Candidate number

Candidate name

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM

ACADEMIC READING
TEST MATERIALS / Code IST.R42
Additional materials: Answer sheet for Listening and Reading

Time 1 hour

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
● Do not open this question paper until you are told to do so.
● Write your name and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page.
● Read the instructions for each part of the paper carefully.
● Answer all the questions.
● Write your answers on the answer sheet. Use a pencil.
● You must complete the answer sheet within the time limit.
● At the end of the test, hand in both this question paper and your answer sheet.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

● There are 40 questions on this question paper.
● Each question carries one mark.
1
Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1

“Je tiens mon affair!” - “I’ve got it!”

The decoding of the Rosetta Stone

On July 19th, 1799, with only days to fortify their defences before an inevitable confrontation with Ottoman
Empire troops, French soldiers made a remarkable discovery that would change the world forever. Holed up
in a dilapidated fort in Rosetta, Egypt, the soldiers led by Pierre-François Bouchard discovered what would
later come to be famously known as the Rosetta Stone.

Upon tearing down a wall of debris constructed from nearby ancient Egyption ruins, the men came across
the large stone fragment inscribed with three languages, including ancient Greek. Fascinated by the finding,
Bouchard wondered whether the writing on the stone said the same thing in all three languages, and
decided to share his discovery with French archeologists who were already in Egypt exploring the land for
treasures.

While the official message inscribed into the stone was of little importance, the fact that the message was
written in three different languages provided groundbreaking clues that would help researchers shed light
on ancient Egyptian culture. The inscription itself, was a decree by a council of priests affirming the royal
cult of Ptolemy V, an Egyptian king, on the first anniversary of his coronation. The granite-like stone, just a
fragment of a larger, undiscovered stele, stands at around 4 feet high and 2.5 feet wide, and although the
inscription is incomplete, the 14 lines of hieroglyphic script were invaluable for experts in learning to read
Egyptian hieroglyphs - a language of symbols, long forgotten.

Written in 196 BC, during the Ptolemaic dynasty, the decree on the Rosetta Stone was inscribed in three
different languages - Egyptian hieroglyphs (mainly used by priests), Demotic (a cursive Egyptian script used
for daily writing), and Ancient Greek (the language used for administrative purposes at the time). While the
knowledge of how to read and write hieroglyphs was lost after the fourth century AD, along with their use,
the identical content of the three languages found on the Rosetta Stone became vital for experts in
attempting to decipher the hieroglyphic language. And though many scholars raced to translate the
inscription, the most significant contributions came from France and England.

Best recognised for his scientific contributions, Thomas Young, a British polymath, approached the task of
decoding the hieroglyphs as a mathematical problem. Once he had translated the ancient Greek text, Young
attempted to methodically match up the hieroglyphs to the translation, while also comparing them to those
he found on other statues. Though Young didn’t quite crack the code, he was able to determine the
phonetic sounds of some of the hieroglyphs, decipher some of the characters, and figure out how words
were pluralised.

However, it wasn’t until 1822 that the hieroglyphs were deciphered. Known as the founder of Egyptology,
Jean-François Champollion used his extensive knowledge of Egypt and his fluency in the Coptic language to
decode the glyphs, by coming to realise that the third language on the stone - the Demotic script - conveyed
symbols, while the hieroglyphs were symbols of Coptics sounds.

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Professor of History at the California Institute of Technology, Jed Buchwald, discovered Young’s notes while
researching his archive at the British Library. “I was astonished,” said Buchwald, “Egyptian hieroglyphs have
been written about more than anything else in ancient history. I thought, how’s it possible that nobody’s
written about or used this material?”, adding that the importance of Young's contributions may have been
overlooked by earlier scholars. “It gives you a clear picture of the almost mathematical cast of mind that he
had when he was faced with these obscure signs. He went into those things literally as though it was a
mathematical problem.”

