Half of Human Cultures Don't Practice Romantic Lip on Lip Kissing Reading Answers

Jan 23, 2023

Half of Human Cultures Don't Practice Romantic Lip on Lip Kissing Reading Answers is an academic reading topic and a brief discussion about the culture of lip kissing. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Practice Tests for Ielts 2 Volume 2”. The topic named Half of Human Cultures Don't Practice Romantic Lip on Lip Kissing Reading Answers comes with 12 different wide range of questions. Three different types of questions are included in this topic, like, True/False/Not Given, no more than two words, and choose the correct letter. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like Half of Human Cultures Don't Practice Romantic Lip on Lip Kissing Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Half of Human Cultures Don't Practice Romantic Lip on Lip Kissing Reading Answers

When you think about it, kissing is strange and a bit icky. You share saliva with someone, sometimes for a prolonged period of time. One kiss could pass on 80 million bacteria, not all of them good. Yet everyone surely remembers their first kiss, in all its embarrassing or delightful detail, and kissing continues to play a big role in new romances. At least, it does in some societies. People in western societies may assume that romantic kissing is a universal human behaviour, but a new analysis suggests that less than half of all cultures actually do it. Kissing is also extremely rare in the animal kingdom.

Previous estimates had put the figure at 90%. The new study excluded parents kissing their children, and focused solely on romantic lip-on-lip action between couples. So what's really behind this odd behaviour? If it is useful, why don't all animals do it - and all humans too? It turns out that the very fact that most animals don't kiss helps explain why some do. According to a new study of kissing preferences, which looked at 168 cultures from around the world, only 46% of cultures kiss in the romantic sense.

Previous estimates had put the figure at 90%. The new study excluded parents kissing their children, and focused solely on romantic lip-on-lip action between couples.

Many hunter-gatherer groups showed no evidence of kissing or desire to do so. Some even considered it revolting. The Mehinaku tribe in Brazil reportedly said it was "gross". Given that hunter-gatherer groups are the closest modern humansget to living our ancestral lifestyle, our ancestors may not have been kissing either. The study overturns the belief that romantic kissing is a near-universal human behaviour, says lead author William Jankowiak of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Instead it seems to be a product of western societies, passed on from one generation to the next, he says. There is some historical evidence to back that up.

Kissing as we do it today seems to be a fairly recent invention, says Rafael Wlodarski of the University of Oxford in the UK. He has trawled through records to find evidence of how kissing has changed. The oldest evidence of a kissing-type behaviour comes from Hindu Vedic Sanskrit texts from over 3,500 years ago. Kissing was described as inhaling each other's soul. In contrast, Egyptian hieroglyphics picture people close to each other rather than pressing their lips together. So what is going on? Is kissing something we do naturally, but that some cultures have suppressed? Or is it something modern humans have invented? We can find some insight by looking at animals.

Our closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, do kiss. Primatologist Frans de Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has seen many instances of chimps kissing and hugging after conflict. For chimpanzees, kissing is a form of reconciliation. It is more common among males than females. In other words, it is not a romantic behaviour. Their cousins the bonobos kiss more often, and they often use tongues while doing so. That's perhaps not surprising, because bonobos are highly sexual beings. When two humans meet, we might shake hands. Bonobos have sex: the so-called bonobo handshake. They also use sex for many other kinds of bonding. So their kisses are not particularly romantic, either.

These two apes are exceptions. As far as we know, other animals do not kiss at all. They may nuzzle or touch their faces together, but even those that have lips don't share saliva or purse and smack their lips together. They don't need to. Take wild boars. Males produce a pungent smell that females find extremely attractive. The key chemical is a pheromone called androstenone that triggers the females' desire to mate. From a female's point of view this is a good thing, because males with the most androstonene are also the most fertile. Her sense of smell is so acute, she doesn't need to get close enough to kiss the male.

The same is true of many other mammals. For example, female hamsters emit a pheromone that gets males very excited. Mice follow similar chemical traces to help them find partners that are genetically different, minimising the risk of accidental incest. Animals often release these pheromones in their urine. "Their urine is much more pungent," says Wlodarski. "If there's urine present in the environment they can assess compatibility through that."

