Cambridge IELTS 15 · Academic · Test 2 · Passage 3
Having A Laugh — IELTS Reading Answers
All 14 answers for Having A Laugh, Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Reading Test 2 Passage 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Having A Laugh answer key at a glance
Questions 27–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with One Choice (Q27–31), Summary Completion (Q32–36), True / False / Not Given (Q37–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 27–31: 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.
When referring to laughter in the first paragraphs, the writer emphasises
- Aits impact on language.
- Bits function in human culture.
- Cits value to scientific research.correct
- Dits universality in animal societies.
“Like other human emotions and expressions, laughter and humour provide psychological scientists with rich resources for studying human psychology, ranging from the development of language to the neuroscience of social perception”
C: laughter and humour give 'psychological scientists ... rich resources for studying human psychology', emphasising their research value.
What does the writer suggest about Charley Douglass?
- AHe understood the importance of enjoying humour in a group setting.correct
- BHe believed that TV viewers at home needed to be told when to laugh.
- CHe wanted his shows to appeal to audiences across the social spectrum.
- DHe preferred shows where audiences were present in the recording studio.
“Back in 1950, US sound engineer Charley Douglass hated dealing with the unpredictable laughter of live audiences, so started recording his own ‘laugh tracks’. These were intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre.”
A: Douglass's laugh tracks were 'intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation', showing he valued shared laughter.
What makes the Santa Cruz study particularly significant?
- Athe various different types of laughter that were studied
- Bthe similar results produced by a wide range of culturescorrect
- Cthe number of different academic disciplines involved
- Dthe many kinds of people whose laughter was recorded
“the results were remarkably consistent”
B: the Santa Cruz study covered many countries and 'the results were remarkably consistent', so its cross-cultural consistency is significant.
Which of the following happened in the San Diego study?
- ASome participants became very upset.
- BParticipants exchanged roles.correct
- CParticipants who had not met before became friends.
- DSome participants were unable to laugh.
“older students who had been in the fraternity for two years. Laughter was recorded while each student took a turn at being teased by the others, involving the use of mildly insulting nicknames.”
B: in the San Diego study, 'each student took a turn at being teased by the others', so participants swapped roles.
In the fifth paragraph, what did the results of the San Diego study suggest?
- AIt is clear whether a dominant laugh is produced by a high- or low-status person.
- BLow-status individuals in a position of power will still produce submissive laughs.
- CThe submissive laughs of low- and high-status individuals are surprisingly similar.
- DHigh-status individuals can always be identified by their way of laughing.correct
“high-status individuals were rated as high-status whether they produced their natural dominant laugh or tried to do a submissive one”
D: high-status individuals 'were rated as high-status whether they produced their natural dominant laugh or tried to do a submissive one'.
Questions 32–36: 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.
“The students then were randomly assigned to watch a video clip eliciting either humour, contentment, or neutral feelings”
Students were 'randomly assigned to watch a video clip eliciting either humour, contentment, or neutral feelings', the video clip in F.
“Students who had watched the Mr. Bean video ended up spending significantly more time working on the task”
Students who watched the Mr. Bean video, the humorous one, 'ended up spending significantly more time working on the task'.
“participants who watched the humorous video spent significantly more time working on this tedious task”
Participants who 'watched the humorous video spent significantly more time working on this tedious task', matching C.
“humour has been found to help relieve stress and facilitate social relationships”
Humour 'has been found to help relieve stress and facilitate social relationships', the benefit described in D.
“We suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energising.”
'We suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energising', the conclusion in E.
Questions 37–40: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
Participants in the Santa Cruz study were more accurate at identifying the laughs of friends than those of strangers.
“worldwide, people’s guesses were correct approximately 60% of the time”
NOT GIVEN: the study reports guesses were 'correct approximately 60% of the time', but never compares accuracy for friends' and strangers' laughs.
The researchers in the San Diego study were correct in their predictions regarding the behaviour of the high-status individuals.
“Analysis revealed that, as expected, high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs relative to the low-status individuals.”
TRUE: 'as expected, high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs', so the researchers' predictions proved correct.
The participants in the Australian National University study were given a fixed amount of time to complete the task focusing on employee profiles.
“Participants were allowed to quit the task at any point”
FALSE: 'participants were allowed to quit the task at any point', so no fixed time limit was imposed.
Cheng and Wang’s conclusions were in line with established notions regarding task performance.
“traditional view of task performance implies that individuals should avoid things such as humour that may distract them from the accomplishment of task goals,’ Cheng and Wang conclude. ‘We suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energising.”
FALSE: the researchers challenge the 'traditional view' that humour distracts from tasks, concluding humour is 'energising', so they are not in line.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Having A Laugh passage come from?
It is Passage 3 of Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Reading Test 2, and it covers Questions 27–40.
What question types appear in Having A Laugh?
The passage is tested with One Choice, Summary Completion, True / False / Not Given. 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.