TOURISM - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 01 Academic Reading Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 28–41
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28-41 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
TOURISM
A Tourism, holidaymaking and travel are these days more significant social phenomena than most commentators have considered On the face of it there could not be a more trivial subject for a book And indeed since social scientists have had considerable difficulty explaining weightier topics such as work or politics it might be thought that they would have great difficulties in accounting for more trivial phenomena such as holidaymakmg However there are interesting parallels with the study of deviance This involves the investigation of bizarre and idiosyncratic social practices which happen to be defined as deviant in some societies but not necessarily in others The assumption is that the investigation of deviance can reveal interesting and significant aspects of normal societies It could be said that a similar analysis can be applied to tourism
B Tourism is a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite namely regulated and organised work It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in modern societies Indeed acting as a tourist is one of the defining characteristics of being modern’ and the popular concept of tourism is that it is organised within particular places and occurs for regularised periods of time Tourist relationships arise from a movement of people to and their stay in various destinations This necessarily involves some movement that is the journey and a period of stay in a new place or places The journey and the stay are by definition outside the normal places of residence and work and are of a short term and temporary nature and there is a clear intention to return “home within a relatively short period of time
C A substantial proportion of the population of modern societies engages in such tourist practices new socialised forms of provision have developed in order to cope with the mass character of the gazes of tourists as opposed to the individual character of travel Places are chosen to be visited and be gazed upon because there is an anticipation especially through daydreaming and fantasy of intense pleasures, either on a different scale or involving different senses from those customarily encountered Such anticipation is constructed and sustained through a variety of non-tourist practices such as films TV literature, magazines records and videos which construct and reinforce this daydreaming
D Tourists tend to visit features of landscape and townscape which separate them off from everyday experience Such aspects are viewed because they are taken to be in some sense out of the ordinary The viewing of these tourist sights often involves different forms of social patterning with a much greater sensitivity to visual elements of landscape or townscape than is normally found in everyday life People linger over these sights in a way that they would not normally do in their home environment and the vision is objectified or captured through photographs postcards films and so on which enable the memory to be endlessly reproduced and recaptured
E One of the earliest dissertations on the subject of tourism is Boorstins analysis of the pseudo event (1964) where he argues that contemporary Americans cannot experience reality’ directly but thrive on “pseudo events Isolated from the host environment and the local people the mass tourist travels in guided groups and finds pleasure in inauthentic contrived attractions gullibly enjoying the pseudo events and disregarding the real world outside Over time the images generated of different tourist sights come to constitute a closed self-perpetuating system of illusions which provide the tourist with the basis for selecting and evaluating potential places to visit Such visits are made says Boorstin, within the “environmental bubble of the familiar American style hotel which insulates the tourist from the strangeness of the host environment
F To service the burgeoning tourist industry, an array of professionals has developed who attempt to reproduce ever-new objects for the tourist to look at These objects or places are located in a complex and changing hierarchy This depends upon the interplay between, on the one hand, competition between interests involved in the provision of such objects and, on the other hand changing class, gender, and generational distinctions of taste within the potential population of visitors It has been said that to be a tourist is one of the characteristics of the “modern experience Not to go away is like not possessing a car or a nice house Travel is a marker of status in modern societies and is also thought to be necessary for good health The role of the professional, therefore, is to cater for the needs and tastes of the tourists in accordance with their class and overall expectations
Questions
Questions 28–32 Matching Headings
Raiding Passage 3 has 6 paragraphs (A-F) Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below Write the appropriate numbers (i-ix) in boxes 28 32 on your answer sheet Paragraph D has been done for you as an example.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them You may use any heading more than once.
i. The politics of tourism
ii. The cost of tourism
iii. Justifying the study of tourism
iv. Tourism contrasted with travel
v. The essence of modern tourism
vi. Tourism versus leisure
vii. The artificiality of modern tourism
viii. The role of modern tour guides
ix. Creating an alternative to the everyday experience
Questions 33–37 Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 33-37 write
YES if the statement agrees with the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
Questions 38–41 Matching Sentence Endings
Chose one phrase (A-H) from the list of phrases to complete each key point below. Write the appropriate letters (A-H) in boxes 38-41 on your answer sheet.
The information in the completed sentences should be an accurate summary of points made by the writer.
NB There are more phrases A-H than sentences so you will not use them all. You may use any phrase more than once.
