Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain Reading Answers

Sayantani Barman

Dec 19, 2022

Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain Reading Answers contains a write up about the unexpected benefits of videogames on the human brains. Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain Reading Answers comprising 13 different types of questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For Matching heading in IELTS Reading passage, 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. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain Reading Answers

  1. James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, played his first video game years ago when his six-year-old son Sam was playing Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside. He wanted to play the game so he could support Sam’s problem-solving. Though Pajama Sam is not an “educational game”, it is replete with the types of problems psychologists study when they study thinking and learning. When he saw how well the game held Sam’s attention, he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game might be.
  2. Video and computer games, like many other popular, entertaining and addicting kid’s activities, are looked down upon by many parents as time-wasters, and worse, parents think that these games rot the brain. Violent video games are readily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some youth become violent or commit extreme anti-social behaviour. Recent content analyses of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content, but there is no form of aggressive content for 70% of popular games. Many scientists and psychologists, like James Paul Gee, find that video games actually have many benefits – the main one being making kids smart. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.
  3. “Video games change your brain,” according to University of Wisconsin psychologist Shawn Green. Video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map. Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which strengthens neural circuits, can build the player’s brain.
  4. Video games give your child’s brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high-level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school. Some of the mental skills trained by video games include: following instructions, problem-solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games. There have been even studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Jacob Benjamin, a doctor from Beth Israel Medical Center NY, found a direct link between skill at video gaming and skill at keyhole or laparoscopic surgery. Also, a reason given by experts as to why fighter pilots of today are more skilful is that this generation’s pilots are being weaned on video games.
  5. The players learn to manage resources that are limited and decide the best use of resources, the same way as in real life. In strategy games, for instance, while developing a city, an unexpected surprise like an enemy might emerge. This forces the player to be flexible and quickly change tactics. Sometimes the player does this almost every second of the game giving the brain a real workout. According to researchers at the University of Rochester, led by Daphne Bavelier, a cognitive scientist, games simulating stressful events such as those found in battle or action games could be a training tool for real-world situations. The study suggests that playing action video games primes the brain to make quick decisions. Video games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons, according to the study. Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture, says gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. Young gamers force themselves to read to get instructions, follow storylines of games, and get information from the game texts.
  6. James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, players in some games constantly try out combinations of weapons and powers to use to defeat an enemy. If one does not work, they change the hypothesis and try the next one. Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which is fundamental to learning. Also, using math skills is important to win in many games that involve quantitative analysis like managing resources. In higher levels of a game, players usually fail the first time around, but they keep on trying until they succeed and move on to the next level. Many games are played online and involve cooperation with other online players in order to win. Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on. Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth.
  7. In an upcoming study in the journal Current Biology, authors Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations. The researchers tested dozens of 18- to 25-year-olds who were not ordinarily video game players. They split the subjects into two groups. One group played 50 hours of the fast-paced action video games “Call of Duty 2” and “Unreal Tournament,” and the other group played 50 hours of the slow-moving strategy game “The Sims 2.” After this training period, all of the subjects were asked to make quick decisions in several tasks designed by the researchers. The action game players were up to 25 per cent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game playing peers.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-4: Choose the correct letter from A, B, C or D

Write them down next to the sentences given below.

(Guide: Candidates need to study the passage, find the correct answer to questions 1 to 4)

  1. What is the primary purpose of paragraph one?
  1. Introduction of the video game: Pajamas Sam.
  2. Introduction of Professor James Paul Gee.
  3. Introduction to the background of this passage.
  4. Introduction of types of video games.

Answer: D
Keyword
: psychologists, problems, thinking and learning
Keyword location
: Section A, last line.
Supporting sentences
: “It is replete with the types of problems psychologists’ study when they study thinking and learning.”
“When he saw how well the game held Sam’s attention, he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game might be.”
Explanation
: The fact that the professor was interested in new video games that would, although not being instructive, bring forth unexpected human traits sets the tone for what the chapter is about.

  1. What does the author want to express in the 2nd paragraph?
  1. Most of the violent games are a direct reason to juvenile delinquency.
  2. Video games are widely considered harmful to children’s brains.
  3. Many parents regard video games as time wasters, which lead to rotting of their child’s brain.
  4. There is even a considerable portion of violence in most video games; scientists and psychologists see it benefits of the child’s intellectual abilities.

Answer: D
Keyword
: video games, benefits, high-level thinking skills
Keyword location
: Section B, last line
Supporting sentences
: “Many scientists and psychologists, like James Paul Gee, find that video games actually have many benefits – the main one being making kids smart.”
“Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.”
Explanation
: The second paragraph emphasizes how, despite occasional violence, psychologists and scientists have shown that many video games have a tendency to boost kids' cognitive development.

  1. What is correctly mentioned in paragraph four?
  1. Video games improve brain abilities in various aspects.
  2. Some schools use video games to teach students high-level and conceptual thinking.
  3. Skillful fighter pilots of this generation love to play video games.
  4. Some surgeons have better skills because they play more video games.

