TV Addiction Reading Answers

Dec 9, 2022

TV Addiction Reading Answers contains nine passages and 13 different types of questions. Candidates will be shown various question types with clear instructions in this IELTS Section. Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For the Matching heading, candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage. For sentence completion, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords and understand the concept. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided.

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Reading Passage Questions

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.
To study people’s reactions to TV, researchers have experiments in which they have monitored the brain waves (using an electroencephalograph, or EEG) to track behaviour and emotion in the normal course of life, as opposed to the artificial conditions of the lab. Participants carried a beeper, and we signaled them six to eight times a day, at random, over the period of a week; whenever they heard the beep, they wrote down what they were doing and how they were feeling using a standardized scorecard.
As one might expect, people who were watching TV when we beeped them reported feeling relaxed and passive. The EEG studies similarly show less mental stimulation, as measured by alpha brain-wave production, during viewing than during reading. What is more surprising is that the sense of relaxation ends when the set is turned off, but the feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue. Survey participants say they have more difficulty concentrating after viewing than before. In contrast, they rarely indicate such difficulty after reading. After playing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report improvements in mood. After watching TV, people’s moods are about the same or worse than before. That may be because of viewers’ vague learned sense that they will feel less relaxed if they stop viewing. So they tend not to turn the set-off. Viewing begets more viewing which is the same as the experience of habit-forming drugs. Thus, the irony of TV: people watch a great deal longer than they plan to, even though prolonged viewing is less rewarding. In our ESM studies the longer people sat in front of the set, the less satisfaction they said they derived from it. For some, a twinge of unease or guilt that they aren’t doing something more productive may also accompany and depreciate the enjoyment of prolonged viewing. Researchers in Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. have found that this guilt occurs much more among middle-class viewers than among less affluent ones.
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 attentional value through the evolutionary significance of detecting movement… It is the form, not the content, of television that is unique.
The natural attraction to television’s sound and the light starts very early in life. Dafna Lemish of Tel Aviv University has described babies at six to eight weeks attending to television. We have observed slightly older infants who, when lying on their backs on the floor, crane their necks around 180 degrees to catch what light through yonder window breaks. This inclination suggests how deeply rooted the orienting response is.
The Experience Sampling Method permits us to look closely at most every domain of everyday life: working, eating, reading, talking to friends, playing a sport, and so on. We found that heavy viewers report feeling significantly more anxious and less happy than light viewers do in unstructured situations, such as doing nothing, daydreaming or waiting in line. The difference widens when the viewer is alone. Subsequently, Robert D. Mcllwraith of the University of Manitoba extensively studied those who called themselves TV addicts on surveys. On a measure called the Short Imaginal Processes Inventory (SIPI), he found that the self-described addicts are more easily bored and distracted and have poorer attentional control than the non-addicts. The addicts said they used TV to distract themselves from unpleasant thoughts and to fill time. Other studies over the years have shown that heavy viewers are less likely to participate in community activities and sports and are more likely to be obese than moderate viewers or non-viewers.
More than 25 years ago psychologist Tannis M. MacBeth Williams of the University of British Columbia studied a mountain community that had no television until cable finally arrived. Over time, both adults and children in the town became less creative in problem-solving, less able to persevere at tasks, and less tolerant of unstructured time.
Nearly 40 years ago Gary A. Steiner of the University of Chicago collected fascinating individual accounts of families whose set had broken. In experiments, families have volunteered or been paid to stop viewing, typically for a week or a month. Some fought, verbally and physically. In a review of these cold-turkey studies, Charles Winick of the City University of New York concluded: ‘The first three or four days for most persons were the worst, even in many homes where the viewing was minimal and where there were other ongoing activities. In over half of all the households, during these first few days of loss, the regular routines were disrupted, family members had difficulties in dealing with the newly available time, anxiety and aggressions were expressed. By the second week, a move toward adaptation to the situation was common. ‘Unfortunately, researchers have yet to flesh out these anecdotes; no one has systematically gathered statistics on the prevalence of these withdrawal symptoms.
Even though TV does seem to meet the criteria for substance dependence, not all researchers would go so far as to call TV addictive. Mcllwraith said in 1998 that ‘displacement of other activities by television may be socially significant but still fall short of the clinical requirement of significant impairment.’ He argued that a new category of ‘TV addiction’ may not be necessary if heavy viewing stems from conditions such as depression and social phobia. Nevertheless, whether or not we formally diagnose someone as TV-dependent, millions of people sense that they cannot readily control the amount of television they watch.

