The IELTS reading sentence completion is a common task type in the IELTS General Training and IELTS Academic. This question type is quite similar to a fill-in-the-blank, which is part of almost every exam. Candidates have to showcase their abilities to understand detailed information and phrases and identify keywords in a passage. In this blog, you will read everything required for the sentence completion questions along with samples, a few examples, and strategies. After going through this, surely you can understand the structure of tasks so that you can attempt them and achieve your desired scores on the exam.
Table of Contents
IELTS reading sentence completion questions are usually incomplete sentences or phrases that are paraphrased lines. These questions contain information from the passage that is given to the candidate. In this, students have to fill in the suitable word that is correct as per the passage’s information. However, test takers can read the word limit from the instructions, and then they have to answer.
Sometimes, questions in sentence completion IELTS reading are taken directly from the text or paraphrased (means contain information which is indirect but showcases the same intent). Moreover, students have to answer in a word, a number, and a group of words, as per the instructions. In this, each candidate has to focus on specific details about the passage and they must know how to locate an accurate response under time constraints.
In the reading section of the IELTS syllabus, there are a total of 14 types of questions. Among all 14, sentence completion is the most common type of task. Moreover, this task can be shown in two types. Candidates have to follow the instructions and write the answer which is correct. Let’s find out the structure of two major tasks that come in sentence completion in the reading section.
In the sentence completion, you may get some sentences with a few blanks that have to be filled out with the correct answer. You have to fill in the gaps after going through the passage.
In the IELTS reading section, phrases within incomplete sentences refer to the questions that are in the form of phrases. This means you will get some phrases with a few gaps. In this, you have to observe the questions and find the correct answer after reading the text.
This section covers samples for IELTS reading sentence completion questions. Read the following samples’ questions and answers along with an explanation.
Here is a sample given of “Telepathy Reading Answers” which covers question types of sentence completion for practice.
Paragraph- A
Can human beings communicate by thought alone? For more than a century, the issue of telepathy has divided the scientific community, and even today, it still sparks bitter controversy among top academics.
Paragraph- B
Since the 1970s, parapsychologists at leading universities and research institutes around the world have risked the derision of sceptical colleagues by putting the various claims for telepathy to the test in dozens of rigorous scientific studies. The results and their implications are dividing even the researchers who uncovered them.
Paragraph- C
Some researchers say the results constitute compelling evidence that telepathy is genuine. Other parapsychologists believe the field is on the brink of collapse, having tried to produce definitive scientific proof and failed. Sceptics and advocates alike do concur on one issue, however: that the most impressive evidence so far has come from the so-called 'ganzfeld' experiments, a German term that means 'whole field'. Reports of telepathic experiences had by people during meditation led parapsychologists to suspect that telepathy might involve 'signals' passing between people that were so faint that they were usually swamped by normal brain activity. In this case, such signals might be more easily detected by those experiencing meditation-like tranquillity in a relaxing 'whole field' of light, sound, and warmth.
Paragraph- D
The ganzfeld experiment tries to recreate these conditions with participants sitting in soft reclining chairs in a sealed room, listening to relaxing sounds while their eyes are covered with special filters letting in only soft pink light. In early ganzfeld experiments, the telepathy test involved the identification of a picture chosen from a random selection of four taken from a large image bank. The idea was that a person acting as a 'sender' would attempt to beam the image over to the 'receiver' relaxing in the sealed room.
Paragraph- E
Once the session was over, this person was asked to identify which of the four images had been used. Random guessing would give a hit rate of 25 percent; if telepathy is real, however, the hit rate would be higher. In 1982, the results from the first Ganzfeld studies were analysed by one of its pioneers, the American parapsychologist Charles Honorton. They pointed to typical hit rates of better than 30 per cent - a small effect, but one which statistical tests suggested could not be put down to chance.
Paragraph- F
The implication was that the Ganzfeld method had revealed real evidence for telepathy. But there was a crucial flaw in this argument - one routinely overlooked in more conventional areas of science. Just because chance had been ruled out as an explanation did not prove telepathy must exist; there were many other ways of getting positive results. These ranged from 'sensory leakage' - where clues about the pictures accidentally reach the receiver - to outright fraud. In response, the researchers issued a review of all the ganzfeld studies done up to 1985 to show that 80 percent had found statistically significant evidence. However, they also agreed that there were still too many problems in the experiments that could lead to positive results, and they drew up a list demanding new standards for future research.
Paragraph- G
After this, many researchers switched to autoganzfeld tests - an automated variant of the technique which used computers to perform many of the key tasks such as the random selection of images. By minimising human involvement, the idea was to minimise the risk of flawed results. In 1987, results from hundreds of autoganzfeld tests were studied by Honorton in a 'meta-analysis', a statistical technique for finding the overall results from a set of studies. Though less compelling than before, the outcome was still impressive.
