The Nature of Genius Reading Answers

Feb 22, 2023

The Nature of Genius Reading Answers talks about the emergence and characteristics of genius people. This IELTS reading topic also discusses the psychological angle of being a genius. This IELTS reading answer topic comprises a total of 13 questions. The Nature of Genius Reading Answers consists of the mentioned question types; choose the correct option and true/false/not given. Questions included in this IELTS reading topic which is The Nature of Genius Reading Answers like choose the correct letter require candidates to answer questions based on a given cue. Further, in order to answer true/false/not given, candidates must understand the representation of cases and analyse them. Overall, a thorough reading of IELTS reading passage is a must when attempting this section. To gain proficiency, candidates can undertake practice from IELTS Reading Practice Papers. The source of this reading passage is IELTS Cambridge 8 Test 3 Reading Passage 2.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Nature of Genius Reading Answers

There has always been ari interest in geniuses and prodigies. The word ‘genius’, from the Latin gens (= family) and the term ‘genius’, meaning ‘begetter’, comes from the early Roman cult of a divinity as the head of the family. In its earliest form, genius was concerned with the ability of the head of the family, the paterfamilias, to perpetuate himself. Gradually, genius came to represent a person’s characteristics and thence an individual’s highest attributes derived from his ‘genius’ or guiding spirit. Today, people still look to stars or genes, astrology or genetics, in the hope of finding the source of exceptional abilities or personal characteristics.
The concept of genius and of gifts has become part of our folk culture, and attitudes are ambivalent towards them. We envy the gifted and mistrust them. In the mythology of giftedness, it is popularly believed that if people are talented in one area, they must be defective in another, that intellectuals are impractical, that prodigies burn too brightly too soon and burn out, that gifted people are eccentric, that they are physical weaklings, that there’s a thin line between genius and madness, that genius runs in families, that the gifted are so clever they don’t need special help, that giftedness is the same as having a high IQ, that some races are more intelligent or musical or mathematical than others, that genius goes unrecognised and unrewarded, that adversity makes men wise or that people with gifts have a responsibility to use them. Language has been enriched with such terms as ‘highbrow’, ‘egghead’, ‘blue-stocking’, ‘wiseacre’, ‘know-all’, ‘boffin’ and, for many, ‘intellectual’ is a term of denigration.
The nineteenth century saw considerable interest in the nature of genius, and produced not a few studies of famous prodigies. Perhaps for us today, two of the most significant aspects of most of these studies of genius are the frequency with which early encouragement and teaching by parents and tutors had beneficial effects on the intellectual, artistic or musical development of the children but caused great difficulties of adjustment later in their lives, and the frequency with which abilities went unrecognised by teachers and schools. However, the difficulty with the evidence produced by these studies, fascinating as they are in collecting together anecdotes and apparent similarities and exceptions, is that they are not what we would today call norm-referenced. In other words, when, for instance, information is collated about early illnesses, methods of upbringing, schooling, etc., we must also take into account information from other historical sources about how common or exceptional these were at the time. For instance, infant mortality was high and life expectancy much shorter than today, home tutoring was common in the families of the nobility and wealthy, bullying and corporal punishment were common at the best independent schools and, for the most part, the cases studied were members of the privileged classes. It was only with the growth of paediatrics and psychology in the twentieth century that studies could be carried out on a more objective, if still not always very scientific, basis.
Geniuses, however they are defined, are but the peaks which stand out through the mist of history and are visible to the particular observer from his or her particular vantage point. Change the observers and the vantage points, clear away some of the mist, and a different lot of peaks appear. Genius is a term we apply to those whom we recognise for their outstanding achievements and who stand near the end of the continuum of human abilities which reaches back through the mundane and mediocre to the incapable. There is still much truth in Dr Samuel Johnson’s observation, 'The true genius Is a mind of large general powers, accidentally determined to some particular direction’. We may disagree with the ‘general’, for we doubt if all musicians of genius could have become scientists of genius or vice versa, but there is no doubting the accidental determination which nurtured or triggered their gifts into those channels into which they have poured their powers so successfully. Along the continuum of abilities are hundreds of thousands of gifted men and women, boys and girls.
What we appreciate, enjoy or marvel at in thè works of genius or the achievements of prodigies are the manifestations of skills or abilities which are similar to, but so much superior to, our own. But that their minds are not different from our own is demonstrated by the fact that the hard-won discoveries of scientists like Kepler or Einstein become the commonplace knowledge of schoolchildren and the once outrageous shapes and colours of an artist like Paul Klee so soon appear on the fabrics we wear. This does not minimise the supremacy of their achievements, which outstrip our own as the sub-four-minute milers outstrip our jogging.
To think of geniuses and the gifted as having uniquely different brains is only reasonable If we accept that each human brain is uniquely different. The purpose of instruction is to make the US even more different from one another, and in the process of being educated we can learn from the achievements of those more gifted than ourselves. But before we try to emulate geniuses or encourage our children to do so we should note that some of the things we learn from them may prove unpalatable. We may envy their achievements and fame, but we should also recognise the price they may have paid in terms of perseverance, single-mindedness, dedication, restrictions on their personal lives, the demands upon their energies and time, and how often they had to display great courage to preserve their integrity or to make their way to the top.
Genius and giftedness are relative descriptive terms of no real substance. We may, at best, give them some precision by defining them and placing them in a context but, whatever we do, we should never delude ourselves into believing that gifted children or geniuses are different from the rest of humanity, save in the degree to which they have developed the performance of their abilities.

