How To Spot A Liar? - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 1 Academic Reading Test 2 · Part 1 · Questions 1–13
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
How to Spot a Liar?
However much we may abhor it, deception comes naturally to all living things. Birds do it by feigning injury to lead hungry predators away from nesting young. Spider crabs do it by disguise: adorning themselves with strips of kelp and other debris, they pretend to be something they are not - and so escape their enemies. Nature amply rewards successful deceivers by allowing them to survive long enough to mate and reproduce. So it may come as no surprise to learn that human beings - who, according to psychologist Gerald Jellison of the University of South California, are lied to about 200 times a day, roughly one untruth every five minutes - often deceive for exactly the same reasons: to save their own skins or to get something they can't get by other means.
But knowing how to catch deceit can be just as important a survival skill as knowing how to tell a lie and get away with it. A person able to spot falsehood quickly is unlikely to be swindled by an unscrupulous business associate or hoodwinked by a devious spouse. Luckily, nature provides more than enough clues to trap dissemblers in their own tangled webs - if you know where to look. By closely observing facial expressions, body language and tone of voice, practically anyone can recognise the telltale signs of lying. Researchers are even programming computers - like those used on Lie Detector - to get at the truth by analysing the same physical cues available to the naked eye and ear. "With the proper training, many people can learn to reliably detect lies," says Paul Ekman, professor of psychology at the University of California, San Francisco, who has spent the past 15 years studying the secret art of deception.
In order to know what kind of lies work best, successful liars need to accurately assess other people's emotional states. Ekman's research shows that this same emotional intelligence is essential for good lie detectors, too. The emotional state to watch out for is stress, the conflict most liars feel between the truth and what they actually say and do.
Even high-tech lie detectors don't detect lies as such; they merely detect the physical cues of emotions, which may or may not correspond to what the person being tested is saying. Polygraphs, for instance, measure respiration, heart rate and skin conductivity, which tend to increase when people are nervous - as they usually are when lying. Nervous people typically perspire, and the salts contained in perspiration conduct electricity. That's why a sudden leap in skin conductivity indicates nervousness - about getting caught, perhaps - which might, in turn, suggest that someone is being economical with the truth. On the other hand, it might also mean that the lights in the television studio are too hot - which is one reason polygraph tests are inadmissible in court. "Good lie detectors don't rely on a single sign," Ekman says, "but interpret clusters of verbal and non-verbal clues that suggest someone might be lying."
Those clues are written all over the face. Because the musculature of the face is directly connected to the areas of the brain that process emotion, the countenance can be a window to the soul. Neurological studies even suggest that genuine emotions travel different pathways through the brain than insincere ones. If a patient paralysed by stroke on one side of the face, for example, is asked to smile deliberately, only the mobile side of the mouth is raised. But tell that same person a funny joke, and the patient breaks into a full and spontaneous smile. Very few people - most notably, actors and politicians - are able to consciously control all of their facial expressions. Lies can often be caught when the liar's true feelings briefly leak through the mask of deception. "We don't think before we feel," Ekman says. "Expressions tend to show up on the face before we're even conscious of experiencing an emotion."
One of the most difficult facial expressions to fake - or conceal, if it is genuinely felt - is sadness. When someone is truly sad, the forehead wrinkles with grief and the inner corners of the eyebrows are pulled up. Fewer than 15% of the people Ekman tested were able to produce this eyebrow movement voluntarily. By contrast, the lowering of the eyebrows associated with an angry scowl can be replicated at will by almost everybody. "If someone claims they are sad and the inner corners of their eyebrows don't go up," Ekman says, "the sadness is probably false."
The smile, on the other hand, is one of the easiest facial expressions to counterfeit. It takes just two muscles - the zygomaticus major muscles that extend from the cheekbones to the corners of the lips - to produce a grin. But there's a catch. A genuine smile affects not only the corners of the lips but also the orbicularis oculi, the muscle around the eye that produces the distinctive “crow's feet” associated with people who laugh a lot. A counterfeit grin can be unmasked if the lip corners go up, the eyes crinkle but the inner corners of the eyebrows are not lowered, a movement controlled by the orbicularis oculi that is difficult to fake. The absence of lowered eyebrows is one reason why false smiles look so strained and stiff.