It's not just mammals that have a great sense of smell. A male black widow spider can smell pheromones produced by a female that tell him if she has recently eaten. To minimise the risk of being eaten, he will only mate with her if she is not hungry. The point is, animals do not need to get close to each other to smell out a good potential mate. On the other hand, humans have an atrocious sense of smell, so we benefit from getting close. Smell isn't the only cue we use to assess each other's fitness, but studies have shown that it plays an important role in mate choice. A study published in 1995 showed that women, just like mice, prefer the smell of men who are genetically different from them. This makes sense, as mating with someone with different genes is likely to produce healthy offspring. Kissing is a great way to get close enough to sniff out your partner's genes.

In 2013, Wlodarski examined kissing preferences in detail. He asked several hundred people what was most important when kissing someone. How they smelled featured highly, and the importance of smell increased when women were most fertile. It turns out that men also make a version of the pheromone that female boars find attractive. It is present in male sweat, and when women are exposed to it their arousal levels increase slightly. Pheromones are a big part of how mammals chose a mate, says Wlodarski, and we share some of them. "We've inherited all of our biology from mammals, we've just added extra things through evolutionary time."

On that view, kissing is just a culturally acceptable way to get close enough to another person to detect their pheromones. In some cultures, this sniffing behaviour turned into physical lip contact. It's hard to pinpoint when this happened, but both serve the same purpose, says Wlodarski. So if you want to find a perfect match, you could forego kissing and start smelling people instead. You'll find just as good a partner, and you won't get half as many germs. Be prepared for some funny looks, though.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 31-35

Do the following statements agree with the information in the IELTS reading text?

In boxes 28-32 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

Question 31. Both Easter and Wester societies presume that kissing is essential for any part of the world.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: People in western societies may assume that romantic kissing is a universal human behavior, but a new analysis suggests that less than half of all cultures actually do it.
Keyword : People, western societies, romantic kissing, universal human behavior
Keyword location: paragraph 1, lines 5-6
Explanation: Lines 5-6 of paragraph 1 implies that not all of the 80 million microorganisms that can be spread during a kiss are good. However, everyone undoubtedly recalls their first kiss, including every humiliating or romantic aspect. Also, kissing still plays a significant part in new relationships. At least in certain communities, it does. Romantic kissing may be taken for granted in western society, but a recent analysis indicates that less than half of all civilizations really engage in it. Hence, the above statement can be treated as a FALSE one.

Question 32. Our ancestors were not likely to kiss.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Given that hunter-gatherer groups are the closest modern humansget to living our ancestral lifestyle, our ancestors may not have been kissing either.
Keyword : hunter-gatherer, closest modern humansget, ancestors, kissing either
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 2-4
Explanation: Lines 2-4 of paragraph 4 explains that no indication of kissing or desire to do so was found in many hunter-gatherer groups. Even some people found it repulsive. According to reports, the Mehinaku tribe in Brazil thought it was "disgusting." Our predecessors may not have been kissing either, given that hunter-gatherer tribes are the closest modern people get to living our ancient lifestyle. So, it can be implied that our ancestors are likely to kiss. Hence, the above statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 33. Chimpanzees and bonobos kiss not for the romance.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Primatologist Frans de Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has seen many instances of chimps kissing and hugging after conflict.
Keyword : Chimpanzees and bonobos, Primatologist, chimps kissing, conflict
Keyword location: paragraph 6, lines 1-3
Explanation: The first three lines of paragraph 6 suggests that Chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest relatives, do embrace. Frans de Waal, a primatologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, has observed chimpanzees kissing and cuddling frequently after fights. Kissing is a symbol of peace among chimpanzees. Thus, it can be said that chimpanzees and bonobos kiss not for the romance. Therefore, the above statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 34. There are other animal, rather than apes, that kiss.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: These two apes are exceptions.
Keyword : two, apes, exceptions
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 7 portrays that we may shake hands when two people meet. The 'bonobo handshake' is a kind of sex among bonobos. They also use sex for a variety of other bonding activities. Thus, their kisses are also not extremely passionate. Except for these two apes. Other animals, as far as we are aware, do not kiss at all. Even those who have lips don't share saliva or purse and smack their lips together; instead, they may nuzzle or touch faces. So, it can be said that the above statement can be regarded as a FALSE one.