A. local people and their environment.
B. the expectations of tourists.
C. the phenomena of holidaymaking.
D. the distinction we make between work and leisure.
E. the individual character of travel.
F. places seen in everyday life.
G. photographs which recapture our holidays.
H. sights designed specially for tourists.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q28 | iii | The assumption is that the investigation of deviance can reveal interesting and significant aspects of normal societies It could be said that a similar analysis can be applied to tourism | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that studying unusual behaviors can help scientists learn important facts about regular society, and it suggests that we can study tourism in the same way to get the same useful results. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph A explains why it is important and useful to study tourism, even if it seems like a small or unimportant topic. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is iii because Paragraph A addresses the idea that tourism might be seen as a 'trivial' (unimportant) subject compared to work or politics. It justifies (provides a good reason for) studying tourism by comparing it to the study of 'deviance.' It argues that just as studying unusual behaviors helps people understand normal societies, studying tourism can also reveal important things about the world. |
| Q29 | v | Indeed acting as a tourist is one of the defining characteristics of being modern’ and the popular concept of tourism is that it is organised within particular places and occurs for regularised periods of time Tourist relationships arise from a movement of people to and their stay in various destinations This necessarily involves some movement that is the journey and a period of stay in a new place or places | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that being a tourist is a main part of modern life. It explains that tourism happens in specific locations and for set amounts of time. It also says tourism requires moving to and staying in different places, which is the main idea of a trip. Answer Explanation: The answer 'v' means that Paragraph B explains the basic nature and the most important features of tourism in the modern world. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'v' because the paragraph focuses on defining what tourism actually is. It describes tourism as a key part of 'being modern' and lists the central parts that make up a tourist experience, such as moving away from work for a short time, staying in a new place, and eventually returning home. These basic qualities are the 'essence' of the subject. |
| Q30 | iv | new socialised forms of provision have developed in order to cope with the mass character of the gazes of tourists as opposed to the individual character of travel | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that special services have been created to handle large groups of tourists, which is different from the way a single person travels on their own. Answer Explanation: The answer choice 'iv' means that the paragraph describes how tourism (big groups of people visiting places) is different from travel (one person going places alone). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'iv' because the paragraph explicitly compares the way large groups of people experience tourism with the way individuals experience travel. It explains that modern societies have created new ways to handle the 'mass character' (many people) of tourists, and it uses the phrase 'as opposed to' to show how this is different from the 'individual character' (one person) of travel. |
| Q31 | vii | Isolated from the host environment and the local people the mass tourist travels in guided groups and finds pleasure in inauthentic contrived attractions gullibly enjoying the pseudo events and disregarding the real world outside | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that many tourists do not interact with real local people or places. Instead, they visit attractions that are 'inauthentic' (fake) and 'contrived' (created specifically for them), focusing on these fake events instead of what the real world is like. Answer Explanation: The answer 'vii' means that Paragraph E discusses how many parts of modern tourism are fake or not real. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'vii' because Paragraph E describes tourism as a collection of 'pseudo events' and 'inauthentic' attractions. This means the experiences are artificial—they are created by people to look interesting but are not parts of real, daily life in that location. The paragraph explains that tourists are often kept in a 'bubble' of familiar things (like American-style hotels) that prevents them from seeing the real world outside. |
| Q32 | viii | The role of the professional, therefore, is to cater for the needs and tastes of the tourists in accordance with their class and overall expectations | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the job of people who work in the travel business is to provide tourists with the things they like and what they expect to have during their trip. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph F is about the jobs and responsibilities of experts who work in the travel industry to help tourists. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is viii because Paragraph F focuses on the people who work to provide services for travelers. It describes the 'role' of these industry 'professionals' as making sure they meet the specific needs and desires of tourists. In the context of the available headings, these professionals are referred to as 'tour guides' because they guide the experiences and provide for the expectations of the visitors. |
| Q33 | NO | Tourism, holidaymaking and travel are these days more significant social phenomena than most commentators have considered | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that tourism and travel are important (significant) events in society, more so than what many people (commentators) usually think. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'NO' because the writer thinks tourism is actually an important topic to study, even though it might seem unimportant at first. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'NO' because the passage explains that tourism is a 'significant' (important) social event. While the writer mentions that tourism might look 'trivial' (unimportant) on the surface, they argue that it actually helps researchers understand important things about how our societies work. Because the writer believes tourism is significant, the statement that it is trivial is a contradiction. |
| Q34 | YES | The assumption is that the investigation of deviance can reveal interesting and significant aspects of normal societies It could be said that a similar analysis can be applied to tourism | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that studying unusual habits can tell us a lot about normal life, and it suggests we can use the same method to study travel and tourism. Answer Explanation: The answer means that studying strange or unusual behaviors (deviance) can be used as an example or method for studying tourism. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is YES because the author explains that studying 'deviance' helps social scientists understand regular society. The text explicitly states that a 'similar analysis'—meaning the same way of studying something—can be used when looking at tourism. In this context, 'analysis' and 'investigation' are keywords that show how the study of one thing can be a pattern or 'model' for the study of another. |
