Mondays are Bad for your Heart Reading Answers

Jan 3, 2023

Mondays are Bad for your Heart Reading Answers is an IELTS reading answers topic. It consists of 14 questions that need to be solved within 20 minutes. This topic has been taken from the book: “Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers”. The topic: Mondays are Bad for your Heart Reading Answers is the first part of the reading section. The candidates must go through the IELTS reading passage thoroughly to give answers to all the questions timely. The IELTS Reading practice papers consist of numerous similar topics like this “Mondays are Bad for your Heart Reading Answers” topic. The candidates can practice those topics from the practice papers to improve their reading and analysing skills.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Mondays are Bad for your Heart Reading Answers

That ‘Monday morning feeling’ could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath. Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday morning and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.

The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study coordinated by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2,600 Germans revealed that the average person had a 20 per cent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.

Working Germans are particularly vulnerable, with a 33 per cent higher risk at the beginning of the working week. Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.

A study of 11,000 Italians identified 8 am on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewer heart attacks in both countries.

The findings could lead to a better understanding of what triggers heart attacks, according to Dr. Stefan Willich of the Free University. ‘We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol， but we don’t know what actually triggers heart attacks, so we can’t make specific recommendations about how to prevent them,’ he said.

Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid transition from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work. ‘When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal changes in their bodies,’ Willich explained. ‘All these things can have an adverse effect in the blood system and increase the risk of a clot in the arteries which will cause a heart attack.’ ‘When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes. They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activity,’ said Willich. ‘We need to know how these events cause changes in the body before we can understand if they cause heart attacks.’

But although it is tempting to believe that returning to work increases the risk of a heart attack, both Willich and the Italian researchers admit that it is only a partial answer. Both studies showed that the over-65s are also vulnerable on a Monday morning even though most no longer work. The reason for this is not clear, but the Italian team at the Luigi Saddo Hospital in Milan speculate that social interactions—the thought of facing another week and all its pressures—may play a part.

What is clear, however, is that the Monday morning peak seems to be consistent from northern Germany to southern Italy in spite of the differences in diet and lifestyle.

Willich is reluctant at this stage to make specific recommendations, but he suggests that anyone who suffers from heart disease should take it easy on Monday mornings and leave potentially stressful meetings until midweek. ‘People should try to create a pleasant working environment,’ he added. ‘Maybe this risk applies only to those who see work as a burden, and people who enjoy their work are not so much at risk. We need to find out more.’

Question 1: (Write your answer in the space numbered 1 on the answer sheet.)

On which day are people least likely to have a heart attack?

Read the following statements 2-5. According to the reading passage,

If the statement is true, write True.
If the statement is false, write False.
If there is insufficient evidence, write IE.

Write your answers in the spaces numbered 2-5 on the answer sheet. An example is shown below.
Example: It was once believed that there was an equal chance of suffering a heart attack on any day of the week.
Answer: True.

Unemployed Germans have a higher risk of heart attack than employed Germans.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: Working Germans are particularly vulnerable, with a 33 per cent higher risk at the beginning of the working week.
Keyword: particularly vulnerable, higher risk.
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The third paragraph states that working Germans are specifically vulnerable with a nearly 33% higher risk of a heart attack. It has been analysed that the risk of a heart attack in working germans is more than the non-workers. Therefore, the statement is false since it does not hold accurate information as illustrated in the passage.

Unemployed Italians have a lower risk of heart attack than unemployed Germans.

Answer: IE
Explanation: There is nowhere mentioned in the passage that unemployed Italians are experiencing a lower risk of heart attack than unemployed Germans. The passage does not depict anything to compare the risk of heart attack between the unemployed Italians and unemployed Germans. Therefore, the statement is not given in the passage since there is no such information regarding this in the passage.

Germans risk heart attack because of their high consumption of fatty food.

Answer: IE
Explanation: The passage does not depict anything about the cause of the heart attack risk of Germans. There is nowhere mentioned in the passage that the Germans witnessed heart attacks due to the high consumption of fatty food. Hence the statement is not given as there is no such information regarding this in the passage.

Cholesterol and smoking cause heart attacks.

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: ‘We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol, but we don’t know what actually triggers heart attacks, so we can’t make specific recommendations about how to prevent them,’ he said.
Keyword: long-term risk factors, smoking and cholesterol, don’t know what actually triggers, can’t make specific recommendations.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 2nd sentence.
Explanation: The fifth paragraph states that smoking and cholesterol are risk factors on a long-term basis. It cannot be explained what actually causes the heart attack. The passage depicts the views of Dr Stefan that it cannot be recommended specifically the ways to prevent the risk of heart attacks. Therefore, the statement is false as it contradicts the arguments of the author in the passage.

Questions 6-14:
Read Reading Passage 1 and from the list of headings below, select the best heading for each paragraph A-I. Write the appropriate number i-ix, in the spaces numbered 6-14 on the answer sheet. Use each heading ONCE only.

Heading for Paragraph A
Heading for Paragraph B
Heading for Paragraph C
Heading for Paragraph D
Heading for Paragraph E
Heading for Paragraph F
Heading for Paragraph G
Heading for Paragraph H
Heading for Paragraph I

Exact cause of heart attacks
The safest day
Breathless, sweaty and crushed
Reducing heart attack hazard
High-risk Monday
Mondays: riskier than food and way of life
Jobless but safer
Elderly also at risk
Bodily adaptations

Question 6:

Answer: iii) Breathless, sweaty and crushed
Supporting Sentence: That ‘Monday morning feeling’ could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath.
Keyword: crushing pain, leaves you sweating, gasping for breath.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The 1st paragraph discusses the feeling of Monday morning. The author says that the feeling is like a crushing pain in the chest that makes you sweaty and breathless. Therefore, “Breathless, sweaty and crushed” is the perfect heading for the 1st paragraph that suits well with the content of the paragraph.

