The Change Curve - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Collins Practice Tests For IELTS 3 Academic Reading Test 3 · Part 1 · Questions 1–14
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The Change Curve
Change is inevitable in any sphere of life. Although the results of change can bring great benefits, the process of change can be intensely traumatic, involve loss of choice, power and status, and when change happens in the workplace, it can even lead to loss of jobs. Many businesses and organisations use a model called the Change Curve to understand and manage how people react to change and the stages they go through before they accept it.
The concept of the Change Curve is based on work by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Her book On Death & Dying, published in 1969, dealt with the trauma and shock that people who are facing the end of life experience and how their families are also affected. Kubler-Ross proposed several stages of grief as a way of helping patients face death and their relatives deal with its effects. Kiibler-Ross °S ideas were groundbreaking but have since become one of the bases of grief support and counselling. Moreover, because the ideas give a framework for dealing with personal trauma and change and for helping people adjust emotionally to significant life events, the model has been adopted by organisational theory and business management.
It is worth noting that Kiibler-Ross's original work described 10-13 stages of grief rather than the simpler four-stage version used by organisations, and that she did not intend them to be regarded as individual stages to be passed through in a fixed order but rather as phases of dealing with grief, which people may experience more than once at different times.
When change is introduced, in stage 1, people's first reactions may be shock or denial as their normality is threatened. Their refusal to accept the facts is a natural defensive reaction and it is important to understand this in order to help them move beyond this stage. Even when people know about a change in advance and understand the need for it, they still need to be informed of what is happening to them and their workplace. At this stage, it is important to communicate with people and to give them the sense that they are being included in the process.
If stage 1 is handled well, stage 2, a critical stage, will be smoother than if stage 1 is badly handled. In stage 2, people start to react to the change and this may generate feelings of anger, resentment or fear. They may feel angry with themselves, their workmates and even their friends. For an organisation, this is the point at which a team can fall apart and the working environment can become chaotic. Good management is crucial now and it must consider the impact the change is having on people and their emotions and address any objections they may have. Furthermore, change may affect people differently. For example, some may find that their skills are no longer useful and that their position is being threatened or undermined. Reactions to change are highly personal so it is important to listen to people and monitor the situation and, if necessary, show that you are listening by taking action in response.
Stage 3 is when the organisation begins to assimilate the changes and come out of the crisis At this point, the changes have become real to people and they have begun to accept them. They will begin to learn in practical terms what the changes mean for them and wì11 do this more easiiy if they are helped and supported to do so. Therefore, training will be important, and time for this will need to be scheduled. The organisation's productivity may slip as people begin to work with the changes instead of against them. People will stop focusing on the past and start to learn what is good about the changes and what they need to do to adapt. When they have the right skills and training to cope, the organisation can move forward again.
The final stage, stage 4, is when people embrace the new reality and begin to see the benefits. They then start seeing opportunities and build new plans and hopes. Some may actually acknowledge that the change has been for the best, while others may accept the new status quo because they have no other option. During this stage, the organisation will become more productive. At this point, it is a good idea to acknowledge the difficulties and turmoil people have been through and celebrate the success of the change.
Questions
Questions 1–8 Matching Features
Look at the following descriptions and the stages below.
Match each description with the stage in which it occurs.
Write the correct letter, A-D.
NB
You may use any letter more than once.
