The Psychology of Colour: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Colour surrounds us constantly, and most people assume it is a simple, objective feature of the world: grass is green, the sky is blue, and that is that. Yet the way humans perceive and respond to colour is far more complicated and interesting than this everyday view suggests.”
- Passage length: about 758 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: Yes / No / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Psychology of Colour” is an original IELTS-style practice passage written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
The Psychology of Colour answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer? Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer, NO if it contradicts them, or NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks.
- 1
Colour is a simple, objective property that exists purely in objects.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Colour is not merely a property of objects but the result of a process taking place inside the eye and brain”
- 2
The colour of food or drink can affect how people judge its taste.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…the colour of food or drink can affect how people judge its taste, so that the same flavour may seem different depending on its colour.”
- 3
Claims about the psychological power of colour should be accepted without question.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Such conclusions, however, must be treated with great caution. Much of what is said about the psychological power of colour rests on weak evidence”
- 4
The meaning attached to a colour is the same in every culture.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “The meaning of a colour also varies enormously from one culture to another.”
- 5
Colour has no effect at all on human perception and feeling.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “None of this means that colour has no effect on us. It clearly does influence perception and feeling in many situations”
- 6
Men and women respond to colours in noticeably different ways.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that men and women respond to colours differently, but the passage never confirms or denies this, focusing instead on individual and cultural variations in colour perception and response.
Closest related text · Paragraph 1 “Yet the way humans perceive and respond to colour is far more complicated and interesting than this everyday view suggests.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. By detecting colour directly within objects
- B. By combining signals from cells that respond to different wavelengths of reflected light
- C. By measuring the temperature of a surface
- D. By comparing an object with nearby objects
- 7
According to the passage, how does the brain produce the sensation of colour?
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Answer: B — By combining signals from cells that respond to different wavelengths of reflected light
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — By combining signals from cells that respond to different wavelengths of reflected light.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Special cells at the back of the eye respond to different wavelengths of light, and the brain combines their signals to produce the sensation of a particular hue.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because they are taught in schools
- B. Perhaps because they are rooted in common human experience such as fire and the sun
- C. Because advertisers invented them
- D. Because they are written into law
- 8
Why does the passage say colour associations such as red with energy are so common?
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Answer: B — Perhaps because they are rooted in common human experience such as fire and the sun
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Perhaps because they are rooted in common human experience such as fire and the sun.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Some responses to colour appear to be widely shared, perhaps because they are rooted in common human experience. Warm colours such as red and orange, associated with fire and the sun”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. That colour has no meaning at all
- B. That reactions to colour are clearly learned rather than built in
- C. That everyone reacts to colour in the same way
- D. That warm colours are always preferred
- 9
What does the example of a colour meaning joy in one society and mourning in another show?
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Answer: B — That reactions to colour are clearly learned rather than built in
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — That reactions to colour are clearly learned rather than built in.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “A colour regarded as joyful and celebratory in one society may be associated with mourning in another, so that reactions to it are clearly learned rather than built in.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Colour reliably triggers fixed emotions in everyone
- B. Colour has no practical value
- C. The effects of colour are subtle, variable and bound up with learning and context
- D. Colour cannot be studied scientifically at all
- 10
What is the writer's overall conclusion about the effects of colour?
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Answer: C — The effects of colour are subtle, variable and bound up with learning and context
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — The effects of colour are subtle, variable and bound up with learning and context.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…the effects of colour are subtle, variable and deeply intertwined with learning and context.”
Questions 11–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
Which type of light entering the eye does the brain interpret as colour?(max 2 words)
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Answer: reflected light (also accepted: the reflected light / reflected)
Why: The answer “reflected light” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…it is the reflected light, entering the eye, that the brain interprets as colour.”
- 12
Besides taste, name one other judgement that colour can affect.(max 2 words)
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Answer: temperature (also accepted: weight / size)
Why: The answer “temperature” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Colour can also affect judgements of temperature, weight and size.”
- 13
With what feeling are cooler colours such as blue and green often linked?(max 2 words)
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Answer: calm (also accepted: calmness)
Why: The answer “calm” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…cooler colours such as blue and green, associated with water and vegetation, are often linked with calm.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 13 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (Academic) conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single passage is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 13 / 13 | 9.0 |
| 12 / 13 | 8.5 |
| 11 / 13 | 7.5 |
| 10 / 13 | 7.0 |
| 9 / 13 | 6.5 |
| 8 / 13 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 13 | 5.5 |
| 5–6 / 13 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 13 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 13 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 13 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 13 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 13 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Yes / No / Not Given
- Identify the claim in the statement and, crucially, whose opinion it represents — these passages often quote several people, so track who is speaking.
- Scan the passage for opinion signals: verbs like "argues", "believes", "suggests", "claims", and phrases such as "in the author’s view".
Common trap: Treating a reported opinion (someone else’s view mentioned by the writer) as the writer’s own conclusion.
Full Yes / No / Not Given strategyMultiple Choice
- Read the question stem carefully before the options so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Because multiple-choice questions follow passage order, locate the relevant section and read it in full — the answer usually depends on more than one sentence.
Common trap: Distractors that use exact words from the passage but distort the meaning.
Full Multiple Choice strategyShort Answer
- Read the instructions and note the exact word limit; going over it means zero marks even if the meaning is right.
- Turn each question into a set of keywords and predict what kind of answer it needs (a person, a date, a place, a noun).
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit (writing four words when only three are allowed).
Full Short Answer strategyPractise “The Psychology of Colour” under exam conditions
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