Right and Left-handedness in Humans - IELTS Reading Sample with Explanation

The IELTS reading test spans 60 minutes. It has 40 questions. IELTS reading passages are based on different topics like science, technology, arts, humanities. A variety of question formats are used to assess reading ability. Skimming, grasping logical argumentation, recognizing writers' perspectives, attitudes, and intent are all examples of reading for gist. The IELTS reading sample article - Right and Left-handedness in Humans consists of passages along with the answers and explanations.

The following passage contains following types of questions:

• Matching Information
• True/false/not given

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Right and Left-handedness in Humans IELTS Reading Sample​

Why do humans, virtually alone among all animal species, display a distinct left or right-handedness? Not even our closest relatives among the apes possess such decided lateral asymmetry, as psychologists call it. Yet about 90 per cent of every human population that has ever lived appears to have been right-handed. Professor Bryan Turner at Deakin University has studied the research literature on left-handedness and found that handedness goes with sidedness. So nine out of ten people are right-handed and eight are right-footed. He noted that this distinctive asymmetry in the human population is itself systematic. “Humans think in categories: black and white, up and down, left and right. It”s a system of signs that enables us to categorise phenomena that are essentially ambiguous.’

Research has shown that there is a genetic or inherited element to handedness. But while left-handedness tends to run in families, neither left nor right handers will automatically produce off-spring with the same handedness; in fact about 6 percent of children with two right-handed parents will be left-handed. However, among two left-handed parents, perhaps 40 percent of the children will also be left-handed. With one right and one left-handed parent, 15 to 20 per cent of the offspring will be left-handed. Even among identical twins who have exactly the same genes, one in six pairs will differ in their handedness.

What then makes people left-handed if it is not simply genetic? Other factors must be at work and researchers have turned to the brain for clues. In the 1860s the French surgeon and anthropologist, Dr Paul Broca, made the remarkable finding that patients who had lost their powers of speech as a result of a stroke (a blood clot in the brain) had paralysis of the right half of their body. He noted that since the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right half of the body, and vice versa, the brain damage must have been in the brain’s left hemisphere. Psychologists now believe that among right-handed people, probably 95 per cent have their language centre in the left hemisphere, while 5 per cent have right sided language. Left-handers, however, do not show the reverse pattern but instead a majority also have their language in the left hemisphere. Some 30 per cent have right hemisphere language.

Dr Brinkman, a brain researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, has suggested that evolution of speech went with right-handed preference. According to Brinkman, as the brain evolved, one side became specialised for fine control of movement (necessary for producing speech) and along with this evolution came right- hand preference. According to Brinkman, most left-handers have left hemisphere dominance but also some capacity in the right hemisphere. She has observed that if a left-handed person is brain-damaged in the left hemisphere, the recovery of speech is quite often better and this is explained by the fact that left-handers have a more bilateral speech function.

In her studies of macaque monkeys, Brinkman has noticed that primates (monkeys) seem to learn a hand preference from their mother in the first year of life but this could be one hand or the other. In humans, however, the specialisation in function of the two hemispheres results in anatomical differences: areas that are involved with the production of speech are usually larger on the left side than on the right. Since monkeys have not acquired the art of speech, one would not expect to see such a variation but Brinkman claims to have discovered a trend in monkeys towards the asymmetry that is evident in the human brain.

Two American researchers, Geschwind and Galaburda, studied the brains of human embryos and discovered that the left-right asymmetry exists before birth. But as the brain develops, a number of things can affect it. Every brain is initially female in its organisation and it only becomes a male brain when the male foetus begins to secrete hormones. Geschwind and Galaburda knew that different parts of the brain mature at different rates; the right hemisphere develops first, then the left. Moreover, a girl’s brain develops somewhat faster than that of a boy. So, if something happens to the brain’s development during pregnancy, it is more likely to be affected in a male and the hemisphere more likely to be involved is the left. The brain may become less lateralised and this in turn could result in left-handedness and the development of certain superior skills that have their origins in the left hemisphere such as logic, rationality and abstraction. It should be no surprise then that among mathematicians and architects, left-handers tend to be more common and there are more left-handed males than females.

