Capital Punishment Reading Answers

Jul 5, 2024

Capital Punishment Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. The Capital Punishment Reading Answers have a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions, you have to choose the correct section from the given statements. In the next section, you have to tell whether the statement is true or false.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as The Capital Punishment Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Capital Punishment

Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment and since ancient times it has been used for a wide variety of offences. The Bible prescribes death for murder and many other crimes including kidnapping and witchcraft. By 1500 in England, only major felonies carried the death penalty treason, murder, larceny, burglary, rape, and arson. From 1723, under the "Waltham Black Acts", Parliament enacted many new capital offences and this led to an increase in the number of people being put to death each year. In the 100 years from 1740 - 1839 there were a total of up to 8753 civilian executions in England. Reform of the death penalty began in Europe by the 1750's and was championed by academics such as the Italian jurist, Cesare Beccaria, the French philosopher.
Voltaire, and the English law reformers, Jeremy Bentham and Samuel Romilly. They argued that the death penalty was needlessly cruel over-rated as a deterrent and occasionally imposed in fatal error. Along with Quaker leaders and other social reformers, they defended life imprisonment as a more rational alternative. By the 1850's, these reform efforts began to bear fruit. Venezuela (1853) and Portugal (1867) were the first nations to abolish the death penalty altogether. In the United States, Michigan was the first state to abolish it formurder in 1847. Today, it is virtually abolished in all of Western Europe and most of Latin America. Britain effectively abolished capital punishment in 1965. The USA, together with China, Japan and many Asian and Middle Eastern countries, plus some African states still retain the death penalty for certain crimes and impose it with varying frequency.
The state clearly has no absolute right to put its subjects to death other. In most countries, it is by arming their police forces and although, of course, almost all countries do so in some form or accepting the fact that people will from time to time be shot as a result and therefore at the state's behest. A majority of a state's subjects may wish to confer the right to put certain classes of criminal to death through referendum or voting in state elections for candidates favoring capital punishment. Majority opinion in some democratic countries, including the U.K., is still in favor of the death penalty. It is reasonable to assume that if a majority is in favor of a particular thing in a democracy, their wishes should be seriously considered with equal consideration given to the downside of their views. A fact that is conveniently overlooked by anti-capital punishment campaigners is that we are all ultimately going to die. In many cases, we will know of this in advance and suffer great pain and emotional anguish in the process. This is particularly true of those diagnosed as having terminal cancer. It is apparently acceptable to be "sentenced to death" by one's family doctor without having committed any crime at all but totally unacceptable to be sentenced to death by a judge having been convicted of murder or drug trafficking (the crimes for which the majority of executions worldwide are carried out) after a fair and careful trial.
Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or after being released from it. Money is not an inexhaustible commodity and the government may very well better spend our (limited) resources on the old, the young and the sick etc., rather than on the long term imprisonment of murderers, rapists, etc. Execution is a very real punishment rather than some form of "rehabilitative" treatment, the criminal is made to suffer in proportion to the offense.
Although whether there is a place in a modern society for the old fashioned principle of "lex talens" (an eye for an eye) is a matter of personal opinion. Retribution is seen by many as an acceptable reason for the death penalty according to my survey results. Does the death penalty deter? It is hard to prove one way or the other because in most retentionist countries the number of people actually executed per year (as compared to those sentenced to death) is usually a very small proportion. It would, however, seem that in those countries (e.g. Singapore) which almost always carry out death sentences, there is far less serious crime. This tends to indicate that the death penalty is a deterrent, but only where execution is a virtual certainty. The death penalty is much more likely to be a deterrent where the crime requires planning and the potential criminal has time to think about the possible consequences.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 14-16

Reading passage 1 has three sections, A-C. Choose the correct heading for each section A-C.

Write the correct number, i-vi.

Section A

Answer: IV
Supporting statement:“.......Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment and since ancient times it has been used for a wide variety of offences.........”
Keywords: penalty, ancient
Keyword Location: para A, line 1
Explanation: Para A provides a historical overview of capital punishment, including its use in ancient times and its reform in Europe, making "The history of the death penalty" the appropriate heading.