Question 35. Scent might be important in choosing your partner.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Smell isn't the only cue we use to assess each other's fitness, but studies have shown that it plays an important role in mate choice.
Keyword : Smell, assess, plays, important role
Keyword location: paragraph 9, lines 5-7
Explanation: The fifth to sixth lines of paragraph 9 states that exceptional senses of smell are not limited to mammals. A male black widow spider can detect a female's pheromones, which indicate whether she has just eaten. He will only mate with her if she is not hungry in order to reduce the chance of being eaten. Nevertheless, since humans have a terrible sense of smell, going close helps us. Although studies have shown that smell is simply one of many cues we use to judge each other's fitness, it is a key factor in mate selection. Therefore, the given statement can be considered to be TRUE.

Questions 36-39

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Question 36. According to the Mehinaku tribe, kissing is……….

Answer: gross
Supporting sentence: The Mehinaku tribe in Brazil reportedly said it was "gross".
Keyword : paragraph 4, line 2
Keyword location: Mehinaku, Brazil, reportedly, gross
Explanation: Paragraph 4 states that no indication of kissing or desire to do so was found in many hunter-gatherer groups. Even some people found it repulsive. According to reports, the Mehinaku tribe in Brazil thought it was "disgusting." Our predecessors may not have been kissing either, given that hunter-gatherer tribes are the closest modern people get to living our ancient lifestyle. No indication of kissing or desire to do so was found in many hunter-gatherer groups. Even some people found it repulsive. According to reports, the Mehinaku tribe in Brazil thought it was "disgusting." Our predecessors may not have been kissing either, given that hunter-gatherer tribes are the closest modern people get to living our ancient lifestyle.

Question 37. Human tradition is........................when they meet.

Answer: shake hands
Supporting sentence: When two humans meet, we might shake hands.
Keyword : paragraph 6, line 6
Keyword location: two humans, meet, might, shake hands
Explanation: The sixth line of paragraph 6 suggests that males are more likely to be affected than females. To put it another way, it is not a romantic action. The bonobos, who are their cousins, kiss more frequently and frequently utilise their tongues in the process. That may not come as a surprise considering how sexually active bonobos are. We may shake hands when two people meet.

Question 38. A male black widow will mate with the female if only she is……….

Answer: not hungry
Supporting sentence: To minimize the risk of being eaten, he will only mate with her if she is not hungry.
Keyword : minimize, eaten, mate, not hungry
Keyword location: paragraph 9, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 9 portrays that a male black widow spider can detect a female's pheromones, which indicate whether she has just eaten. He will only mate with her if she is not hungry in order to reduce the chance of being eaten. Animals can detect a decent potential mate without being close to each other, which is the key factor. However, since humans have a terrible sense of smell, going close helps us.

Question 39. Humans benefit from getting close due to the fact that we have an…….. of smell.

Answer: (an) atrocious sense
Supporting sentence: On the other hand, humans have an atrocious sense of smell, so we benefit from getting close.
Keyword : humans, atrocious, sense of smell, benefit from getting close
Keyword location: paragraph 9, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 9 explains that when a female black widow spider produces pheromones, the male can detect them. They can also determine whether the female has recently eaten. He will only mate with her if she is not hungry in order to reduce the chance of being eaten. Animals can detect a decent potential mate without being close to each other, which is the key factor. However, since humans have a terrible sense of smell, going close helps us. Despite not being the only cue we use to judge each other's fitness, research has revealed that smell is crucial in mate selection.

Question 40

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

Question 40. Passage 3 can be described as:

Strictly scientific text
Historical article
Article from a magazine
Dystopian sketch

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: The new study excluded parents kissing their children, and focused solely on romantic lip-on-lip action between couples.
Keyword : new study, excluded, parents, between couples
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 1-2
Explanation: Paragraph 3 suggests that the figure was 90% according to earlier estimations. The current study omitted parent-child kissing and only examined romantic lip-to-lip contact between partners. Many hunter-gatherer tribes lacked kissing behaviours or even the inclination to engage in it. Even some people found it repulsive. According to reports, the Mehinaku tribe in Brazil thought it was "disgusting”. Our predecessors may not have been kissing either, given that hunter-gatherer tribes are the closest modern people get to living our ancient lifestyle. According to research author William Jankowiak of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, romantic kissing is not a behaviour that is nearly common among humans. Hence, option C will be the right response for this question.