Second Nature IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Second Nature” is Passage 2 of Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Reading Test 4. This page gives the answers for Questions 14–26 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, Matching Features, Matching Information.

Quick answers: Questions 14–26

Question	Answer
14	transformation / change
15	young age
16	optimism
17	skills / techniques
18	negative emotions / feelings
19	E
20	C
21	G
22	A
23	E
24	C
25	G
26	H

Questions 14–18: Summary Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
14	—	transformation / change	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
15	—	young age	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
16	—	optimism	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
17	—	skills / techniques	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
18	—	negative emotions / feelings	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 19–22: Matching Features

Q	Question	Answer	Why
19	People must accept that they do not know much when first trying something new.	E	The passage links this point to: E.
20	It is important for people to actively notice when good things happen.	C	The passage links this point to: C.
21	Courage can be learned once its origins in a sense of responsibility are understood.	G	The passage links this point to: G.
22	It is possible to overcome shyness when faced with the need to speak in public.	A	The passage links this point to: A.

Questions 23–26: Matching Information

Q	Question	Answer	Why
23	a mention of how rational thinking enabled someone to achieve physical goals	E	This information is found in paragraph E.
24	an account of how someone overcame a sad experience	C	This information is found in paragraph C.
25	a description of how someone decided to rethink their academic career path	G	This information is found in paragraph G.
26	an example of how someone risked his career out of a sense of duty	H	This information is found in paragraph H.

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.
• Matching features: underline the names or terms first, then scan for them in the passage.
• Matching information: find the paragraph that contains the idea, not the same words. The same letter can be used more than once.
• 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? Second Nature covers Questions 14–26, which is 13 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 2 in Cambridge IELTS 10, Academic Test 4.

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 10 Reading Test 4: all passages
Part 1: The Megafires of California  |  Part 2: Second Nature (you are here)  |  Part 3: When Evolution Runs Backwards

← Previous: Part 1Next: Part 3 answers →

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