Answer Keys
1 VII – The First Blow. Used figuratively, it means the beginning of the sport. Do not be tricked into picking III – Blessed by Heavens. Even though Ancient Greece is mentioned, there is nothing about gods in this part.
2 VI – Keeping it Civilised. The focus here is on the fact that even at the very beginning the sport had rules of some kind. Some techniques were forbidden and the fighters had to use protective equipment. Note that I – Punching and Kicking shouldn’t be picked. Even though kicking is mentioned, it is only a small point made in the section, and it is later mentioned that it is unconfirmed whether kicking had any place in fights.
3 V – Evolution and Recognition. Both points in the heading reflect the content of the section perfectly – slow change the sport had as well as its growing popularity. The ancient god Apollo is mentioned, which might hint at heading III – Blessed by Heavens. But like in many other such cases, it is not the main point of the heading but only an additional detail.
4 II – Across the Atlantic. The entire section is dedicated to boxing in the United States. The Atlantic refers to the ocean that separates Europe from the Americas.
5 IV – Outnumbered, but not Outperformed. The idea of the heading is that even though female boxers are fewer in numbers, it doesn’t mean that they are worse. The paragraph focuses on female boxing rapidly gaining popularity and recognition. Do not pick VIII – Gender Inequality because the only time something similar is mentioned is in the first sentence in connection with the rough nature of the sport.
6 TRUE. Paragraph 2 says that ‘conclusive evidence’ does not exist – in other words people are not sure about the origin of the sports. The idea of uncertainty is then confirmed with the phrase ‘seems to have …’ in the next sentence.
7 NOT GIVEN. While Sentence 3 of section B does say that there were a few rules in Greek boxing, it does not state that it was the Greeks who were the first to come up with rules. No answer can be given here.
8 FALSE. Paragraph 4 says that there exists a Minoan fresco that depicts fighters wearing gloves – in other words, a surviving visual evidence of ancient boxing.
9 TRUE. At the end of Paragraph 5 we have Apollo mentioned – a divine patron of boxers. It is important to know the word ‘deity’ to answer the question correctly.
10 B. Paragraph 6 says that the fight would usually take place in a field. Answer A is wrong as nothing is said about the legal aspect – there is only mentioning of illegal betting – or gambling. No mention of gambling becoming more popular is present in the text.
11 C. Wrestling is mentioned to have been prohibited. The rules expected the fighters to wear protective equipment as well as to treat their opponents with respect.
12 B. Section D focuses on the topic and mentions names of iconic boxers. Racism stood in the way of people of colour taking part in the sport, so we cannot say that it was defeated. Even though big money is mentioned, it does not refer to the price of participating in matches, but the amount of money involved in general.
13 B. Second paragraph of Section E says that female boxing is getting increasingly popular, which leads us to the answer. Answer C is misleading here – it says that women are less likely to take part in the sport because of its violent nature. Even though the statement in the answer sounds very reasonable, we have to give answer according to the information given in the text.
14 C. Throughout the text we see occasional mention of kicks possibly being allowed. Also, there is information of allowing any kind of blow with your hand except gouging. The rules of today are much more strict. Answer A is wrong – in the past there were no weight classes or any serious matching (middle of third paragraph). ‘Venue’ in Answer B means the place the match would take place in – this has changed from fighting in the field (England) to mostly indoor matches of today.
15 FALSE. As explained in the second paragraph, Antarctica is the continent, whereas The Antarctic includes that as well as the neighbouring islands and territories.
16 TRUE. The northernmost continent in question is the Arctic – named after a star in the Ursa constellation.
17 TRUE. Last sentence of Paragraph 2 contains the answer. At this point, the main challenge is not to get confused in the two names.
18 FALSE. Paragraph 4 states that the opposite is true. The seasons in the Antarctic are inverted, so it gets warmer during winter months and vice versa.
19 TRUE. The unusual weather condition referred to here is the absence of rain, which allowed snow to amass over millions of years.
20 NOT GIVEN. Unfortunately, the only information given in the text regarding the indigenous population refers to the Arctic (the continent). No data about the entire territory is mentioned in the given text. Don’t be tempted to use your background knowledge to give answers when they are not provided in the text of the task.
21 C. Paragraph 7 mentions two international treaties that limit research purposes to peaceful ones. Answer A is wrong because it is said that the majority of scientists leave it, not all of them. Answer B doesn’t fit as the list of scientific fields given represents the wide array of researches done there, there is no saying that they are done one after the other.
22 B. Last sentence of Paragraph 6 hints at the fact that the majority of visitors prefer to stay on the ship, away from the cold and danger of the continent. Answer A refers to some of the tourists whose aim is to see all the continent, not ‘most’ of them. Answer C is too broad.
23 C. Answer A doesn’t work here as no particular results of scientific effort is mentioned in the text. Answer B does not fully reflect the importance of the region in the world climate ecosystem.
