’s nothing worse than telling a child what he needs to do and not doing it yourself
Keywords: Healthy kids, task, parents, children, healthy, body weight
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, 2nd Line
Explanation: Nothing is worse, according to paragraph G, than advising a youngster what to do but failing to follow through on your own advice. So, the above statement is false because kids usually find their own healthy weight. Therefore, it is quite inappropriate for parents to instruct their children on what to do or not do.

Questions 9-13:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers next to 9-13 on your answer sheet.

Question 9. According to paragraph A, what does Professor Neil Armstrong concern about?

Spending more time on TV affect the academic level
Parents have less time to stay with their children
The future health of British children
Increasing speed of property’s development

Answer: (C)
Supporting sentence: If children continue to be this inactive, they’ll be storing up big problems for the future.
Keywords: Future, health, British, children
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 6th line
Explanation: Professor Neil Armstrong expresses concern in paragraph A on the long-term effects of children's inactivity. It claims that youngsters will be storing up significant issues for the future if they remain this idle. Hence, the right answer is option C.

Question 10. What does Armstrong indicate in Paragraph B?

We need to take a 10-minute walk every day.
We should do more activity to exercise our heart.
Girls’ situation is better than boys.
Exercise can cure many diseases.

Answer: (B)
Supporting sentence: heart is a muscle and need exercise, or it loses its strength
Keywords: activity, heart, exercise
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 4th line
Explanation: Professor Neil Armstrong says that people need to engage in more activities in paragraph A. This is because, as a muscle, the heart has to be exercised. Heart power can be reduced by inactivity. Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Question 11. What is the aim of Fit Kids’ training?

Make profit by running several sessions.
Only concentrate on one activity for each child.
To guide parents on how to organize activities for children.
Spread the idea that team sport is better.

Answer: (C)
Supporting sentence: Fit Kids trains parents to run fitness classes for children.
Keywords: guide, parents, organize, activities, children
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 5th line
Explanation: According to paragraph F, the goal of the fit kids programme is to prepare parents to lead fitness sessions for kids. Hence, the right answer is option C.

Question 12. What did Lifshitz suggest at the end of this passage?

Create opportunities to exercise your body.
Taking the elevator saves your time.
Kids should spend more than 200 calories each day.
We should never drive but walk.

Answer: (A)
Supporting sentence: 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: create, opportunities, exercise, body
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, 7th line
Explanation: Lifshitz argues in paragraph G that we should incorporate physical activity into the family through specific means. Using stairs, parking far from the mall, or walking to local homes are a few examples. Thus the correct answer is option A.

Question 13. What is the main idea of this passage?

health of the children who are overweight is at risk in the future
children in the UK need proper exercises
government mistaken approach for children
parents play the most important role in children’s activity

Answer: (B)
Supporting sentence: 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.
Keyword: UK
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, line 1
Explanation:According to paragraph C, there is pressure on physical education in the UK. The average school gives it no more than 100 minutes of curricular time per week. In comparison to many other European nations, this is less. As a result, the passage's main point is that kids in the UK need to exercise properly. So, the right option would be B.

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