Reading 2026-09 Test 5 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

About this set: compiled and lightly cleaned up from real test material that test-takers recalled. IELTS draws from a global question pool, so this material circulates worldwide. To give you a complete, sittable test, material reported around the same period is assembled together — so a set may combine content from several exam dates, not one single sitting. Any audio is a recreation for practice. Organized for study convenience. Based on test-taker recalls — not official IELTS material.

Reading Passage 1: New Understanding of Giraffes in the Wild

(A) Even as the tallest animals on Earth, giraffes can be easy to overlook. Despite being a favorite in zoos, until recently almost nobody studied giraffes in the wild. ‘When I first became interested in giraffes in 2008 and started looking through the scientific literature, I was really surprised to see how little had been done,’ said Megan Strauss, an animal researcher at the University of Minnesota, USA. All that is changing fast, as a growing number of researchers seek to understand the biology and complex behavior of this graceful giant in its native habitat.

(B) Giraffes, found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, are currently classified as a single species with up to nine varieties that differ by features like head shape and whether the fur on their legs is plain or patterned. The giraffe is listed as endangered, but researchers point to evidence that in the past 15 years, the population has fallen some 40 percent.

(C) Recent studies have allowed researchers new insights into giraffes’ social structure. Groups of female giraffes, for example, have been found to form close friendships that can last for years. ‘We’re just at the beginnings of trying to understand this kind of behavior,’ Dr Strauss said. Female giraffes can live 20 years or more, and it makes sense they might rely on each other for clues to the best feeding grounds, help with taking care of their young, or the reduction of stress, by staying in groups.

(D) Mother giraffes have displayed signs of grief after losing their young, known as calves, to lions. Dr Strauss described one case in which a mother spent four days at the place where a lion had eaten her calf, refusing food, and often in the company of two other adult females. Giraffe calves are extremely vulnerable to predators, and though mothers will fight valiantly to keep their young alive — kicking forward and backward — half of all calves are killed in their first year of life.

(E) Male giraffes, known as bulls, generally become more important with age, and older bulls display that dominance physically and behaviorally: as their neck muscles grow, the male’s posture becomes prouder and more vertical. Recent observations show young bulls, when left on their own, mimicking their elders: head held high and neck puffed out. But should a dominant older bull come into view, the younger males instantly try to make themselves look small and innocent.

(F) The younger bulls have reason to fear their elders. Clashes have been witnessed between adults when each bull repeatedly ‘necks’ the other, using his massive neck to slam his head against his rival. One bull somehow survived with a broken neck.

(G) The skin of a giraffe is mostly gray. The coat has dark patches separated by light hair, which serves as camouflage, allowing them to blend in with the light and shade patterns of the acacia trees from which they feed. Grazing giraffes are hard to see even a few meters away.

(H) Research indicates that giraffes also have excellent sight, can see in color and over great distances, which helps them to spot lions and keep track of each other. In addition, a giraffe’s extraordinary mouth has lips and tongue that can together grasp a branch and then pluck away the leaves while avoiding thorns, almost as humans would grab with their hands. Each day, a giraffe consumes about 30 kilograms of leaves, shoots and vines, all digested in its four-chambered stomach.

(I) A giraffe can stand more than six meters tall, with its neck accounting for roughly a third of its height and its legs the same. The giraffe’s long neck is due to the length of the vertebrae, not the number of vertebrae. The growth of the neck largely takes place during early childhood, as giraffe mothers would have a difficult time giving birth to young with longer necks. The giraffe’s head and neck are held up by large muscles attached to the lower spine.

(J) Recent studies show that the greatest challenge to a giraffe’s cardiovascular system is how to both pump blood very high and retrieve it from far below. The outside of a giraffe’s veins are extremely thick, to prevent blood leaking into surrounding tissue. Other adaptations in the cardiovascular system allow the giraffe to bend over for a drink of water, and then raise its head again quickly without fainting.

(K) Researchers were also surprised to find that a giraffe does not have an unusually large heart. It is half a percent of body mass, the same as in a mouse. Moreover, the amount of blood pumped into circulation is modest, proportionally lower than it is in humans. That could help explain why giraffes rarely run for very long: enough oxygen cannot be delivered to their muscles fast enough for them to keep running. Or maybe the giraffes are worried about tripping over their own feet. This is because signals from the nerves travel at about the same speed in giraffes as in rats or other mammals. Given the greater distance they have to travel in the giraffe to reach the brain, it is possible the giraffe faces real challenges in reacting quickly to a rock beneath its hoof or a bite to its ankle.

