Are we Managing to Destroy Science? Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Mar 17, 2022

Are we Managing to Destroy Science Reading Answers assesses the cognition and interpretation potentials of the candidates over passages and then answering the questions. IELTS Reading test helps students in improving various kinds of skill sets. In this IELTS Reading Section, the candidates will be provided with a set of questions with specific styles and instructions. It is instructed to read those instructions thoroughly before answering. The following IELTS reading piece - Are we Managing to Destroy Science Reading Answers - caters to two types of questions:

  1. Complete the summary
  2. Select True, False, Not Given
  3. Select the correct option

Candidates must use IELTS Reading practice papers to improve their skills before appearing for the IELTS test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Are we Managing to Destroy Science? Reading Answers​

1
2
3
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Section 2

Solution with Explanation

Questions 27-34
Complete the summary
Choose NO MORE ONE WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 27-34 on your Answer sheet.

In the UK, every five years, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) inspects research institutions to determine their rate of (27) ………. This tends to cause (28) ……. in academic institutions because any failure would lead to (29) ……. – financial consequences. RAE’s purpose, however, is to increase the academic output within research institutions. In response to the (30) ……. of RAE, the research institutions are changing the way they do things. Some are forcing their research staff to (31) ……. almost anything, while others are moving (32) ……… from a laboratory focus to that of management. Another common approach utilized by management is to remove and (33) ……. underperforming research staff. The authors of this paper feel that the pressure on UK research institutions is (34) ………

  1. In the UK, every five years, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) inspect research institutions to determine their rate of ________

Answer: productivity
Supporting Sentence: The goal of this regular five-yearly check-up of the university sector is easy to understand: to increase productivity within public sector research.
Keyword: productivity, five years
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 3rd & 5th Line.
Explanation: the five yearly check is conducted by RAE and its goal as specified in the passage is to increase productivity, so this is what they check for as well.

Read More IELTS Reading Related Articles

  1. This tends to cause________ in academic institutions because any failure would lead to

Answer: anxiety
Supporting Sentence: Academic institutions are already preparing for the RAE with some anxiety
Keyword: anxiety
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, 2nd Line
Explanation: the passage says that academic institutions prepare for the RAE checks with some anxiety which means that the five yearly checking process conducted by RAE tends to cause anxiety within the research institutions.

  1. any failure would lead to ________ – financial consequences. RAE’s purpose, however, is to increase the academic output within research institutions

Answer: severe
Supporting Sentence: understandably so, for the financial consequences of failure are severe.
Keyword: severe, financial consequences
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, 3rd Line
Explanation: the passage suggests that financial consequences of failure are severe which in other words can be understood as – any kind of failure will lead to severe financial consequences.

  1. In response to the _______ of RAE, the research institutions are changing the way they do things.

Answer: pressures
Supporting Sentence:
The pressures are forcing research management onto the defensive.
Keyword:
pressures, management
Keyword Location:
Paragraph 4, 1st Line
Explanation:
The passage suggests that there are pressures which are forcing the management onto the defensive i.e., changing their way of doing things and these pressures originate from the anxiety and severe financial consequences of the five-year checks conducted by RAE.

  1. Some are forcing their research staff to _________ almost anything

Answer: publish
Supporting Sentence: Common strategies for increasing academic output include grading individual researchers every year according to RAE criteria, pressurizing them to publish anything regardless of quality,
Keyword: publish, pressurizing
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, 4th & 5th Line
Explanation: one of the goals of RAE is to increase academic output as per its criteria and in order to show compliance research institutions are forced to have its staff publish anything regardless of its worth because increasing publication would mean increased academic output.

  1. while others are moving ______ from a laboratory focus to that of management

Answer: funds
Supporting Sentence: diverting funds from key and expensive laboratory science into areas of study such as management, and even threatening to close departments.
Keyword: funds, diverting, management
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, 5th, 6th & 7th Line
Explanation: the question talks about something being moved and diverting funds is same as moving them. The direction of this movement and diversion is same as well i.e., from laboratory to management.

  1. Another common approach utilized by management is to remove and _______ underperforming research staff.

Answer: replace
Supporting Sentence: Another strategy being readily adopted is to remove scientists who appear to be less active in research and replace them with new, probably younger, staff.
Keyword: replace, less active
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, 10th Line
Explanation: the common approach or strategy being deployed by research institutions is to remove and replace scientists with new and younger staff because the former staff is less active, or one can say underperforming.

  1. The authors of this paper feel that the pressure on UK research institutions is _________

Answer: unsustainable
Supporting Sentence: Although such measures may deliver results in the RAE, they are putting unsustainable pressure on academic staff.
Keyword: unsustainable, pressure
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, 2nd Line
Explanation: the questions need us to identify what kind of pressures are being put on research institutions which can also mean academic staff because the staff works therein. The passage says that unsustainable pressures are being put on academic staff.

Questions (35-38)

Do the following Statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 35-38 in your answer sheet, write

TRUE, if the statement agrees with information provided
FALSE, if the information provided is contradictory to the statement.
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information to corroborate with the statement

  1. Good researchers are usually prolific publishers

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: But prolific publication does not necessarily add up to good science.
Keyword: prolific publication, good science
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, 1st & 2nd Line
Explanation: The passage says that prolific publication isn’t good science which means a prolific publisher, one who is engaged in prolific publications, will certainly not make up good research or good science as research is being conducted in science here.

  1. People in Industry seem to understand the long-term nature of research

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Senior academics managing this situation might be well advised to demand a long-term view from the government.
Keyword: well, advised, long term
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, 9th & 10th Line
Explanation: The passage mentions senior academics managing this situation which can easily be referred to as people of Industry and it stated in the passage that it's well advised to demand a long-term view from the government which means they understand the importance of long-term nature of research which is why they are demanding it.

  1. The Private sector has produced more in the way of quality research than Universities.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

  1. Management may be the only winners under the new system.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Unfortunately, management seems to be pulling in the opposite direction.
Keyword: management, opposite direction
Keyword Location: Paragraph 10, 1st & 2nd Line
Explanation: the passage states that management seems to be pulling in the opposite direction and this direction is opposite to that of research institutions as they are the subject matter of this article. So, if it's unfortunate then research institutions are losing under the new system and management pulling towards the opposite has to be the winning party.

Questions (39-40)
Choose the Correct letter A, B, C, D
Write your answers in boxes 39-40 on your Answer sheet

  1. The Early publishing records of senior researchers would
  1. Prevent institutions from employing them
  2. Rule of their chances of achieving any status using the current standards
  3. Support their application for an academic posting under the present criteria
  4. Hinder their academic prospects under the current criteria

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: However, their early publication records would preclude them from academic posts if the present criteria were applied.
Keyword: preclude, present criteria, early publication
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, 7th, 8th & 9th Line
Explanation: the passage clearly states that under present/current criteria if an early publication of records is carried out, researchers will be precluded from their academic posting which means an early publication is a hindrance to their academic prospects.

  1. Gifted new scientists need to be
  1. Managed over a decade by senior academics
  2. Guided over a ten-year period to develop their research
  3. Supported with resources over a decade to establish their research
  4. Advised of the government’s long-term view on research

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: A new member of academic staff in the chemical or biological laboratory sciences surely needs a commitment to resources over a five- to ten-year period to establish their research.
Keyword: new member, resources, five-to-ten-year period
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, 5th &7th Line
Explanation: A new member of the academic staff in a research institution will be a new scientist and the passage suggests that they need a commitment to resources over a five-to-ten-year period which means they should be supported with resources for over a decade which is ten years.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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