Questions
Questions 1–5 Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
Write
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Questions 6–9 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Questions 10–13 Matching Features
Classify the following facial traits as referring to
A. Sadness
B. Anger
C. Happiness
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | YES | However much we may abhor it, deception comes naturally to all living things | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that even though we may hate it ('abhor it'), the act of tricking others ('deception') is a normal thing that all living creatures do without being taught ('comes naturally'). Answer Explanation: The answer YES means that the statement is correct. The passage says that all living things, which includes animals, have the natural ability to lie or deceive. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is YES because the first sentence of the passage says that 'deception comes naturally to all living things'. The word 'deception' means lying or tricking someone. 'All living things' includes all animals. The text then gives examples of animals, like birds and spider crabs, that use deception to protect themselves or their young. |
| Q2 | YES | So it may come as no surprise to learn that human beings - who, according to psychologist Gerald Jellison of the University of South California, are lied to about 200 times a day, roughly one untruth every five minutes - often deceive for exactly the same reasons: to save their own skins or to get something they can't get by other means | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that people often lie for the same reasons as animals. One of these reasons is 'to save their own skins,' which is an expression that means to protect yourself from getting into trouble or being harmed. Answer Explanation: The answer means that it is true that some people tell lies to protect themselves and stay safe. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is YES because the passage clearly states that humans lie for the same reasons as animals, which is to survive. The passage uses the phrase 'to save their own skins', which means the same thing as 'self-preservation' or protecting oneself. |
| Q3 | NOT GIVEN | Researchers are even programming computers - like those used on Lie Detector - to get at the truth by analysing the same physical cues available to the naked eye and ear | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that researchers are teaching computers to find the truth by studying 'physical cues'. This means the computers look at things we can see with our eyes and hear with our ears, like how a person's body or face moves. The passage does not say computers are used to look at the brain. Answer Explanation: The answer 'NOT GIVEN' means the text does not say whether scientists have used computers to study which part of the brain is used for telling lies. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'NOT GIVEN' because the passage does not provide this information. The text mentions that computers are programmed to analyse 'physical cues' like facial expressions and body language to detect lies. It also mentions 'neurological studies' about the brain's emotional pathways. However, it never states that scientists use computers to analyse the brain itself to find where lies come from. |
| Q4 | NO | But knowing how to catch deceit can be just as important a survival skill as knowing how to tell a lie and get away with it | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that being able to tell when someone is not being truthful ('catch deceit') is a skill for survival that is equally important ('just as important') as being able to lie successfully ('tell a lie and get away with it'). Answer Explanation: The answer means the statement is not correct. The passage says that knowing how to find a lie is as important as knowing how to tell a lie. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NO because the passage directly compares the two skills and says that knowing how to spot a lie is 'just as important a survival skill' as knowing how to lie. This means they are equally important, which contradicts the statement that one is 'more important' than the other. |
| Q5 | YES | In order to know what kind of lies work best, successful liars need to accurately assess other people's emotional states | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that for liars to be 'successful' or good at lying, they must be able to correctly understand ('accurately assess') how other people are feeling ('emotional states'). This helps them choose the best lies to tell. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'YES'. This means that the statement 'To be a good liar, one has to understand other people's emotions' is correct based on the information in the passage. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is YES because the passage directly states that 'successful liars', which means good liars, must be able to understand the 'emotional states' of other people. The passage says this skill is needed for them to figure out which lies will be most effective. |
| Q6 | C | Even high-tech lie detectors don't detect lies as such; they merely detect the physical cues of emotions, which may or may not correspond to what the person being tested is saying. Polygraphs, for instance, measure respiration, heart rate and skin conductivity, which tend to increase when people are nervous - as they usually are when lying | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that lie detectors do not find lies themselves. They look for 'physical cues,' which are signs in the body that show feelings. For example, machines called polygraphs check a person's breathing ('respiration'), heartbeat ('heart rate'), and sweating ('skin conductivity'). These body actions often increase when a person feels nervous, which can happen when someone is lying. Answer Explanation: The answer means that a lie detector watches for changes in a person's body while they are talking. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage explains that lie detectors, like polygraphs, do not detect lies directly. Instead, they measure physical signs or 'body behaviour' that show a person might be nervous or stressed. The passage says they measure things like 'respiration' (breathing), 'heart rate' (how fast the heart beats), and 'skin conductivity' (sweating). These are all physical body reactions that can happen when someone is speaking and telling a lie. |
