The Origins of Laughter Reading Answers with Explanation

The above reading passage states that laughter is not a human trait only. Other animals, such as chimps, gorillas, and rats, experience laughter, showing that laughter evolved long before humans. It is believed that laughter was initially formed in play and later became a social tool for building relationships, conveying emotions, and creating a bond of trust. Experiments involving rats, infant humans, and chimpanzees have shown similarities between the forms of laughter, proving the common evolutionary ancestry of laughter. Also, studies show that people tend to laugh in social situations, with the form of laughter being different for every social setting. The actual history and purpose of laughter remain unknown, but the evolution of laughter is connected with the control of breath by humans.

However, through analysing the reading answers to the questions based on the Origins of Laughter text, you will learn important techniques in handling such questions. Consequently, the next part offers useful guidance in this area.

Expert Tips to Ace the Origins Of Laughter Reading Passage

Going through a few IELTS reading practice tests ensures that you are acquainted with various methods of answering various types of questions. The following useful tips will help you manage your time efficiently on the day of your test without taking online IELTS classes. Below are some effective methods of answering matching headings, sentence completion, and summary completion questions, which you have answered before:

1. Matching Features (1-6) - To succeed in Matching Features in the IELTS Reading examination, include looking out for capitalised words such as people’s names or dates, searching for paraphrases instead of direct word matches, and checking the instructions to see whether or not repetitions are allowed in the questions.

2. Summary Completion (7-10) - To make summary writing easy, you should concentrate your attention on predicting the kind of word that would fit into the blanks. These words may be nouns, adjectives, or verbs. Students should concentrate on dates, names, or terminology in the reading section of the IELTS practice test.

3. True/ False/ Not Given (11-13) - To secure good marks in such types of questions in the IELTS test, students need to focus on something other than keywords. In this regard, you have to see if the sentence provided conforms to the information, opposes it, or neither of these things is true.

Types of Questions in the Origins of Laughter Reading Passage

After answering the Origins of Laughter passage, we will look at the different kinds of questions that are featured in the passage above. Practising regularly with the IELTS Reading Practice Test online will enable you to have a good understanding of all question types.

1. Matching Features (1-6)

The IELTS Reading test requires that you match numbered statements or descriptions to certain lettered categories such as people, theories, dates, or places in the matching features questions.

• This type of question tests your ability to spot links, perspectives, and paraphrasing in different parts of the passage.
• Unlike many other IELTS question types, there is no sequential appearance of the answers in the text; the key information can move back and forth.

2. Summary Completion (7-10)

• The task of summary completion in the IELTS reading test is about filling in blanks within a short passage using either exact words from the reading text or words from the list provided.
• Be very careful to avoid any negative consequences due to exceeding the word count as specified in the instructions. Students can use an IELTS reading mock test with answers to understand the right approach to answer this task.
• It tests your ability to search for specific information, recognize synonyms, and understand grammar.

3. True/ False/ Not Given (11-13)

• For this type of question, the candidates need to verify if the given statement matches the information provided in the text, is contrary to it, or is not stated in the text.
• The above-mentioned type of questions necessitates one’s ability to comprehend detailed information together with the intent behind the statements given by the author.
• For these questions, “True” indicates agreement with the text, “False” means contradiction to the text, whereas “Not Given” means absence of information in the text.

Final Thoughts

Summing up, you have just gone through the full IELTS reading passage on Origins of Laughter, followed by 13 questions in total. Every single question requires its own strategy, and you need to have a winning strategy to answer all of them. However, you should not confine yourself to practising one reading passage alone. Additionally, if you are serious about improving your reading skills and raising your band score, you should practice with a free IELTS reading practice test PDF to understand the question patterns and ace them with ease.