The IELTS test has four modules, out of which IELTS Reading is considered the toughest module. The candidates practise this module hard and repetitively to excel in the exam. It has a time limit of 60 minutes and three passages to solve. Devise a plan carefully to manage your time well and answer all forty questions. To make it easier for you, we have provided Book Review IELTS reading answers with explanations. The reading module of the IELTS exam includes a variety of question types and requires reading techniques to solve them easily. To acquire a better band score, the student must understand question types and answer them accordingly. Complete all the questions and then analyze the Moles happy as homes go underground Reading Answers with an explanation.
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Book Review Reading Passage
The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being By William Davies
Paragraph 1
Richard Layard, an economist and advocate of "positive psychology," has summarised the ideologies and faith of various people nowadays in his proclamation that "happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good. If we are asked why happiness matters, we can give no further external reason.It is just evident that it matters." For Layard and others like him, the goal of government is to foster an environment of shared prosperity. The only issue is how to attain it, and here positive psychology—a purported science that not only detects what makes individuals happy but also lets their happiness be quantified—may indicate the way. With the guidance of this study, governments, as per theorists, are currently more capable than ever before of ensuring harmony in society.
Paragraph 2
It is an incredibly primitive and simplistic style of thinking, yet it is rising in popularity due to this. The huge philosophical literature that has studied and challenged the meaning and worth of happiness is neglected by those who embrace this mind-set, and they write as if no significant ideas had been studied on the subject prior to their realisation. The emergence of this method of thinking was due in large part to the work of philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832). For Bentham, it was apparent that happiness and the lack of misery constitute the human good. In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle connected happiness with self-realisation, and scholars throughout the years attempted to combine the goal of happiness with other human virtues, although all of this was just metaphysics or fiction to Bentham. Modern proponents of positive psychology follow in his footsteps, condemning as obsolete and unnecessary almost the entire ethical reflection on human pleasure to date, despite knowing nothing about him or the school of moral theory he founded—as they are ignorant in the history of ideas due to education and philosophical conviction.
Paragraph 3
However, as William Davies points out in his new book, The Happiness Industry, assuming that happiness is the prime self-evident good restricts moral analysis. This rich, clear, and compelling book's ability to contextualise the modern cult of happiness inside a precisely defined historical context is one of its many merits. Davies was correct in his assessment of Bentham, recognising that he was significantly more than just a philosopher. According to Davies, Bentham engaged in activities that modern-day management consultants serving the public sector may partake in. In the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes." To preserve food like meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, he designed a "frigidarium." His renowned plan for a jail known as a "Panopticon," in which inmates would be confined in solitary while always being monitored by the guards, came extremely close to being implemented. (Interestingly, Davies does not address the fact that Bentham envisioned his Panopticon to serve as a model for both a jail and a control mechanism that could be utilised in both schools and factories.
Paragraph 4
Bentham also established the "science of happiness." If happiness is to be considered a science, then it must be quantified. Bentham presented two methods for measuring happiness. He proposed that pleasure might be measured by taking the average heart rate of a person and seeing happiness as a complex of pleasant emotions. As an alternative, the value of money might be used as the criterion for quantification: if the cost of two distinct products is the same, it can be stated that both give the customer the same amount of happiness. The latter attribute grabbed Bentham's eye more. According to Davies, Bentham "established the foundation for the combination of psychological study and capitalism, which would influence the activities of the twentieth century," by associating money so intimately with inner experience.
Paragraph 5
In the book The Happiness Industry, it is explained how the pursuit of a science of pleasure has merged with business. We learn a lot of interesting information on the redefining and treatment of economic concerns as psychological conditions. Additionally, Davies demonstrates how management studies and advertising have been influenced by the idea that inner joy and dissatisfaction can be assessed objectively. The inclination of philosophers like J. B. Watson, the pioneer of behaviourism*, was that managers and politicians could mould or influence people. Watson's theories on human nature were not backed by any facts. He had only conducted studies on white rats when he was appointed president of the American Psychological Association in 1915. He had "never really examined a fellow human being." The government in Britain has founded a "Behaviour Insights Team" to research how individuals might be motivated to live in ways that are thought to be socially desirable while incurring the lowest expenses to the public purse. However, Watson's reductive model has already been extensively adopted.
Paragraph 6
To keep people motivated in their work, modern industrial nations seem to require the potential for ever-increasing happiness. But regardless of its conceptual heritage, the theory that authorities ought to be in charge of fostering happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom.
* behaviourism: a field of psychology in which focus is on observable behaviour
Book Review Reading Questions
Questions 1-3
Choose the correct letter, A,B,C or D.
Write the correct letter in the boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.
1. The critic mentions the Greek philosopher Aristotle, to state that happiness ______.
- is not something that should be fought for.
- may not be just pleasure and the absence of pain.
- is not just an abstract concept.
- should not be the main goal of humans.
2. In Davies' opinion, the suggestion that was given by Bentham’s to link the prices to happiness was remarkable because _____.
- it established a connection between work and psychology.
- it involved consideration of the rights of consumers.
- it was the first successful way of assessing happiness.
- it was the first successful example of psychological research.
3. What is the reviewer’s opinion on the proponents of positive psychology?
- They have a fresh new approach to ideas on human happiness.
- They are wrong to reject the ideas of Bentham.
- They are ignorant about the ideas they should be considering.
- They are over-influenced by their study of Bentham’s theories.
Questions 4-8
Complete the summary using the list of words A-G below.
