Table of Contents
Passage
A. James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, played his first video game years ago when his six-year-old son Sam was playing Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside. He wanted to play the game so he could support Sam’s problem solving. Though Pajama Sam is not an “educational game”, it is replete with the types of problems psychologists study when they study thinking and learning. When he saw how well the game held Sam’s attention, he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game might be.
B. Video and computer games, like many other popular, entertaining and addicting kid’s activities, are looked down upon by many parents as timewasters, and worse, parents think that these games rot the brain. Violent video games are readily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some youth become violent or commit extreme anti-social behavior.
Recent content analyses of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content, but there is no form of aggressive content for 70% of popular games. Many scientists and psychologists, like James Paul Gee, find that video games actually have many benefits – the main one being making kids smart. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.
C. “Video games change your brain,” according to University of Wisconsin psychologist Shawn Green. Video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map. Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which strengthens neural circuits, can build the player’s brain.
D. Video games give your child’s brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school. Some of the mental skills trained by video games include: following instructions, problem solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games.
There have been even studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Jacob Benjamin, doctor from Beth Israel Medical Center NY, found a direct link between skill at video gaming and skill at keyhole or laparoscopic surgery. Also, a reason given by experts as to why fighter pilots of today are more skillful is that this generation’s pilots are being weaned on video games.
E. The players learn to manage resources that are limited, and decide the best use of resources, the same way as in real life. In strategy games, for instance, while developing a city, an unexpected surprise like an enemy might emerge. This forces the player to be flexible and quickly change tactics. Sometimes the player does this almost every second of the game giving the brain a real workout. According to researchers at the University of Rochester, led by Daphne Bavelier, a cognitive scientist, games simulating stressful events such as those found in battle or action games could be a training tool for real-world situations.
The study suggests that playing action video games primes the brain to make quick decisions. Video games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons, according to the study. Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture, says gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. Young gamers force themselves to read to get instructions, follow storylines of games, and get information from the game texts.
F. James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem. Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, players in some games constantly try out combinations of weapons and powers to use to defeat an enemy. If one does not work, they change hypothesis and try the next one.
Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which are fundamental to learning. Also, using math skills is important to win in many games that involve quantitative analysis like managing resources. In higher levels of a game, players usually fail the first time around, but they keep on trying until they succeed and move on to the next level.
G. Many games are played online and involve cooperation with other online players in order to win. Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on. Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth.
H. In an upcoming study in the journal Current Biology, authors Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations. The researchers tested dozens of 18-to 25-year-olds who were not ordinarily video game players. They split the subjects into two groups.
One group played 50 hours of the fast-paced action video games “Call of Duty 2” and “Unreal Tournament,” and the other group played 50 hours of the slowmoving strategy game “The Sims 2.” After this training period, all of the subjects were asked to make quick decisions in several tasks designed by the researchers. The action game players were up to 25 percent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game playing peers.
Questions
Questions 28-31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, c or D.
Write your answers in boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet.
28 What is the main purpose of paragraph ONE?
A. Introduction of professor James Paul Gee.
B. Introduction of the video game: Pajamas Sam.
C. Introduction of types of video games.
D. Introduction of the background of this passage.
29 What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?
A. Video games are widely considered harmful for children’s brain.
B. Most violent video games are the direct reason of juvenile delinquency,
C. Even there is a certain proportion of violence in most video games; scientists and psychologists see its benefits of children’s intellectual abilities.
D Many parents regard video games as time-wasters, which rot children’s brain.
30 What is correctly mentioned in paragraph four?
A Some schools use video games to teach students abstract and high level thinking.
B Video games improves the brain ability in various aspects,
C Some surgeons have better skills because they play more video games.
D Skillful fighter pilots in this generation love to paly video games.
31 What is the expectation of the experiment the three researchers did?
A Gamers have to make the best use of the limited resource.
B Gamers with better math skills will win in the end.
C Strategy game players have better ability to make quick decisions.
D Video games help increase the speed of players’ reaction effectively.
Questions 32-35
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
32 Most video games are popular because of their violent content.
33 The action game players minimized the percentage of making mistakes in the experiment.
34 It would be a good idea for schools to apply video games in their classrooms.
35 Those people who are addicted to video games have lots of dopamine in their brains.
Questions 36-40
Use the information in the passage to match the people (listed A-F) with opinions or deeds below.
Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
A The writer’s opinion
B James Paul Gee
C Shawn Green
D Daphne Bavelier
E Steven Johnson
F Jacob Benjamin
36 Video games as other daily life skills alter the brain’s physical structure.
37 Brain is ready to make decisions without hesitation when players are immersed in playing stressful games.
38 The purpose-motivated experience that video games offer plays an essential role in studying.
39 Players are good at tackling prompt issues with future intensions.
40 It helps children broaden their horizon in many aspects and gain self-confidence.
Answers
Below are the answers, key words, synonyms and full explanations for the IELTS Reading passage Video Game’s Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain (Passage 3, Questions 28–40).
Questions 28–31: Multiple Choice
28. What is the main purpose of paragraph one?
Answer: D (Introduction of the background of this passage)
Key words: played his first video game … he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game might be
Synonyms: background of the passage = how Gee first became interested, setting up the topic = “When he saw how well the game held Sam’s attention, he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game might be”
Explanation: Paragraph one gives the background story that leads into the whole discussion → D.