Section 2

Solution with Explanation
Questions 1-5:
Choose FIVE letters, A-K.
Write the correct letters in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet
NB Your answers may be given in any order.
Below are listed some popular beliefs about genius and giftedness.
Which FIVE of these beliefs are reported by the writer of the text?

Truly gifted people are talented in all areas.
The talents of geniuses are soon exhausted.
Gifted people should use their gifts.
A genius appears once in every generation.
Genius can be easily destroyed by discouragement.
Genius is inherited.
Gifted people are very hard to live with.
People never appreciate true genius.
Geniuses are natural leaders.
Gifted people develop their greatness through difficulties.
Genius will always reveal itself.

Question 1:

Answer 1: B. The talents of geniuses are soon exhausted.
Supporting Sentence: In the mythology of giftedness, it is popularly believed that if people are talented in one area, they must be defective in another, that intellectuals are impractical, that prodigies burn too brightly too soon and burn out
Keyword: burn out, soon, talented
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, 3rd sentence
Explanation: According to the author, if a person is talented in one area, it quickly burns out or becomes exhausted. The right response is that geniuses' abilities quickly run out.

Question 2:

Answer 2: C. Gifted people should use their gifts
Supporting Sentence: that adversity makes men wise or that people with gifts have a responsibility to use them.
Keyword: gifted, men, use
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 2nd last line
Explanation: According to the text, it is the responsibility of those who have gifts to make use of them. As a result, those with gifts should use them to provide the right response.

Question 3:

Answer 3: F. Genius is inherited
Supporting Sentence: In the mythology of giftedness, it is popularly believed that if people are talented in one area, they must be defective in another, that intellectuals are impractical, that prodigies burn too brightly too soon and burn out, that gifted people are eccentric, that they are physical weaklings, that there’s a thin line between genius and madness, that genius runs in families,
Keyword: families, genius
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 2nd sentence (middle section)
Explanation: According to the author in paragraph 2, genius runs in the family. This implies that talent is passed down through the blood or family. Thus, the correct response is that genius is inherited.

Question 4:

Answer 4: H. People never appreciate true genius
Supporting Sentence: that genius goes unrecognised and unrewarded, that adversity makes men wise or that people with gifts have a responsibility to use them.
Keyword: unrecognised, genius
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 2nd last line
Explanation: The sentence makes it very evident that genius is rarely acknowledged. As a result, the passage's right response is People never recognise genius.

