The Secret of Staying Young IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“The Secret of Staying Young” is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Reading Test 4. This page gives the answers for Questions 1–13 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: Note Completion, True / False / Not Given.

Quick answers: Questions 1–13

Question	Answer
1	four / 4
2	young
3	food
4	light
5	aggressively
6	location
7	neurons / neurones
8	chemicals
9	FALSE
10	TRUE
11	FALSE
12	NOT GIVEN
13	TRUE

Questions 1–8: Note Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
1	—	four / 4	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
2	—	young	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
3	—	food	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
4	—	light	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
5	—	aggressively	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
6	—	location	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
7	—	neurons / neurones	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
8	—	chemicals	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 9–13: True / False / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
9	Pheidole dentata ants are the only known animals which remain active for almost their whole lives.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
10	Ysabel Giraldo was the first person to study Pheidole dentata ants using precise data about the insects’ ages.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.
11	The ants in Giraldo’s experiments behaved as she had predicted that they would.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
12	The recent studies of bees used different methods of measuring age-related decline.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
13	Pheidole dentata ants kept in laboratory conditions tend to live longer lives.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.

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.
• 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? The Secret of Staying Young covers Questions 1–13, which is 13 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 14, 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 14 Reading Test 4: all passages
Part 1: The Secret of Staying Young (you are here)  |  Part 2: Why Zoos Are Good  |  Part 3: How Bad Is Ocean Garbage, Really?

Next: Part 2 answers →

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.

>