The Meaning of Volunteering Reading Answers

May 31, 2024

The Meaning of Volunteering Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. The Meaning of Volunteering Reading Answers have a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions you have to choose which section mentions the correct information from the passage.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as The Meaning of Volunteering Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

The Meaning of Volunteering

Volunteering, as some people consider it mistakenly, is a plethora of people from all walks of life as well as activities, but data from the other side of the world suggests otherwise. For example, a survey on who participated in volunteering by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom (UK) showed that people in higher- income households are more likely than others to volunteer. In England and Wales, 57% of adults with gross annual household incomes of £75.000 or more have volunteered formally in the 12 months prior to the survey date. They were almost twice as likely to have done so than those living in households with an annual income under £10.000.
As well as having high household incomes, volunteers also tend to have higher academic qualifications, be in higher socio-economic groups, and be in employment. Among people with a degree or postgraduate qualification, 79 percent had volunteered informally, and 57 percent had volunteered formally in the previous 12 months. For people with no qualifications, the corresponding proportions were 52 percent and 23 percent at all. However, voluntary work is certainly not exclusive to the rich. Does the answer not lie perhaps in the fact that the rich tend to have money to allow them the time to become involved in voluntary work compared to less well-off people?
A breakdown in the year 2000 of the range of volunteering activities taken from The Australia Bureau of Statistics gives an idea of the scale of activities in which people are typically involved. Eleven sectors are given, ranging from Community and Welfare, which accounted for just over a quarter of the total hours volunteered in Australia, to Law/Justice/Politics with 1.2 percent at the other end of the scale. Other fields included Sports/ Recreation, religious activities and education, following at 21.1 percent, 16.9 and 14.3 percent of the total hours. The data here also seems to point to a cohort of volunteers with expertise and experience.
The knock-on effect of volunteering on the lives of individuals can be profound. Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world and, hence, equips them for the future.
Initially, young adults in their late teens might not seem to have the expertise or knowledge to impart to others that, say, a teacher, agriculturalist, or nurse would have, but they do have many skills that can help others. And in the absence of any particular talent, their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit of their fellow human beings and ultimately themselves. From all this, the gain to any community, no matter how many volunteers are involved, is immeasurable.
Employers will generally look favourably on people who have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit, which would be desirable qualities in any employee. So to satisfy employers' demands for experience when applying for work, volunteering can act as a means of gaining experience that might otherwise elude would-be workers and can ultimately lead to paid employment and the desired field.
But what are the prerequisites for becoming a volunteer? One might immediately think of attributes like kindness, selflessness, strength of character, ability to deal with others, determination, adaptability, flexibility, and a capacity to comprehend the ways of other people. While offering oneself selflessly, working as a volunteer makes further demands on the individual. It requires a strong sense of will, a sense of moral responsibility for one's fellow human beings, and the ability to fit into the ethos of an organization. But it also requires something that in no way detracts from the valuable work done by volunteers and which may seem at first glance both contradictory and surprising: self-interest.
Organisations involved in any voluntary work have to be realistic about this. If someone, whatever their age, is going to volunteer and devote their time without money, they do need to receive something from it for themselves. People who are unemployed can use volunteer work as a stepping stone to employment, as a means of finding out whether they really like the field they plan to enter, or as a way to help them find themselves.

It is tempting to use some form of community work as an alternative to national service or as punishment for petty criminals by making the latter, for example, clean up parks, wash away graffiti, or work with victims of their own or other people. Those may be acceptable, but it does not constitute volunteer work, two cardinal rules of which are the willingness to volunteer without coercion and working unpaid.

Section 2

Solution and Explantion

Questions 28-33

Reading Passage 3 has nine paragraphs A-I. Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the letter, A-1, in boxes 28-33 on your Answer Sheet

a description of what does not satisfy the criteria for volunteer work

Answer: I
Supporting statement:“........punishment for petty criminals by making the latter, for example, clean up parks, wash away graffiti, or work with victims of their own or other people. Those may be acceptable, but it does not
constitute volunteer work.........”
Keywords: parks, acceptable
Keyword Location: para I, lines 1-4
Explanation: The para clearly describes what does not meet the criteria for volunteer work.

the impact of voluntary work on the development of individuals

Answer:D
Supporting statement:“.........often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different systems. It therefore brings people into touch with the real world and, hence, equips them for the future........”
Keywords: impact, development
Keyword Location: para D, lines 1-4
Explanation: The mentioned para outlines how voluntary work impacts individual development.