Paragraph- H
Yet, some parapsychologists remain disturbed by the lack of consistency between individual ganzfeld studies. Defenders of telepathy point out that demanding impressive evidence from every study ignores one basic statistical fact: it takes large samples to detect small effects. If, as current results suggest, telepathy produces hit rates only marginally above the 25 percent expected by chance, it's unlikely to be detected by a typical ganzfeld study involving around 40 people: the group is just not big enough. Only when many studies are combined in a meta-analysis will the faint signal of telepathy really become apparent. And that is what researchers do seem to be finding.
Paragraph- I
What they are certainly not finding, however, is any change in attitude of mainstream scientists: most still totally reject the very idea of telepathy. The problem stems at least in part from the lack of any plausible mechanism for telepathy.
Paragraph- J
Various theories have been put forward, many focusing on esoteric ideas from theoretical physics. They include 'quantum entanglement', in which events affecting one group of atoms instantly affect another group, no matter how far apart they may be. While physicists have demonstrated entanglement with specially prepared atoms, no one knows if it also exists between atoms making up human minds. Answering such questions would transform parapsychology. This has prompted some researchers to argue that the future lies not in collecting more evidence for telepathy but in probing possible mechanisms. Some work has begun already, with researchers trying to identify people who are particularly successful in autoganzfeld trials. Early results show that creative and artistic people do much better than average: in one study at the University of Edinburgh, musicians achieved a hit rate of 56 per cent. Perhaps more tests like these will eventually give the researchers the evidence they are seeking and strengthen the case for the existence of telepathy.
Questions for This Reading Passage: Telepathy
Questions 1-4
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G, below.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
A. the discovery of a mechanism for telepathy.
B. the need to create a suitable environment for telepathy.
C. their claims of a high success rate.
D. a solution to the problem posed by random guessing.
E. the significance of the ganzfeld experiments.
F. a more careful selection of subjects.
G. a need to keep altering conditions.
1. Researchers with differing attitudes towards telepathy agree on
2. Reports of experiences during meditation indicated
3. Attitudes to parapsychology would alter drastically with
4. Recent autoganzfeld trials suggest that success rates will improve with
Answers for Sample 1
1. Paragraph C, third line, states that telepathy can be either genuine or not, and for that, there is no proof. However, as per most researchers’ reviews, telepathy was found most impressive in the so-called Ganzfeld experiments. Therefore, E is the correct answer.
2. Paragraph C, fourth and fifth lines, states that as per some reports of researchers, it found that during meditations, it can be found real. Therefore, scientists created a suitable environment to prove telepathy. Hence, the correct answer is B.
3. Paragraph I, first and second lines, mentions that there is a problem found in rejecting the idea of telepathy, which proves it incorrect. This is because of the lack of a plausible mechanism for telepathy. Hence, A is the correct answer.
4. Paragraph J, sixth and seventh lines, states that after completion of the Ganzfeld’s experiments, researchers have seen positive results than average proves that telepathy is real. Hence, J is the correct answer.
Here is another sample for sentence completion question types.
IELTS Reading Passage: Snow Makers
Skiing is big business nowadays. But what can ski resort owners do if the snow doesn't come?
Paragraph- A
In the early to mid twentieth century, with the growing popularity of skiing, ski slopes became extremely profitable businesses. But ski resort owners were completely dependent on the weather: if it didn't snow, or didn’t snow enough, they had to close everything down. Fortunately, a device called the snow gun can now provide snow whenever it is needed. These days, such machines are standard equipment in the vast majority of ski resorts around the world, making it possible for many resorts to stay open for months or more a year.
Paragraph- B
Snow formed by natural weather systems comes from water vapour in the atmosphere. The water vapour condenses into droplets, forming clouds. If the temperature is sufficiently low, the water droplets freeze into tiny ice crystals. More water particles then condense onto the crystal and join with it to form a snowflake. As the snowflake grows heavier, it falls towards the Earth.
Paragraph- C
The snow gun works very differently from a natural weather system, but it accomplishes exactly the same thing. The device basically works by combining water and air. Two different hoses are attached to the gun, one leading from a water pumping station that pumps water up from a lake or reservoir, and the other leading from an air compressor. When the compressed air passes through the hose into the gun. it atomises the water - that is, it disrupts the stream so that the water splits up into tiny droplets. The droplets are then blown out of the gun, and if the outside temperature is below 0°C, ice crystals will form and will then make snowflakes in the same way as natural snow.
