# How to make wise decisions: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 16, Test 2, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 16, Test 2, Reading Passage 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 27 | B | it isn't an exceptional trait possessed by a small handful of bearded philosophers after all |
| 28 | C | are even more powerful in shaping wisdom than previously imagined |
| 29 | B | Some situations are more likely to promote wisdom than others. |
| 30 | D | one of the most reliable ways to support wisdom in our own day-to-day decisions |
| 31 | D | One is intellectual humility or recognition of the limits of our own knowledge |
| 32 | A | compromise or integration of different attitudes and beliefs |
| 33 | C | appreciation of perspectives wider than the issue at hand |
| 34 | F | look at scenarios from a third-party perspective, as though giving advice to a friend |
| 35 | G | interpersonal and moral ideals such as justice and impartiality |
| 36 | FALSE | The students were instructed to imagine their career either |
| 37 | NOT GIVEN | couples in long-term romantic relationships were instructed to visualize an unresolved relationship conflict |
| 38 | NOT GIVEN | Couples in the 'other's eyes' condition were significantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning |
| 39 | TRUE | displayed more wisdom-related reasoning ... were significantly more likely to rely on wise reasoning |
| 40 | TRUE | only a small positive relationship between wise thinking and crystallized intelligence |

## Why these answers are right

**27. B.** The first paragraph says wise people may seem few and far between, but research suggests wisdom isn't an exceptional trait held by a handful of philosophers after all. The phrase after all overturns a common belief, which is option B, a basic assumption may be wrong.

**28. C.** Grossmann says experiential, situational and cultural factors are even more powerful in shaping wisdom than previously imagined. If their power was greater than people thought, the importance of those influences had been underestimated, so option C is right.

**29. B.** In the third paragraph Grossmann says wisdom is not only an inner quality but unfolds according to the situations people are in, and some situations promote wisdom more than others. So a person's wisdom will differ with circumstances, which is option B.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/how-to-make-wise-decisions/answers).

[Practice How to make wise decisions](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/how-to-make-wise-decisions)