It was Champollion, however, who managed to piece together the alphabet by discovering that the
hieroglyphs symbolised the sound of the Egyption language. Co-author of the book titled The Riddle of the
Rosetta, Diane Greco Josewicz said “When we think of the Rosetta Stone, we often imagine the
decipherment as a code-cracking activity. Young’s Worthing materials show him attacking the problem as if
it were a puzzle. But he doesn’t get very far. Champollion, in contrast, was more deeply versed in the history
and culture of ancient Egypt, and this broader and more culturally sensitive approach reaped dividends for
him.”

The declaration on the Rosetta Stone states that an identical copy of the inscription be placed in temples all
throughout Egypt. Whether or not this occurred is unknown, however copies of the inscription have been
found and are now exhibited in other museums. The stone is therefore just one of many stelae produced in
an attempt to spread a message issued by Egyptian priests in 196 BC. The inscription on the stone is, in fact,
a copy of an earlier prototype written in the 3rd century BC.

Credited as being one of the most important objects in history, the stone and its deciphering have become
the foundation of Egyptology. Egyptologist, John Ray, says that “[the stone] is really the key, not simply to
ancient Egypt; it’s the key to decipherment itself. We knew there were big civilizations, like Egypt, but they’d
fallen silent. With the cracking of the Rosetta stone, they could speak with their own voice and suddenly
whole areas of history were revealed.”

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Questions 1-7

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS in boxes 1-7 in your answer sheet

Write your answers in boxes 1 – 7 on your answer sheet.

The Rosetta Stone

Discovery

● On July 19, 1799, French soldiers had just days to reinforce their defences before facing Ottoman
Empire troops.
● Pierre-François Bouchard's soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone in a 1. .......................... in Rosetta,
Egypt.
● They found the stone chunk while pulling down a 2. ........................... of ancient Egyption.
● Bouchard was fascinated by the discovery and shared it with French archeologists who were already
in Egypt looking for treasures.

The Rosetta Stone

● written in 196 BC, during the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ptolemy V, an Egyptian king
● a priestly 3. .......................... upholding Ptolemy V's royal cult on the first anniversary of his
coronation
● the 4. ........................... fragment is 4 feet high and 2.5 feet wide
● the same content was written in three languages: an Egyptian language used by priest, Demotic,
and Ancient Greek
● although unfinished, the 14 lines of lettering were vital for learning 5. ..........................., which was
lost after the fourth century AD

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Questions 8-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?

In boxes 8-13 in your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

6. Bouchard knew the text written on the stone was identical and trilingual.

7. The actual content of the inscription has little value to researchers.

8. After the fourth century A.D., the ability to read and write Demotic disappeared.

9. Thomas Young used writing on other objects to decipher the language.

10. Jean-François Champollion was the first person who could decode the lost Egyptian language.

11. Jed Buchwald expected that Young's notes would not be used.

12. One has to be knowledgeable about ancient Egyptian history and culture to decipher Egyptian
languages.

13. The Rosetta Stone was the first copy of an important message.

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Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2.

GMO FOODS - FRIEND OR FOE?

A. As scientists continue to research new methods of modifying the DNA of plants and animals, the highly
contentious debate of genetic engineering continues, with experts from scientific and medical fields
falling on both sides of the argument. While some believe that genetically modified crops are the
answer to fighting world hunger and nutritional issues amongst an increasing global population, others
say GMOs — genetically modified organisms — pose a threat to the health of humans and the
environment.
Genetic modification technology in the food industry involves the insertion of foreign DNA into the
genome of a plant, with the intention of introducing new or different characteristics into that species.
Such characteristics may include improved growth and nutritional content, elevated resistance to pests
and disease, and even improved flavour of fruit and vegetables. In the United States, GMO crops are
already widespread, with around 90% of soy, cotton, and corn grown from genetically modified strains.
In fact, it is estimated that more than 60% of processed foods in supermarkets in the U.S contain
ingredients from genetically modified crops.

