Insight or Evolution? IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Insight or Evolution?” is Passage 3 of Cambridge IELTS 17 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: Multiple Choice, Yes / No / Not Given, Summary Completion.

Quick answers: Questions 27–40

Question	Answer
27	D
28	A
29	A
30	C
31	A
32	NO
33	NOT GIVEN
34	YES
35	NO
36	NOT GIVEN
37	F
38	D
39	E
40	B

Questions 27–31: Multiple Choice

Q	Question	Answer	Why
27	The purpose of the first paragraph is to	D	Option D is the one the passage supports.
28	What are the writers doing in the second paragraph?	A	Option A is the one the passage supports.
29	In the third paragraph, what do the writers suggest about Darwin and Einstein?	A	Option A is the one the passage supports.
30	John Nicholson is an example of a person whose idea	C	Option C is the one the passage supports.
31	What is the key point of interest about the 'acey-deucy' stirrup placement?	A	Option A is the one the passage supports.

Questions 32–36: Yes / No / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
32	Acknowledging people such as Plato or da Vinci as geniuses will help us understand the process by which…	NO	The passage contradicts this statement.
33	The Law of Effect was discovered at a time when psychologists were seeking a scientific reason why creativity occurs.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
34	The Law of Effect states that no planning is involved in the behaviour of organisms.	YES	The passage agrees with this statement.
35	The Law of Effect sets out clear explanations about the sources of new ideas and behaviours.	NO	The passage contradicts this statement.
36	Many scientists are now turning away from the notion of intelligent design and genius.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.

Questions 37–40: Summary Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
37	The traditional view of scientific discovery is that breakthroughs happen when a single great mind has sudden ___	F	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
38	In some cases, this process involves ___, such as Nicholson’s theory about proto-elements.	D	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
39	There is also often an element of ___, for example, the coincidence of ideas that led to the invention of the Post-It note.	E	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
40	With both the Law of Natural Selection and the Law of Effect, there may be no clear ___ involved…	B	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Tips for these question types

• Multiple choice: eliminate options that are only partly right, and watch for words like only, always and never.
• Yes / No / Not Given: these test the writer's opinion or claim. YES agrees with the writer, NO contradicts the writer, NOT GIVEN means the writer does not say.
• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• 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? Insight or Evolution? covers Questions 27–40, which is 14 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS 17, 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 17 Reading Test 2: all passages
Part 1: The Dead Sea Scrolls  |  Part 2: A Second Attempt at Domesticating the Tomato  |  Part 3: Insight or Evolution? (you are here)

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