# Insight or evolution?: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 2, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 17, 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 | D | Scientific discovery is popularly believed to result from the sheer genius |
| 28 | A | we believe that it largely misrepresents the real nature of scientific discovery |
| 29 | A | Setting aside such greats as Darwin and Einstein - whose monumental contributions are duly celebrated |
| 30 | C | jumped off from this interesting idea to conceive his now-famous model of the atom |
| 31 | A | He suffered a leg injury, which left him unable to fully bend his left knee. |
| 32 | NO | These notions merely label rather than explain the evolution of human innovations. |
| 33 | NOT GIVEN | The Law of Effect was advanced by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1898 |
| 34 | YES | the Law of Effect involves an entirely mechanical process of variation and selection, without any end objective in sight |
| 35 | NO | the provenance of the raw material on which the Law of Effect operates is not as clearly known |
| 36 | NOT GIVEN | The time seems right for abandoning the naive notions of intelligent design and genius |
| 37 | F | as if ideas spontaneously pop into someone's head |
| 38 | D | Nicholson was wrong about the presence of proto-elements |
| 39 | E | pure serendipity - a happy accident |
| 40 | B | without any end objective in sight |

## Why these answers are right

**27. D.** The first paragraph sets out what is "popularly believed" and what "Conventional wisdom" holds: discoveries come from lone geniuses and sudden insight. Describing a widespread belief without yet arguing against it is outlining a common assumption, so D is correct.

**28. A.** In the second paragraph the writers grant "some limited truth" to the popular view but say it "largely misrepresents the real nature of scientific discovery". Saying a view misrepresents reality is criticizing an opinion, so the answer is A.

**29. A.** The writers begin the third paragraph by "Setting aside" Darwin and Einstein before claiming that innovation is generally a process of trial and error. Putting them to one side treats them as exceptions to the general rule, which is option A.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/insight-or-evolution/answers).

[Practice Insight or evolution?](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/insight-or-evolution)