The Power of the Placebo Effect Reading Answers

Jul 15, 2025

The Power of the Placebo Effect Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. The Power of the Placebo Effect Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set, you have to choose which paragraph contains the given statement. In the next question set, you have to state whether the statement is yes, no or not given according to the passage. In the last set, you have to choose the correct letter.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

THE POWER OF THE PLACEBO EFFECT

A.The placebo effect is a well-documented phenomenon in which patients feel better after receiving a treatment that, in fact, has no active properties. In clinical trials, some patients are given experimental drugs, while others receive a placebo, often in the form of a sugar pill. The placebo effect is the term given to the fact that people often perceive an improvement in their condition, even though they are not actually receiving any medication with active ingredients.

B.The placebo effect has long been a target of scorn. The term 'placebo' was originally coined in the 13th century, when it was used to refer to hired mourners at a funeral. These 'mourners' were not performing a service for the deceased, but rather for the people who had paid them, Similarly, a placebo is a treatment that is not administered for the benefit of the patient, but rather for the benefit of the physician, who can tell the patient that he or she has received a treatment. In the 19th century, the term 'placebo' was used by physicians to refer to treatments that they believed were biologically inert, but which they administered anyway in order to please the patient.

C.In the 20th century, placebos became widely used as controls in scientific studies. In such studies, the experimental group receives the treatment being tested, while the control group receives a placebo. The placebo effect is then calculated by subtracting the effect of the placebo from the effect of the experimental treatment. The placebo effect is considered to be a nuisance variable, which must be controlled in order to get an accurate measure of the experimental treatment's effectiveness. This is the way that the placebo effect has been viewed for most of the 20th century.

D.However, in the 1990s, a few medical researchers began to suggest that the placebo effect might be worthy of scientific investigation in its own right. One of the first studies to draw attention to the placebo effect was published in 1955 by H. K Beecher, who was a prominent anaesthesiologist at Harvard Medical School. Beecher's study, entitled 'The Powerful Placebo', did not present any new experimental findings, but rather was a review of 15 clinical trials in which both placebo and experimental treatments were given. Beecher found that across these studies, 35% of the patients were satisfactorily relieved of their symptoms by a placebo alone. Beecher concluded that placebos could have a powerful effect on a range of conditions, including angina pectoris, the common cold, and seasickness.

E.Beecher argued that the placebo effect is not just a result of patients believing in the treatment they are receiving, but also of the patient's relationship with the physician. He pointed out that the physician's attitude toward the treatment, the physician's confidence in the treatment, and the physician's enthusiasm for the treatment can all have an impact on the patient's response to the treatment. The placebo effect has been shown to be particularly effective in the treatment of pain. In one study, patients with post-operative pain were given either a placebo or a painkiller. The patients who received the placebo reported a significantreduction in pain, and some even reported complete pain relief.

F.In another study, patients with irritable bowel syndrome were given either a placebo or no treatment at all. The patients who received the placebo reported a significant improvement in their symptoms, while those who received no treatment reported no improvement. The placebo effect has even been shown to have an impact on surgical outcomes. In one study, patients with

osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly assigned to receive either arthroscopic surgery or a placebo surgery. In the placebo surgery, the patients were given an anaesthetic and incisions were made in their knees, but no actual surgery was performed. The patients who received the placebo surgery reported a significant improvement in their symptoms, and this improvement was comparable to the improvement reported by the patients who received the actual surgery.

G.The placebo effect is a complex phenomenon that is not fully understood. However, it is clear that the placebo effect is a real and powerful phenomenon that can have a significant impact on a range of conditions. The placebo effect is not just a result of patients believing in the treatment they are receiving, but also of the patient's relationship with the physician. The placebo effect is a real, measurable, and powerful phenomenon that should be taken seriously by the medical community.

Questions 27-33

Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following

information? Write the correct letter, A-G.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

27. a reference to the origin of the word 'placebo'

Answer: B

Supporting statement: The term 'placebo' was originally coined in the 13th century, when it was used to refer to hired mourners at a funeral.

Keywords: 13th century, mourners

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 1-2

Explanation: A reference to the origin of the term placebo is made in paragraph B of the passage; its meaning in the 13th century is associated with hired mourners.

28. a reference to the fact that a placebo has no active ingredient

Answer: A

Supporting statement: patients feel better after receiving a treatment that, in fact, has no active properties.