B. Genetic modification in plants, however, is not an entirely new technology. In fact, humans have been
modifying the genetic makeup of plants for thousands of years through the seed selection and the
crossbreeding of different varieties to improve yields and flavour, amongst other characteristics. In
doing so, the wild tomato, Lycopersicon, has been transformed from the size of a marble, to today’s
large, juicy beefsteak variety. Likewise, many of today’s corn varieties, which produce large cobs of
sweet corn, originated from a weedy plant which only produced small ears of corn, barely an inch long.
Using traditional techniques, plant breeders have been able to produce hundreds of new and improved
varieties of plants in just the last few decades alone.

C. While the creation of new varieties of plants through the more natural processes of selective breeding
and crossbreeding has been occurring for millenia, the process itself usually takes generations to
achieve. Not only that, traditional methods only allow breeders to cross plants of related species, and
generally transfer tens of thousands of genes in the process, making it difficult to know which genes
have led to new traits. On the other hand, today’s new techniques of genetic engineering allow
scientists to significantly accelerate the process of genetic modification, and give plants specific desired
traits by transferring only a few genes at a time, often between vastly different species of plant and
animal.

D. From larger crop yields and lower environmental impacts, to increased nutrient levels and enhanced
flavours, the promise and potential of GMO crops seem boundless. In the United States, many of the
most widely grown crops, including soy and corn, have been genetically modified to protect themselves
from pests and insects. By genetically engineering such crops with a gene from the naturally occurring
bacteria known as Bacillus thuringiensis, the plants are able to produce a protein which provides them
with a natural resistance to insects, and as a result, require less exposure to harmful chemical
pesticides. Such technology has been found to reduce chemical pesticide use by up to 37%, and
increase crop yields by up to 22%.

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E. Meanwhile, other GMO crops have been developed to help plants deal with stressful environmental
conditions, such as droughts, and provide resistance against certain diseases, all of which contribute to
lower costs for farmers and consumers, with an increase in crop yields and ease of farming. “With the
world’s population expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, farmers are now being asked to produce more
food than they’ve produced in the entire 10,000-year history of agriculture. At the same time, we’re
facing extreme climate change events, such as prolonged droughts and severe storms, that greatly
impact agricultural production.” says plant biologist, Dr. Sarah Evanega. “We can’t expect to meet these
enormous challenges using the same old crop breeding methods. Genetic engineering offers us one tool
for increasing yields and reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint.”

F. While many see great potential in GMO technology, there is still some concern surrounding the long
term health effects and impacts on the environment, with many critics fearing that GMO products are
being rushed to the market without fully understanding their effects. One of the more prominent health
concerns of GMO foods is that they can cause allergic reactions due to the foreign genes they contain.
One such instance did occur in the 1990’s with genetically modified soybeans, however the project was
quickly abandoned. Further concerns were also raised over a mice study linking GMO intake to higher
risk of cancer and death, however, no such research has yet shown a link between GMO foods and
cancer in humans. Nevertheless, more research is needed, as no long-term human studies currently
exist.

G. Furthermore, despite GMO crops being convenient for farmers, there are still many valid environmental
concerns. Associate Professor at the University of Miami, and board certified neurologist, Dr David
Perlmutter says that, “Without question, the various toxic herbicides that are liberally applied to GM
crops are having a devastating effect.”, adding that, “When the soil is treated with glyphosate, as is so
often the case with GM crops, it basically causes sterilization and deprives the plant of its mineral
absorption ability.” He also stated that. “It is now, however, well-substantiated that there are health
risks associated with exposure to glyphosate. The World Health Organisation has characterised
glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. This is the dirty truth that large agribusiness doesn’t want
us to understand or even be aware of.”

H. While GMO crops do show big potential in solving many of today’s issues surrounding agriculture and
food production, there is no doubt that extensive long-term research and safety testing is necessary.
"Risks exist everywhere in our food supply," says plant biochemist at Michigan State University, Dean
DellaPenna. "About a hundred people die each year from peanut allergies. With genetically engineered
foods we minimise risks by doing rigorous testing." Eric Sachs, a spokesperson for a leading developer of
biotech products, notes that, "Transgenic products go through more testing than any of the other foods
we eat. We screen for potential toxins and allergens. We monitor the levels of nutrients, proteins, and
other components to see that the transgenic plants are substantially equivalent to traditional plants."

