Experience Versus Speed Reading Answers

Jan 4, 2023

Experience Versus Speed Reading Answers is a discussion about the experience and speed between Jake and his grandmother, Rita. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers”. The topic named Experience Versus Speed Reading Answers comes with 12 sets of questions. The topic includes three different sorts of questions, such as, choose the correct answer, choose the correct letter, and complete the following sentences. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. Similar kinds of topics like Experience Versus Speed Reading Answers are included in the IELTS reading practice papers, which the candidates can take into their consideration for performing a good score in this section.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Experience Versus Speed Reading Answers

Jake, aged 16, has a terrific relationship with his grandmother Rita, who is 70. They live close by, and they even take a Spanish class together twice a week at a local college. After class, they sometimes stop at a cafe for a snack. On one occasion, Rita tells Jake, 'I think it's great how fast you pick up new grammar. It takes me a lot longer.' Jake replies, 'Yeah, but you don't seem to make as many silly mistakes on the quizzes as I do. How do you do that?'

In that moment, Rita and Jake stumbled across an interesting set of differences between older and younger minds. Popular psychology says that as people age their brains 'slow down'. The implication, of course, is that elderly men and women are not as mentally agile as middle-aged adults or even teenagers. However, although certain brain functions such as perception and reaction time do indeed take longer, that slowing down does not necessarily undermine mental sharpness. Indeed, evidence shows that older people are just as mentally fit as younger people because their brains compensate for some kinds of declines in creative ways that young minds do not exploit.

Just as people's bodies age at different rates, so do their minds. As adults advance in age, the perception of sights, sounds and smells takes a bit longer, and laying down new information into memory becomes more difficult. The ability to retrieve memories also quickly slides and it is sometimes harder to concentrate and maintain attention.

On the other hand, the ageing brain can create significant benefits by tapping into its extensive hoard of accumulated knowledge and experience. The biggest trick that older brains employ is to use both hemispheres simultaneously to handle tasks for which younger brains rely predominantly on one side. Electronic images taken by cognitive scientists at the University of Michigan, for example, have demonstrated that even when doing basic recognition or memorization exercises, seniors exploit the left and right side of the brain more extensively than men and women who are decades younger. Drawing on both sides of the brain gives them a tactical edge, even if the speed of each hemisphere's process is slower.

In another experiment, Michael Falkenstein of the University of Dortmund in Germany found that when elders were presented with new computer exercises they paused longer before reacting and took longer to complete the tasks, yet they made 50% fewer errors, probably because of their more deliberate pace.

One analogy for these results might be the question of who can type a paragraph 'better': a 16-year-old who glides along at 60 words per minute but has to double back to correct a number of mistakes or a 70-year-old who strikes keys at only 40 words per minute but spends less time fixing errors? In the end, if 'better' is defined as completing a clean paragraph. both people may end up taking the same amount of time.

Computerized tests support the notion that accuracy can offset speed. In one so-called distraction exercise, subjects were told to look at a screen, wait for an arrow that pointed in a certain direction to appear, and then use a mouse to click on the arrow as soon as it appeared on the screen. Just before the correct symbol appeared, however, the computer displayed numerous other arrows aimed in various other directions. Although younger subjects cut through the confusion faster when the correct arrow suddenly popped up, they more frequently clicked on incorrect arrows in their haste.

Older test takers are equally capable of other tasks that do not depend on speed, such as language comprehension and processing. In these cases, however. the elders utilize the brain's available resources in a different way. Neurologists at Northwest University came to this conclusion after analyzing 50 people ranging from age 23 to 78. The subjects had to lie down in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine and concentrate on two different lists of printed words posted side by side in front of them. By looking at the lists, they were to find pairs of words that were similar in either meaning or spelling.