24 Precipitation/rainfall. The amount of precipitation is what makes the Arctic a desert.
25 Winds. ‘Velocity’ is a word that helps us greatly if we are familiar with it. It is used as a synonym for ‘speed’, and knowing it makes it much easier to find the relevant part in Paragraph 5.
26 Existence. We have to retrace our steps back to Paragraph 3 here, where the first sighting of the continent is mentioned
27 Glaciers. ‘Radiation’ is the keyword here that aids us in finding the relevant part of the text in the middle of the last paragraph
28 Well-being/wellbeing. Both British and American English spellings are included
29 Moving. First sentence mentions lower number of moving components as one of the advantages that contributes to lower servicing costs as a result.
30 Noise. Sentence 2 of Paragraph 4 mentions the electric motor as ‘virtually silent’. Note that the environmental aspect gets mentioned in the next point, so there is little sense to put it here as well – at it is the only one that would fit grammatically other than ‘noise’.
31 Infrastructure. The word ‘scarce’ points us in the direction of the right answer – another case where having extensive vocabulary helps a lot. The relevant part is in sentence 2 of Paragraph 6.
32 Battery. Paragraph 5, sentence 3 mentions that battery life in terms of charging cycles is difficult to accurately predict nowadays because it is a fairly new tech.
33 Fuel. Paragraph 7, second sentence talks about the “ubiquitous” fuel and service stations. The word means that they can be found almost anywhere.
34 Oil. Last sentence of Paragraph 7 brings up the issue of limited oil supplies.
35 Electric motor(s). Going back to Paragraph 2, sentence 2 to answer this. ‘In conjunction with’ means together, combined with something else.
36 B. ‘Reluctant’ means unwilling, without much enthusiasm. In Paragraph 6 the situation is described where because of the still comparatively low amount, there is little demand for such stations which in turn makes people think twice before getting an electric vehicle. Answer A is not mentioned – no direct price comparison is made. Answer C is is shown as an alternative people have to resort to, not because it is always a more convenient option. Answer D is suggested as one of the possible solutions to the problem of lacking infrastructure, not as reason for the government to stay inactive.
37 C. Paragraph 5 has information regarding particular chemical elements that are required for battery production as well as the fact of how limited they are. There is no mentioning of Answer A at all. Answer B is wrong because originally the electric engine soon became unpopular after petrol engines had taken over the industry. Answer D has no relevance to the ‘billionaire’ mentioned at the beginning of the text.
38 C. Paragraph 8 focuses on how exactly electric cars manage to keep their emissions low. Answer A is related to the correct answer, but only partially – ultimately it is the higher efficiency that makes the cars cleaner, not stricter standards. Answer B is too general. Nothing about recycling is given attention in the text.
39 B. At the end of Paragraph 8 the necessity of specialist knowledge to work on these engines is mentioned. The opposite of answer A is correct – even though electric ones have fewer moving parts, they require specialist knowledge and therefore their maintenance is more difficult. Answer C states the opposite of the truth – some countries offer tax rebates for electric car owners. Answer D shouldn’t be picked as electric motors are ‘virtually silent’ – they make very little to no noise.
40 A. The future is said to come either the natural way or through government regulation. Answers B and D do not fit the context as it is clearly said that ‘the future is going to be electric’. Even though Answer C is hinted at, it is not as strong as the statement made at the beginning of the last paragraph.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth learning and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets mean part of speech (see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some more complex words and phrases.
And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real exam.
Section 1
Punch (n) – a hit with a clenched fist. The boxers kept throwing punches at one another until one of them collapsed.
Conclusive (adj) – proving something without any doubt; certain. The results of the investigation were inconclusive, and the suspect was released after the trial.
Consequently (adv) – as a result or after that. He became the head of the branch and, consequently, the youngest top manager in the history of the company.
Pastime (n) – a leisurely way to spend time, especially one that is popular among specific group of people. Drinking tea with milk is one of the more well-known British pastimes.
Gouge (v) – (here) to try and tear the eye by pressing hard into it with your fingers. Eye gouging is strictly prohibited in all types of martial arts.
Debate (n) – an argument. A subject of debate is a question that people disagree about because there is no one definite answer to it.
Fresco (n) – a drawing on a wall or other hard surface, usually made with a special pigment.
Mouthguard (n) – a protective piece equipment that you put inside your mouth to save your teeth and gums from being damaged during a fight.
Conduct (n) – the way something is organised or regulated.
Fulcrum (n) – ‘ something/someone is the fulcrum of …’ means that it is given very high importance. Discipline is the fulcrum of education – without it, students quickly lose interest and grow disorganised.
That is – a phrase used to clarify or describe something. We went to a concert last night. That is, we didn’t really care for music, bur rather wanted to catch up with some friends and have a good time.
Mandate (v) – to impose something, such as rules or regulations.
Humane (adj) – having or expressing sympathy, compassion and other positive qualities attributed to people.
Sportsmanship (n) – fairness and respect for other participants in some game or sports.
Minority (n) – (here) referring to African-American boxers. Minority athletes often face additional challenges because of stereotypical attitudes.