(L) New understanding of this wonderful animal sheds light on both its physiology and its behavior. Researchers hope to use this knowledge to increase their ability to work with preservation, as its habitat is reduced and the giraffe becomes scarcer.

1
The amount of research on giraffes in their natural environment has increased lately.
- A. TRUE
- B. FALSE
- C. NOT GIVEN
2
Megan Strauss disapproves of keeping giraffes in zoos.
3
The number of giraffes in Africa has nearly doubled.
4
Female giraffes tend to live longer than males.
5
Mother giraffes sometimes use their legs to defend their young.
6
Younger bulls hold their necks higher in the presence of more powerful males.
7
Male giraffes have been observed fighting.
8
provides ____ when standing near trees
9
can be used like ____ to get leaves
10
length develops in childhood to provide an easier ____ for mothers
11
extra-strong ____ keep blood from spilling into other tissues
12
____ (normal size)
13
slower reaction time because ____ need to go farther to the brain

Reading Passage 2: Facial Expression

A facial expression is one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among humans, but also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species. Facial expressions and their significance in the perceiver can, to some extent, vary between cultures with evidence from descriptions in the works of Charles Darwin.

Humans can adopt a facial expression to read as a voluntary action. However, because expressions are closely tied to emotion, they are more often involuntary. It can be nearly impossible to avoid expressions for certain emotions, even when it would be strongly desirable to do so; a person who is trying to avoid insulting an individual he or she finds highly unattractive might, nevertheless, show a brief expression of disgust before being able to reassume a neutral expression. Microexpressions are one example of this phenomenon. The close link between emotion and expression can also work in the other direction; it has been observed that voluntarily assuming an expression can actually cause the associated emotion.

Some expressions can be accurately interpreted even between members of different species—anger and extreme contentment being the primary examples. Others, however, are difficult to interpret even in familiar individuals. For instance, disgust and fear can be tough to tell apart. Because faces have only a limited range of movement, expressions rely upon fairly minuscule differences in the proportion and relative position of facial features, and reading them requires considerable sensitivity to some. Some faces are often falsely read as expressing some emotion, even when they are neutral, because their proportions naturally resemble those another face would temporarily assume when emoting.

Also, a person’s eyes reveal much about how they are feeling, or what they are thinking. Blink rate can reveal how nervous or at ease a person may be. Research by Boston College professor Joe Tecce suggests that stress levels are revealed by blink rates. He supports his data with statistics on the relation between the blink rates of presidential candidates and their success in their races. Tecce claims that the faster blinker in the presidential debates has lost every election since 1980. Though Tecce’s data is interesting, it is important to recognize that non-verbal communication is multi-channeled, and focusing on only one aspect is reckless. Nervousness can also be measured by examining each candidate's perspiration, eye contact and stiffness.

As Charles Darwin noted in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals: the young and the old of widely different races, both with man and animals, express the same state of mind by the same movements. Still, up to the mid-20th century most anthropologists believed that facial expressions were entirely learned and could therefore differ among cultures. Studies conducted in the 1960s by Paul Ekman eventually supported Darwin’s belief to a large degree.

Ekman’s work on facial expressions had its starting point in the work of psychologist Silvan Tomkins. Ekman showed that contrary to the belief of some anthropologists including Margaret Mead, facial expressions of emotion are not culturally determined, but universal across human cultures. The South Fore people of New Guinea were chosen as subjects for one such survey. The study consisted of 189 adults and 130 children from among a very isolated population, as well as twenty-three members of the culture who lived a less isolated lifestyle as a control group. Participants were told a story that described one particular emotion; they were then shown three pictures (two for children) of facial expressions and asked to match the picture which expressed the story’s emotion.

While the isolated South Fore people could identify emotions with the same accuracy as the non-isolated control group, problems associated with the study include the fact that both fear and surprise were constantly misidentified. The study concluded that certain facial expressions correspond to particular emotions and cannot be covered, regardless of cultural background, and regardless of whether or not the culture has been isolated or exposed to the mainstream.

Expressions Ekman found to be universal included those indicating anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise (note that none of these emotions has a definitive social component, such as shame, pride, or schadenfreude). Findings on contempt (which is social) are less clear, though there is at least some preliminary evidence that this emotion and its expression are universally recognized. This may suggest that the facial expressions are largely related to the mind and each part on the face can express specific emotion.

