Research Using Twins - IELTS Reading Sample with Explanation
The IELTS reading section tests a candidate’s understanding skills through passages and forty questions. This IELTS reading topic - Research Using Twins is an academic topic. Candidates will need to read the passage thoroughly to answer different types of questions. This IELTS reading passage has question types like:
- No more than 2 words
- True/False/Not Given
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Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
Research Using Twins IELTS Reading Sample
To biomedical researchers all over the world, twins offer a precious opportunity to untangle the influence of genes and the environment - of nature and nurture. Because identical twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, they share virtually the same genetic code. Any differences between them -one twin having younger looking skin, for example - must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun.
Alternatively, by comparing the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins, who come from separate eggs and share on average half their DNA, researchers can quantify the extent to which our genes affect our lives. If identical twins are more similar to each other with respect to an ailment than fraternal twins are, then vulnerability to the disease must be rooted at least in part in heredity.
These two lines of research - studying the differences between identical twins to pinpoint the influence of environment, and comparing identical twins with fraternal ones to measure the role of inheritance - have been crucial to understanding the interplay of nature and nurture in determining our personalities, behavior, and vulnerability to disease.
The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture'). But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchard's lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. Numerous tests were carried out on the twins, and they were each asked more than 15,000 questions.
Bouchard and his colleagues used this mountain of data to identify how far twins were affected by their genetic makeup. The key to their approach was a statistical concept called heritability. in broad terms, the heritability of a trait measures the extent to which differences among members of a population can be explained by differences in their genetics. And wherever Bouchard and other scientists looked, it seemed, they found the invisible hand of genetic influence helping to shape our lives.
--> Bouchard advertised in newspapers for twins who had been separated at birth: NOT GIVEN
Lately, however, twin studies have helped lead scientists to a radical new conclusion: that nature and nurture are not the only elemental forces at work. According to a recent field called epigenetics, there is a third factor also in play, one that in some cases serves as a bridge between the environment and our genes, and in others operates on its own to shape who we are.
Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'. These reactions influence how our genetic code is expressed: how each gene is strengthened or weakened, even turned on or off, to build our bones, brains and all the other parts of our bodies.
If you think of our DNA as an immense piano keyboard and our genes as the keys - each key symbolizing a segment of DNA responsible for a particular note, or trait, and all the keys combining to make us who we are - then epigenetic processes determine when and how each key can be struck, changing the tune being played.
One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes. Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up. Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example.
Geneticist Danielle Reed has worked with many twins over the years and thought deeply about what twin studies have taught us. 'It's very clear when you look at twins that much of what they share is hardwired,' she says. 'Many things about them are absolutely the same and unalterable. But it's also clear, when you get to know them, that other things about them are different. Epigenetics is the origin of a lot of those differences, in my view.'
Reed credits Thomas Bouchard's work for today's surge in twin studies. 'He was the trailblazer,' she says. 'We forget that 50 years ago things like heart disease were thought to be caused entirely by lifestyle. Schizophrenia was thought to be due to poor mothering. Twin studies have allowed us to be more reflective about what people are actually born with and what's caused by experience.'
Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further. 'What I like to say is that nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen,' she says. 'Things written in pen you can't change. That's DNA. But things written in pencil you can. That's epigenetics. Now that we're actually able to look at the DNA and see where the pencil writings are, it's sort of a whole new world.'
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Section 2
Solution with Explanations
Questions 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-4 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
- There may be genetic causes for the differences in how young the skin of identical twins looks.
Answer: False
Supporting sentence: Any differences between them - one twin having younger looking skin, for example - must be due to environmental factors such as less time spent in the sun.
Keywords: twins, differences, younger looking skin.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, 3rd line.
Explanation - The difference in the appearance of the skin of two twins is not caused by genetics, it is rather caused by environmental factors and their living conditions. For instance, if one twin’s skin looks younger compared to the other twin, it may be due to the other twin spending less time in the sun.
- Twins are at greater risk of developing certain illnesses than non-twins.
Answer: Not given
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- Bouchard advertised in newspapers for twins who had been separated at birth.
Answer: Not given
- Epigenetic processes are different from both genetic and environmental processes.
Answer: True
Supporting sentence: Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'.
Keywords: Epigenetic process, researchers, chemical reactions, third component.
Keyword Location: 7th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - The Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions that have no connection to genetic or environmental processes, rather they represent something that is known as a “third component”. These chemical reactions affect the strengths and weaknesses of the genes, such as how they build our bones, organs, and every part of the body.
