Cambridge IELTS 5 · Academic · Test 1 · Passage 2
Nature Or Nurture? — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Nature Or Nurture?, Cambridge IELTS 5 Academic Reading Test 1 Passage 2, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Nature Or Nurture? answer key at a glance
Questions 14–26. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Matching Information (Q14–19), One Choice (Q20–22), True / False / Not Given (Q23–26). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 14–19: Matching Information
Strategy: Scan for the idea, not the exact words. The answer is a paragraph letter, and one paragraph may be used more than once unless the instructions say otherwise.
a biological explanation of the teacher-subjects' behaviour
“One's first inclination might be to argue that there must be some sort of built-in animal aggression instinct that was activated by the experiment, and that Milgram's teacher-subjects were just following a genetic need to discharge this pent-up primal urge onto the pupil by administering the electrical shock”
Paragraph F offers a biological account: a 'built-in animal aggression instinct' that teacher-subjects followed as a 'genetic need'.
the explanation Milgram gave the teacher-subjects for the experiment
“Specifically, Milgram told each volunteer 'teacher-subject' that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, and was designed to test whether or not punishing pupils for their mistakes would have a positive effect on the pupils' ability to learn”
Paragraph A states Milgram told subjects the experiment was 'in the noble cause of education', testing whether punishment improved learning.
the identity of the pupils
“The supposed 'pupil' was in reality an actor hired by Milgram to simulate receiving the shocks by emitting a spectrum of groans, screams and writhings together with an assortment of statements and expletives denouncing both the experiment and the experimenter”
Paragraph B reveals the 'pupil' was 'in reality an actor hired by Milgram' to simulate receiving shocks.
the expected statistical outcome
“Prior to carrying out the experiment, Milgram explained his idea to a group of 39 psychiatrists and asked them to predict the average percentage of people in an ordinary population who would be willing to administer the highest shock level of 450 volts”
Paragraph D reports Milgram asking 39 psychiatrists to predict the percentage who would administer 450 volts.
the general aim of sociobiological study
“This, in essence, is the problem of modern sociobiology - to discover the degree to which hard-wired genetic programming dictates, or at least strongly biases, the interaction of animals and humans with their environment, that is, their behaviour.”
Paragraph I defines sociobiology's problem: discovering how far 'hard-wired genetic programming' dictates or biases behaviour.
the way Milgram persuaded the teacher-subjects to continue
“In these situations, Milgram calmly explained that the teacher-subject was to ignore the pupil's cries for mercy and carry on with the experiment. If the subject was still reluctant to proceed, Milgram said that it was important for the sake of the experiment that the procedure be followed through to the end.”
Paragraph C describes Milgram calmly telling reluctant subjects to ignore the pupil's cries and that they had 'no other choice'.
Questions 20–22: 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.
The teacher-subjects were told that they were testing whether
- Aa 450-volt shock was dangerous.
- Bpunishment helps learning.correct
- Cthe pupils were honest.
- Dthey were suited to teaching.
“Specifically, Milgram told each volunteer 'teacher-subject' that the experiment was in the noble cause of education, and was designed to test whether or not punishing pupils for their mistakes would have a positive effect on the pupils' ability to learn”
Subjects were told the experiment tested whether 'punishing pupils for their mistakes' improved their ability to learn — option B.
The teacher-subjects were instructed to
- Astop when a pupil asked them to.
- Bdenounce pupils who made mistakes.
- Creduce the shock level after a correct answer.
- Dgive punishment according to a rule.correct
“Milgram told the teacher-subject to ignore the reactions of the pupil, and to administer whatever level of shock was called for, as per the rule governing the experimental situation of the moment”
Subjects had to 'administer whatever level of shock was called for, as per the rule', so punishment followed a rule — option D.
Before the experiment took place the psychiatrists
- Abelieved that a shock of 150 volts was too dangerous.
- Bfailed to agree on how the teacher-subjects would respond to instructions.
- Cunderestimated the teacher-subjects' willingness to comply with experimental procedure.correct
- Dthought that many of the teacher-subjects would administer a shock of 450 volts.
“The psychiatrists felt that 'most subjects would not go beyond 150 volts' and they further anticipated that only four per cent would go up to 300 volts Well, over 60 per cent of the teacher-subjects continued to obey Milgram up to the 450-volt limit”
Psychiatrists expected most would stop at 150 volts, but over 60% went to 450, so they underestimated compliance — option C.
Questions 23–26: 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.
Several of the subjects were psychology students at Yale University.
“A few years ago, in one of the most fascinating and disturbing experiments in behavioural psychology, Stanley Milgram of Yale University tested 40 subjects from all walks of life for their willingness to obey instructions given by a 'leader' in a situation in which the subjects might feel a personal distaste for the...”
Subjects came 'from all walks of life', but the passage never says any were psychology students at Yale.
Some people may believe that the teacher-subjects' behaviour could be explained as a positive survival mechanism.
“A modern hard-core sociobiologist might even go so far as to claim that this aggressive instinct evolved as an advantageous trait, having been of survival value to our ancestors in their struggle against the hardships of life on the plains and in the caves,”
A sociobiologist claims the aggressive instinct 'evolved as an advantageous trait' with 'survival value to our ancestors'.
In a sociological explanation, personal values are more powerful than authority.
“Thus, in this explanation the subject merges his unique personality and personal and moral code with that of larger institutional structures, surrendering individual properties like loyalty, self-sacrifice and discipline to the service of malevolent systems of authority”
In the sociological explanation the subject surrenders 'individual properties' to 'malevolent systems of authority', so authority outweighs personal values.
Milgram's experiment solves an important question in sociobiology.
“The problem for biologists, psychologists and anthropologists is to sort out which of these two polar explanations is more plausible. This, in essence, is the problem of modern sociobiology - to discover the degree to which hard-wired genetic programming dictates, or at least strongly biases,”
The experiment illuminates the problem but does not solve it: sorting out which explanation is 'more plausible' remains the task.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Nature Or Nurture? passage come from?
It is Passage 2 of Cambridge IELTS 5 Academic Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 14–26.
What question types appear in Nature Or Nurture??
The passage is tested with Matching Information, One Choice, 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.