14
The result of Ekman’s study demonstrates that fear and surprise are persistently ____ and made a conclusion that some facial expressions have something to do with certain ____ which is impossible to be covered, in spite of ____ and whether the culture has been ____ or ____ to the mainstream.
15
the difficulty identifying the actual meaning of facial expressions
16
the importance of culture in facial expressions is initially described
17
collected data for the research on the relation between blink and the success in elections
18
the features on sociality of several facial expressions
19
an indicator to reflect one’s extent of nervousness
20
the relation between emotion and facial expressions
21
Which TWO of the following statements are true according to Ekman’s theory?
- A. No evidence shows animals have their own facial expressions.
- B. The potential relationship between facial expressions and state of mind exists.
- C. Facial expressions are concerning different cultures.
- D. Different areas on face convey certain state of mind.
- E. Mind controls men’s facial expressions more obviously than women’s.

Reading Passage 3: On art and artists

(A) There really is no such thing as art, only artists. Once these were people who took coloured earth and roughed out the forms of a bison on the wall of a cave; today some buy their paints, and others design posters for hoardings; they did and do many other things. There is no harm in calling all these activities art as long as we keep in mind that such a word may mean very different things in different times and places, and as long as we realize that Art with a capital A has no existence: it has become something of an obsession. You may crush an artist by telling him that what he has just done may be quite good in its own way, only it is not true art.

(B) Actually, I do not think that there are any wrong reasons for liking a statue or a picture. We may like a painting of a village scene because it reminds us of home. There is nothing wrong with that. All of us, when we see a painting, are bound to be reminded of a hundred-and-one things which influence our likes and dislikes. As long as these memories help us to enjoy what we see, we need not worry.

(C) It is only when some irrelevant memory makes us prejudiced, when we instinctively turn away from a magnificent picture of an alpine scene because we dislike climbing, that we should search our mind for the reason for the aversion which spoils a pleasure we might otherwise have had. There are wrong reasons for disliking a work of art.

(D) Most people like to see in pictures what they would also like to see in reality. This is quite a natural preference. We all like beauty in nature, and are grateful to the artists who have preserved it in their works. Nor would these artists themselves have rebuffed us for our taste. When the great Flemish painter Rubens made a drawing of his young son, he was surely proud of his good looks, and wanted us, too, to delight in the child's appearance. But this bias for the pretty and engaging subject is apt to become a stumbling block if it leads us to reject works which represent a less appealing subject.

(E) The great German painter Dürer certainly drew his mother with as much devotion and love as Rubens felt for his child. His truthful study of old age may give us a shock which makes us turn away from it - and yet, if we fight against that first reaction we may be richly rewarded. For Dürer's drawing in its tremendous sincerity is a great work. The beauty of a picture does not really lie in the beauty of its subject matter. The trouble about beauty is that tastes and standards of what is beautiful vary so much.

(F) What is true of beauty is also true of facial expression. In fact, it is often the expression of a figure in the painting which makes us like or loathe the work. Some people like an expression - perhaps of suffering or of compassion - which they can readily understand, and which therefore moves them profoundly. But we should not, for that reason, turn away from works whose expression is perhaps less easy to understand. Often we must first learn to know the artist's methods of drawing to understand the feelings he or she wishes to portray, and may even come to prefer works of art in which expression is not obvious. Just as some of us would rather people use few words and gestures and leave something to be guessed, so some of us would rather look at paintings or sculptures which are open to interpretation.

(G) But here newcomers to art are often brought up against another difficulty. They want to admire the artist's skill in representing the things they see. What they like best are paintings which 'look real'. This is an important consideration, and the patience and skill which go into the faithful rendering of the visible world are indeed to be admired. Great artists of the past have devoted much labour to works in which every tiny detail is carefully recorded. Dürer's watercolour study of a hare is one of the most famous examples of this loving patience. But who would say that Rembrandt's drawing of an elephant is necessarily less good because it shows fewer details? Indeed Rembrandt gave us the feel of the elephant's wrinkly skin with just a few lines of his chalk.

(H) If we find fault with the accuracy of a picture, we must remember that artists may have their reasons for changing the appearance of what they see. We should also never condemn a work for being incorrectly drawn unless we are quite sure that we are right and the painter is wrong. We have a curious habit of thinking that nature must always look like the pictures we are accustomed to. For generations, paintings showed horses galloping with outstretched legs in full flight through the air, and we came to believe that this was indeed how they moved. It was only the development of photography which proved that horses simply do not gallop in that way. And yet, when painters began to apply this new discovery, and painted horses moving as they actually do, everyone complained that their pictures looked wrong.