The results of this research may be some consolation to left-handers who have for centuries lived in a world designed to suit right-handed people. However, what is alarming, according to Mr. Charles Moore, a writer and journalist, is the way the word “right” reinforces its own virtue. Subliminally he says, language tells people to think that anything on the right can be trusted while anything on the left is dangerous or even sinister. We speak of lefthanded compliments and according to Moore, “it is no coincidence that lefthanded children, forced to use their right hand, often develop a stammer as they are robbed of their freedom of speech”. However, as more research is undertaken on the causes of left-handedness, attitudes towards left-handed people are gradually changing for the better. Indeed when the champion tennis player Ivan Lendl was asked what the single thing was that he would choose in order to improve his game, he said he would like to become a lefthander.

Geoff Maslen

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Section 2

Solution With Explanation

Question 1- Human beings started to show a preference for right-handedness when they first developed language.

Answer: evolution of speech went with right-handed preference.

Supporting Sentence: A brain researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra has suggested that the evolution of speech went with right-handed preference.

Keyword: Australian National University, evolution

Keyword Location:Paragraph D

Explanation: ‘Dr Brinkman’, a brain researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, has suggested that ‘evolution of speech’ went with right-handed preference. According to Brinkman, as the brain evolved, one side became specialized for fine control of movement and along with this evolution came right-hand preference.

Hence, the answer is B

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Question 2- Society is prejudiced against left-handed people.

Answer: language tells people to think that anything on the right can be trusted while anything on the left is dangerous or even sinister.

Supporting Sentence:Subliminally Mr. Charles Moore, a writer, and journalist says language tells people to think that anything on the right can be trusted while anything on the left is dangerous or even sinister.

Keyword: journalist, trusted

Keyword Location:Paragraph G

Explanation: according to Mr. Charles Moore, a writer, and journalist, the way the word “right” reinforces its virtue. Subliminally he says, language tells people to think that anything on the right can be trusted while ‘anything on the left is dangerous or even minister according to societal prejudices. Due to these social preconceptions/prejudices about the evil of being left-handed, ‘left-handed children who are ‘forced to use their right hand’, often develop a stammer as they are robbed of their freedom of speech.

Question 3- Boys are more likely to be left-handed.

Answer: there are more left-handed males than females

Supporting Sentence:No surprise among mathematicians and architects, left-handers tend to be more common and there are more left-handed males than females

Keywords: mathematicians, architects

Keyword Location:Paragraph F

Explanation: ‘Geschwind and Galaburda’, studied the brains of human embryos and discovered that the left-right asymmetry exists before birth. They found out that among mathematicians and architects, left-handers tend to be more common and there are ‘more left-handed males than females’ which proves that boys or men are more likely to be

left-handed than girls, or women.

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Question 4- After a stroke, left-handed people recover their speech more quickly than right-handed people.

Answer: if a left-handed person is brain-damaged in the left hemisphere, the recovery of speech is quite often better.

Supporting Sentence:According to Brinkman if a left-handed person is brain-damaged in the left hemisphere, the recovery of speech is quite often better and this is explained by the fact that left-handers have a more bilateral speech function.

Keyword: left hemisphere, bilateral speech

Keyword Location:Paragraph S

Explanation:  Dr. Brinkman, a brain researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, has observed that if a ‘left-handed person is brain-damaged’ in the left hemisphere, the ‘recovery of speech is quite often better and this is explained by the fact that ‘left-handers have a more bilateral speech function’. So, due to less bilateral speech function, right-handed people take more time to recover from a stroke.

Question 5- People who suffer strokes on the left side of the brain usually lose their power of speech.

