Having a Laugh IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Having a Laugh” is Passage 3 of Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Reading Test 2. This page gives the answers for Questions 27–40 with a short explanation of why each answer is right, so you can check your work and learn from every mistake. The question types are: One Choice, Summary Completion, True / False / Not Given.

Quick answers: Questions 27–40

Question	Answer
27	C
28	A
29	B
30	B
31	D
32	F
33	H
34	C
35	D
36	E
37	NOT GIVEN
38	TRUE
39	FALSE
40	FALSE

Questions 27–31: One Choice

Q	Question	Answer	Why
27	—	C	Option C is the one the passage supports.
28	—	A	Option A is the one the passage supports.
29	—	B	Option B is the one the passage supports.
30	—	B	Option B is the one the passage supports.
31	—	D	Option D is the one the passage supports.

Questions 32–36: Summary Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
32	—	F	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
33	—	H	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
34	—	C	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
35	—	D	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
36	—	E	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 37–40: True / False / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
37	Participants in the Santa Cruz study were more accurate at identifying the laughs of friends than those of strangers.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
38	The researchers in the San Diego study were correct in their predictions regarding the behaviour of the high-status individuals.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
39	The participants in the Australian National University study were given a fixed amount of time to complete the task focusing on employee profiles.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
40	Cheng and Wang’s conclusions were in line with established notions regarding task performance.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.

Tips for these question types

• Multiple choice: eliminate options that are only partly right, and watch for words like only, always and never.
• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• True / False / Not Given: TRUE means the passage says the same thing, FALSE means it says the opposite, and NOT GIVEN means it does not say. Never use your own knowledge.
• Review every mistake. Find the exact sentence in the passage that proves the answer so you can spot the same trap next time.

FAQ

How many questions does this passage have? Having a Laugh covers Questions 27–40, which is 14 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS 15, Academic Test 2.

How should I use these answers? Attempt the passage under timed conditions first, then check your answers here and read the reason for every mistake.

Cambridge IELTS 15 Reading Test 2: all passages
Part 2: Should We Try to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life?  |  Part 3: Having a Laugh (you are here)

← Previous: Part 2

Practise more IELTS Reading

Try more passages on a computer-based screen with a timer. Practise free IELTS Academic Reading tests on computerielts.com and check your band score instantly.

>