The eldest participants did just as well on the tests as the youngest did, and yet the MRI scans indicated that in the elders' brains, the areas which are responsible for language recognition and interpretation were much less active. The researchers did find that the older people had more activity in brain regions responsible for attentiveness. Darren Gleitman, who headed the study, concluded that older brains solved the problems just as effectively but by different means.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-3

Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D and write them on your answer sheet from 1-3

The conversation between Jake and Rita is used to give an example of

the way we learn languages.
the changes that occur in our brains over time.
the fact that it is easier to learn a language at a young age.
the importance of young and old people doing things together.

In paragraph six, what point is the analogy used to illustrate?

Working faster is better than working slower.
Accuracy is less important than speed.
Accuracy can improve over time.
Working faster does not always save time.

In the computerized distraction exercises, the subjects had to

react to a particular symbol on the screen.
type a text as quickly as possible.
move an arrow in different directions around the screen.
click on every arrow that appeared on the screen.

Question 1:

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Popular psychology says that as people age their brains 'slow down'
Keyword: Popular psychology, brains, 'slow down'
Keyword location: paragraph 2, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 2 puts forth a conversation in between Jake and his grandmother being shuffled around a discussion. According to popular psychology, when people get older, their minds "slow down." Naturally, the suggestion is that older people are less cognitively flexible than middle-aged people or even teens.

Question 2:

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: One analogy for these results might be the question of who can type a paragraph 'better': a 16-year-old who glides along at 60 words per minute but has to double back to correct a number of mistakes or a 70-year-old who strikes keys at only 40 words per minute but spends less time fixing errors?
Keyword: analogy, 60 words per minute, mistakes
Keyword location: paragraph 6
Explanation: The sixth paragraph implies that a comparison for these findings may be made between a 16-year-old who types at 60 words per minute. However, frequently has to go back and fix mistakes, and a 70-year-old who types at just 40 words per minute but spends less time doing so. Last but not least, if "better" is a paragraph that is finished and free of errors. It can take the same length of time for both people.

Question 3:

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: Just before the correct symbol appeared, however, the computer displayed numerous other arrows aimed in various other directions
Keyword: correct symbol appeared, displayed, arrows
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 1-3
Explanation: The first three lines of paragraph 3 states that the idea that precision can outweigh speed is supported by computer experiments. In one "distraction" test, participants were instructed to stare at a screen. They had to wait for an arrow pointing in a particular direction to emerge, and then click on the arrow as soon as it appeared on the screen using a mouse. The computer, however, displayed a number of different arrows pointing in various other directions just before the correct sign emerged.

Questions 4-7

Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-F.

Write the correct letter A-F in boxes 4-7 on your answer sheet

According to popular psychology

Researchers at the University of Michigan showed that

Michael Falkenstein discovered that

Scientists at Northwest University concluded that

the older we get the harder it is to concentrate for any length of time.
seniors take longer to complete tasks but with greater accuracy.
old people use both parts of their brain more than young people.
older people use their brains differently but achieve the same result.
the speed of our brain decreases with age.
older people do not cope well with new technology.

Question 4:

Answer: E
Supporting sentence: Popular psychology says that as people age their brains 'slow down'.
Keyword: Popular psychology, brains, slow down
Keyword location: paragraph 2, lines 2-3
Explanation: The second and third lines of paragraph 2 clarifies that according to mainstream psychology, people's brains "slow down" as they get older. Naturally, the suggestion is that older people are less cognitively flexible than middle-aged people or even teens. Though some mental processes, including perception and reaction time, do take longer than others, mental acuity is not always compromised by this slowing down. In fact, research demonstrates that elderly people are just as mentally healthy as younger ones. This is because their brains creatively make up for some types of decreases that youthful minds do not take advantage of.

Question 5:

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Electronic images taken by cognitive scientists at the University of Michigan, for example, have demonstrated that even when doing basic recognition or memorization exercises, seniors exploit the left and right side of the brain more extensively than men and women who are decades younger
Keyword: cognitive scientists, University of Michigan, seniors
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 3
Explanation: The largest trick older brains use is using both hemispheres concurrently to do tasks that younger brains primarily use one side of it. Researchers at the University of Michigan have used electronic images. They used it to show that even when performing simple identification or memorization tasks, seniors use the left and right sides of the brain. They used it more than men and women who are decades younger.

