03 IELTS Reading

[nazmulmie]

really good

[IanCarterTheCaller]

@nazmulmie Nice of you to say so, thanks.

[Snnx27]

from passage:

Smoking is believed to be responsible for 30% of cancer related deaths

Question:

30% of deaths in United States are caused by smoking-related diseases

No - the question does not agree with what the writer wrote.

Not given - there is no information on how many deaths smoking is accounted for in the US

so which is correct? I see both answers as justifiable.

[IanCarterTheCaller]

@Snnx27 As I mentioned in a previous reply, "30% of deaths" means "30% of ALL deaths". The passage is more specific: "30% of CANCER-RELATED deaths". Since there _is_ some information given, we can't answer Not Given. We must answer No, as that's _not_ what the writer said.

I hope that's a bit clearer ...?

[schon4u]

If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this, as you said, answer would be Not Given, the question states 30% of deaths related to smoking in the United States, but no statistics is given about the U.S. in regards to deaths by smoking or otherwise.There are no stats available for deaths percentagewise for U.S. so i think with that information not being there, how can we say its a no, i think the correct answer would be' Not Given' instead of a 'No'

[IanCarterTheCaller]

Simply because there IS some information about this, we can't say it's NG.

It's always a tricky one - and I don't always agree with the official answer, but in this case I do.

[hoshmack]

OK. From the same smoking test:)

As an illustration of the health risks, in the case of a married couple where one partner

is a smoker and one a non-smoker, the latter is believed to have a 30 per cent higher

risk of death from heart disease because of passive smoking.

* If one partner in a marriage smokes, the other is likely to take up smoking.

It looks like YES but the answer is NG. Can't we say that the non-smoker partner takes up smoking because he/she is a passive smoker?

[IanCarterTheCaller]

To "take up smoking" means to "begin actively smoking". There is no information about the non-smoker partner becoming an active smoker, which is why the answer is NG.

[hoshmack]

Is that so? Didn't know. I though it as breathing smoke into your lungs ehhe. Phrasal verbs can be confusing to understand sometimes. But I'll never forget that one. Well thanks for the help.

[IanCarterTheCaller]

Any time.

By the way, you can use "take up" with any hobby, or sport, or pastime, e.g. "She took up golf" or "When he's older he plans to take up knitting" :)

[hoshmack]

YES. NO. NOT GIVEN is really the nightmare. It's easy to say if it's YES. But when it comes to NO or NG it becomes harder. In this smoking case:

I guess it could also be NG. Because there's not an info about the percentage of smoking releated diseases. It says 84,000 but not the percentage.

If the question was

- What is 30%

- Percentage of deaths by smoking releated diseases.

Then it would be NO:

But both deaths from cancer and deaths by smoking releated diseases would be 30%. it's not clear

[IanCarterTheCaller]

Watch the video again - the question asks about "30% of deaths", which means ALL deaths from ALL causes. You can't say NG, because there is information given in the passage, but it's more specific than "all deaths", so the answer has to be NO.

Clear?

[hoshmack]

Yes. In this case i understand it. But the information is not directly given in the passage. We conclude it from the passage. If %30 is the percentage of people dying from cancer releated to smoking then it can't be the same numbers for those who killed by smoking releated diseases. Because

(deaths by cancer<deaths by anything)

this is where we're making indirect conclusion. It's practically true but not given directly in the passage. What if the question was %29.9 not 30.

[IanCarterTheCaller]

I think you're being distracted by the percentages. It's more to do with *what* it's a percentage *of*.

Might I suggest that you give me another Y, N, NG question - publish it here - and I'll see what I think.

[mebaiu]

sir it seems very helpful but the major fact is vacobulary....some words have all the meaning of a line so could u plz help me in ths case..i knw u can....thnx

[IanCarterTheCaller]

The best way (really the ONLY way) to expand your passive vocabulary (i.e. vocabulary that you recognise rather than use actively) is to read - both extensively and intensively. That means you need to read widely on a variety of subjects/topics, but also more focused or in-depth on subjects/topics that might possibly come up in the exam.

(Read more)

[IanCarterTheCaller]

A good dictionary helps a lot - I always recommend Collins COBUILD English Learners Dictionary, as it defines vocabulary using full sentences that tell you so much more than the standard Oxford or Cambridge ones. It's available as a hard copy (book) as well as on CD-ROM. It's been my firm favourite for well over 10 years, and my students say it has never let them down.

[bhuvannn]

Hi Ian tomorrow is my IELTS academic test. Any more tips for reading test. In the last test I got 7.5 in listening 7.0 in writing 7.5 in speaking but just 6.0 in reading. I need atleast 7.0. Any tips for tomorrow will be appreciated. Thanks

[IanCarterTheCaller]

I hope this isn't too late (couldn't get online yesterday).

The best tip I can give you for the test is this: RELAX. Don't worry about anything. Keep scanning ahead in the Listening test. If you miss something, leave it and move on. You might miss one or two questions, but keep your spirits up and stay CONFIDENT all the time. If you believe in yourself, you'll do much better than if you doubt your abilities.

Good luck in the test. If you need any further help in future, you know where I am!

[saimawaheed07]

An excellent video. It really helps...

[SabinaSofija]

Thank you so much,Sir!!!Really helpful tips.

[IanCarterTheCaller]

You're very welcome, SabinaSofija. I hope you get the score you're after.

Please feel free to ask anything you like - just send me a message.

Best wishes,

Ian Carter

[saajal1]

good video to learn

[IanCarterTheCaller]

Thanks, saajal1. I hope it helps you get the score you need!