the requirement for both selflessness and self-interest in volunteers

Answer: G
Supporting statement:“.........But it also requires something that in no way detracts from the valuable work done by volunteers and which may seem at first glance both contradictory and surprising: self-interest........”
Keywords: self-interest, volunteers
Keyword Location: para G, lines 1-5
Explanation: The para discusses the need for both selflessness and self-interest in volunteers.

various areas in which people volunteer

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“.........The Australia Bureau of Statistics gives an idea of the scale of activities in which people are typically involved... Other fields included Sports/Recreation, religious activities and education........”
Keywords: areas, volunteer
Keyword Location: para C, lines 1-6
Explanation: The para lists different areas where people volunteer.

the benefit of voluntary work for the young

Answer: E
Supporting statement:“.......their energy and enthusiasm can be harnessed for the benefit of their fellow human beings and ultimately themselves..........”
Keywords: work, young
Keyword Location: para E, lines 1-6
Explanation: The para explains how voluntary work benefits young people.

a mistaken view of volunteering

Answer: A
Supporting statement:“.......Volunteering, as some people consider it mistakenly, is a plethora of people from all walks of life as well as activities, but data from the other side of the world suggests otherwise..........”
Keywords: view, volunteering
Keyword Location: para A, lines 1-3
Explanation: The para addresses a common misconception about volunteering.

Questions 34-37

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

The ONS survey was done to find out

why people undertook volunteering.
how many people participated in volunteering.
how many rich people did volunteer work.
which people were involved in volunteering.

Answer: D
Supporting statement:“........a survey on who participated in volunteering by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the United Kingdom (UK).........”
Keywords: survey, who
Keyword Location: para A, line 3
Explanation: The survey aimed to identify which people were involved in volunteering.

The ONS survey found that people with university qualifications were

as likely to volunteer as those with no qualifications.
more likely to volunteer than those with no qualifications.
less likely to volunteer than those with no qualifications.
the only group likely to do formal volunteer work.

Answer: B
Supporting statement:“........and 57 percent had volunteered formally in the previous 12 months. For people with no qualifications, the corresponding proportions were 52 percent and 23 percent..........”
Keywords: qualifications, more
Keyword Location: para B, lines 3-6
Explanation: The given data indicates that those with higher qualifications were more likely to volunteer.

It is suggested that rich people volunteer as a result of having

clearer goals.
fewer children.
more spare time.
greater guilt.

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“........Does the answer not lie perhaps in the fact that the rich tend to have money to allow them the time to become involved in voluntary work compared to less well-off people?.........”
Keywords: people, more
Keyword Location: para B, lines 6-8
Explanation: The para suggests that wealthy individuals volunteer more due to having more time.

Volunteer work benefits people by teaching them how to

function in a system.
communicate clearly.
deal with failure.
overcome shyness.

Answer: A
Supporting statement:“........Voluntary work helps foster independence and imparts the ability to deal with different situations, often simultaneously, thus teaching people how to work their way through different
systems.........”
Keywords: benefits, teaching
Keyword Location: para D, lines 1-3
Explanation: The para indicates that volunteering teaches people how to navigate different systems.

Questions 38-40

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F below.

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 38 - 40 on your Answer Sheet

One of the requirements of being a volunteer is being able to

Answer: E
Supporting statement:“..........One might immediately think of attributes like kindness, selflessness... a capacity to comprehend the ways of other people.......”
Keywords: volunteer, comprehend
Keyword Location: para G, lines 1-3
Explanation: Being able to understand how people behave is a requirement for volunteers.

Volunteering can be used as a way for the unemployed to

Answer: C
Supporting statement:“.......People who are unemployed can use volunteer work as a stepping stone to employment, as a means of finding out whether they really like the field they plan to enter..........”
Keywords: gain access, job
Keyword Location: para H, lines 3-5
Explanation: Volunteering helps unemployed people explore job opportunities in their field of interest.

Employers in general tend to

Answer: A
Supporting statement:“.........Employers will generally look favorably on people who have shown an ability to work as part of a team. It demonstrates a willingness to learn and an independent spirit........”
Keywords: consider, volunteer
Keyword Location: para F, lines 1-3
Explanation: Employers view volunteer work experience as a positive attribute.