Section B

Answer: II
Supporting statement:“........it is by arming their police forces and although, of course, almost all countries do so in some form or accepting the fact that people will from time to time be shot as a result and therefore at the state's behest.........”
Keywords: state, right
Keyword Location: para B, line 1
Explanation: Para B discusses the ethical considerations of capital punishment, including the state's right to enforce it and public opinion on the matter, aligning with the heading "Is capital punishment ethically acceptable?

Section C

Answer: VI
Supporting statement:“.......Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration.........”
Keywords: favour, death
Keyword Location: para C, line 1
Explanation: Para C highlights the arguments in favor of capital punishment, such as permanent incapacitation of criminals and financial benefits, fitting the heading "Points in favor of death penalty.

The financial benefits
Is capital punishment ethically acceptable?
Social reformers
The history of death penalty
The only effective deterrent
Points in favour of death penalty

Questions 17-20

Which four of the following are mentioned as the positive aspects of capital punishment?

Write the correct letter, A-G.

Welcomed by all without criticism.
Permanent incapacitation of the criminal.
Enjoy support of religious groups.
Helps save money
Suitable punishment for heinous crimes
The most effective deterrent of crime
Less painful for the criminal

Ques 17:

Answer: B
Supporting statement:“.......Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration.........”
Keywords: incapacitation, criminal
Keyword Location: para C, line 1
Explanation: This statement indicates that capital punishment ensures criminals cannot reoffend.

Ques 18:

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“........Money is not an inexhaustible commodity and the government may very well better spend our (limited) resources on the old, the young and the sick etc., rather than on the long term
imprisonment of murderers, rapists, etc........”
Keywords: money, limited
Keyword Location: para C, line 3
Explanation: This indicates that capital punishment is seen as a cost-saving measure compared to long-term imprisonment.

Ques 19:

Answer: E
Supporting statement:“........Execution is a very real punishment rather than some form of 'rehabilitative' treatment, the criminal is made to suffer in proportion to the offense........”
Keywords: punishment, heinous
Keyword Location: para C, line 4
Explanation: This statement suggests that capital punishment is viewed as a fitting punishment for severe crimes.

Ques 20:

Answer: F
Supporting statement:“.......This tends to indicate that the death penalty is a deterrent, but only where execution is a virtual certainty.........”
Keywords: deterrent, crime
Keyword Location: para C, last line
Explanation: This suggests that capital punishment can deter crime, especially when executions are carried out consistently.

Questions 21-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 21-26 of 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

In England, capital punishment was practiced on a large scale for half a century till the 1970s.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“.......In the 100 years from 1740 - 1839 there were a total of up to 8753 civilian executions in England..........”
Keywords: punishment, large
Keyword Location: para A, line 4
Explanation: This indicates a high number of executions in a specific historical period, but only in the 1970s. Capital punishment was effectively abolished in Britain in 1965.

In some countries, most people tend to support the death penalty.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“.........Majority opinion in some democratic countries, including the U.K., is still in favor of the death penalty........”
Keywords: countries, most
Keyword Location: para B, line 4
Explanation: This confirms that in some countries, there is significant public support for capital punishment.

Singapore has the lowest crime rate.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The text does not provide comparative crime rates to assert that Singapore has the lowest crime rate.

Death penalty will make criminals think twice before committing crimes.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting statement:“.........The death penalty is much more likely to be a deterrent where the crime requires planning and the potential criminal has time to think about the possible consequences.......”
Keywords: criminals, think
Keyword Location: para C, line 4
Explanation: This suggests that the death penalty can deter crime by making potential criminals consider the consequences.

Surveys show that many people think capital punishment is not the right crimes.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting statement:“.........Retribution is seen by many as an acceptable reason for the death penalty according to my survey results.......”
Keywords: people, capital
Keyword Location: para C, line 5
Explanation: The surveys mentioned indicate that many people find retribution a valid reason for capital punishment.

Capital punishment helps stop crime

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: While there are mentions of deterrence, the text does not definitively state that capital punishment stops crime.

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