Solution and Explanation
Questions 14-18:
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage2?
In boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

[Guide: Candidates need to read the passage, and mark the questions True/False/Not Given based on the statements]

Question 14. Study shows that males are more likely to be addicted to TV than females.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation:No relevant information has been given in the paragraph associated with the question.

Question 15. Greater improvements in mood are experienced after watching TV than playing sports.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: After playing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report improvements in mood. After watching TV, people’s moods are about the same or worse than before.
Keywords: improvements, mood, TV
Keyword location: Section C, 7th line.
Explanation: People's moods were found to significantly improve following sports or other activities, according to research. As mentioned in the seventh line of section C, it is an alternative to watching television. As a result, the statement is untrue.

Question 16. TV addiction works in a similar way as to drugs.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Viewing begets more viewing which is the same as the experience of habit forming drugs.
Keywords: habit, drugs
Keyword location: Section C, 10th line.
Explanation: The eleventh line of section C indicates that watching TV increases as the habit is nurtured more, similar to drug addiction. As a result, the statement said is true.

Question 17. It is reported that people’s satisfaction is in proportion to the time they spend watching TV.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: people watch a great deal longer than they plan to, even though prolonged viewing is less rewarding. In our ESM studies the longer people sat in front of the set, the less satisfaction they said they derived from it.
Keywords: prolonged, viewing, less, rewarding
Keyword location: Section C, 11th line.
Explanation: The 11th line of section C states that individuals find watching TV to be less pleasant the longer they watch it. The resulting statement is untrue.

Question 18. Middle-class viewers are more likely to feel guilty about watching TV than the poor.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: a twinge of unease or guilt that they aren’t doing something more productive may also accompany and depreciate the enjoyment of prolonged viewing. Researchers in Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. have found that this guilt occurs much more among middle-class viewers than among less affluent ones.
Keywords: middle-class, guilt, less, affluent
Keyword location: Section C, 13th line.
Explanation: The 13th sentence of section C states that middle-class people are watching TV much more frequently. Additionally, feel bad about it since it doesn't feel very productive. As a result, the statement said is true.

Questions 19-23:
Look at the following researchers (Questions 19-23) and the list of statements below. Match each researcher with the correct statements. Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 19-23 on your answer sheets.

Look at the following researchers (Questions 19-23) and the list of statements below.

Match each researcher with the correct statements.

Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 19-23 on your answer sheets.

Byron Reeves and Esther Thorson
Dafna Lemish
Robert D. Mcllwraith
Tannis M. MacBeth Williams
Charles Winick

List of statements

Audiences would get hypnotized from viewing too much television.
People have been sensitive to TV signals from a younger age.
People are less likely to accomplish their work with television.
A handful of studies have attempted to study other types of media addiction.
The addictive power of television could probably minimize the problems.
Various media formal characters stimulate people’s reaction on the screen.
People who believe themselves to be TV addicts are less likely to join in the group activities.
It is hard for people to accept life without a TV at the beginning.

[Guide: Candidates need to study the passage, and then match the correct statements]

Question 19. Byron Reeves and Esther Thorson

Answer: F) Various media formal characters stimulate people’s reactions on the screen.
Supporting sentence: In 1986 Byron Reeves of Stanford University, Esther Thorson of the University of Missouri, and their colleagues began to study the simple formal features of television.
Keywords: Byron Reeves and Esther Thorson, formal, television
Keyword location: Section D, 5th line.
Explanation: Section D's fifth sentence quotes Stanford University's Byron Reeves. Furthermore, in 1986, Esther Thorson from the University of Missouri and her colleagues began examining the fundamentally formal facets of television. People are typically very aroused by the sounds as well as pictures on television, according to studies.

Question 20. Dafna Lemish

Answer: B) People have been sensitive to the TV signals since a younger age.
Supporting sentence: Dafna Lemish of Tel Aviv University has described babies at six to eight weeks attending to television.
Keywords: Dafna Lemish, babies, attending, TV
Keyword location: Section E, 1st line.
Explanation: Dafna Lemish of Tel Aviv University reported infants watching television while they were six to eight weeks old, according to the first phrase of section E. Studies show that babies are captivated by the TV's lights and sounds from an early age.

