TV Addiction 2 Reading Answers

Jan 18, 2023

TV Addiction 2 Reading Answers is an academic reading topic that is a brief discussion about TV addiction and also explains its advantages and disadvantages on the mankind. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “E-ENG-school IELTS Reading Test With Answers Key (New Edition)”. The topic named TV Addiction 2 Reading Answers comes with 14 different wide range of questions. Three different types of questions are included in this topic, such as, True/False/Not Given, choose the correct letter, and complete the summary. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like TV Addiction 2 Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

TV Addiction 2 Reading Answers

TV ADDICTION 2

Excessive cravings do not necessarily involve physical substances. Gambling can become compulsive; sex can become obsessive. One activity, however, stands out for its prominence and ubiquity—the world’s most popular pastime, television. Most people admit to having a love-bate relationship with it. They complain about the “boob tube” and “couch potatoes,” then they settle into their sofas and grab the remote control. Parents commonly fret about their children’s viewing (if not their own). Even researchers who study TV for a living marvel at the medium’s hold on them personally. Percy Tannenbaum of the University of California at Berkeley has written: “Among life’s more embarrassing moments have been countless occasions when I am engaged in conversation in a room while a TV set is on, and I cannot for the life of me stop from periodically glancing over to the screen. This occurs not only during dull conversations but during reasonably interesting ones just as well.”
Scientists have been studying the effects of television for decades, generally focusing on whether watching violence on TV correlates with being violent in real life. Less attention has been paid to the basic allure of the small screen—the medium, as opposed to the message.
The term “TV addiction” is imprecise and laden with value judgments, but it captures the essence of a very real phenomenon. Psychologists and psychiatrists formally define substance dependence as a disorder characterized by criteria that include spending a great deal of time using the substance; using it more often than one intends; thinking about reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up important social, family or occupational activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it.
All these criteria can apply to people who watch a lot of television. That does not mean that watching television, in itself, is problematic. Television can teach and amuse; it can reach aesthetic heights; it can provide much needed distraction and escape. The difficulty arises when people strongly sense that they ought not to watch as much as they do and yet find themselves strangely unable to reduce their viewing. Some knowledge of how the medium exerts its pull may help heavy viewers gain better control over their lives.
The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing. On average, individuals in the industrialized world devote three hours a day to the pursuit—fully half of their leisure time, and more than on any single activity save work and sleep. At this rate, someone who lives to 75 would spend nine years in front of the tube. To some commentators, this devotion means simply that people enjoy TV and make a conscious decision to watch it. But if that is the whole story, why do so many people experience misgivings about how much they view? In Gallup polls in 1992 and 1999, two out of five adult respondents and seven out of 10 teenagers said they spent too much time watching TV. Other surveys have consistently shown that roughly 10 percent of adults call themselves TV addicts.
What is it about TV that has such a hold on US? In part, the attraction seems to spring from our biological ‘orienting response.’ First described by Ivan Pavlov in 1927, the orienting response is our instinctive visual or auditory reaction to any sudden or novel stimulus. It is part of our evolutionary heritage, a built- in sensitivity to movement and potential predatory threats.
In 1986 Byron Reeves of Stanford University, Esther Thorson of the University of Missouri and their colleagues began to study whether the simple formal features of television-cuts, edits, zooms, pans, sudden noises—activate the orienting response, thereby keeping attention on the screen. By watching how brain waves were affected by formal features, the researchers concluded that these stylistic tricks can indeed trigger involuntary responses and ‘derive their attention-al value through the evolutionary significance of detecting movement…. It is the form, not the content, of television that is unique.’
The orienting response may partly explain common viewer remarks such as: “If a television is on, I just can’t keep my eyes off it,” “I don’t want to watch as much as I do, but I can’t help it,” and “I feel hypnotized when I watch television.” In the years since Reeves and Thorson published then pioneering work, researchers have delved deeper. Annie Lang’s research team at Indiana University has shown that heart rate decreases for four to six seconds after an orienting stimulus. In ads, action sequences and music videos, formal features frequently come at a rate of one per second, thus activating the orienting response continuously.
Lang and her colleagues have also investigated whether formal features affect people’s memory of what they have seen. In one of their studies, participants watched a program and then filled out a score sheet. Increasing the frequency of edits (defined here as a change from one camera angle to another in the same visual scene) improved memory recognition, presumably because it focused attention on the screen. Increasing the frequency of cuts—changes to a new visual scene-had a similar effect but only up to a point. If the number of cuts exceeded 10 in two minutes, recognition dropped off sharply.
Producers of educational television for children have found that formal features can help learning. But increasing the rate of cuts and edits eventually overloads the brain. Music videos and commercials that use rapid intercutting of unrelated scenes are designed to hold attention more than they are to convey information. People may remember the name of the product or band, but the details of the ad itself float in one ear and out the other. The orienting response is overworked. Viewers still attend to the screen, but they feel tired and worn out, with little compensating psychological reward. Our ESM findings show much the same thing.
Sometimes the memory of the product is very subtle. Many ads today are deliberately oblique: they have an engaging story line, but it is hard to tell what they are trying to sell. Afterward you may not remember the product consciously. Yet advertisers believe that if they have gotten your attention, when you later go to the store you will feel better or more comfortable with a given product because you have a vague recollection of having heard of it.

