Please Hold the Line Reading Answers

Jan 5, 2023

Please Hold the Line Reading Answers is a topic of brief discussion about the morse code which is used to send alert messages to the sea. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers”. The topic named Please Hold the Line Reading Answers with 13 wide range of questions in total. Three types of questions as given in this particular topic are, Yes/No/Not Given, choose the correct answer, 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. Similar kinds of topics like Please Hold the Line 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

Please Hold the Line Reading Answers

Almost everyone has been placed on "musical hold," which means that when you call any customer service number, you should expect to hear at least a few bars of monotonous elevator music before an operator answers the phone. The question is whether to hang up or stay on the line. According to research reported by University of Cincinnati Associate Professor of Marketing, James Kellaris it either depends on the type of music played or gender.

Kellaris has been researching the effects of music on consumers for over a decade, and she recently collaborated with Sigma Research Management Group to assess the effects of 'hold music' for a company that operated a customer service line.

Researchers tested four types of 'on-hold' music on 71 company customers, including 30 women. Light jazz, classical, rock, and the company's current adult alternative format were all evaluated. The sample included individual consumers, small businesses, and large businesses. Participants were asked to estimate the time. In addition, the researchers solicited and quantified their responses and comments.

The service providers do not want you to be on hold, but if you are, they want you to have a pleasant experience. However, Kellaris' findings could spell bad news for businesses. The time spent "on hold," regardless of the music, was frequently underestimated. The actual wait time in the study was 6 minutes, while the average estimate was 7 minutes and 6 seconds.

He informed the client who had hired him of some good news. Their alternative type is most likely their best option. It was a wise decision because of two factors. For starters, it did not elicit significantly more positive or negative responses from people. Second, male and female reactions to this type of music differed less.

Other findings of Kellaris, however, make the state of musical hold a little less firm: time spent ‘on hold’ seemed slightly shorter when light jazz was played, but the effect of music format differed for men and women. Males appeared to wait the least when classical music was performed. This could be due to variations in attention levels and musical tastes.

Males gave the most positive responses to classical music, while females gave the most positive responses (and the shortest waiting time estimates) to light jazz. Rocks were the least desired by both genders, resulting in the longest estimated wait times. The driving beat of rock music, according to Kellaris, tends to aggravate people who call customer service with a problem. "The longer the wait appeared to be, the better the response to the music." "Perhaps time does fly when you're having fun, even if you're on musical hold," Kellaris jokes.

Men and women perceive music differently, which is unfortunate for businesses that use on-hold music. Kellaris jokingly suggests that the recorded message instruct male callers to press one and female callers to press two. Please hang up and try again later if you are upset.'

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-6

Complete the sentences below with words taken fromPlease hold the line reading passage

Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer?

Write:

YES - if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO - if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN - if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Question 1: The research sample consisted of actual customers of the company.

Answer: YES
Supporting sentence: Researchers tested four types of 'on-hold' music on 71 company customers, including 30 women.
Keyword: Researchers, four types, including 30 women.
Keyword location: paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: Paragraph 3 implies that researchers evaluated four different forms of "on-hold" music on 71 clients of the company, including 30 women. All of the company's current adult alternative format, light jazz, classical, rock, and rock were considered. Individual shoppers, small businesses, and major businesses were all represented in the sample. So, the statement is considered to be a correct one.

Question 2: Businesses want to cut down on the amount of time they spend on hold.

Answer: YES
Supporting sentence: The service providers do not want you to be on hold, but if you are, they want you to have a pleasant experience.
Keyword: service providers, hold, pleasant experience.
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 4 says that the service providers do not want us to wait, but if we do, they want it to be a good one. However, Kellaris' discoveries might be terrible news for industry. Regardless of the music, the amount of time spent "on hold" was typically underestimated. The average estimate was 7 minutes and 6 seconds, whereas the actual wait time in the study was 6 minutes. Hence, it is a correct response.

Question 3: Researchers only asked participants to estimate how long they were "on hold."

Answer: NO
Supporting sentence: In addition, the researchers solicited and quantified their responses and comments.
Keyword: researchers, solicited, responses
Keyword location: paragraph 3, last line
Explanation: The last line of paragraph 3 explains that small enterprises, major businesses, and individual consumers were all represented in the sample. A time estimate was requested of the participants. The researchers also asked for and recorded their remarks and reactions. Thus, it is an incorrect statement.

Question 4: There were an equal number of males and females in the sample.

