Cambridge IELTS 19 · General Training · Test 1 · Section 3
Emojis — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Emojis, Cambridge IELTS 19 General Training Reading Test 1 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Emojis answer key at a glance
Questions 28–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this section tests
This section is tested with Matching Headings (Q28–32), Summary Completion (Q33–37), One Choice (Q38–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–32: Matching Headings
Strategy: Read the paragraph first and summarise its main idea in five words. Choose the heading that matches the whole paragraph, not a repeated keyword.
Section A
“As a form of global communication, emojis only began their growth in 2011. Four years later, it was estimated that they were being used by over 90 per cent of the online population. In excess of six billion were being sent every day”
Heading vi fits Section A's statistics on emojis' rapid growth from 2011, with over 90 per cent of online users sending six billion daily.
Section B
“Words are being created for these reasons all the time. But what's interesting about emojis is that they've contributed to this ever-expanding storehouse in a different way. At this point in our history, the gaps in our vocabulary are being filled not simply by new words, but by an absolutely new system of expression”
Heading iii matches Section B's claim that gaps in vocabulary are filled 'not simply by new words, but by an absolutely new system of expression'.
Section C
“In particular, they compensate for the way that computer-mediated messaging on smartphones can sometimes tend towards the emotionally empty. Whereas face-to-face, or even voice-to-voice, conversations can express emotional closeness through facial expression or tone of voice,”
Heading viii covers Section C, where emojis restore 'emotional framing' lost in emotionally empty smartphone messages.
Section D
“But unlike almost any other type of language system, emojis have something akin to a built-in obsolescence. Just as smartphones and their operating systems have a frequent refresh rate, emojis also get routine enhancements”
Heading i fits Section D's idea of 'built-in obsolescence', as emojis get routine enhancements and frequent redesigns.
Section E
“Finally, there's the way they've become implicated in almost all aspects of modern society, from politics and marketing to art and entertainment. Emojis are the subject of musicals and Hollywood films. They're the inspiration for fashion design, art and architecture. They're a staple in advertising and commerce.”
Heading v matches Section E's account of emojis across 'politics and marketing to art and entertainment', including musicals and films.
Questions 33–37: Summary Completion
Strategy: Read the summary as a paragraph first to establish the logic, then locate the missing idea in the passage. With a lettered list, confirm the grammar fits.
“There's a good chance, then, that the emoji chosen by Oxford Dictionaries - the 'face with tears of joy' - will also appear to be dated in a few years”
The gap needs an adjective for how the 'face with tears of joy' will appear in a few years; the text says 'dated'.
“But the reasons for this offer a fascinating insight into the way that society is evolving”
The reasons offer insight into 'the way that society is evolving', the noun needed.
“The little yellow circle with dots for eyes acts as a surprisingly good lens through which to view the history of human communication, and to predict its future”
Emojis act as a lens 'through which to view the history of human communication', the noun the summary needs.
“As an expression of identity, language is adapted by different groups and different generations to reflect their own sense of self”
Language is adapted by groups 'As an expression of identity', the noun the summary requires.
“It also needs to constantly assimilate fresh concepts as these evolve”
Language must also 'assimilate fresh concepts as these evolve', so the gap needs the plural noun 'concepts'.
Questions 38–40: One Choice
Strategy: Read the question stem and predict the answer before looking at the options. Wrong options often repeat passage words while the correct one paraphrases them.
What does the writer say about ‘Words of the Year’?
- AThey include increasing numbers of emojis.
- BThey are soon forgotten by the public.correct
- CThey are required to have social significance.
- DThey are invented by the writers of dictionaries.
“And often, once that time has passed, they fade from people's consciousness almost as quickly as they arose”
Option B matches the point that words of the year 'fade from people's consciousness almost as quickly as they arose'.
The writer says that the usefulness of emojis is limited because
- Athey are constantly being changed.correct
- Bthey may not be correctly interpreted.
- Cthey are difficult for some people to update.
- Dthey are linked to specific operating systems.
“Just as smartphones and their operating systems have a frequent refresh rate, emojis also get routine enhancements. The emojis you have on your phone now will undergo subtle redesigns over the course of time, and extra characters will be added. Because of this, their usefulness is artificially limited”
Option A fits: frequent redesigns and additions mean 'their usefulness is artificially limited', because they keep changing.
What would be the best subtitle for this text?
- AWill emojis take over from words one day?
- BHow can emojis be made more meaningful?
- CAre emojis used too much in our society today?
- DWhat do emojis tell us about the world we live in?correct
“Understanding why they've become so popular, and how they work, can not only explain something about the nature of language; it can also help us to understand our relationship with technology, society and ourselves”
Option D reflects the closing claim that emojis help us understand our relationship with 'technology, society and ourselves'.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Emojis passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 19 General Training Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in Emojis?
The section is tested with Matching Headings, Summary Completion, One Choice. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.