Section 2

Questions 27-30

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

In boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the formation is not given to the passage

Question 27. Even researcher find sometimes it is more interesting in watching TV than talking with others in personal experience

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Even researchers who study TV for a living marvel at the medium’s hold on them personally.
Keyword : researchers, study TV, living marvel, personally
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph A states that cravings that are too strong may not always be for tangible things. Sex and gambling both have the potential to turn compulsive. The most common activity in the world, television, stands out for its importance and pervasiveness. Most people acknowledge that their connection with it is ambivalent. They gripe about "couch potatoes" and "boob tubes," then sink into their couches and pick up the remote. Parents frequently worry about what their kids are watching (if not their own). Even TV scholars who make their career by studying the media are in awe of its personal influence. Hence, the statement can be regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 28. Information medium as TV has always been the priority for scientific research.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: Scientists have been studying the effects of television for decades, generally focusing on whether watching violence on TV correlates with being violent in real life.
Keyword : Scientists, studying the effects, television, decades
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 1-2
Explanation: University of California at Berkeley professor Percy Tannenbaum once said something. She said among life's more awkward moments have been innumerable occasions when she was conversing with someone in a room when a TV set is on. She cannot stop herself from frequently gazing over to the screen. This happens not only during boring conversations, but even during ones that are at least moderately intriguing. For decades, scientists have been researching the effects of television. It is actually primarily examining the relationship between watching violence on TV and actual violent behaviour. Less focus has been placed on the small screen's inherent appeal, which is the medium, as opposed to the message. Thus, the above statement can be taken as a FALSE one.

Question 29. It is partially unscientific to use the term ‘TV addiction’.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: The term “TV addiction” is imprecise and laden with value judgments, but it captures the essence of a very real phenomenon.
Keyword : TV addiction, imprecise, value judgments, essence of a very real phenomenon
Keyword location: paragraph C, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of parargaph C states that even if the phrase TV addiction is vague and loaded with moral judgements, it effectively sums up a very real condition. Substance dependence is formally defined by psychologists and psychiatrists as a disorder. It is characterised by symptoms of withdrawal when one stops using the substance. Also, the criteria that include spending a lot of time using it, using it more frequently than one intends, thinking about cutting back. Also, thinking of making numerous unsuccessful attempts to do so. So, the above statement can be therefore taken as a TRUE one.

Question 30. Children do not know why they exercise too little.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Supporting sentence: Producers of educational television for children have found that formal features can help learning.
Keyword : Producers, educational television, children, formal features can help learning
Keyword location: paragraph J, lines 1-2
Explanation: The starting lines of paragraph J explains that formal aspects have been found to be beneficial to learning. This is according to producers of children's educational television. However, frequent cuts and edits eventually exhaust the brain. Although, the description of children do not know why they exercise too little has not bee mentioned in the passage. Therefore, we can clearly conclude that the given statement is an invalid one.

Questions 31-33

Choose THREE letters, A-F.

