Persistent Bullying Reading Answers

Dec 1, 2022

Persistent Bullying Reading Answers 14 questions that have to be answered in 20 minutes. Persistent Bullying Reading Answers comprises question types, namely- choosing the correct option, no more than two words, and matching the heading. In choose the correct option, candidates are required to answer based on a given cue. They are required to choose from multiple options. For no more than two words, candidates are required to write the answers within a word limit of two. For matching the heading, candidates are required to match the given options with the paragraphs presented in the paragraph. Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question.

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Reading Passage Questions

Bullying can take a variety of forms, from the verbal - being taunted or called hurtful names - to the physical - being kicked or shoved - as well as indirect forms, such as being excluded from social groups. A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent. There was less bullying in secondary schools, with about one in twenty-five suffering persistent bullying, but these cases may be particularly recalcitrant.
Bullying is clearly unpleasant, and can make the child experiencing it feel unworthy and depressed. In extreme cases it can even lead to suicide, though this is thankfully rare. Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships as adults, while children who persistently bully are more likely to grow up to be physically violent, and convicted of anti-social offences.
Until recently, not much was known about the topic, and little help was available to teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem. ‘There is no bullying at this school’ has been a common refrain, almost certainly untrue. Fortunately more schools are now saying: There is not much bullying here, but when it occurs we have a clear policy for dealing with it.’
Three factors are involved in this change. First is an awareness of the severity of the problem. Second, a number of resources to help tackle bullying have become available in Britain. For example, the Scottish Council for Research in Education produced a package of materials, Action Against Bullying, circulated to all schools in England and Wales as well as in Scotland in summer 1992, with a second pack, Supporting Schools Against Bullying, produced the following year. In Ireland, Guidelines on Countering Bullying Behaviour in Post-Primary Schools was published in 1993. Third, there is evidence that these materials work, and that schools can achieve something. This comes from carefully conducted ‘before and after’ evaluations of interventions in schools, monitored by a research team. In Norway, after an intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved. The Sheffield investigation, which involved sixteen primary schools and seven secondary schools, found that most schools succeeded in reducing bullying.
Evidence suggests that a key step is to develop a policy on bullying, saying clearly what is meant by bullying, and giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it occurs, what records will be kept, who will be informed, what sanctions will be employed. The policy should be developed through consultation, over a period of time - not just imposed from the head teacher’s office! Pupils, parents and staff should feel they have been involved in the policy, which needs to be disseminated and implemented effectively.
Other actions can be taken to back up the policy. There are ways of dealing with the topic through the curriculum, using video, drama and literature. These are useful for raising awareness, and can best be tied in to early phases of development, while the school is starting to discuss the issue of bullying. They are also useful in renewing the policy for new pupils, or revising it in the light of experience. But curriculum work alone may only have short-term effects; it should be an addition to policy work, not a substitute.
There are also ways of working with individual pupils, or in small groups. Assertiveness training for pupils who are liable to be victims is worthwhile, and certain approaches to group bullying such as 'no blame’, can be useful in changing the behaviour of bullying pupils without confronting them directly, although other sanctions may be needed for those who continue with persistent bullying.
Work in the playground is important, too. One helpful step is to train lunchtime supervisors to distinguish bullying from playful fighting, and help them break up conflicts. Another possibility is to improve the playground environment, so that pupils are less likely to be led into bullying from boredom or frustration.
With these developments, schools can expect that at least the most serious kinds of bullying can largely be prevented. The more effort put in and the wider the whole school involvement, the more substantial the results are likely to be. The reduction in bullying - and the consequent improvement in pupil happiness - is surely a worthwhile objective.

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-4:
Reading Passage has six sections, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for sections A-D from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-vii, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

The role of video violence
The failure of government policy
Reasons for the increased rate of bullying
Research into how common bullying is in British schools
The reaction from schools to enquiries about bullying
The effect of bullying on the children involved
Developments that have led to a new approach by schools

Q1. Section A

Answer: iv- Research into how common bullying is in British schools
Supporting sentence: A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent.
Keywords: survey, experience of bullying.
Keyword location: Section A line 2
Explanation: The results of the poll that was done about bullying in British schools are readily visible here. In this context, the keyword survey refers to study. Therefore, "Research into how widespread bullying is in British schools" would be the proper headline that best conveys the meaning or spirit of this statement. Thus, iv is the right answer.

Q2. Section B

Answer: vi- The effect of bullying on the children involved
Supporting sentence: Bullying is clearly unpleasant, and can make the child experiencing it feel unworthy and depressed. Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships as adults.
Keywords: unworthy, depressed, experiencing difficulties, physically violent and convicted of anti-social offences.
Keyword location: Section B lines 1 and 3
Explanation: The major focus of this section is on the negative consequences bullying has on kids. The supporting statement "Bullying is obviously unpleasant and can leave a youngster feeling dejected and worthless. Victimized students are more likely to struggle in their adult interpersonal interactions. Additionally, it is evident from the fact that they "grow up to be physically aggressive and convicted of anti-social acts" that bullying has a negative impact on the children involved. Therefore, option vi is a good title that captures the core of the paragraph.

