Reading Passage Content
This page contains IELTS reading practice materials with comprehensive questions and explanations.
IELTS Reading Practice Test: The persistence and peril of misinformation
Practice your IELTS reading skills with this comprehensive 14-question test. Time limit: 20 minutes.
Reading Passage Content Summary
## The persistence and peril of misinformation Brian Southwell looks at how human brains verify information and discusses some of the challenges of battling widespread falsehoods Misinformation – both deliberately promoted and accidentally shared – is perhaps an inevitable part of the world in whi...
Question Types Included
- multiple-choice (4 questions)
- summary-completion (6 questions)
- yes-no-not-given (4 questions)
Test Information
- Total Questions: 14
- Time Limit: 20 minutes
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Format: IELTS Academic Reading
Reading Comprehension Questions
Questions 1–4: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
1. What point does the writer make about misinformation in the first paragraph?
2. What does the writer say about the role of technology?
3. What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?
4. What point does the writer make about regulation in the USA?
Questions 5–10: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Drag words from the box into the blanks.
Write your answers in boxes 5–10.
Word Box:
constant conflict
additional evidence
different locations
experimental subjects
short period
extreme distrust
frequent exposure
mental operation
dubious reason
different ideas
What happens when people encounter misinformation?
Although people have (5) to misinformation, there is debate about precisely how and when we label something as true or untrue. The philosophers Descartes and Spinoza had (6) about how people engage with information. While Descartes believed that people accept or reject information after considering whether it is true or not, Spinoza argued that people accepted all information they encountered (and by default misinformation) and did not verify or reject it until afterwards. Moreover, Spinoza believed that a distinct (7) is involved in these stages. Recent research has provided (8) for Spinoza’s theory and it would appear that people accept all encountered information as if it were true, even if this is for an extremely (9), and do not label the information as true or false until later. This is consistent with the fact that the resources for scepticism and the resources for perceiving and encoding are in (10) in the brain.
Questions 11–14: Yes/No/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer?
Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
Write NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
Write NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
11. Campaigns designed to correct misinformation will fail to achieve their purpose if people are unable to understand them.
12. Attempts to teach elementary school students about misinformation have been opposed.
13. It may be possible to overcome the problem of misinformation in a relatively short period.
14. The need to keep up with new information is hugely exaggerated in today’s world.
Ready to Start?
Customize your exam settings and begin your reading test
Exam Duration:
min
Standard test • Range: 5-180 minutes
20 min
14 questions
The persistence and peril of misinformation
Reading Passage Content
This page contains IELTS reading practice materials with comprehensive questions and explanations.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Questions 1–4: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
1. What point does the writer make about misinformation in the first paragraph?
2. What does the writer say about the role of technology?
3. What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?
4. What point does the writer make about regulation in the USA?
Questions 5–10: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Drag words from the box into the blanks.
Write your answers in boxes 5–10.
Word Box:
constant conflict
additional evidence
different locations
experimental subjects
short period
extreme distrust
frequent exposure
mental operation
dubious reason
different ideas
What happens when people encounter misinformation?
Although people have (5) to misinformation, there is debate about precisely how and when we label something as true or untrue. The philosophers Descartes and Spinoza had (6) about how people engage with information. While Descartes believed that people accept or reject information after considering whether it is true or not, Spinoza argued that people accepted all information they encountered (and by default misinformation) and did not verify or reject it until afterwards. Moreover, Spinoza believed that a distinct (7) is involved in these stages. Recent research has provided (8) for Spinoza’s theory and it would appear that people accept all encountered information as if it were true, even if this is for an extremely (9), and do not label the information as true or false until later. This is consistent with the fact that the resources for scepticism and the resources for perceiving and encoding are in (10) in the brain.
Questions 11–14: Yes/No/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer?
Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
Write NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
Write NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
11. Campaigns designed to correct misinformation will fail to achieve their purpose if people are unable to understand them.
12. Attempts to teach elementary school students about misinformation have been opposed.
13. It may be possible to overcome the problem of misinformation in a relatively short period.
14. The need to keep up with new information is hugely exaggerated in today’s world.
Ready to Start?
Customize your exam settings and begin your reading test
Exam Duration:
min
Standard test • Range: 5-180 minutes
20 min
14 questions