| Q7 | D | On the other hand, it might also mean that the lights in the television studio are too hot - which is one reason polygraph tests are inadmissible in court | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that a person might sweat because the lights are hot. This is different from sweating because they are lying. This is one reason why lie detector tests cannot be used as proof in a court. Answer Explanation: The answer means that a person's body might show signs of stress, like sweating, for many different reasons, not only because they are lying. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the passage explains that lie detectors measure physical signs of nervousness, such as sweating. These signs do not always mean a person is lying. The passage gives an example that someone might be sweating because the lights in a room are too hot, not because they are telling a lie. Since there can be other causes for these body reactions, the tests are considered unreliable for a court of law. |
| Q8 | B | Neurological studies even suggest that genuine emotions travel different pathways through the brain than insincere ones. If a patient paralysed by stroke on one side of the face, for example, is asked to smile deliberately, only the mobile side of the mouth is raised. But tell that same person a funny joke, and the patient breaks into a full and spontaneous smile | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that studies show that real feelings use a different part of the brain than fake feelings. For example, a person who is paralyzed on one side of their face can't make a full smile when they are asked to. But if they hear a funny joke and feel happy, they will give a real, full smile without trying. This shows that real emotions can cause body actions that we cannot always control. Answer Explanation: The answer means the author uses the example of a paralyzed patient to show how our real feelings (true emotions) and our body's actions (body behaviour) are connected. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the passage uses the example of a paralyzed patient to explain a larger idea. The point is that genuine, real emotions create physical reactions that are different from fake, or forced, ones. The patient cannot pretend to smile, but they can smile naturally when they feel real happiness from a joke. This shows a direct link, or 'relation,' between true feelings and how the body behaves. |
| Q9 | D | Very few people - most notably, actors and politicians - are able to consciously control all of their facial expressions | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that not many people can purposefully manage all the movements of their face. It points out that actors and politicians are the most well-known examples of people who can do this. Answer Explanation: The answer means that politicians are good at hiding their real emotions. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the passage discusses how most people's true feelings show on their face, even when they lie. It then states that 'very few people' can stop this from happening. The author gives 'politicians' as a main example of people who are skilled at consciously controlling their facial expressions. This ability to 'control' their face is how they 'mask', or hide, their true feelings. |
| Q10 | A | When someone is truly sad, the forehead wrinkles with grief and the inner corners of the eyebrows are pulled up | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that when a person is really sad, their forehead gets lines on it, and the part of their eyebrows closer to their nose moves upward. Answer Explanation: The answer 'A' means that when the inner parts of the eyebrows go up, it is a sign of sadness. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'A' because the passage explicitly states that a sign of true sadness is when 'the inner corners of the eyebrows are pulled up'. It also mentions that very few people can make this facial movement on purpose, making it a good indicator of genuine sadness. |
| Q11 | B | By contrast, the lowering of the eyebrows associated with an angry scowl can be replicated at will by almost everybody | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that lowering the eyebrows is connected to making an 'angry scowl,' which is a facial expression for anger. It also says that almost anyone can make this face on purpose. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'B'. This means that when a person lowers their entire eyebrows, they are showing the emotion of anger. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'B' because the passage states that the action of 'lowering of the eyebrows' is connected with an 'angry scowl'. A 'scowl' is an expression that shows anger. This is presented as a contrast to sadness, where the inner corners of the eyebrows are pulled up. |
| Q12 | C | A genuine smile affects not only the corners of the lips but also the orbicularis oculi, the muscle around the eye that produces the distinctive “crow's feet” associated with people who laugh a lot | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that a true smile involves the muscle around the eye. This muscle creates special lines known as “crow's feet”. These lines are common in people who laugh a lot, which is a sign of happiness. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the small lines you see around someone's eyes show that they are happy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage describes a real smile, which is a sign of happiness. It says a genuine smile uses the muscle around the eye, which creates lines called “crow's feet”. The passage connects these lines to people who “laugh a lot”. |
| Q13 | A | When someone is truly sad, the forehead wrinkles with grief and the inner corners of the eyebrows are pulled up | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that when a person is really sad, lines, also called 'wrinkles', appear on their forehead. This is a sign that they are truly feeling sad. Answer Explanation: The answer is A (Sadness). This means that lines formed above the eyebrows show that a person is feeling sad. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'A' because the passage states that when a person is genuinely sad, their forehead gets wrinkled. Wrinkles are lines that form on the skin. The passage specifically mentions that 'the forehead wrinkles with grief' is a sign of true sadness. |