Paragraph- D
Snow-makers often talk about dry snow and wet snow. Dry snow has a relatively low amount of water, so it is very light and powdery. This type of snow is excellent for skiing because skis glide over it easily without getting stuck in wet slush. One of the advantages of using a snow-maker is that this powdery snow can be produced to give the ski slopes a level surface. However, on slopes that receive heavy use, resort owners also use denser, wet snow underneath the dry snow. Many resorts build up the snow depth this way once or twice a year and then regularly coat the trails with a layer of dry snow throughout the winter.
Paragraph- E
The wetness of snow is dependent on the temperature and humidity outside, as well as the size of the water droplets launched by the gun. Snow-makers have to adjust the proportions of water and air in their snow guns to get the perfect snow consistency for the outdoor weather conditions. Many ski slopes now do this with a central computer system that is connected to weather-reading stations all over the slope.
Paragraph- F
But man-made snow places heavy demands on the environment. It takes about 275,000 litres of water to create a blanket of snow covering a 60x60 metre area. Most resorts pump water from one or more reservoirs located in low-lying areas. The run-off water from the slopes feeds back into these reservoirs, so the resort can actually use the same water over and over again. However, considerable amounts of energy are needed to run the large air-compressing pumps, and the diesel engines that run them also cause air pollution.
Paragraph- G
Because of the expense of making snow, ski resorts have to balance the cost of running the machines with the benefits of extending the ski season, making sure they only make snow when it is really needed and when it will bring the maximum amount of profit in return for the investment. But man-made snow has a number of other uses as well. A layer of snow keeps a lot of the Earth’s heat from escaping into the atmosphere, so farmers often use man-made snow to provide insulation for winter crops. Snow-making machines have played a big part in many movie productions. Movie producers often take several months to shoot scenes that cover just a few days. If the movie takes place in a snowy setting, the set decorators have to get the right amount of snow for each day of shooting, either by adding man-made snow or melting natural snow. Another important application of man-made snow is its use in the tests that aircraft must undergo in order to ensure that they can function safely in extreme conditions.
Questions 1-5
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
1. Dry snow is used to give slopes a level surface, while wet snow is used to increase the ______ on busy slopes.
2. To calculate the required snow consistency, the_______ of the atmosphere must first be measured.
3. The machinery used in the process of making the snow consumes a lot of ________, which is damaging to the environment.
4. Artificial snow is used in agriculture as a type of_________for plants in cold conditions.
5. Artificial snow may also be used in carrying out safety checks on_______.
Answer for Sample 2
1. Paragraph D, the last line states that dry snow can be used to give slopes a level surface. On the other hand, snow can be used to increase the depth once or not more than twice in a year. Hence, depth is an accurate response.
2. Paragraph E, the last line states that calculating the snow consistency required depends on the wetness of the snow. Hence, temperature and humidity are the correct answers.
3. Paragraph E, the last line states that the machine used in the process of making snow consumes a large amount of energy. Therefore, energy is the correct answer.
4. Paragraph G, third line states that artificial snow is used in agriculture as a type of insulation for trees in cold. Hence, insulation is the correct answer.
5. Paragraph G, the last line states that artificial snow may be used in carrying out safety checks on aircraft. Hence, the correct answer is aircraft.
Check out some IELTS reading practice tests for your reference. Here, you can find questions of sentence completion and solve them.
1. Music and the Emotions Reading Answers with Explanations
2. The Discovery That Language Can Be A Barrier Reading Answers with Explanation
3. Iceman Reading Answers With Explanation
4. Density and Crowding Reading Answers with Explanation
5. The History of Pencil Reading Answers with Explanations
6. Pollination Reading Answers with Explanation
7. Pulling Strings to Build Pyramids Reading Answers with Explanations
8. The Intersection of Health Sciences and Geography Reading Answers with Explanation
9. Greying Population Stays in the Pink Reading Answers with Explanations
10. Striking Back at Lighting with Lasers Reading Answers with Explanations
It is important to make the perfect strategy in sentence reading practice tests to achieve good band scores in the exam. You can refer to the above passages during your rehearsal so that you can appear well during the test.
To score well, you have to follow the strategy in the IELTS reading sentence-completion questions. Therefore, here are some tips for you that will teach you how to deal with questions.
1. At first, read the questions carefully before start attempting.
2. Next, do not forget to focus on grammar mistakes that most students make.
3. Find the keyword that is given in the question and will help you find the right answer.
4. Use paraphrasing skills to get an accurate response. for example, try to locate synonyms and similar words in the questions.
5. Do not leave any blank questions if you do not find the answer. Write something relevant to the question that may be correct by chance.
To wrap up, we have discussed IELTS reading sentence completion types of questions in this blog. Hopefully, you have found it beneficial and have gone through the tips, samples, questions, and examples. Many students want to improve their IELTS band score in the reading section which is crucial. Therefore, we advise you to take a proper sentence reading practice test so that you can work on your weak areas and enhance your abilities.
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