How To Give An Effective Presentation & The Marcy Corporation Information for New Employees - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Barrons IELTS Practice Exams General Training Reading Test 1 · Part 2 · Questions 15–27
Reading Passage
Read the text below and answer Questions 15-20.
How to Give an Effective Presentation
When planning an effective presentation, there are a number of things to keep in mind.
A
First ask yourself, "Why am I giving this presentation?" The point of your presentation may be to outline a project plan, report on work that has been done, solve a problem, provide training, or generate support for an idea. Once you are clear on the reason for your presentation, it will be easier to organize your information.
B
If you are not used to giving presentations, you may feel nervous. There are a few things you can do to counteract this. The most important thing is to rehearse your presentation several times until you feel comfortable with it. Before you begin speaking, take a few deep breaths. This will help you relax. Stand up straight and look your audience in the eye. Most of all, don't try to be perfect. This is an impossible goal.
C
Even though you may be using a microphone, you still need to pay attention to your voice. Talk slowly and clearly. Pause often to give your audience time to absorb the information. Do not garble your words or talk so quickly that no one can follow you.
D
There is no better way to lose your audience than to stand at the front of the room and talk on and on but give them nothing to look at. Plan to use presentation software to show charts and graphs, photographs, maps, or other graphics that will make your ideas clearer. This is particularly important for numbers, but it is also useful for other kinds of information.
E
Before you begin your presentation, remember to check the microphone, computer, and any other special tools you may be using. Make sure everything is in working order before you start talking so that there will be no interruptions due to breakdowns.
F
Something that is often overlooked but that is very important for an effective presentation is the location setup. Make sure that the seating is placed so that it allows everyone to see your slides and hear your voice. The chairs should be comfortable, too.
______________
Read the text below and answer Questions 21-27.
The Marcy Corporation Information for New Employees
All new employees at the Marcy Corporation are required to attend an orientation session during their first month of employment. The next orientation session will be held on March 21 in the company conference room. Employee benefits, payment policies, employee responsibilities, and other personnel matters will be discussed. Employees are requested to read the employee manual and submit the signed statement prior to attending the orientation.
The Marcy Corporation Employee Manual has been provided to inform our employees about the company's procedures and policies. We ask each employee to take the time to read the manual carefully. After a thorough review of the manual, the statement below should be signed and returned to the employee's supervisor by the date noted below. Every effort has been made to present the information in the manual in a clear and concise manner. If there are any questions regarding the content of the manual, they should be submitted in writing to Human Resources.
Statement
I, ____________, have read a copy of the Marcy Corporation Employee Manual and am familiar with its contents. By signing below, I certify that I understand and accept the information contained in the Marcy Corporation Employee Manual and agree to abide by the Marcy Corporation's policies.
(Employee signature)
Please submit by: March 15
Questions
Questions 15–20 Matching Headings
The following reading passage has six sections A-F. Choose the correct heading for sections A-F from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-viii. There are more headings than sections, so you will not use them all.
i. Feeling Confident
ii. Solving Problems
iii. Room Arrangement
iv. Equipment
v. Defining Your Purpose
vi. Using Visuals
vii. Your Audience
viii. Speaking Well
Questions 21–27 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
- All 21 must participate in an orientation session.
- The 22 will take place in the company conference room.
- The manual should be read before 23
- The employee manual contains information about the company's 24
- The signed statement should be submitted to 25
- 26 will answer questions about the content of the manual.