Question 5:

Answer 5: J. Gifted people develop their greatness through difficulties
Supporting Sentence: that the gifted are so clever they don’t need special help, that giftedness is the same as having a high IQ
Keyword: help
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 2nd sentence (middle section)
Explanation: According to the author, those with particular abilities may become great on their own. The proper response is, "Gifted people achieve their brilliance via hardships."

Questions 6-13:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 6-13 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

Nineteenth-century studies of the nature of genius failed to take into account the uniqueness of the person’s upbringing.

Answer : True
Supporting Sentence: Perhaps for us today, two of the most significant aspects of most of these studies of genius are the frequency with which early encouragement and teaching by parents and tutors had beneficial effects on the intellectual, artistic or musical development of the children but caused great difficulties of adjustment later in their lives, and the frequency with which abilities went unrecognised by teachers and schools.
Keyword: upbringing, unrecognised
Keyword Location: paragraph 3, Line 2 and 4
Explanation: According to the text, when examining the geniuses, upbringing and individuality were not taken into account. Because it agrees with the phrase, the answer is True.

Nineteenth-century studies of genius lacked both objectivity and a proper scientific approach.

Answer : True
Supporting Sentence: It was only with the growth of paediatrics and psychology in the twentieth century that studies could be carried out on a more objective, if still not always very scientific, basis.
Keyword: studies
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, last sentence
Explanation: The third paragraph's final few sentences say that the investigations need to have been conducted on a more objective and scientific foundation. Therefore, the response is True.

A true genius has general powers capable of excellence in any area.

Answer : False
Supporting Sentence: We may disagree with the ‘general’, for we doubt if all musicians of genius could have become scientists of genius or vice versa, but there is no doubting the accidental determination which nurtured or triggered their gifts into those channels into which they have poured their powers so successfully.
Keyword: general powers, particular
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, 2nd last statement
Explanation: According to the text, genuine geniuses should focus their skill rather than using their overall abilities. A real genius therefore lacks the general abilities to flourish in any field.

The skills of ordinary individuals are in essence the same as the skills of prodigies.

Answer : True
Supporting Sentence: What we appreciate, enjoy or marvel at in thè works of genius or the achievements of prodigies are the manifestations of skills or abilities which are similar to, but so much superior to, our own.
Keyword: skills, abilities, prodigies
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, 1st sentence
Explanation: As stated in the opening sentence, the author claims that while our talents and abilities are greater than those of genius, they are identical. As a result, it appears that the claim that prodigies and common people have similar talents in essence is valid.

The ease with which truly great ideas are accepted and taken for granted fails to lessen their significance.

Answer : True
Supporting Sentence: But that their minds are not different from our own is demonstrated by the fact that the hard-won discoveries of scientists like Kepler or Einstein become the commonplace knowledge of schoolchildren and the once outrageous shapes and colours of an artist like Paul Klee so soon appear on the fabrics we wear. This does not minimise the supremacy of their achievements, which outstrip our own as the sub-four-minute milers outstrip our jogging.
Keyword: minimise, achievements
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, 2nd and 3rd sentence
Explanation: According to the last sentence of the text, the dominance of genuinely great ideas' accomplishments is not diminished by the ease with which they are accepted and taken for granted. The assertion is true as a result.

Giftedness and genius deserve proper scientific research into their true nature so that all talent may be retained for the human race.

Answer : Not Given
Explanation: No relevant information was found in the reading passage.

Geniuses often pay a high price to achieve greatness.

Answer : True
Supporting Sentence: We may envy their achievements and fame, but we should also recognise the price they may have paid in terms of perseverance, single-mindedness, dedication, restrictions on their personal lives, the demands upon their energies and time, and how often they had to display great courage to preserve their integrity or to make their way to the top.
Keyword: achievement, price, paid
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, last statement
Explanation: The author claims that while we may be inspired by their accomplishments, we should also be aware of the cost they have to bear. The assertion is true as a result.