The Growth Mindset — IELTS Reading Answers

What can we learn from the first paragraph?

1. Awhere the notion of innate intelligence first began
2. Bwhen ideas about the nature of intelligence began to shiftcorrect
3. Chow scientists have responded to changing views of intelligence
4. Dwhy thinkers turned away from the idea of intelligence being fixed

“Instead, educators such as John Dewey argued that every child’s intelligence could be developed, given the right environment.”

The first paragraph traces the shift from fixed intelligence to Dewey's view that every child's intelligence 'could be developed', that is, when ideas about intelligence began to change, so B.

The second paragraph describes how schools encourage students to

1. Aidentify their personal ambitions.
2. Bhelp each other to realise their goals.
3. Chave confidence in their potential to succeed.correct
4. Dconcentrate on where their particular strengths lie.

“A major focus of the growth mindset in schools is coaxing students away from seeing failure as an indication of their ability, and towards seeing it as a chance to improve that ability.”

Schools coax students 'away from seeing failure as an indication of their ability' towards seeing it as improvable, which builds confidence in their potential to succeed, so C.

In the third paragraph, the writer suggests that students with a fixed mindset

1. Atend to be less competitive.
2. Bgenerally have a low sense of self-esteem.
3. Cwill only work hard if they are given constant encouragement.
4. Dare afraid to push themselves beyond what they see as their limitations.correct

“Meanwhile, the former took on only those tasks that would not risk their sense of worth.”

Fixed-mindset students 'took on only those tasks that would not risk their sense of worth', meaning they avoided work beyond their perceived limits, so D.

The methodology behind the growth mindset studies was not strict enough.

“The statistician Andrew Gelman claims that ‘their research designs have enough degrees of freedom that they could take their data to support just about any theory at all’.”

Andrew Gelman's complaint that the designs have 'enough degrees of freedom' to support 'just about any theory' is the criticism that the methodology was not strict enough, so C.

The idea of the growth mindset has been incorrectly interpreted.

“she argues that her work has been misunderstood and misapplied in a range of ways.”

The pronouns 'she' and 'her work has been misunderstood and misapplied' point to Dweck's own response, matching the claim that the idea was incorrectly interpreted, so B.

Intellectual ability is an unchangeable feature of each individual.

“in the early 20th century, progressive thinkers revolted against the notion that inherent ability is destiny.”

The early-20th-century rejection of 'the notion that inherent ability is destiny' is the fixed-ability position that the statement restates, so A.

The growth mindset should be promoted without students being aware of it.

“Growth mindset supporters David Yeager and Gregory Walton claim that interventions should be delivered in a subtle way to maximise their effectiveness.”

David Yeager and Gregory Walton want interventions 'delivered in a subtle way', which is promoting the mindset without students being aware of it, so E.

The growth mindset is not simply about boosting students’ morale.

“her theories are being misappropriated in schools by being conflated with the self-esteem movement”

Dweck complains that her theories are being 'conflated with the self-esteem movement', so the mindset is not simply about boosting morale, so B.

Research shows that the growth mindset has no effect on academic achievement.

“He notes that: ‘People with a growth mindset don’t cope any better with failure … Kids with the growth mindset aren’t getting better grades, either before or after our intervention study.’”

The quoted researcher says people with a growth mindset 'aren't getting better grades', which directly supports the claim of no effect on academic achievement, so D.

Dweck has handled criticisms of her work in an admirable way.

“Much of this criticism is not lost on Dweck, and she deserves great credit for responding to it and adapting her work accordingly.”

Dweck 'deserves great credit for responding to it and adapting her work accordingly', which endorses her handling of criticism as admirable, so YES.

Students’ self-perception is a more effective driver of self-confidence than actual achievement is.

“there is evidence to suggest that the actual effect of achievement on self-perception is stronger than the other way round.”

The statement reverses the passage, which says achievement's effect on self-perception 'is stronger than the other way round', the opposite of the claim.

Recent evidence about growth mindset interventions has attracted unfair coverage in the media.

“Recent evidence would suggest that growth mindset interventions are not the elixir of student learning that its proponents claim it to be.”

The text says interventions are not 'the elixir' their proponents claim, but says nothing about whether media coverage of this evidence was unfair.

Deliberate attempts to encourage students to strive for high achievement may have a negative effect.

“Motivational posters and talks are often a waste of time, and might well give students a deluded notion of what success actually means.”

Motivational posters and talks 'might well give students a deluded notion of what success actually means', a negative effect from deliberate encouragement, so YES.