A. stage 1
B. stage 2
C. stage 3
D. stage 4
Questions 9–12 True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Questions 13–14 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | B | In stage 2, people start to react to the change and this may generate feelings of anger, resentment or fear | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that during stage 2, people begin to have a strong emotional response to the changes, such as feeling mad, bitter, or scared. Answer Explanation: The answer is B, which refers to stage 2 of the Change Curve model described in the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the passage explicitly links stage 2 with intense negative emotions. The question mentions 'hate', 'bitterness', and 'alarm', which are synonyms or very similar in meaning to the words used in the text: 'anger', 'resentment', and 'fear'. The passage notes that this is the point where people's emotional reactions to change become most visible and potentially disruptive. |
| Q2 | C | Therefore, training will be important, and time for this will need to be scheduled | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that teaching workers new skills is necessary during this phase, and the organization must make sure there is enough time for these lessons to take place. Answer Explanation: The answer says that Stage 3 is the time when teaching and helping staff to learn new things is very important. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Stage 3 because this is the step where people start accepting the new situation and need to learn how the changes affect their work. At this point, the passage notes that providing support and lessons for employees is a key part of the process. Important words to look for in the text are 'training' and 'important'. |
| Q3 | A | When change is introduced, in stage 1, people's first reactions may be shock or denial as their normality is threatened. Their refusal to accept the facts is a natural defensive reaction and it is important to understand this in order to help them move beyond this stage | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when change first starts, people feel shocked and use "denial" (not believing what is happening) as a way to protect themselves. They refuse to admit that the news they are hearing is true. Answer Explanation: The answer is Stage 1, which describes the very beginning of the change process where people are unwilling to admit that change is actually occurring. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the text explicitly mentions that in Stage 1, the immediate response is "shock or denial" and a "refusal to accept the facts." These terms directly correspond to the phrase "reject the reality" used in the question. At this point, people are trying to protect their current version of normal life by pretending the change isn't real. |
| Q4 | C | At this point, the changes have become real to people and they have begun to accept them The organisation's productivity may slip as people begin to work with the changes instead of against them |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in Stage 3, people finally see the changes as real and start to accept them. It also describes how people move from fighting the change to actually using and working with the new situation. Answer Explanation: The answer is Stage 3 (C), which is the phase where employees start to accept it as a reality and begin using the new system or situation at work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage describes Stage 3 as the point where people admit the change is happening and stop resisting it. The text uses the word 'accept', which is a synonym for 'acknowledge', and explicitly states that people begin to 'work with' the changes rather than fight them. |
| Q5 | B | In stage 2, people start to react to the change and this may generate feelings of anger, resentment or fear. They may feel angry with themselves, their workmates and even their friends. For an organisation, this is the point at which a team can fall apart and the working environment can become chaotic | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in Stage 2, workers get angry at their coworkers, which can destroy teamwork and make the workplace very disorganized and difficult to work in. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies Stage 2 as the specific period when social connections at work suffer and the office atmosphere becomes messy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Stage 2 (B) because the text describes this phase as a time when employees feel angry toward their "workmates" (another word for colleagues). This anger causes the "team to fall apart" and the "working environment" to become "chaotic," meaning it is disorganized and no longer working the way it should. |
| Q6 | A | Even when people know about a change in advance and understand the need for it, they still need to be informed of what is happening to them and their workplace. At this stage, it is important to communicate with people and to give them the sense that they are being included in the process | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when change is coming, it is very important to talk to the workers. By sharing information, managers help the workers feel like they are participating in the process instead of just having things happen to them. Answer Explanation: The answer choice A corresponds to the first stage of the Change Curve, where it is necessary to talk to people about upcoming changes to help them feel like they are part of the team. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the text explains that in Stage 1, managers must tell employees what is going to happen. Even if the news is expected (forthcoming), people still need to be 'informed' and 'communicated' with to feel 'included.' This matches the phrase 'explain forthcoming changes so that people feel involved' from the question. |
| Q7 | D | At this point, it is a good idea to acknowledge the difficulties and turmoil people have been through and celebrate the success of the change | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that during the final stage, the company should say thank you to the workers for getting through the hard times and celebrate that the change worked well. Answer Explanation: The answer is Stage 4, which is the last part of the process when people finally accept a new way of working. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Stage 4 because this is the time when the organization should recognize the hard work of its employees. The text mentions that at this point, it is good to recognize the hard times people had and celebrate the good results of the change. This matches the idea of showing appreciation for people's effort and acknowledging the positive parts (success) of the change. |