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Questions 14 - 20
The passage has six sections, A-F.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14 – 17 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

14. A reference to a major potential health risk related to genetic modification

15. A comparison between the traditional modification techniques and the modern ones
16. Numbers that indicate the prevalence of genetically-modified food
17. Examples of plants that have been genetically modified for a long time with traditional methods
18. The benefits that GMO foods bring about for farmers and consumers

Questions 19 – 22
Look at the following statements (Questions 19–23) and the list below.
Match each statement with the correct item, A-C.
Write the correct letter, A-C, in boxes 19–23 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

19. This is done by selecting and crossing the finest seeds to get better crops.
20. This alters the genetic composition of plants in order to create new and better varieties.
21. Breeders can only cross related plants, transferring tens of thousands of genes.
22. This allows crops to produce a pest-resistant protein without plenty of insecticides.

A. Past genetic modification

B. Modern genetic modification
C. Both

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Questions 23-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23–26 on your answer sheet.

GMOs' alien DNA can trigger 23. ......................, e.g. GMO soybeans in the 1990s. While a mice study
linking GMOs to cancer and death raised concerns, no research in 24. ...................... has the similar
results. Furthermore, GMO crops harm the environment despite farmers' convenience. GM crops are
frequently sprayed with toxic herbicides, including 25. ......................, which promotes sterilization and
deprives the plant of mineral absorption. Exposure to this substance is dangerous because WHO says it
may cause cancer. However, testing GMO foods can minimise risks as 26. ...................... foods are tested
most for toxins and allergens.

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Reading Passage 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3.

WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES?

A. With more than 30% of Americans believing that global warming is a hoax, and that the Food and Drug
Administration are conspiring to keep the public from accessing natural cancer cures, conspiracy
theories, and those who believe them, are widespread. From the bizarre belief that the earth is flat, to
the more common speculation about the moon landings being staged, conspiracy theories lurk in every
corner of the internet and cover a diverse range of topics.

While science now helps us more so than ever in our history to understand and unravel all sorts of
previously unexplained mysteries and phenomena, there are still large groups of people willing to
believe in some of the most outlandish and peculiar explanations, even when the evidence is stacked up
against them. So what exactly is a conspiracy theory, and why are they so prevalent today?

B. Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent in the U.K, Karen Douglas, says that, "A
conspiracy theory is a belief that two or more actors have coordinated in secret to achieve an outcome,
and that [exposing] this conspiracy is of public interest". This description is supportive of Hugo Drochen,
a professor of political theory at the University of Nottingham, who said, "At its core, a conspiracy
theory is a belief that there is a small group of shadowy people who control everything in the world.
This is why we get conspiracy theories about climate change being a 'hoax': it's because [conspiracy
theorists believe] this nefarious group wants to control us".

C. According to experts, there may be two main factors that lead people to fall for, and sometimes hold
onto with great desperation, particular conspiracy theories, even when faced with contradictory
evidence.

Firstly, conspiracy theories help people to make sense of the world. The human brain naturally tries to
understand that which it observes, and subsequently looks for patterns in all that we see. This can
explain why we sometimes automatically see a particular image when observing the clouds, for
example. Furthermore, we also look to find patterns in certain situations and causal explanations for
different events, and even people’s behavior. Through these natural processes of the brain, human
beings try to make sense of a seemingly chaotic world, in which our senses are overloaded with
stimulation through an unlimited amount of potentially random events. And, conspiracy theories
provide people with exactly that — an explanation for what may sometimes seem a complex or
mysterious situation. They quench people’s thirst for understanding, particularly when there is
insufficient information available to explain something, and for many people, a false explanation is
more comforting than no explanation at all.