Keywords: receiving, active properties

Keyword Location: Para A, Line 2

Explanation: In para A, it is given that the placebo has no active properties.

29. a reference to a study which did not involve any new research data

Answer: D

Supporting statement: The Powerful Placebo', did not present any new experimental findings, but rather was a review of 15 clinical trials

Keywords: experimental, 15 clinical

Keyword Location: Para D, Line 5

Explanation: The Para D of the passage refers to the study conducted by H. K Beecher, who was a prominent anaesthesiologist at Harvard Medical School, published in 1955, which included no new research data but used the 15 clinical trials to study the placebo effect.

30. examples of conditions that respond well to treatment with a placebo

Answer: D

Supporting statement: Beecher concluded that placebos could have a powerful effect on a range of conditions, including angina pectoris, the common cold, and seasickness.

Keywords: conditions, common cold,

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 8-9

Explanation: The Para D of the passage mentions the conditions that were treated, such as angina pectoris, the common cold, and seasickness, by the use of the placebo.

31. a reference to a Study Which involved a surgical procedure

Answer: F

Supporting statement: patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly assigned to receive either arthroscopic surgery or a placebo surgery.

Keywords: osteoarthritis, surgery

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 5

Explanation: In para F, an example of a study where patients with knee osteoarthritis were given the option to either undergo an arthroscopic operation or a placebo treatment.

32. a reference to a study which involved a drug treatment

Answer: E

Supporting statement: patients with post-operative pain were given either a placebo or a painkiller.

Keywords: post-operative, painkiller

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 6-7

Explanation: The use of a painkiller and a placebo after a surgery is given in the F paragraph of the passage.

33. a suggestion that the placebo effect should be seen as a positive thing

Answer: G

Supporting statement: The placebo effect is a real, measurable, and powerful phenomenon that should be taken seriously by the medical community.

Keywords: placebo, powerful

Keyword Location: Para G, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The para G of the passage mentions that it is important for the medical profession to take the placebo effect seriously because it is a powerful, observable, and real phenomenon.

Questions 34-38

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? Write

YES - if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

NO - if the statement contradicts the views

NOT GIVEN - if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

34. A placebo can produce both positive and negative effects.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No information regarding the placebo having both positive and negative effects is given in the text.

35. Placebos were first used in scientific studies in the 19th century.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: In the 20th century, placebos became widely used as controls in scientific studies.

Keywords: 20th century, scientific

Keyword Location: Para C, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, the placebos became popular in the 20th century not in the 19th century.

36. Beecher's study involved a large number of patients.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No information about a large number of people being used as test subjects in Beecher's study is given in the text.

37. Beecher's study was the first to compare the effects of placebos with actual medical treatments.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No information about Beecher's study being the first to compare the effects of placebos with actual medical treatments.

38. Beecher believed that a patient's relationship with their physician could affect the outcome

of treatment.

Answer: YES

Supporting statement: Beecher argued that the placebo effect is not just a result of patients believing in the treatment they are receiving, but also of the patient's relationship with the physician.

Keywords: Beecher, relationship

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 1-2

Explanation: According to the text, the placebo effect is a product of both the patient's relationship with the doctor and their belief in the treatment they are receiving.

Questions 39-40

Choose the correct letter.

39. What is the writer's main purpose in Reading Passage 3?

A. to highlight the differences between the placebo effect and actual medical treatments

B. to provide support for those who believe that the placebo effect is a good thing

C. to argue that the placebo effect should be studied in more detail

D. to present evidence that the placebo effect is a real phenomenon

Answer: D

Supporting statement: However, it is clear that the placebo effect is a real and powerful phenomenon that can have a significant impact on a range of conditions.

Keywords: real and powerful, impact

Keyword Location: Para G, Line 2

Explanation: The writer's main purpose in writing the passage is to prove that the placebo effect is a real phenomenon.

40. What would be the best subheading for this passage?

A. The placebo effect: a nuisance or a powerful healing tool?

B. The placebo effect: the key to effective pain management?

C. The placebo effect: a key to understanding the immune system?

D. The placebo effect: the end of modern medicine as we know it?

Answer: A

Supporting statement: The patients who received the placebo reported a significant improvement in their symptoms, while those who received no treatment reported no improvement.

Keywords: improvement, treatment

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 2-3

Explanation: The best subheading for this passage is The placebo effect: a nuisance or a powerful healing tool? The passage mentions the positive effects of a placebo and the hindrances that come with it.

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