Music and the Emotions IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Music and the Emotions” is Passage 3 of Cambridge IELTS 12 Academic Reading Test 3. 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: Summary Completion, One Choice, Matching Sentence Endings.

Quick answers: Questions 27–40

Question	Answer
27	dopamine
28	pleasure
29	caudate
30	anticipatory phase
31	food
32	B
33	C
34	A
35	B
36	D
37	F
38	B
39	E
40	C

Questions 27–31: Summary Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
27	—	dopamine	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
28	—	pleasure	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
29	—	caudate	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
30	—	anticipatory phase	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
31	—	food	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 32–36: One Choice

Q	Question	Answer	Why
32	—	B	Option B is the one the passage supports.
33	—	C	Option C is the one the passage supports.
34	—	A	Option A is the one the passage supports.
35	—	B	Option B is the one the passage supports.
36	—	D	Option D is the one the passage supports.

Questions 37–40: Matching Sentence Endings

Q	Question	Answer	Why
37	The Montreal researchers discovered that	F	The passage links this point to: F.
38	Many studies have demonstrated that	B	The passage links this point to: B.
39	Meyer’s analysis of Beethoven’s music shows that	E	The passage links this point to: E.
40	Earlier theories of music suggested that	C	The passage links this point to: C.

Tips for these question types

• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• Multiple choice: eliminate options that are only partly right, and watch for words like only, always and never.
• Matching features: underline the names or terms first, then scan for them 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? Music and the Emotions covers Questions 27–40, which is 14 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS 12, Academic Test 3.

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 12 Reading Test 3: all passages
Part 1: Flying Tortoises  |  Part 2: The Intersection of Health Sciences and Geography  |  Part 3: Music and the Emotions (you are here)

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