D. The second factor that helps to drive conspiracy theories often tends to be a combination of unique
ingredients occurring at the right time. The more impactful and significant the event in question being,
the more prevalent the conspiracy theory tends to be, and this is further compounded when
governments or media only offer the public relatively insufficient or partial explanations. University of
Nottingham professor of social psychology, Daniel Jolley, says that several elements need to be in place.
"To achieve popularity and longevity, a conspiracy theory requires some unique ingredients coming
together. The event or overarching issue needs to be significant, the conspirators need to be realistic

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 (i.e., a tightly formed group), and the ground needs to be fertile."

E. Experts have also weighed in on the types of people that might be most susceptible to getting caught
up in conspiracy theories, with those who are unable to evaluate situations very well being at the top of
the list. Jolley says that, "We desire to feel in control, feel certain, and feel close to those similar to us,
and a conspiracy theory can enable this," Further studies have shown that up to 65% of people
consider themselves as being ‘above average’ when it comes to intelligence, something that researchers
have attributed to people’s tendency to overrate their own cognitive abilities. Jolley suggests that along
with confirmation bias, this lack of self-awareness and an exposure to echo chambers could potentially
play a role in making someone more susceptible to believing certain theories. "Once a belief forms,
people are keen to defend it," says Jolley. "They are likely to digest content that supports that belief and
seek to discredit information that is not supportive. Coupled with a worldview centered on distrust
towards others, you can see how someone can find themselves down the rabbit hole."

F. Perhaps more so than an inflated sense of intelligence and inability to properly evaluate a situation,
people tend to have a strong desire to look for those with whom they feel a sense of connection, what
some would call their tribe. Conspiracy theories can help people to connect with those strong human
tendencies, and offer explanations that make us feel safe. Furthermore, people can tend to be more
susceptible to conspiracy theories when they feel powerless or anxious, and use them as a coping
mechanism when feeling at the mercy of fate. Conspiracies are also relied upon for affirmation by many
people when they’re unable to predict the outcome of a given situation. "Sometimes we say religious
people are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories because they adopt a Manichean view of the
world — good versus evil — but it's more complicated than that," says Drochon. "It's often about being
in a minority position, so if you are highly religious in a secularized world you're more likely to believe in
conspiracy theories, but if you're highly atheist in a religious world, you will also be susceptible."

G. Experts also conclude that there may be a psychological factor involved in the susceptibility to
conspiracy theories. "Research suggests people are attracted to conspiracy theories when one or more
psychological needs are frustrated," Douglas said. "The first of these needs are epistemic — related to
the need to know the truth and have clarity and certainty. The other needs are existential, which are
related to the need to feel safe and to have some control over things that are happening, and social,
related to the need to maintain our self-esteem and feel positive about the groups that we belong to."
And because of this, Douglas claims that nobody is completely immune from the susceptibility of
believing a conspiracy theory. "Anyone can fall prey to conspiracy theories if they have psychological
needs that are not being met at any particular time."

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Questions 27-32
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

27. The natural cancer remedies are now studied by the Food and Drug Administration
28. The innate desire of human minds to make sense of the world around it urges us to seek patterns in
what we encounter.
29. People do not attempt to make plausible explanations for the actions of individuals.
30. Up to 65% of individuals have a propensity to believe in conspiracy theories.
31. People who adhere to religious beliefs are more likely to believe in conspiracies.
32. Unsatisfied requirements on a psychological level is supposed to occasion susceptibility to conspiracy
theories

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Questions 33-37

Reading Passage 3 has eight sections, A-H.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 33-37 on your answer sheet.

33. Mention of characteristics that contribute to the pervasiveness and durability of the conspiracy theory

34. Allusion to some well-known conspiratorial beliefs

35. Explanation for the belief of conspiracy theory on a cognitive level

36. Sociological reasons for people’s vulnerability to a certain type of information.

37. Scientific definitions of a phenomenon.

Questions 38-40
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.

38. We strive to make sense of an apparently ...................... where our senses are practically overwhelmed
by the limitless stimuli available.
39. When individuals feel helpless or nervous, they may seek solace in conspiracy theories as a means of
...................... .
40. Being entirely ...................... to conspiracy theories is impossible to people.

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