22
a comparison between people’s preferences towards language and art
23
why people may have misunderstood how a certain animal moves
24
a contrast between the techniques used in two pictures
25
a possible negative effect of using the term ‘art’
26
The artist clearly hoped that we would share his admiration of this subject.
- A. village scene
- B. alpine scene
- C. Rubens’s son
- D. Dürer’s mother
- E. hare
- F. elephant
- G. horses
27
The artist aims to give a general impression of this subject rather than a detailed one.
28
Someone’s personal experience may make them consider a painting of this subject unpleasant.
29
The way in which this subject was once portrayed was factually wrong.
30
The painting is well known for the effort the artist put into creating a very accurate picture of this subject.
31
People may like a painting of this subject for a reason that is external to the painting.
32
Dürer’s painting of his mother is considered significant because it is a ____ representation of her age and situation.
33
However, we may need to overcome an initial reaction of ____ when we see it.
34
While some of us are affected by the portrayal of a facial expression that we can ____ without much effort, others prefer expressions that require ____.

Answer sheet

Fill in as you go — checking is instant and local, and every miss lands in your mistake log with the lesson that fixes it.

Saved on this device — no account needed. Sign in on your progress page if you want it synced elsewhere.

Show answer key

1. A
The answer is TRUE because the passage says that research on giraffes in their natural environment has increased recently.
2. C
The answer is NOT GIVEN because there is no information about Megan Strauss’s opinion on keeping giraffes in zoos.
3. B
The answer is FALSE because the passage says the number of giraffes in Africa has decreased, not doubled.
4. C
The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not mention if female giraffes live longer than males.
5. A
The answer is TRUE because the passage says mother giraffes sometimes use their legs to defend their young.
6. B
The answer is FALSE because the passage says younger bulls hold their necks lower, not higher, around stronger males.
7. A
The answer is TRUE because the passage says male giraffes have been seen fighting.
8. camouflage
The answer is 'camouflage' because the passage says standing near trees provides camouflage.
9. hands
The answer is 'hands' because the passage says giraffes can use their tongues like hands to get leaves.
10. birth
The answer is 'birth' because the passage says the length develops in childhood to make birth easier for mothers.
11. veins
The answer is 'veins' because the passage says extra-strong veins keep blood from spilling into other tissues.
12. heart
The answer is 'heart' because the passage says giraffes have a normal-sized heart.
13. signals
The answer is 'signals' because the passage says slower reaction time happens because signals need to travel farther to the brain.
14. misidentified / emotions / cultural background / isolated / exposed
The answer is 'misidentified / emotions / cultural background / isolated / exposed' because the passage says fear and surprise are often misidentified, and some facial expressions are linked to emotions regardless of cultural background, whether the culture is isolated or exposed.
15. C
The answer is C because the passage discusses the difficulty in identifying the actual meaning of facial expressions.
16. A
The answer is A because the passage first talks about the importance of culture in facial expressions in this section.
17. D
The answer is D because this person collected data for research on the relation between blinking and election success.
18. H
The answer is H because this section discusses the social features of several facial expressions.
19. D
The answer is D because blinking is mentioned as an indicator of nervousness.
20. B
The answer is B because this section discusses the relation between emotion and facial expressions.
21. B / D
The answers are B and D. B is correct because the passage says there is a relationship between facial expressions and state of mind. D is correct because it says different areas on the face can show certain states of mind. Option C is tempting but fails because the passage does not say facial expressions are only about different cultures.
22. F
The answer is F because this section compares people's preferences for language and art.
23. H
The answer is H because this section explains why people may have misunderstood how a certain animal moves.
24. G
The answer is G because this section contrasts the techniques used in two pictures.
25. A
The answer is A because this section talks about a possible negative effect of using the term 'art.'
26. C
The answer is C because the artist clearly wanted us to share his admiration for Rubens’s son.
27. F
The answer is F because the artist aims to give a general impression of the elephant, not a detailed one.
28. B
The answer is B because someone’s personal experience may make them find a painting of an alpine scene unpleasant.
29. G
The answer is G because the way horses were once portrayed was factually wrong.
30. E
The answer is E because the painting of the hare is famous for its very accurate detail.
31. A
The answer is A because people may like a painting of a village scene for reasons outside the painting itself.
32. truthful
The answer is 'truthful' because Dürer’s painting of his mother is significant for its truthful representation of her age and situation.
33. shock
The answer is 'shock' because we may need to overcome an initial reaction of shock when we see it.
34. understand / interpretation
The answers are 'understand / interpretation' because some people are affected by facial expressions they can understand easily, while others prefer those that need interpretation.

Want the full timed experience? Try the free full mock exam — real recalled questions, in the real exam interface.

Start mock exam →

Reading Passage 1: New Understanding of Giraffes in the Wild

Reading Passage 2: Facial Expression

Reading Passage 3: On art and artists

Answer sheet

Answer key