The Science of Sound and How We Hear It: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Sound is so much a part of daily life that we rarely stop to consider what it actually is. We speak of hearing a bell, a voice or a passing car, yet the thing we hear is not an object at all but a disturbance travelling through the air.”
- Passage length: about 764 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Science of Sound and How We Hear It” 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 Science of Sound and How We Hear It answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees, FALSE if it contradicts, or NOT GIVEN if there is no information.
- 1
Every sound is produced by something that vibrates.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Every sound begins with something that vibrates.”
- 2
Sound can travel through empty space.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “In empty space, where there is no air or other material, sound simply cannot exist, however powerful its source.”
- 3
Sound travels faster through solids than through air.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…it moves faster through liquids and solids than through air, because their molecules are packed more closely and pass the disturbance along more readily.”
- 4
A high-pitched sound is produced by a rapidly vibrating source.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “A rapidly vibrating source produces a high frequency, which we hear as a high-pitched sound”
- 5
Loud sounds are more likely to damage hearing than quiet sounds.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that loud sounds are more likely to damage hearing, but the passage never confirms or denies this, only explaining how sound waves are perceived in terms of frequency and amplitude.
Closest related text · Paragraph 4 “Large pressure changes carry more energy and are heard as a loud sound, whereas small ones are heard as a quiet sound.”
- 6
The range of frequencies a person can hear tends to widen with age.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “The limits of hearing also tend to narrow as a person grows older”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. A solid object moving through the air
- B. A travelling pattern of pressure changes spreading from a source
- C. A beam of light produced by vibration
- D. A stream of molecules leaving the source
- 7
What is a sound wave, according to the passage?
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Answer: B — A travelling pattern of pressure changes spreading from a source
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — A travelling pattern of pressure changes spreading from a source.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “This travelling pattern of pressure changes is what we call a sound wave.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Its frequency
- B. Its speed
- C. The size of the pressure changes, or amplitude
- D. Its direction
- 8
Which feature of a sound wave determines its loudness?
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Answer: C — The size of the pressure changes, or amplitude
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — The size of the pressure changes, or amplitude.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Large pressure changes carry more energy and are heard as a loud sound, whereas small ones are heard as a quiet sound.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. The chain of tiny bones
- B. The fluid of the inner ear
- C. The changing pressure of the incoming sound wave
- D. Electrical signals from the brain
- 9
What sets the eardrum vibrating?
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Answer: C — The changing pressure of the incoming sound wave
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — The changing pressure of the incoming sound wave.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…a thin, tightly stretched membrane called the eardrum, which is set vibrating by the changing pressure.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. The sound wave itself
- B. Small electrical signals generated by the hair cells
- C. The fluid from the inner ear
- D. The vibrations of the tiny bones
- 10
What actually travels along the nerve to the brain?
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Answer: B — Small electrical signals generated by the hair cells
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Small electrical signals generated by the hair cells.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…these cells generate small electrical signals, and it is these signals, not the sound wave itself, that travel along a nerve to the brain.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What is the number of pressure waves that pass a point each second called?(max 2 words)
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Answer: frequency
Why: The answer “frequency” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “The first is frequency, which is the number of pressure waves that pass a point each second.”
- 12
What is the size of the pressure changes in a sound wave known as?(max 2 words)
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Answer: the amplitude (also accepted: amplitude)
Why: The answer “the amplitude” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “The second feature is the size of the pressure changes, known as the amplitude.”
- 13
What thin, stretched membrane does the outer ear funnel the sound wave towards?(max 2 words)
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Answer: the eardrum (also accepted: eardrum)
Why: The answer “the eardrum” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…towards a thin, tightly stretched membrane called the eardrum”
- 14
What kind of cells in the inner ear bend and generate electrical signals?(max 3 words)
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Answer: hair-like cells (also accepted: hair cells / minute hair-like cells)
Why: The answer “hair-like cells” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…this movement bends thousands of minute hair-like cells that line the chamber.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 14 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 |
|---|---|
| 14 / 14 | 9.0 |
| 13 / 14 | 8.5 |
| 12 / 14 | 7.5 |
| 11 / 14 | 7.0 |
| 10 / 14 | 6.5 |
| 8–9 / 14 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 14 | 5.5 |
| 6 / 14 | 5.0 |
| 5 / 14 | 4.5 |
| 4 / 14 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 14 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 14 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 14 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 14 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
True / False / Not Given
- Read the statement first and underline the key idea, especially any qualifiers like "all", "only", "never", "always", "more than" or dates and numbers.
- Because the questions follow the order of the passage, scan for the paragraph that deals with the same topic rather than re-reading everything.
Common trap: Confusing "False" with "Not Given": choose False only when the passage actively contradicts the statement; if the passage is silent, it is Not Given.
Full True / False / 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 Science of Sound and How We Hear It” under exam conditions
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