Question 21. Robert D. McIlwraith

Answer: G) People who believe themselves to be TV addicts are less likely to join in the group activities.
Supporting sentence: Robert D. McIlwraith of the University of Manitoba extensively studies those who called themselves TV addicts on surveys. . Other studies over the years have shown that heavy viewers are less likely to participate in community activities and sports.
Keywords: Robert D. McIlwraith, less likely, to participate
Keyword location: Section F, 5th line.
Explanation: The University of Manitoba's Robert D. McIlwraith did significant research on people who claimed to be TV addicts on surveys, based on the fifth line of section F. More studies over time have shown that spectators are less inclined to participate in sports as well as community activities. Studies show that people who watch TV more often are less likely to socialize and are more likely to shun social situations.

Question 22. Tannis M. MacBeth Williams

Answer: C) People are less likely to accomplish their work with television.
Supporting sentence: Tannis M. MacBeth Williams of the University of British Columbia studied a mountain community that had no television until cable finally arrived. Over time, both adults and children in the town became less creative in problem-solving, less able to persevere at tasks, and less tolerant of unstructured time.
Keywords: Tannis M. MacBeth Williams, less creative, less tolerant
Keyword location: Section G, 1st line.
Explanation: Tannis M. MacBeth Williams of the University of British Columbia researched a mountain town without television before the advent of cable, according to the first sentence of section G. Over time, the people of the town lacked the ability to solve issues in a novel way, to endure adversity, and to tolerate idle time. Studies show that viewing TV reduces creativity and energy levels. Additionally, they have a propensity to lose interest in a task extremely fast.

Question 23. Charles Winick

Answer: H) It is hard for people to accept life without a TV at the beginning.
Supporting sentence: Charles Winick of the City University of New York concluded: ‘The first three or four days for most persons were the worst, even in many homes where the viewing was minimal and where there were other ongoing activities.
Keywords: Charles Winick, first, days, worst
Keyword location: Section H, 4th line.
Explanation: The first three to four days were the most difficult for most people, even in many houses where the viewing was minimal and there were other ongoing activities, according to Charles Winick of the City University of New York in the fourth line of section H. According to studies, it may be difficult to stop watching TV at first, just like it is with substance addiction.

Questions 24-26:

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.
[Guide: There are 3 questions that needs to be matched with the correct option listed from A to D]

Question 24. People in the industrialized world

devote ten hours watching TV on average.
spend more time on TV than other entertainment.
call themselves TV addicts.
working best.

Answer: B) spend more time on TV than other entertainment.
Supporting sentence: 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.
Keywords: individuals, industrialized world, more, activity
Keyword location: Section A, 2nd line.
Explanation: People in the industrialized world commit three hours a day on median to the pursuit, according to the second phrase of section A. It exceeds all other activities, excluding work and sleep.

Question 25. When compared with light viewers, heavy viewers

like playing sports more than reading.
feels relaxed after watching TV.
spends more time daydreaming.
is more easily bored while waiting in line.

Answer: D) are more easily bored while waiting in line.
Supporting sentence: We found that heavy viewers report feeling significantly more anxious and less happy than light viewers do in unstructured situations, such as doing nothing, daydreaming, or waiting in line.
Keywords: heavy viewers, more anxious, less happy, waiting in line
Keyword location: Section F, 4th line.
Explanation: The fourth line of section F reveals that heavy viewers claim to feel much more anxious. And less happy than light watchers feel in chaotic situations like sitting still, reflecting, or standing in line.

Question 26. Which of the following statements is true about the family experiment?

Not all subjects participate in the experiment for free.
There has been a complete gathered data.
People are prevented from other activities during the experiment.
People cannot adapt to the situation until the end

Answer: A) Not all subjects participate in the experiment for free.
Supporting sentence: In experiments, families have volunteered or been paid to stop viewing, typically for a week or a month.
Keywords: experiments, families, paid
Keyword location: Section H, 2nd line.
Explanation: Families have consented to abstain from watching in experiments, usually in a week or a month. Furthermore, the second line of section H states that they were paid to do so.

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