Write the correct letters in boxes 31-33 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of the following are benefits of watching TV?

artistic inspiration
family reunion
relieve stress
learn knowledge and education
work efficiency
ease communicative conflict

Question 31:

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: Television can teach and amuse; it can reach aesthetic heights
Keyword : Television, teach, amuse, aesthetic heights
Keyword location: paragraph D, lines 1-3
Explanation: Lines 1-3 of paragraph D suggests that television watchers are subject to certain conditions. This does not imply that viewing television is a problem in and of itself. Television has the ability to instruct and amuse, achieve the highest levels of aesthetics, and offer much-needed diversion and escape. The problem comes when people feel strongly that they should not watch as much television. The people should not watch television as they do but curiously find themselves unable to curtail their consumption. Heavy viewers may be able to better manage their life if they have some understanding of how the media exerts its influence. So, option A is one of the correct responses for this question.

Question 32:

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: What is it about TV that has such a hold on US? In part, the attraction seems to spring from our biological ‘orienting response.’
Keyword : TV, US, biological, ‘orienting response.’
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph F questions that what is it about television that has such a grip on US. The attraction appears to be partially caused by a person’s innate "orienting response." The orienting response, which Ivan Pavlov first defined in 1927, is our innate visual or aural response to any rapid or novel stimuli. A built-in awareness to movement and potential predatory threats is a legacy of our evolutionary past. Therefore, option F is another correct answer to this question.

Question 33:

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: Producers of educational television for children have found that formal features can help learning.
Keyword : Producers, educational, children, help learning
Keyword location: paragraph J, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph J says that formal characteristics have been discovered to aid learning. This is according to those who produce children's educational television. However, frequent cuts and edits eventually exhaust the brain. Rapidly cutting between unconnected scenes in music videos and advertising is done more for effect than to provide information. The name of the band or product may stick in people's minds, but they often forget the specifics of the advertisement. Overworked is the orienting response. Hence, option D is the third correct answer for the above mentioned question.

Questions 34-37

Look at the following researchers (Questions 34-37) and the list of statements below. Match each researcher with the correct statements.

Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 34-37 on your answer sheets.

34 Percy Tannenbaum

35 Ivan Pavlov

36 Byron Reeves and Esther Thorson

37 Annie Lang

List of Statements

It is the specific media formal characteristic that counts.
TV distraction shows human physical reaction to a new and prompted stimulus
Conveying information is the most important thing.
It is hard to ignore the effects of TV.
Whether people can remember deeper of the content relates with the format.
The heart rate remains stable when watching.
Clinically reliance on TV does not meet the criteria of an addiction.

Question 34: Percy Tannenbaum

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: Percy Tannenbaum of the University of California at Berkeley has written: “Among life’s more embarrassing moments have been countless occasions when I am engaged in conversation in a room
while a TV set is on, and I cannot for the life of me stop from periodically glancing over to the screen.
Keyword : Percy Tannenbaum, embarrassing moments, TV set is on, stop from periodically glancing
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 7-11
Explanation: The seventh to eleventh lines of paragraph A states some words of Percy Tannenbaum. According to Percy Tannenbaum of the University of California, Berkeley, life's more awkward moments have been innumerable occasions. One of the occasion is when she was engaged in discussion in a room while a TV set is on. It is then she could not be able to stop herself from frequently glancing over to the screen. This happens not only during boring conversations, but even during ones that are at least moderately intriguing.

Question 35: Ivan Pavlov

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: First described by Ivan Pavlov in 1927, the orienting response is our instinctive visual or auditory reaction to any sudden or novel stimulus.
Keyword : Ivan Pavlov, orienting response, instinctive visual or auditory, sudden or novel stimulus
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 1-2
Explanation: Lines 1-2 of paragraph F implies about a perception of Ivan Pavlov. The topic of why television has such a hold on Americans is posed in the passage. The "orienting response" that people naturally have appears to contribute to the attraction. Our natural response to any quick or unfamiliar stimuli is known as the orienting response, which Ivan Pavlov originally described in 1927. Our evolutionary past left us with an innate awareness of movement and potential predatory predators.