- The due date for the signed statement is 27
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q15 | v | First ask yourself, "Why am I giving this presentation?" The point of your presentation may be to outline a project plan, report on work that has been done, solve a problem, provide training, or generate support for an idea | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that before you start making a presentation, you should figure out why you are doing it and what goal you want to achieve. Answer Explanation: The answer, 'v', means that the main topic of Section A is 'Defining Your Purpose'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'v' because Section A focuses on knowing why you are making a presentation. It asks speakers to think about the main reason or goal—such as solving a problem or training people—before organizing their presentation. In this context, knowing the 'point' or 'reason' for the talk means understanding its 'purpose'. |
| Q16 | i | If you are not used to giving presentations, you may feel nervous. There are a few things you can do to counteract this. The most important thing is to rehearse your presentation several times until you feel comfortable with it | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that speaking to people can make you feel scared or nervous, but practicing your talk will help you feel calm and sure of yourself. Answer Explanation: The answer choice "i" means having trust in yourself and feeling sure, calm, and not scared while giving a talk. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "i" because Section B focuses on how to handle feeling nervous before giving a talk. It gives tips on how to relax and rehearse so that you can feel comfortable and confident in front of an audience. Keywords like "nervous", "relax", and "comfortable" directly connect to the idea of "Feeling Confident". |
| Q17 | viii | Even though you may be using a microphone, you still need to pay attention to your voice. Talk slowly and clearly. Pause often to give your audience time to absorb the information. Do not garble your words or talk so quickly that no one can follow you | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage tells you to focus on your voice, speak slowly and clearly, pause when talking, and avoid speaking too fast so that everyone can follow what you are saying. Answer Explanation: The answer is heading viii, which means 'Speaking Well'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is viii because Section C focuses on how to control your voice when giving a speech. It advises the speaker to 'talk slowly and clearly' and pay attention to how they speak so the listeners can understand them. Therefore, 'Speaking Well' is the best heading for this section. |
| Q18 | vi | Plan to use presentation software to show charts and graphs, photographs, maps, or other graphics that will make your ideas clearer | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that you should use computer programs to display images like charts, photos, and maps so that your ideas are easy for people to understand. Answer Explanation: The answer "vi" means "Using Visuals". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is vi ("Using Visuals") because Section D explains that speakers should give their audience things to look at during a presentation. The section suggests showing pictures, charts, maps, and other graphics. All of these items are examples of visual aids or "visuals" (things people can see). |
| Q19 | iv | Before you begin your presentation, remember to check the microphone, computer, and any other special tools you may be using | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage tells the reader to inspect tools like the microphone and computer before they start speaking. Answer Explanation: The answer iv means the best heading for Section E is 'Equipment'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is iv because Section E focuses on checking tools such as the microphone and computer before starting your presentation. In English, tools and machines used for a specific task are called 'equipment'. |
| Q20 | iii | Something that is often overlooked but that is very important for an effective presentation is the location setup. Make sure that the seating is placed so that it allows everyone to see your slides and hear your voice. The chairs should be comfortable, too | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that setting up the location is very important. It tells you to put the seats and chairs in good positions so everyone can comfortably see and hear you. Answer Explanation: The answer "iii" means the best title for Section F is "Room Arrangement". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "iii" because Section F talks about preparing the place where you give your presentation. Keywords like "location setup", "seating", and "chairs" all refer to how the room is set up or arranged for the audience. |
| Q21 | new employees / new employes | All new employees at the Marcy Corporation are required to attend an orientation session during their first month of employment | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that every newly hired worker at the company must attend an orientation meeting. Answer Explanation: The answer means workers who have recently started working at the company. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "new employees" because the text states that all workers who are new to the company must go to (participate in) an orientation session during their first month of work. |
| Q22 | next orientation session | The next orientation session will be held on March 21 in the company conference room | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the upcoming meeting for new workers will be located in the conference room of the company. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the upcoming meeting where new workers learn about their new company. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'next orientation session' because the text explicitly states that this event will happen in the company conference room. The word 'held' in the passage matches the phrase 'will take place' in the sentence. |
| Q23 | attending the orientation / the orientation | Employees are requested to read the employee manual and submit the signed statement prior to attending the orientation | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that workers need to read the handbook and turn in a signed paper before going to the orientation session. Answer Explanation: The answer means going to or being present at the orientation meeting. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the text states that workers are asked to read the manual before going to the orientation. In the text, the phrase "prior to" means "before", which directly answers what needs to happen after reading the manual. |
| Q24 | procedures and policies | The Marcy Corporation Employee Manual has been provided to inform our employees about the company's procedures and policies | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the employee book is created to give workers details about how the company works and its rules. Answer Explanation: The answer means the rules, ways of doing things, and official guidelines of the company. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'procedures and policies' because the passage explicitly states that the Marcy Corporation Employee Manual is given to workers to tell them about the company's procedures and policies. |
| Q25 | the employee's supervisor / the employe's supervisor | After a thorough review of the manual, the statement below should be signed and returned to the employee's supervisor by the date noted below | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that after carefully reading through the manual, the worker must sign the statement and give it back to their supervisor by the specified date. Answer Explanation: The answer means the boss or manager of the worker. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'the employee's supervisor' because the text explains that after reading the manual, the signed statement must be returned to the worker's supervisor. Here, 'returned to' has the same meaning as 'submitted to'. |
| Q26 | Human Resources | If there are any questions regarding the content of the manual, they should be submitted in writing to Human Resources | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that if employees have any questions about the information inside the manual, they must write to Human Resources. Answer Explanation: The answer means the department in a company that handles staff matters, called Human Resources. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'Human Resources' because the text clearly states that any questions about what is written in the manual should be sent in writing to Human Resources. This shows that Human Resources is the department responsible for handling questions about the manual's content. |
| Q27 | March 15 / 15 March / 15th March / March 15th | Please submit by: March 15 | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that the deadline to turn in the signed paper is March 15. Answer Explanation: The answer means the date March 15. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'March 15' because the text clearly shows 'Please submit by: March 15' at the end of the statement form, indicating the due date for returning the signed paper. |