| Q35 | NOT GIVEN | Tourist relationships arise from a movement of people to and their stay in various destinations This necessarily involves some movement that is the journey and a period of stay in a new place or places | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that tourism happens when people move to and stay in different locations or new places. However, it does not say if these places are across an ocean or in a foreign land. Answer Explanation: The answer is NOT GIVEN because the writer does not say whether tourists mostly go to other countries or stay in their own country. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because, while the passage describes what tourism is and why people do it, it never mentions a preference for overseas travel. The text explains that tourism involves going to a 'new place' or a 'destination' that is different from home, but it does not specify if these places are usually in a different country (overseas) or just a different part of the same country. Since this specific information is missing, we cannot say if the statement is true or false. |
| Q36 | YES | The viewing of these tourist sights often involves different forms of social patterning with a much greater sensitivity to visual elements of landscape or townscape than is normally found in everyday life People linger over these sights in a way that they would not normally do in their home environment | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when tourists look at sights, they are much more aware of how things look than they are in their daily lives. It also says they stay and look at these things for a longer time than they usually do where they live. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the writer agrees with the idea that travelers pay more attention to the places they visit than to the places where they live. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is YES because Paragraph D explains that tourists have a 'greater sensitivity' towards the things they see on vacation. They 'linger,' which means they stay and look longer at these sights, in a way they would not do in their 'home environment' or in 'everyday life.' This shows that travelers pay more attention to the visual details of new places than the places they see every day. |
| Q37 | NOT GIVEN | The role of the professional, therefore, is to cater for the needs and tastes of the tourists in accordance with their class and overall expectations | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that people who work in the travel industry provide services that match what tourists want and expect based on their social status, but it says nothing about these professionals being dishonest or trying to cheat. Answer Explanation: The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not mention whether people who work in tourism, like tour operators, try to trick or be dishonest with tourists. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because the text describes the tourism industry and 'professionals' who provide services, but it never mentions them 'cheating' or 'scamming' anyone. While the writer mentions that tourists might enjoy 'inauthentic' or 'fake' attractions and 'pseudo events,' this is presented as a part of the modern travel experience rather than a result of operators being dishonest or trying to cheat their customers. Since there is no information about tour operators being dishonest, we cannot agree or disagree with the statement. |
| Q38 | D | Tourism is a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite namely regulated and organised work It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in modern societies | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that tourism is an activity for free time that needs work to exist as its opposite. It shows how modern societies treat work and free time as two different and organized parts of life. Answer Explanation: The answer means that we understand tourism based on the line we draw between our jobs and our free time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because Paragraph B explains that tourism is a 'leisure activity' that depends on its opposite, 'work.' It describes how modern life keeps these two parts of life—doing your job and having fun—as 'separate and regulated spheres.' This means that the idea of tourism comes from the 'distinction' (the clear difference or separation) between work hours and vacation time. |
| Q39 | B | Such anticipation is constructed and sustained through a variety of non-tourist practices such as films TV literature, magazines records and videos which construct and reinforce this daydreaming | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that these feelings of waiting for something fun are created and kept strong by things that are not about travel, like movies, TV, books, and magazines, magazines which help people imagine and dream about their trips. Answer Explanation: The answer means that things like movies and TV help build up the hopes or feelings that travelers have about a trip before they even go. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the passage explains that media like films and TV build and keep alive the feelings of 'anticipation' and 'daydreaming' about a place. In this context, 'anticipation' is a synonym for 'expectations.' By using these types of media, the feelings of what a vacation will be like are 'constructed and reinforced,' which is another way of saying they are enhanced. |
| Q40 | F | The viewing of these tourist sights often involves different forms of social patterning with a much greater sensitivity to visual elements of landscape or townscape than is normally found in everyday life | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that looking at tourist locations involves a higher level of attention to visual details than the attention we usually use during our normal daily activities. Answer Explanation: The answer means that when people are on holiday, they look at buildings and nature in a special way that is different from how they look at things in their normal daily life. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Paragraph D, which discusses how tourists interact with the places they visit. It explains that tourists treat the things they see on vacation as 'out of the ordinary.' They look at these new sights with 'greater sensitivity,' meaning they pay much more attention to the visual details than they would when looking at things in their regular, 'everyday life' or 'home environment.' Therefore, the way they view tourist landscapes is different from how they view normal places. |
| Q41 | H | the mass tourist travels in guided groups and finds pleasure in inauthentic contrived attractions gullibly enjoying the pseudo events | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that travelers in big groups like things that are not real. They enjoy attractions and events made just for them, and they do not look at the real world happening around them. Answer Explanation: The answer means that people who travel in organized groups usually look at places or shows that were created specifically for tourists to see. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is H because Paragraph E explains that mass tourists, who often travel in 'guided groups,' focus on 'inauthentic contrived attractions' and 'pseudo events.' These terms refer to things that are not part of the 'real world outside' but are instead created or 'designed' just for tourists to enjoy. The text also notes that these travelers are 'isolated' from the real 'host environment and the local people.' |