Answer: Patients who had lost their powers of speech as a result of a stroke.

Supporting Sentence:Dr. Paul Broca made the remarkable finding that patients who had lost their powers of speech as a result of a stroke had paralysis of the right half of their body.

Keyword: remarkable, paralysis

Keyword Location:Paragraph C

Explanation: ‘Dr. Paul Broca’, made the remarkable finding that ‘patients who had lost their powers of speech as a result of a stroke had ‘paralysis of the right half of their body. He noted that since the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right half of the body and vice versa, the brain damage must have been in the brain’s left hemisphere.

Question 6- The two sides of the brain develop different functions before birth.

Answer: the left-right asymmetry exists before birth.

Supporting Sentence:Geschwind and Galaburda, studied the brains of human embryos and discovered that the left-right asymmetry exists before birth.

Keyword: human embryos, asymmetry

Keyword Location:Paragraph F

Explanation: ‘Geschwind and Galaburda’, studied the brains of human embryos and discovered that the ‘left-right asymmetry’, ‘exists before birth’.

Question 7- Asymmetry is a common feature of the human body.

Answer: this distinctive asymmetry in the human population is itself systematic.

Supporting Sentence:Professor Bryan Turner at Deakin University has studied this distinctive asymmetry in the human population is itself systematic.

Keyword: distinctive, systematic

Keyword Location:Paragraph A

Explanation: ‘Professor Bryan Turner’ at Deakin University has studied the research literature on left-handedness and found that handedness goes with sidedness. He noted that ‘distinctive asymmetry’ in the human population, or the human body, is itself ‘systematic’.

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Question 8-13

Question 8- One parent is left-handed One parent is right-handed.

Answer- 15 to 20 percent

Supporting Sentence:15 to 20 percent of the offspring will be left-handed. Even among identical twins who have the same genes, one in six pairs will differ in their handedness.

Keyword- identical twins, handedness

Keyword Location- Paragraph B

Explanation- ‘one right and one left-handed parent,’ there is a chance of ‘15 to 20 percent that the offspring will be left-handed.

Question 9- Both parents are left-handed.

Answer- 40 percent

Supporting Sentence:among two left-handed parents, perhaps 40 percent of the children will also be left-handed.

Keyword- 40 percent, left-handed

Keyword Location-Paragraph B

Explanation- research has shown that ‘among two left-handed parents there is a probability that ‘40 percent of the children will also be left-handed.

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Question 10- Both parents are rare right-handed.

Answer- 6 percent

Supporting Sentence:6 percent of children with two right-handed parents will be left-handed

Keyword- right-handed, parents

Keyword Location- Paragraph B

Explanation- research has shown that there is a genetic or inherited element handedness the author writes down that ‘about 6 percent of children will be left-handed’ if they have ‘two right-handed apparent'.

Question 11- A study of monkeys has shown that.

Answer- monkey brains are asymmetric.

Supporting Sentence:Brinkman claims to have discovered a trend in monkeys towards the asymmetry that is evident in the human brain.

Keyword- discovered, asymmetry

Keyword Location- Paragraph E

Explanation- Brinkman has noticed that primates seem to learn a hand preference from their mother in the first year of life. Since monkeys have not acquired the art of speech, one would not expect to see such a variation but Brinkman claims to have discovered a ‘trend in monkeys towards the asymmetry’ that is evident in the human brain.

Question 12- According to the writer, left-handed people.

Answer- have undergone hardship for years.

Supporting Sentence:The results of this research may be some consolation to left-handers who have for centuries lived in a world designed to suit right-handed people.

Keyword- Consolation, Centuries

Keyword Location- Paragraph F

Explanation- The author says that the results of the research by Geschwind and Galaburda are a consolation to left-handers’ who have for centuries ‘lived in a world designed to suit right-handed people’. From this statement, we can say that the author believes the world is biased towards right-handed people and so left-handed people have to face hardships for years.