Question 6:

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: In another experiment, Michael Falkenstein of the University of Dortmund in Germany found that when elders were presented with new computer exercises they paused longer before reacting and took longer to complete the tasks, yet they made 50% fewer errors, probably because of their more deliberate pace.
Keyword: Michael Falkenstein, elders, deliberate pace
Keyword location: paragraph 5
Explanation: The fifth paragraph of the passage portrays that in a different study, Michael Falkenstein of the University of Dortmund in Germany discovered something. It was that when older people were given new computer exercises, they took longer to finish the tasks. They also hesitated longer before responding, but they committed 50% fewer mistakes, likely because of their slower, more deliberate pace.

Question 7:

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: Neurologists at Northwest University came to this conclusion after analyzing 50 people ranging from age 23 to 78.
Keyword: Neurologists, Northwest University, conclusion
Keyword location: paragraph 8, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 8 points out that other activities, like language processing and understanding, do not need speed. So, older test takers are as competent in them. However, in certain situations, the elderly use the brain's resources in a different way. After examining 50 individuals ranging in age from 23 to 78, neurologists at Northwest University arrived at this result.

Questions 8-12

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in spaces 8-12 of your answer sheet.

People's bodies and 8 __________ grow older at varying stages. As we age our senses take longer to process information and our aptitude for recalling 9 __________ also decreases. However, older people's brains do have several advantages. Firstly, they can call upon both the 10 __________ and 11 __________ which is already stored in their brain. Secondly, although the 12__________ of each side of their brain is reduced, they are able to use both sides at once.

Question 8:

Answer: minds
Supporting sentence: Just as people's bodies age at different rates, so do their minds
Keyword: people's, bodies, minds
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph 3 suggests that people age at various rates mentally, just like their physical bodies do. As humans get older, it gets harder to commit new information to memory and the perception of sights, sounds, and odours takes a little longer. It occasionally becomes more difficult to focus and sustain attention, and the capacity to recall memories swiftly deteriorates.

Question 9:

Answer: memories
Supporting sentence: The ability to retrieve memories also quickly slides and it is sometimes harder to concentrate and maintain attention.
Keyword: retrieve, memories, slides
Keyword location: paragraph 3, last line
Explanation: Paragraph 3 portrays people mature at varying rates mentally, just as they do physically. As humans get older, it gets harder to commit new information to memory and the perception of sights, sounds, and odors takes a little longer. It occasionally becomes more difficult to focus and sustain attention, and the capacity to recall memories swiftly deteriorates.

Question 10:

Answer: knowledge
Supporting sentence: On the other hand, the ageing brain can create significant benefits by tapping into its extensive hoard of accumulated knowledge and experience.
Keyword: ageing brain, accumulated, knowledge
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 4 says that the ageing brain can generate enormous advantages by drawing on its vast store of amassed information and experience.

Question 11:

Answer: experience
Supporting sentence: On the other hand, the ageing brain can create significant benefits by tapping into its extensive hoard of accumulated knowledge and experience.
Keyword: ageing brain, accumulated, experience
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 1
Explanation: Paragraph 4 in the given passage points an important thing. It states that although, by utilizing its vast store of amassed information and experience, the ageing brain can produce tremendous benefits. The largest trick used by older brains is the simultaneous employment of both hemispheres to complete tasks that younger brains tend to favour one side for.

Question 12:

Answer: speed
Supporting sentence: Drawing on both sides of the brain gives them a tactical edge, even if the speed of each hemisphere's process is slower.
Keyword: both sides, speed, slower
Keyword location: paragraph 4, last line
Explanation: Paragraph 4 portrays that for instance, electronic images captured by cognitive scientists at the University of Michigan. It has shown that even when performing simple identification or memorization tasks, seniors use the left and right sides of the brain. They use it more than men and women who are decades younger. Even though each hemisphere's processing is slower than the other, drawing on both sides of the brain gives them a tactical advantage.

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