Answer: NO
Supporting sentence: Researchers tested four types of 'on-hold' music on 71 company customers, including 30 women.
Keyword: Researchers, including, 30 women
Keyword location: paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph 3 clarifies that thirty ladies out of 71 clients sampled the four different forms of "on-hold" music. All of the company's current adult alternative format, light jazz, classical, rock, and rock were considered. Therefore, the assertion is incorrect here.

Question 5: Advertising is regarded as an inadequate substitute for 'on-hold' music.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: No pertinent information in order to prove the validation of this statement has been provided in the above passage. So, we can clearly conclude the above statement to be an invalid one.

Question 6: The consumer service organisation polled was listening to classical music.

Answer: NO
Supporting sentence: Their alternative type is most likely their best option.
Keyword: alternative, most likely, option.
Keyword location: paragraph 5, lines 1-2
Explanation: James Kellaris shared some positive news with the client he had been recruited by. Most likely, their alternative type is their best choice. For two reasons, it was a sensible choice. To begin with, it did not evoke noticeably more favourable or unfavourable reactions from people. Second, there was less of a difference in how men and women responded to this sort of music. Therefore, we can consider this statement to be an incorrect one.

Questions 7-11

Choose the type of music from the list A-D below which corresponds to the findings of the study.
Types of music

Light jazz
Alternative
Classical
Rock

Question 7: Favoured music by men

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Males appeared to wait the least when classical music was performed
Keyword: Males, classical music, performed
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 1
Explanation: Paragraph 6 and 7 says that the classical music performance seems to cause males to wait the least. This might be caused by differences in musical preferences and attention spans. Males responded favorably to classica genrel music, whereas females did so while also estimating their waiting times to be the lowest.

Question 8: estimated longest waiting time (both sexes)

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: Rocks were the least desired by both genders, resulting in the longest estimated wait times.
Keyword: Rocks, longest, estimated wait times.
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 2
Explanation: The second line of paragraph 7 states that the males responded favourably to light jazz, whereas men responded favourably to classical music. Women also estimated waiting times to be the shortest. The least preferred by both sexes and with the longest predicted wait times were the genre of rocks.

Question 9: Avoiding music during phone hold

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: The driving beat of rock music, according to Kellaris, tends to aggravate people who call customer service with a problem.
Keyword: driving beat, call, problem
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 3
Explanation: According to John Kellaris in paragraph 7, consumers who phone customer support with a complaint are frequently agitated by the rock music's pounding tempo. The response to the music seemed to improve with increasing wait time. The joke from Kellaris is that maybe time does pass when we are having fun, even when we re on a melodic pause.

Question 10: Music to use if the majority of clients are female

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: while females gave the most positive responses (and the shortest waiting time estimates) to light jazz.
Keyword: females, positive responses, light jazz
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 1
Explanation: Paragraph 7 states that the researchers evaluated four different forms of on-hold music on 71 clients of the company, including 30 women. Light jazz received the most favorable reactions from females as well as the minimum wait period predictions.

Question 11: Best overall selection of "on-hold" music

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Their alternative type is most likely their best option.
Keyword: alternative, type, option.
Keyword location: paragraph 5, line 2
Explanation: The second line of paragraph 5 states that each individual has been put on rhythmic pause. Henceforth, if we call any customer service number, we should anticipate hearing at least a few bars of boring elevator music. We might continue to hear this prior an operator picks up the phone. It is up to us whether to hang up or continue speaking. According to studies cited by James Kellaris, it either depends on the music being played or the gender.

Questions 12-13

Choose the correct letter A-D

Researchers reached the conclusion that________.

A.Subjects overestimate the duration of time spent "on hold."
B.It is preferable for businesses not to use "on-hold" music.
C.Overall, light jazz was the most acceptable genre of music.
D.Both gender and musical genre affect callers' responses.

The researchers suggested that______________

A.Their customers still play alternative music.
B.People "on hold" should be offered four different types of music.
C.Music is preferable to advertising.
D.Women can endure longer wait times than men.

Question 12: Researchers reached the conclusion that________.

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: According to research reported by University of Cincinnati Associate Professor of Marketing, James Kellaris it either depends on the type of music played or gender.
Keyword: research, music, gender.
Keyword location: paragraph 1, last line
Explanation: The concluding line of paragraph 1 points out that

Question 13: The researchers suggested that______________

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: Their alternative type is most likely their best option.
Keyword: alternative, likely, option.
Keyword location: paragraph 5, line 2
Explanation: Line 2 of paragraph 5 clarifies that John Kellaris shared some encouraging information with his client. Most likely, their alternative type is their best choice. For two reasons, it was a sensible choice. To begin with, it did not evoke noticeably more favourable or unfavourable reactions from people. Second, there was less of a difference in how men and women responded to this sort of music.