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Questions 5-9
Look at the following statements (Questions 5-9) and the list of researchers below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher, A, B or C.
Write the correct letter, A, B or C, in boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
List of Researchers
- Francis Galton
- Thomas Bouchard
- Danielie Reed
- invented a term used to distinguish two factors affecting human characteristics
Answer: A
Supporting sentence: The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture').
Keywords: Scientist, coined, the influence of heredity, twins.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - Fracis Galton, an English scientist, was the one who coined the term ‘nature and nurture’ in 1875, to distinguish the factors that have an influence on human characteristics and their heredity.
- expressed the view that the study of epigenetics will increase our knowledge
Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Having said that, Reed adds, the latest work in epigenetics promises to take our understanding even further.
Keywords: epigenetics, latest work, understanding.
Keyword Location: 12th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - Danielle Reed is the researcher who in his recent research work expressed his belief that the study of epigenetics is going to further expand the boundaries of human knowledge.
- developed a mathematical method of measuring genetic influences
Answer: A
Supporting sentence: The idea of using twins to measure the influence of heredity dates back to 1875, when the English scientist Francis Galton first suggested the approach (and coined the phrase 'nature and nurture').
Keywords: measure, the influence of heredity, twins.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - It was Francis Galton, an English scientist who first proposed the idea of using mathematical processes to measure the influence of heredity and genetic influence through the help of twins, back in 1875.
- pioneered research into genetics using twins
Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Reed credits Thomas Bouchard's work for today's surge in twin studies. '
Keywords: twin studies, research, surge.
Keyword Location: 11th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - Thomas Bouchard is the scientist who has been credited by Reed to have created the path for today’s surge in research in genetics, through the help of twins.
- carried out research into twins who had lived apart
Answer: B
Supporting sentence: But twin studies took a surprising twist in the 1980s, with the arrival of studies into identical twins who had been separated at birth and reunited as adults. Over two decades 137 sets of twins eventually visited Thomas Bouchard's lab in what became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart.
Keywords: identical twins, separated at birth, reunited as adults, Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd line.
Explanation - It was the scientist Thomas Bouchard who carried out a research in the 1980s on 137 sets of identical twins. This study, which is known as “Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart” was carried out on twins who were separated at birth, but reunited once they reached adulthood in order to observe their physical and behavioral changes.
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Questions 10-13
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-F, below.
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
EPIGENETIC PROCESSES
In epigenetic processes, 10__________ ABCDEF influence the activity of our genes, for example in creating our internal 11__________ The study of epigenetic processes is uncovering a way in which our genes can be affected by our 12__________ .One example is that if a pregnant rat suffers stress, the new-born rat may later show problems in its 13__________
- nurture
- organs
- code
- chemicals
- environment
- behaviour
- Answer: D
Supporting sentence: Epigenetic processes are chemical reactions tied to neither nature nor nurture but representing what researchers have called a 'third component'.
Keywords: epigenetic processes, nurture, genes, chemical reactions.
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - In epigenetic processes, it is the chemicals that have an influence on our genetic activities, such as in the process of creating our internal organs.
- Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Other epigenetic processes appear to occur randomly, while others are normal, such as those that guide embryonic cells as they become heart, brain, or liver cells, for example.
Keywords: epigenetic processes, cells.
Keyword Location: 9th paragraph, 3rd line.
Explanation - In epigenetic processes, chemical reactions appear to occur either normally or randomly to influence our genetic activities. For instance, these processes guide our embryonic cells as they turn into our internal organs, such as the heart, liver, or brain.
- Answer: E
Supporting sentence: One way the study of epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of biology is by revealing a mechanism by which the environment directly impacts on genes.
Keywords: environment, impact on genes, epigenetics, understanding of biology.
Keyword Location: 9th paragraph, 1st line.
Explanation - The study of epigenetics has revolutionized the way we understood biology by unraveling a mechanism through which the environment we live in has a direct impact on our genes.
- Answer: F
Supporting sentence: Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up.
Keywords: behavioral problems, epigenetic changes, studies on animals, pregnancy.
Keyword Location: 9th paragraph, 2nd line.
Explanation - The environment that we live in has a direct impact on our genes. Many studies on animals have proven so. For instance, if a rat goes experiences a lot of stress during pregnancy, then the fetus goes through epigenetic changes. This may lead the new-born rat to face behavioral problems as it grows up.
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