How To Make Wise Decisions — IELTS Reading Answers

What point does the writer make in the first paragraph?

1. AWisdom appears to be unique to the human race.
2. BA basic assumption about wisdom may be wrong.correct
3. CConcepts of wisdom may depend on the society we belong to.
4. DThere is still much to be discovered about the nature of wisdom.

“empirical research examining wisdom suggests that it isn’t an exceptional trait possessed by a small handful of bearded philosophers after all — in fact, the latest studies suggest that most of us have the ability to make wise decisions, given the right context.”

The first paragraph says wisdom is not 'an exceptional trait possessed by a small handful' but something most of us can do, overturning a basic assumption, so B.

What does Igor Grossmann suggest about the ability to make wise decisions?

1. AIt can vary greatly from one person to another.
2. BEarlier research into it was based on unreliable data.
3. CThe importance of certain influences on it was underestimated.correct
4. DVarious branches of psychology define it according to their own criteria.

“It appears that experiential, situational, and cultural factors are even more powerful in shaping wisdom than previously imagined”

Grossmann says 'experiential, situational, and cultural factors are even more powerful in shaping wisdom than previously imagined', so their influence was underestimated, C.

According to the third paragraph, Grossmann claims that the level of wisdom an individual shows

1. Acan be greater than they think it is.
2. Bwill be different in different circumstances.correct
3. Cmay be determined by particular aspects of their personality.
4. Dshould develop over time as a result of their life experiences.

“wisdom is not solely an “inner quality” but rather unfolds as a function of situations people happen to be in. Some situations are more likely to promote wisdom than others.”

He argues that wisdom 'unfolds as a function of situations people happen to be in', so the level shown varies with circumstances, so B.

What is described in the fifth paragraph?

1. Aa difficulty encountered when attempting to reason wisely
2. Ban example of the type of person who is likely to reason wisely
3. Ca controversial view about the benefits of reasoning wisely
4. Da recommended strategy that can help people to reason wiselycorrect

“one of the most reliable ways to support wisdom in our own day-to-day decisions is to look at scenarios from a third-party perspective, as though giving advice to a friend.”

The fifth paragraph recommends 'look[ing] at scenarios from a third-party perspective, as though giving advice to a friend', a strategy for wiser reasoning, so D.

“One is intellectual humility or recognition of the limits of our own knowledge”

The gap needs the first wisdom component; 'intellectual humility or recognition of the limits of our own knowledge' fits D.

“Sensitivity to the possibility of change in social relations is also key, along with compromise or integration of different attitudes and beliefs.”

The gap needs the next quality; 'sensitivity to the possibility of change in social relations', along with compromise, fits A.

“another is appreciation of perspectives wider than the issue at hand.”

The gap needs another component; 'appreciation of perspectives wider than the issue at hand' fits C.

“one of the most reliable ways to support wisdom in our own day-to-day decisions is to look at scenarios from a third-party perspective”

The gap needs the recommended technique; 'look at scenarios from a third-party perspective' fits F.

“when we adopt a third-person, ‘observer’ viewpoint we reason more broadly and focus more on interpersonal and moral ideals such as justice and impartiality.”

The gap needs the result of the observer viewpoint; it makes us 'focus more on interpersonal and moral ideals such as justice and impartiality', so G.

Students participating in the job prospects experiment could choose one of two perspectives to take.

“Participants in the group assigned to the ‘distant observer’ role displayed more wisdom-related reasoning (intellectual humility and recognition of change) than did participants in the control group.”

Participants were 'assigned to the distant observer role' or a control group; they did not choose between two perspectives, so FALSE.

Participants in the couples experiment were aware that they were taking part in a study about wise reasoning.

“In another study, couples in long-term romantic relationships were instructed to visualize an unresolved relationship conflict either through the eyes of an outsider or from their own perspective.”

The couples were instructed to visualize a conflict from an outsider's or their own perspective, but nothing says whether they knew the study's topic.

In the couples experiment, the length of the couples’ relationships had an impact on the results.

“Couples in the ‘other’s eyes’ condition were significantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning — recognizing others’ perspectives and searching for a compromise — compared to the couples in the egocentric condition.”

Results are reported by condition, yet the passage never mentions relationship length or tests its effect on the findings, so NOT GIVEN.

In both experiments, the participants who looked at the situation from a more detached viewpoint tended to make wiser decisions.

“Ego-decentering promotes greater focus on others and enables a bigger picture, conceptual view of the experience, affording recognition of intellectual humility and change”

In both experiments the detached viewpoint produced wiser reasoning, the observer group and the 'other's eyes' couples, so TRUE.

Grossmann believes that a person’s wisdom is determined by their intelligence to only a very limited extent.

“research shows only a small positive relationship between wise thinking and crystallized intelligence and the personality traits of openness and agreeableness. ‘It is remarkable how much people can vary in their wisdom from one situation to the next,”

'only a small positive relationship between wise thinking and crystallized intelligence' shows intelligence matters to a very limited extent, so TRUE.