| Q8 | D | The final stage, stage 4, is when people embrace the new reality and begin to see the benefits. They then start seeing opportunities and build new plans and hopes | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in the last stage, people accept the new situation. They look for good chances and make new plans for what they want to do in the future. Answer Explanation: The answer is stage D, which is the final stage of the model. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is Stage D because this is the point when people accept the new situation and focus on what comes next. The text mentions that people 'start seeing opportunities' and 'build new plans and hopes', which are synonyms/actions for planning for the future under new circumstances. |
| Q9 | FALSE | Many businesses and organisations use a model called the Change Curve to understand and manage how people react to change and the stages they go through before they accept it | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that companies use the Change Curve to see how workers feel about a change and to help them reach a point where they can accept the new situation. Answer Explanation: The answer is FALSE, which means the statement does not match the information in the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the passage explains that the Change Curve is used to understand *how* people respond to changes and the steps they take to deal with them. It does not say that the model explains the reasons *why* a company decides to change in the first place. The model focuses on the human reaction (emotions and behavior) rather than the organizational goals or causes for the change itself. |
| Q10 | TRUE | The concept of the Change Curve is based on work by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Her book On Death & Dying, published in 1969, dealt with the trauma and shock that people who are facing the end of life experience and how their families are also affected. Kubler-Ross proposed several stages of grief as a way of helping patients face death and their relatives deal with its effects. Kiibler-Ross °S ideas were groundbreaking but have since become one of the bases of grief support and counselling | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage confirms that the Change Curve comes from the work of a doctor who studied death and grief. Her ideas were meant to help people who were dying and are now used in counseling. Answer Explanation: The answer says it is true that the Change Curve started from ideas used to help and support people who were about to die. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because the text explains that the Change Curve was created from the research of psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Her work focused on 'people who are facing the end of life' (which means dying) and was intended to help 'patients face death.' The passage also confirms that these ideas became a foundation for 'grief support and counselling,' directly linking the source of the model to the process of helping people near death. |
| Q11 | NOT GIVEN | Moreover, because the ideas give a framework for dealing with personal trauma and change and for helping people adjust emotionally to significant life events, the model has been adopted by organisational theory and business management | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that the model helps with individual feelings and big life changes and is helpful for business managers, but it never mentions if it applies to big events involving a whole country (national events). Answer Explanation: The answer is NOT GIVEN because the text does not say if these ideas help people understand events that happen to a whole country. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage only discusses how the model relates to personal trauma, individual grief, and changes within a workplace or business organization. While it mentions 'significant life events', which are major things that happen to a person, it never mentions 'national events', which are big things that happen to a whole nation. Since there is no information about national events, we cannot say the statement is true or false. |
| Q12 | FALSE | It is worth noting that Kiibler-Ross's original work described 10-13 stages of grief rather than the simpler four-stage version used by organisations | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that while the first version of this theory had 10 to 13 parts, the version that companies use today is a simpler version with only 4 parts. Answer Explanation: The answer is false because businesses use a version of the model that has fewer steps and is easier to understand, not one that is more difficult or complicated. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the passage states that businesses use a 'simpler four-stage version' of the model. In contrast, the original work by the psychiatrist was more complex, containing between 10 and 13 stages. Since the version used by organizations is described as 'simpler' rather than 'more complex,' the statement contradicts the text. |
| Q13 | — | — | |
| Q14 | C / D | They will begin to learn in practical terms what the changes mean for them and wì11 do this more easiiy if they are helped and supported to do so Some may actually acknowledge that the change has been for the best, while others may accept the new status quo because they have no other option |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that people understand new changes better and with less effort if they receive help. It also says that some people agree to changes only because they feel they have no other choice. Answer Explanation: The answer means that some workers accept a new situation simply because they have no other choice, and that dealing with change is more difficult when people do not get help or support. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by details in the stages of the Change Curve. Paragraph 6 mentions that people can learn about changes "more easiiy" if they are "helped and supported," which implies that a lack of support makes the process harder. In paragraph 7, the author states that while some may like the change, other people "accept the new status quo because they have no other option." These points directly relate to options C and D. Keywords such as "helped," "supported," and "no other option" are used to explain these ideas. |