Q3. Section C

Answer: v
Supporting sentence: Until recently, not much was known about the topic, and little help was available to teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem.
Keywords: little help, deny
Keyword location: Section C lines 1 and 2
Explanation: The supporting statement "Some often "deny the problem"" is used to further explain how schools respond when asked about bullying in the section above. "Thankfully, many schools are now stating that bullying is rare in their facilities and that they have a clear strategy in place to deal with it when it does occur." The title "The reply from schools to inquiries about bullying" is therefore a good way to summarise the main idea or meaning of the preceding paragraph.

Q4. Section D

Answer: vii
Supporting sentence: This comes from carefully conducted ‘before and after’ evaluations of interventions in schools, monitored by a research team. In Norway, after an intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved
Keywords: change, before and after evaluations, intervention campaign, bullying halved
Keyword location: Section D lines 1, 5, 6 and 7
Explanation: The three causes of the transformation are discussed in this paragraph. The shift stated here is that more schools now acknowledge that bullying is a problem that exists in their institutions. This "change" refers to the fact that more schools now acknowledge that bullying occurs on their campuses. "Awareness of the seriousness of the situation" is one of the three variables. Furthermore, there are "many resources to help tackle bullying" and "evidence that these materials work and that schools can accomplish something," both of which are available. The essential words alter, both before and after assessments. Additionally, the intervention campaign and the reduction in bullying are two examples of the various developments that have resulted in a new strategy.

Questions 5-8:
Choose the coned Idler, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.

Q5. A recent survey found that in British secondary schools

there was more bullying than had previously been the case.
there was less bullying than in primary schools.
cases of persistent bullying were very common.
indirect forms of bullying were particularly difficult to deal with.

Answer: B- there was less bullying than in primary schools.
Supporting sentence: A survey I conducted with Irene Whitney found that in British primary schools up to a quarter of pupils reported experience of bullying, which in about one in ten cases was persistent.
Keywords: survey, secondary schools
Keyword location: section A, lines 3-5
Explanation: "There was less bullying in secondary schools," it is stated. Thus, it is clear from this that secondary schools experience less bullying than elementary schools. Option b is the correct response since the writer mentions the state of primary schools in the passage.

Q6. Children who are bullied

are twice as likely to commit suicide as the average person.
find it more difficult to relate to adults.
are less likely to be violent in later life.
may have difficulty forming relationships in later life.

Answer: D- may have difficulty forming relationships in later life.
Supporting sentence: Victimised pupils are more likely to experience difficulties with interpersonal relationships as adults, while children who persistently bully are more likely to grow up to be physically violent, and convicted of anti-social offences.
Keywords: bullied
Keyword location: Section B, lines 3-5
Explanation:It is claimed that students who have been victimised have trouble forming social bonds as adults (not "with adults"). The correct response is D because these are also probably aggressive in character. Bullied in this context means victimised.

Q7. The writer thinks that the declaration ‘There is no bullying at this school’

is no longer true in many schools.
was not in fact made by many schools.
reflected the school’s lack of concern.
reflected a lack of knowledge and resources.

Answer: D- reflected a lack of knowledge and resources.
Supporting sentence: Until recently, not much was known about the topic, and little help was available to teachers to deal with bullying. Perhaps as a consequence, schools would often deny the problem.
Keywords: “there is no bullying at this school”
Keyword location: Section C, lines 1-3
Explanation: It is said that, "Up until recently, little was understood about the problem" (here, the topic being bullying), and instructors had little support to cope with bullying. The author informs us in Section D that there is now "an realisation of the gravity of the situation." Several tools are available to combat bullying and support schools in changing their bullying policies. It follows that the claim that "bullying is not a problem at our school" emphasises the lack of information and tools. Lack of information or a paucity of information indicates that little is known, while a lack of resources denotes that little was accessible. So, the best response is option D.

Q8. What were the findings of research carried out in Norway?

Bullying declined by 50% after an anti-bullying campaign.
Twenty-one schools reduced bullying as a result of an anti-bullying campaign.
Two years is the optimum length for an anti-bullying campaign.
Bullying is a less serious problem in Norway than in the UK.