Write the correct letter, A-G, in the boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was active in other areas besides philosophy. In the 1970s he suggested a type of technology to improve 4…………. for different Government departments. He developed a new way of printing banknotes to increase 5…………. and also designed a method for the 6……….. of food. He also drew up plans for a prison which allowed the 7…………. of prisoners at all times, and believed the same design could be used for other institutions as well. When researching happiness, he investigated possibilities for its 8………… and suggested some methods of doing this.
- profits
- communication
- security
- preservation
- implementation
- measurement
- observation
Questions 9-14
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the Reading Passage?
In the boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the write thinks about this
9. Industrialisation is connected to the requirement of happiness.
10. Prior to 1915, Watson conducted study on people that supported his theories of behaviourism.
11. Government’s main objective should be to increase the population’s happiness.
12. The Happiness Industry’s strength is the discussion of the connection between psychology and commerce.
13. The theories by Watson had immense influence on the governments outside America.
14. Certain emotions are more challenging to measure than others.
Book Review IELTS Reading Answers with Explanations
Book Review IELTS reading answers with explanations are given below. It is inclusive of the precise locations along with justifications for the answers. Use these as a base to rectify your errors.
(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)
1. B
Key Location: 2nd Paragraph, 8th Line.
Explanation: For Bentham, it was apparent that happiness and the lack of misery constitute the human good. In the 4th century BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle connected happiness……….. this was just metaphysics or fiction to Bentham. It is discussed here that happiness is just about pleasure and has no pain, in Bentham’s opinion. However, Aristotle believed the opposite of that, stating that happiness cannot be just about happiness and lack of misery. Therefore, the answer B.
2. A
Key Location: 4th Paragraph, 5th Line.
Explanation: In the fifth line, The writer Davies describes the theories that Bentham proposed. It included a connection between the prices and happiness. He explains Bentham’s idea, that, “if the price of two items is same, the joy received from both of them would be equal.” further he explains that Bentham pioneered the stage that connected business and psychology. Hence, the answer is A.
3. C
Key Location: 2nd Paragraph, 1st Line.
Explanation: They have explained that even though that particular idea of happiness was very simple and surprisingly rude, it was quite famous. Further it is described that these advocates tend to be oblivious, that is ignore the literal meaning and value of happiness that is explained in the researches before they acknowledged the idea.
4. B
Key Location: 3rd Paragraph, 8th Line.
Explanation: In the 1790s, he addressed letters to the Bank of England with a model for a printing machine that could generate unforgeable banknotes and to the Home Office with a suggestion that the government's various departments be interlinked by a system of "conversation tubes." Here these tubes mean that the communication should be established and strengthened in the various departments. Hence, the answer is option B, that is communication.
5. C
Key Location: 3rd Paragraph, 8th Line.
Explanation: The line describes that he proposed a design of printing machine for the Bank of England, that could produce unforgeable notes. Meaning that will increase the security, as the notes would not be duplicated. Hence, the answer is security.
6. D
Key Location: 3rd Paragraph, 12th Line.
Explanation: To preserve food like meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, he designed a "frigidarium." This line indicates that he had made plans and methods for preserving food items, which are perishables. Hence, the answer is option D, preservation.
7. G
Key location: 3rd Paragraph, 13th Line.
Explanation: this line describes how Bentham designed a prison by the name ‘Panopticon’ which was a celebrated design. He had designed it in such a way that the prisoners were confined in a cell which could be viewed from all the sides by the jailer. Hence, the answer is option G, observation.
8. F
Key Location: 4th Paragraph, 1st Line.
Explanation: Bentham also established the "science of happiness." If happiness is to be considered a science, then it must be quantified. The here states that he is the pioneer of the science of happiness and he believed that if it was regarded or considered a science, then there is a possibility of it being measured. Hence, the answer is measurement.
9. YES
Key Location: 6th Paragraph, 1st Line.
Explanation: To keep people motivated in their work, modern industrial nations seem to require the potential for ever-increasing happiness. It is stated that the need for happiness is connected to the corporate world, because it is required to motivate the workers. The statement agrees with the line in passage, hence, the answer is yes.
10. NO
Key Location: 5th Paragraph, 8th Line.
Explanation: Watson's theories on human nature were not backed by any facts. He had only conducted studies on white rats when he was appointed president of the American Psychological Association in 1915. He only did experiments on white rats. Hence, the statement does not agree.
11. NO
Key Location: 6th Paragraph, 2nd Line.
Explanation: But regardless of its conceptual heritage, the theory that authorities ought to be in charge of fostering happiness is always hazardous to people's freedom. The writer thinks that if the government takes up the responsibility of increasing the happiness of citizens, then their freedom is at stake. He is against this idea of it being the government’s objective.
12. YES
Key Location: 5th Paragraph, 1st Line.
Explanation: In the book The Happiness Industry, it is explained how the pursuit of a science of pleasure has merged with business. We learn a lot of interesting information on the redefining and treatment of economic concerns as psychological conditions. The statement agrees with that of the passage. Hence, the answer is yes.
13. NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The paragraph 5 of passage describes that Watson’s ideas were widely applied by the governments as the goal became to bring about ‘behaviour change’. However, there is no mention of them being influential or on it being adopted just by the governments outside America.
14. NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The only mention about measurement of emotions is in paragraph 5, but there is no information provided regarding the measurement of a variety of emotions or even how they should be measured. Hence, the answer is not given.
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Conclusion
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