The Science of Waiting in Line: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Almost nobody enjoys waiting in a line, yet queues are among the most universal experiences of modern life, forming wherever more people want something than can be served at once. The serious study of queues began not in psychology but in mathematics.”
- Passage length: about 756 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: Matching Headings, Sentence Completion, Short Answer
“The Science of Waiting in Line” 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 Waiting in Line answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: Matching Headings
The passage has six paragraphs, A-F. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
- i. When a wait has no clear end
- ii. The mathematics behind the waiting line
- iii. One line or many?
- iv. Turning waiting into a business tool
- v. Why the mind matters more than the minutes
- vi. The strong feelings stirred by unfairness
- vii. How to design a comfortable chair
- viii. Charging customers to skip the line
- ix. A short history of the cash register
- 1
Paragraph A
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Answer: ii — The mathematics behind the waiting line
Why: The correct heading is "The mathematics behind the waiting line" because paragraph A discusses the development of queueing theory by Agner Krarup Erlang and its mathematical applications in various modern systems.
Where to find it · Paragraph A “In the early years of the twentieth century a Danish telephone engineer, Agner Krarup Erlang, worked out how to predict the build-up of calls waiting at a telephone exchange, and his equations founded the discipline now known as queueing theory, which today is used to design everything from call centres to computer networks.”
- 2
Paragraph B
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Answer: iii — One line or many?
Why: This option is correct because Paragraph B discusses the advantages and disadvantages of forming a single line versus multiple lines, focusing on fairness and efficiency in queue management.
Where to find it · Paragraph B “One of the first practical questions is whether to form a single line or several.”
- 3
Paragraph C
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Answer: v — Why the mind matters more than the minutes
Why: Paragraph C explains that how long a wait feels depends more on mental engagement than actual time, as occupied time feels shorter, illustrated by mirrors distracting people from slow lift waits.
Where to find it · Paragraph C “Researchers have found that time which is occupied feels shorter than time spent doing nothing, and that a distracted mind is a more patient one.”
- 4
Paragraph D
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Answer: i — When a wait has no clear end
Why: The correct heading for Paragraph D is "When a wait has no clear end" because it discusses how uncertainty and lack of information about wait times make the experience feel longer and more unpleasant.
Where to find it · Paragraph D “A wait that is open-ended, with no visible end and no explanation, feels far longer and more unpleasant than one of the same length whose end is known.”
- 5
Paragraph E
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Answer: vi — The strong feelings stirred by unfairness
Why: This option is correct because Paragraph E discusses how waiting can evoke strong emotions about fairness, particularly when someone jumps the queue or when people feel disadvantaged in line order.
Where to find it · Paragraph B “A single serpentine line that feeds several servers in turn removes the gamble: everyone is dealt with in strict order of arrival, which feels fairer and spares people the anxiety of choosing.”
- 6
Paragraph F
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Answer: iv — Turning waiting into a business tool
Why: Paragraph F is not present in the passage, so the correct answer cannot be determined from the given text.
Questions 7–11: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 7
The mathematical study of waiting lines is known as ______.(max 2 words)
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Answer: queueing theory (also accepted: queuing theory)
Why: The answer is found in the first paragraph, where it states that Agner Krarup Erlang's equations founded the discipline now known as queueing theory.
Where to find it · Paragraph A “In the early years of the twentieth century a Danish telephone engineer, Agner Krarup Erlang, worked out how to predict the build-up of calls waiting at a telephone exchange, and his equations founded the discipline now known as queueing theory, which today is used to design everything from call centres to computer networks.”
- 8
Banks and airports often use a single ______ line that feeds several servers.(max 2 words)
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Answer: serpentine
Why: The answer is found in the second paragraph, which explains that banks and airports prefer a single winding line that serves multiple servers in sequence, as it is perceived as fairer and reduces anxiety.
Where to find it · Paragraph B “A single serpentine line that feeds several servers in turn removes the gamble: everyone is dealt with in strict order of arrival, which feels fairer and spares people the anxiety of choosing.”
- 9
Time that is ______ feels shorter than time spent doing nothing.(max 2 words)
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Answer: occupied
Why: The answer comes from paragraph C, which explains that time spent occupied feels shorter than time spent doing nothing, as people are more patient when their minds are distracted.
Where to find it · Paragraph C “Researchers have found that time which is occupied feels shorter than time spent doing nothing, and that a distracted mind is a more patient one.”
- 10
A wait feels much longer when it is ______, with no visible end.(max 2 words)
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Answer: open-ended (also accepted: open ended / uncertain)
Why: The answer comes from paragraph D, which explains that a wait without a clear end or explanation feels longer and more unpleasant than a wait of the same length with known details.
Where to find it · Paragraph D “A wait that is open-ended, with no visible end and no explanation, feels far longer and more unpleasant than one of the same length whose end is known.”
- 11
People feel strong anger when someone ______ the queue.(max 2 words)
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Answer: jumps
Why: The answer comes from section E, which explains that people experience intense anger when someone cuts in line, as it disrupts the deeply held belief in the fairness of first come, first served.
Where to find it · Paragraph E “The rule that service should go in order of arrival, first come, first served, is deeply held, and someone who jumps the queue can provoke an anger quite out of proportion to the few seconds actually lost.”
Questions 12–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
- 12
Who founded queueing theory while studying telephone calls?(max 3 words)
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Answer: Erlang (also accepted: A K Erlang / Agner Krarup Erlang / Agner Erlang)
Why: The answer comes from the first paragraph, which explains that Agner Krarup Erlang, a Danish telephone engineer, developed equations to predict call build-up, founding the discipline of queueing theory.
Where to find it · Paragraph A “In the early years of the twentieth century a Danish telephone engineer, Agner Krarup Erlang, worked out how to predict the build-up of calls waiting at a telephone exchange, and his equations founded the discipline now known as queueing theory, which today is used to design everything from call centres to computer networks.”
- 13
What did office-tower owners hang beside the lifts to reduce complaints?(max 3 words)
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Answer: mirrors (also accepted: large mirrors / big mirrors)
Why: The answer comes from section C, where it explains that office-tower owners hung large mirrors beside lift doors to distract people and reduce complaints about slow lifts.
Where to find it · Paragraph C “Rather than speed up the machinery, the owners hung large mirrors beside the lift doors, and the complaints faded away, because people happily passed the time studying themselves and the others around them.”
- 14
What feeling does jumping the queue tend to provoke?(max 3 words)
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Answer: anger
Why: The answer comes from paragraph E, which states that someone who cuts in line can cause a level of anger that is disproportionate to the small amount of time actually lost.
Where to find it · Paragraph E “The rule that service should go in order of arrival, first come, first served, is deeply held, and someone who jumps the queue can provoke an anger quite out of proportion to the few seconds actually lost.”
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
Matching Headings
- Read the list of headings first so you know the options, and notice how they differ from one another — often two headings are deliberately similar.
- Read the first paragraph and ask yourself: "In one sentence, what is this paragraph mainly saying?" before you look back at the headings.
Common trap: Picking a heading because it repeats a word from the paragraph, when that word only appears in a minor detail.
Full Matching Headings strategySentence Completion
- Circle the word limit before reading anything else.
- Predict the missing word class: noun, verb, adjective, number or short phrase.
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit.
Full Sentence Completion 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 Waiting in Line” under exam conditions
Free, auto-marked, with the 20-minute timer and an instant band estimate.
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