Answer: A- Bullying declined by 50% after an anti-bullying campaign.
Supporting sentence: In Norway, after an intervention campaign was introduced nationally, an evaluation of forty-two schools suggested that, over a two-year period, bullying was halved. The Sheffield investigation, which involved sixteen primary schools and seven secondary schools, found that most schools succeeded in reducing bullying.
Keywords: findings, Norway
Keyword location: Section D, lines 10-12
Explanation: "In Norway, when an intervention effort was started," it is stated in Section D. Bullying may have decreased by half during a two-year period, according to a study of 42 schools. Therefore, "Bullying dropped by 50% following an anti-bullying effort" is the appropriate response. The text makes no mention of the choices B, C, or D. In this context, 50% decline means halved.

Questions 9-13:
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.
What steps should schools take to reduce bullying?

Q 9. The most important step is for the school authorities to produce a 9

which makes the school's attitude towards bullying quite clear.

Answer: policy
Supporting sentence: Evidence suggests that a key step is to develop a policy on bullying, saying clearly what is meant by bullying, and giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it occurs, what records will be kept, who will be informed, what sanctions will be employed.
Keywords: most important step, school authorities, attitude, clear
Keyword location: Section E, lines 1-3
Explanation: "A vital step is to design a policy against bullying, that specifies clearly what bullying is," as is stated in Section E. In this case, "create" refers to progress, while "critical step" refers to the most crucial phase.

Q 10. It should include detailed 10 _____as to how the school and its staff will react if bullying occurs.

Answer: (explicit) guidelines
Supporting sentence: Evidence suggests that a key step is to develop a policy on bullying, saying clearly what is meant by bullying, and giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it occurs, what records will be kept, who will be informed, what sanctions will be employed.
Keywords: detailed, school and its staff, react
Keyword location: Section E, lines 1-3
Explanation: In Section E, the writer mentions: “and giving explicit guidelines on what will be done if it occurs”

Q11. In addition, action can be taken through the 11

Answer: (school) curriculum
Supporting sentence: There are ways of dealing with the topic through the curriculum, using video, drama and literature. These are useful for raising awareness, and can best be tied in to early phases of development, while the school is starting to discuss the issue of bullying.
Keywords: action, useful, early part
Keyword location: Section E, lines 7-10
Explanation: “There are ways of dealing with the topic through the curriculum. These are useful for raising awareness. Furthermore, can best be connected to the early part of the process or stages of development where the school is starting its discussion with respect to bullying.
This is particularly useful in the early part of the process, as a way of raising awareness and encouraging discussion.

Q12. On its own, however, it is insufficient to bring about a permanent solution.
Effective work can also be done with individual pupils and small groups.
For example, potential 12
of bullying can be trained to be more self-confident.

Answer: victims
Supporting sentence: There are also ways of working with individual pupils, or in small groups. Assertiveness training for pupils who are liable to be victims is worthwhile, and certain approaches to group bullying such as 'no blame’, can be useful in changing the behaviour of bullying pupils without confronting them directly, although other sanctions may be needed for those who continue with persistent bullying.
Keywords: Assertiveness training, pupils, confronting
Keyword location: Section E, lines 13-17
Explanation: In Section E there is a mention of a statement that goes like “There are also ways of working with individual pupils, or in small groups. Assertiveness training for pupils who are liable to be victims is worthwhile”. Here trained to be more self-confident refers to assertiveness training and potential refers to liable to.

Q13. Or again, in dealing with group bullying, a 'no blame' approach, which avoids confronting the offender too directly, is often effective.
Playground supervision will be more effective if members of staff are trained to recognise the difference between bullying and mere 13

Answer: playful fighting
Supporting sentence: Work in the playground is important, too. One helpful step is to train lunchtime supervisors to distinguish bullying from playful fighting, and help them break up conflicts.
Keywords: playground supervision, members of staff, recognise, difference
Keyword location: Section E, lines 18-20
Explanation: In section E: “One helpful step is to train lunchtime supervisors to distinguish bullying from playful fighting”. Here a member of staff refers to lunchtime supervisors and recognizing the difference refers to distinguishing.

Questions 14:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in box 14 on your answer sheet.
Which of the following is the most suitable title for Reading Passage 3?

Bullying: what parents can do
Bullying: arc the media to blame?
Bullying: the link with academic failure
Bullying: from crisis management to prevention

Answer: D- Bullying: from crisis management to prevention
Supporting sentence: With these developments, schools can expect that at least the most serious kinds of bullying can largely be prevented. The more effort put in and the wider the whole school involvement, the more substantial the results are likely to be.
Keywords: developments, bullying,
Keyword location: Section F, lines 1-3
Explanation: The question "How can it be prevented?" refers to the central idea or thesis of this paragraph. (It) alludes to ongoing bullying. The author makes several references to the occurrence and issue of persistent bullying throughout the passage. These can be used by schools to prevent bullying in the context of British schools, among other strategies. Nowhere in the paragraph is there any discussion of the media, parents, or any connection to academic failure in relation to bullying. Therefore, "Bullying: from crisis management to prevention" is a fitting title for this paragraph.

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