Plague (v) – if something is plagued by something, then it constantly suffers from something unpleasant. Presidential elections have always been plagued with attempts to sabotage or alter the results.
Ruthless (adj) – without mercy, cruel. Used to show disapproval.
Section 2
Frigid (adj) – extremely cold.
Improbable (adj) – very unlikely or nearly impossible.
Diverse (adj) – varied. Diverse species of Amazonian jungle.
Fragile (adj) – easily broken or disturbed. The region’s fragile balance is carefully maintained by volunteers.
Clarify (v) – to make more clear or easier to understand, less confusing.
A handful of – a small amount of something.
Conversely (adv) – on the other hand. Used to introduce a contrasting point.
Constellation (n) – several stars belonging to a particular group or forming a pattern.
Incidentally (adv) – without any direct connection to something. His rise to fame was only incidental to his singing career because he became well-known as the biggest lottery winner of the century.
Hypothesize (v) – to guess, to make a scientific assumption based on something.
Culminate (v) – to be a result of something important, especially if it happened after a series of other things. The concert culminated in the most spectacular fireworks show I’ve ever seen.
Striking (adj) – (here) easily noticeable. The striking contrast between the two brothers was that one was into sports, while the other was the more nerdy time.
Virtually (adv) – basically, almost.
Sultry (adj) – characterised by high temperatures and humidity. Singapore is pretty sultry almost all year round.
Precipitation (n) – snow, rain or hail. Annual precipitation in this region has been on the increase over the past decade.
Miniscule (adj) – so low or little that it is almost non-existent. The miniscule differences between these academic works mean that one was plagiarised.
Gust (n) – a short, but powerful burst wind.
Stark (adj) – different, often in an unpleasant way. The stark change from living in a nice hotel to renting a room was making me uncomfortable.
Indigenous (adj) – belonging to that area rather than somewhere else. The indigenous people of Australia.
Reside (v) – to live somewhere, either permanently or on a temporary basis.
Bucket list – a list of things you want to accomplish in your life. Climbing on top of the Eiffel Tower was one of the obvious things on my bucket list.
Harsh (adj) – (about conditions or treatment) unwelcoming and unpleasant.
Abide by – to follow some laws or regulations. As long as you are in this country you will have to abide by the rules, many of which you might find a bit excessive.
Designate (v) – to define a purpose of something, such as a place. This room was designated as a warehouse.
Pivotal (adj) – crucial, vital. The next round of talks is pivotal – this is when it will be decided whether peace negotiations are going to succeed.
Section 3
All the rage – a set expression to mean something that is very fashionable at a particular period of time. Ankle socks are all the rage nowadays.
Craze (n) – something that is very popular, briefly.
Novel (adj) – new or recent. Any novel concept is usually quite slow to gain popularity with people.
Predate (v) – to come before something else. Evolutionary theory suggests that sea creatures predate those living on the land.
Lag behind (phr v) – to be slower than somebody or something else.
Bring about (phr v) – to cause something to take place. December brought about the spirit of Christmas along with long, dark evenings.
Volatility (n) – (here) tendency to change, especially unpredictably. Price volatility is one thing economics is trying to study and anticipate.
Complement (v) – to act as a nice addition to something. They say that citruses really complement the taste of champagne.
Lukewarm (adj) – (here, attitude towards something) lacking enthusiasm, mixed. Lukewarm reviews of her latest movie contributed to the eventual demise of her directing career.
Concession (n) – (here) to agree to some demands in order to achieve something.
Eligible (adj) – if you are eligible for something, they you have the right for it. Young families in this region are eligible to interest-free loans to buy an apartment or start a business.
Procure (n) – to get or deliver something. Procuring any materials in this remote location is almost impossible due to expensive logistics.
Hinder (v) – to slow something down.
Incentive (n) – a strong reason to do something. A serious incentive to move and work up North is increased salaries and more attractive social benefits.
Daunting (adj) – scary because of how difficult it seems to be.
Give impetus – to make some process happen quicker, easier or more productive. Government financial support was supposed to give impetus to local small business environment, but so far it has achieved nothing.
Ubiquitous (adj) – present everywhere, easily found.
Savoury (adj) – used figuratively here in the meaning ‘pleasant’. In this meaning it is normally used in the negative, i.e. ‘less savoury, unsavoury’.
Prospect (n) – a possibility of something happening in the future. The prospect of getting rich quick and effortlessly is what makes millions of people around the world buy lottery tickets.
Sustainable (adj) – something that can be supported over long period of time or even indefinitely.
Lucrative (adj) – attractive in a financial sense.
Well-founded (adj) – with strong reasons to support it. Your enthusiasm for this company’s success seems well-founded – I have checked their financial records and they seem legit.
Stringent (adj) – very strictly controlled and monitored. Stringent financial regulations in the sector might slow development, but will also eliminate most fraud cases.
Organically (adv) – (here) happening naturally, usually in a gradual way.
Heightened (adj) – increased. Her heightened mood could be explained by the three drinks she has just had.
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