Question 7:

Answer: v) High-risk Monday
Supporting Sentence: The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study coordinated by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2,600 Germans revealed that the average person had a 20 per cent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day.
Keyword: average person, 20 per cent higher chance, heart attack on a Monday.
Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph clearly states the six-year study of the researchers about the rate of heart attacks on Monday related to the rate on other days. It has been analyzed that there is a nearly 20% rise in heart attacks on Mondays rather than heart attacks taking place on other days. Therefore the heading “High-risk Monday” can be considered the perfect heading for the 2nd paragraph of the passage.

Question 8:

Answer: vii) Jobless but safer
Supporting Sentence: Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day.
Keyword: Non-workers, no more at risk.
Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 2nd sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph depicts that working Germans experience nearly 33% higher risk of a heart attack at the beginning of the working week. The passage states that the risk of a heart attack in non-workers is less than that in working Germans on Mondays with respect to other days. Therefore, the heading “Jobless but safer” suitably fits the content of the paragraph.

Question 9:

Answer: ii) The safest day
Supporting Sentence: A study of 11,000 Italians identified 8 am on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewer heart attacks in both countries.
Keyword: least stressful day, with fewer heart attacks.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph illustrates the facts identified by several Italian researchers that Monday morning is considered the most stressful period for the heart. On the other hand, the paragraph also cites that Sundays are the least stressful day which leads to fewer heart attacks. Therefore, the heading “the safest day” is the correct answer since it perfectly suits the content of the paragraph.

Question 10:

Answer: i) Exact cause of heart attacks
Supporting Sentence: ‘We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol， but we don’t know what actually triggers heart attacks, so we can’t make specific recommendations about how to prevent them,’ he said.
Keyword: smoking and cholesterol, triggers heart attacks.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 2nd sentence.
Explanation: The fifth paragraph states that smoking and cholesterol are risk factors on a long-term basis that can lead to heart attacks. Though as per Dr. Stefan Willich’s views, it cannot be explained what actually causes the heart attack. It cannot recommend specifically the ways to prevent the risk of heart attacks. Therefore, “Exact cause of heart attacks” is a suitable heading that matches the content of the paragraph.

Question 11:

Answer: ix) Bodily adaptations
Supporting Sentence: Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid transition from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work.
Keyword: double helping of stress, rapid transition, relaxing weekend, heart rate go up, hormonal changes.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 1st- 4th sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph states that Monday mornings are considered as a double helping of stress. The working body has to adopt this rapid transition from the sleep phase to activity and from the cosy weekend to the work pressure. On Monday, the heart rate and blood pressure increased and hormonal changes happened. The people have to adapt to the pace of life and had to work accordingly. Therefore, “Bodily adaptations” is the perfect heading that goes well with the content of the paragraph.

Question 12:

Answer: viii) Elderly also at risk
Supporting Sentence: Both studies showed that the over-65s are also vulnerable on a Monday morning even though most no longer work.
Keyword: over-65s, also vulnerable, Monday morning, most no longer work.
Keyword Location: 7th paragraph, 2nd-3rd sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph depicts that people over the age of 65 are also vulnerable on Monday mornings. It is evident from the research that they are not working anymore still facing intense heart attacks. This may be because of the thought of meeting another week along with its pressures. Therefore, the heading “Elderly also at risk” is the correct heading for the paragraph.

Question 13:

Answer: vi) Mondays: riskier than food and way of life
Supporting Sentence: What is clear, however, is that the Monday morning peak seems to be consistent from northern Germany to southern Italy in spite of the differences in diet and lifestyle.
Keyword: Monday morning peak, differences in diet and lifestyle.
Keyword Location: 8th paragraph, 1st sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph states that instead of the food and lifestyle differences in Northern Germany and Southern Italy, Monday is riskier in both countries. Therefore, the heading “Mondays: riskier than food and way of life” is the perfect heading as it satisfies the content depicted in the paragraph.

Question 14:

Answer: iv) Reducing heart attack hazard
Supporting Sentence: Willich is reluctant at this stage to make specific recommendations, but he suggests that anyone who suffers from heart disease should take it easy on Monday mornings and leave potentially stressful meetings until midweek.
Keyword: should take it easy, leave potentially stressful meetings, create a pleasant working environment.
Keyword Location: last paragraph, 1st-4th sentence.
Explanation: The paragraph depicts the recommendations stated by Willich about reducing the rate of heart attacks. Willich has suggested that people need to take it easy on Monday mornings and should leave stressful meetings until midweek. The people need to create an environment suitable for working. Therefore, “Reducing heart attack hazard” is the perfect heading as it suits the content described in the passage.

Question 15:
Reading Passage is untitled. Select the best title for the entire passage from the choices A-D below.
Write your answer in space number 15 on the answer sheet.

A) Reduce your chance of having a heart attack
B) Warning: Mondays are bad for your heart
C) The overweight and smokers risk heart attacks
D) Happy and healthy

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday morning and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break.
Keyword: heart attacks, more common on Monday, stress of returning to work.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, last sentence.
Explanation: The passage depicts the risks of heart attacks on Monday. It has been analysed that people face heart more on Monday morning than on any other day. This is because of the stress of returning to work after a cosy break at the weekend. Therefore, the title “ Warning: Mondays are bad for your heart” can be considered the best title that satisfies the entire theme of the passage.

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