Question 36: Byron Reeves and Esther Thorson

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: In 1986 Byron Reeves of Stanford University, Esther Thorson of the University of Missouri and their colleagues began to study whether the simple formal features of television-cuts, edits, zooms,
pans, sudden noises—activate the orienting response, thereby keeping attention on the screen.
Keyword : Byron Reeves, Esther Thorson, formal features, keeping attention on the screen
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 1-4
Explanation: Lines 1-4 of paragraph G says about Esther Thorson of the University of Missouri, and Byron Reeves of Stanford University. Also, their colleagues along with first investigated whether the straightforward formal elements of television. This includes cuts, edits, zooms, pans, and unexpected noises, activate the orienting response and maintain attention on the screen in 1986. The researchers discovered that certain stylistic tactics can really cause involuntary responses. Also, derive its attentional worth through the evolutionary relevance of detecting movement by observing how brain waves were altered by formal elements.

Question 37: Annie Lang

Answer: E
Supporting sentence: In ads, action sequences and music videos, formal features frequently come at a rate of one per second, thus activating the orienting response continuously.
Keyword : Annie Lang, ads, rate of one per second, activating the orienting response continuously
Keyword location: paragraph H, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph H explains that if a television is on, one just can't keep their eyes off of it. These are common statements made by viewers that may be partially explained by the orienting reaction. A person feel hypnotised when they watch television, and they don't want to watch as much as they do. Researchers have gone further since Reeves and Thorson published their ground-breaking study years ago. The study group of Annie Lang at Indiana University has demonstrated that the heart rate drops for four to six seconds following an orienting stimulus. Formal characteristics commonly appear once every second in advertisements, action scenes, and music videos, stimulating the orienting reaction continually.

Questions 38-40

Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage 3, using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet

TV is becoming a worldwide 38……….. Some people love it and spend a great deal of time watching it. According to some surveys, a small group even claim themselves as 39………… One researcher believes that this attraction comes from our human instinct, described as 40………which is built in part of our physiological evolution.

Question 38:

Answer: POPULAR PASTIME
Supporting sentence: One activity, however, stands out for its prominence and ubiquity—the world’s most popular pastime, television.
Keyword : activity, prominence, most popular pastime, television
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph A clarifies that excessive desires do not always entail physical things. Sex and gambling both have the potential to turn compulsive. The most common activity in the world, television, stands out for its importance and pervasiveness and popular pastime. Most people acknowledge that their connection with it is ambivalent. They gripe about "couch potatoes" and "boob tubes," then sink into their couches and pick up the remote.

Question 39:

Answer: TV ADDICTS
Supporting sentence: Other surveys have consistently shown that roughly 10 percent of adults call themselves TV addicts.
Keyword : surveys, consistently, roughly 10 percent, TV addicts
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 8-9
Explanation: Lines 8-9 of paragraph E points out that people in industrialised nations dedicate three hours a day on average to the activity. It is more than they do for any other activity save job and sleep. This amounts to
more than half of their free time. If this trend continues, a person who lives to reach 75 would watch television for nine years. Some critics interpret this dedication as merely indicating that viewers choose to watch TV because they find it enjoyable. Seven out of ten teenagers and two out of five adults who participated in Gallup surveys conducted in 1992 and 1999 indicated they watched too much television. Various studies have consistently revealed that about 10% of adults identify as TV addicts.

Question 40:

Answer: ORIENTING RESPONSE
Supporting sentence: First described by Ivan Pavlov in 1927, the orienting response is our instinctive visual or auditory reaction to any sudden or novel stimulus.
Keyword : orienting response, instinctive visual or auditory, reaction, novel stimulus
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph F implies that our natural visual or aural response to any abrupt or unfamiliar input is known as the orienting response. This phenomenon was first theorised by Ivan Pavlov in 1927. A
built-in awareness to movement and potential predatory threats is a legacy of our evolutionary past. Formal characteristics commonly appear once every second in advertisements, action scenes, and music videos, stimulating the orienting reaction continually. Overworked is the orienting response. Viewers continue to watch the screen, but they are worn out and fatigued, with little psychological gain to make up for it.