Answer: A
Keyword
: Problem-solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, visual attention skills, video games.
Keyword location
: Section D, lines 2 and 3
Supporting sentences
: “These skills are not even taught at school. Some of the mental skills trained by video games include: following instructions, problem-solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills.”
Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games.
Explanation
: Correctly stated in the fourth paragraph, playing video games helps kids learn how to follow rules, use logic, solve problems creatively, and other intellectual skills.

  1. What is the expectation of the experiment performed by the 3 researchers?
  1. Gamers always looks to make the best use of limited resource.
  2. Gamers with better math skills win in the end.
  3. Strategy game players have a better ability to come up with quick decisions.
  4. Video games help to increase the speed of players’ reaction effectively.

Answer: D
Keyword
: speeding, reactions, real-life situations
Keyword location
: Section G, 1st line
Supporting sentences
: “In an upcoming study in the journal Current Biology, authors Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations”
Explanation
: According to scientists, playing video games can operate as a training program that helps to quicken reactions, as mentioned in the last paragraph.

Questions 5-8: For questions 5-8, write down TRUE, if the statement is true; FALSE, if it is false and NOT GIVEN, if the statement is not given in the passage.

  1. Most video games are popular because of their violent content.
  2. The action game players minimized the percentage of making errors in the experiment.
  3. It would be a good idea for schools to apply video games to their class rooms.
  4. The people who are addicted to video games have good amounts of dopamine in their brains.

(Guide: Candidates need to study the statements in questions 5 to 8 and answer them as True or False or Not Given)

Question 5:

Answer: Not Given
Explanation
: The sentence makes no reference to how well-liked violent video games are. Therefore, "Not Given" is the chosen response.

Question 6:

Answer: False
Keyword
: faster, coming, conclusion
Keyword location
: Section G, last line
Supporting sentences
: “The action game players were up to 25 per cent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game playing peers.”
Explanation
: The reverse of the sentence is discussed in the final paragraph. The participants were actually 25% quicker "at reaching a resolution." Additionally, they were just as accurate in their responses as their "peers who played strategy games."

Question 7:

Answer: Not Given
Explanation
:The sentence makes no reference to how well-liked violent video games are. Therefore, "Not Given" is the chosen response.

Question 8:

Answer: True
Keyword
: neurotransmitters, dopamine
Keyword location
: Section C, last line
Supporting sentences
: “Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which strengthens neural circuits, can build the player’s brain.”
Explanation
: Video games are mentioned in paragraph C as a type of exercise and dopamine release. According to the article, playing video games requires a combination of concentration and rewards players with various points and recognition, just like working out can help you gain muscle. As a result, the dopamine level rises.

Questions: 9-13:
Make use of the information in the passage to match the people mentioned from A-F with their activities/opinions below. Match the appropriate letters.

A The writer’s opinion
B James Paul Gee
C Shawn Green
D Daphne Bavelier
E Steven Johnson
F Jacob Benjamin
  1. Video games like other daily life skills alter the brain’s physical structure.
  2. The brain is ready to take decisions without hesitation during players playing a stressful game.
  3. The purpose- motivated experience offered by video games plays an important role in studying.
  4. Players are great at handling prompt issues followed by future intentions.
  5. It helps children widen their horizon in several aspects and gaining self-confidence.

(Guide: Candidates need to match the statements in the table with the questions from 9 to 13)

Question 9:

Answer: C
Keyword
: change, video games, brain
Keyword location
: Section C, first line
Supporting sentences
: “Video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map.”
Explanation
: In this passage, Shawn Green discusses how playing video games can affect or change the brain's structure in a similar way to reading, learning, and other activities.

Question 10:

Answer: D
Keyword
: training tool, stressful
Keyword location
: Section E, line 3
Supporting sentences
: “…..a cognitive scientist, games simulating stressful events such as those found in battle or action games could be a training tool for real-world situations.”
Explanation
: In section E, Daphne Bavelier argued that playing video games exercises the brain, bringing up stressful situations that facilitate speedy decision-making.

Question 11:

Answer: B
Keyword
: similar, science-problem
Keyword location
: Section F, first line
Supporting sentences
: “Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which is fundamental to learning
Explanation
: James Paul Gee points out that, like students solving a science issue by trial and error, video game players must devise the ideal combination of weapons and abilities to defeat the adversary. The same serves as the basis for learning.

Question 12:

Answer: E
Keyword
: long-term, goals, deal, immediate, problems
Keyword location
: Section E, line 5
Supporting sentences
: “….gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon.”
Explanation
:  Johnson asserts that players should try to address their current issues while considering the implications for the future.

Question 13:

Answer: A
Keyword
: gain, self-confidence
Keyword location
: Section F, line 8
Supporting sentences
: “Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence….”
Explanation
: According to the author, playing video games with kids can boost their self-confidence while also exposing them to a variety of other educational concepts.

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