29. What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?
Answer: C (Despite some violence in most video games, scientists and psychologists see benefits for children’s intellectual abilities)
Key words: as many as 89% of games contain some violent content … Many scientists and psychologists … find that video games actually have many benefits
Synonyms: violence exists but experts see benefits = games have violent content yet scientists find intellectual benefits = “89% of games contain some violent content … Many scientists and psychologists … find that video games actually have many benefits – the main one being making kids smart”
Explanation: Paragraph two balances the violence concern against the intellectual benefits experts see → C.
30. What is correctly mentioned in paragraph four?
Answer: B (Video games improve the brain’s ability in various aspects)
Key words: Some of the mental skills trained by video games include: following instructions, problem solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills
Synonyms: improve the brain in various aspects = train many different mental skills = “the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking … following instructions, problem solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills”
Explanation: Paragraph four lists many different skills games improve → B. (A, C and D each overstate or distort the text.)
31. What is the expectation of the experiment the three researchers did?
Answer: D (Video games help increase the speed of players’ reaction effectively)
Key words: video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations
Synonyms: increase the speed of players’ reaction = speeding up reactions in real-life situations = “authors Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions”
Explanation: The experiment set out to show games speed up reaction times → D.
Questions 32–35: True / False / Not Given
32. Most video games are popular because of their violent content.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: 89% of games contain some violent content, but there is no form of aggressive content for 70% of popular games
Synonyms: popular because of violence = the reason for their popularity is never stated = “89% of games contain some violent content, but there is no form of aggressive content for 70% of popular games”
Explanation: The passage gives figures on violence but never says violence is why games are popular → NOT GIVEN.
33. The action game players minimized the percentage of making mistakes in the experiment.
Answer: FALSE
Key words: up to 25 percent faster … answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game playing peers
Synonyms: minimized mistakes = they were only faster, but no more accurate (same correctness) = “The action game players were up to 25 percent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly”
Explanation: Action players were faster but not more accurate, so they did not make fewer mistakes → FALSE.
34. It would be a good idea for schools to apply video games in their classrooms.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: These skills are not even taught at school
Synonyms: schools should use video games = a recommendation never actually made = “the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school”
Explanation: The passage notes schools don’t teach these skills but never recommends using games in class → NOT GIVEN.
35. Those people who are addicted to video games have lots of dopamine in their brains.
Answer: TRUE
Key words: the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine … can build the player’s brain
Synonyms: heavy players have lots of dopamine = games produce rewarding surges of dopamine = “the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which strengthens neural circuits, can build the player’s brain”
Explanation: Games trigger dopamine surges, so those who play a great deal have a lot of dopamine → TRUE.
Questions 36–40: Match each statement with the correct person (A–F)
A The writer’s opinion · B James Paul Gee · C Shawn Green · D Daphne Bavelier · E Steven Johnson · F Jacob Benjamin
36. Video games, like other daily-life skills, alter the brain’s physical structure.
Answer: C (Shawn Green)
Key words: Video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map
Synonyms: alter the brain’s physical structure like other skills = change brain structure like reading or piano = “‘Video games change your brain,’ according to University of Wisconsin psychologist Shawn Green”
Explanation: Green says games reshape the brain like other learned skills → C.
37. The brain is ready to make decisions without hesitation when players are immersed in stressful games.
Answer: D (Daphne Bavelier)
Key words: games simulating stressful events … playing action video games primes the brain to make quick decisions
Synonyms: ready to decide without hesitation in stressful games = action games prime the brain for quick decisions = “led by Daphne Bavelier … games simulating stressful events … primes the brain to make quick decisions”
Explanation: Bavelier’s work shows stressful games speed up decision-making → D.
38. The purpose-motivated experience that video games offer plays an essential role in studying.
Answer: B (James Paul Gee)
Key words: Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which are fundamental to learning
Synonyms: purpose-motivated experience essential to studying = goal-driven experiences fundamental to learning = “Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which are fundamental to learning”
Explanation: Gee says games’ goal-driven nature is key to learning → B.
39. Players are good at tackling immediate problems while keeping future intentions in mind.
Answer: E (Steven Johnson)
Key words: gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon
Synonyms: tackle prompt issues with future intentions = deal with immediate problems while keeping long-term goals = “Steven Johnson … says gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon”
Explanation: Johnson describes gamers balancing immediate and long-term goals → E.
40. Games help children broaden their horizons in many aspects and gain self-confidence.
Answer: A (The writer’s opinion)
Key words: Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence … Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth
Synonyms: broaden horizons and gain self-confidence = help children gain self-confidence and learn about life = “Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance … Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth”
Explanation: This general point, stated by the writer, is the author’s own opinion → A.
Answer Key (Quick Reference)
| Q | Answer | Q | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | D | 35 | TRUE |
| 29 | C | 36 | C |
| 30 | B | 37 | D |
| 31 | D | 38 | B |
| 32 | NOT GIVEN | 39 | E |
| 33 | FALSE | 40 | A |
| 34 | NOT GIVEN |
