Second Nature — IELTS Reading Answers

“Psychologists have long held that a person’s character cannot undergo a transformation in any meaningful way”

The gap needs a noun after undergo; the passage says character cannot undergo a transformation in any meaningful way, the old psychological view.

“and that the key traits of personality are determined at a very young age.”

The gap is when personality is fixed; the passage says the key traits of personality are determined at a very young age.

“Some qualities are less challenging to develop than others, optimism being one of them.”

The gap names the easiest quality to develop; the passage says optimism is one of the qualities less challenging to develop.

“However, developing qualities requires mastering a range of skills which are diverse and sometimes surprising.”

The gap is what must be mastered; the text says developing qualities requires mastering a range of diverse and surprising skills.

“For example, to bring more joy and passion into your life, you must be open to experiencing negative emotions.”

The gap names what must be accepted to gain joy; the passage says you must be open to experiencing negative emotions.

People must accept that they do not know much when first trying something new.

“Psychologist Todd Kashdan has this advice for those people taking up a new passion: ‘As a newcomer, you also have to tolerate and laugh at your own ignorance.”

Kashdan's advice to newcomers, to tolerate and laugh at your own ignorance, matches accepting how little you know, so the person is E.

It is important for people to actively notice when good things happen.

“She recommends you train yourself to pay attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things that come about each day.”

The woman in C recommends training yourself to pay attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things daily, matching active noticing.

Courage can be learned once its origins in a sense of responsibility are understood.

“According to Cynthia Pury, a psychologist at Clemson University, Pedeleose’s story proves the point that courage is not motivated by fearlessness, but by moral obligation. Pury also believes that people can acquire courage.”

Pury links courage to moral obligation rather than fearlessness and says people can acquire it, matching the responsibility-based learning claim, so G.

It is possible to overcome shyness when faced with the need to speak in public.

“Inherently introverted, he realised early on that as an academic, his reticence would prove disastrous in the lecture hall. So he learned to be more outgoing and to entertain his classes. ‘Now my extroverted behaviour is spontaneous,’ he says.”

The academic in A, whose reticence would prove disastrous in the lecture hall, learned to be more outgoing, overcoming shyness for public speaking.

a mention of how rational thinking enabled someone to achieve physical goals

“The physical stamina required for this sport is intense but the psychological demands are even more overwhelming. Streeter learned to untangle her fears from her judgment of what her body and mind could do.”

Streeter learned to untangle her fears from her judgment of what her body and mind could do, using rational assessment to meet a physical challenge, so E.

an account of how someone overcame a sad experience

“He took action despite his own pain – a typical response of an optimist.”

The optimist in C took action despite his own pain, which is the account of overcoming a sad experience the question asks for.

a description of how someone decided to rethink their academic career path

“When he got back, he switched labs to study how cerebrospinal fluid nourishes the developing nervous system.”

Switching labs to study how cerebrospinal fluid nourishes the developing nervous system is a rethink of an academic career path, placing this in paragraph G.

an example of how someone risked his career out of a sense of duty

“Pedeleose carefully recorded each instance of bullying and eventually took the evidence to a senior director, knowing his own job security would be threatened.”

Pedeleose took the evidence to a senior director knowing his own job security would be threatened, an example of risking a career from duty, paragraph H.