# Preface to 'How the other half thinks: Adventures in mathematical reasoning': answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 3, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 11, Test 3, 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 | Other scientists have written books to explain their fields to non-scientists, but have necessarily had to omit the mathematics |
| 28 | B | In that respect, this book differs from most books on mathematics written for the general public. |
| 29 | G | The discipline of analytical thought processes [in mathematics] prepared me extremely well for medical school. |
| 30 | C | I cite a structural engineer who is an artist, an electrical engineer who is an opera singer |
| 31 | B | Some present the lives of colorful mathematicians. Others describe important applications of mathematics. |
| 32 | E | You will turn these pages much more slowly than when reading a novel or a newspaper. |
| 33 | A | Each of the eight chapters in this book illustrates this phenomenon. Anyone can understand every step in the reasoning. |
| 34 | F | I kept in mind two types of readers |
| 35 | beginner | parts so simple a beginner could play them |
| 36 | arithmetic | they may involve, at most, a little arithmetic |
| 37 | intuitive | to become familiar with its logical, yet intuitive, style of thinking ... mathematics is not restricted to the analytical and numerical; intuition plays a significant role |
| 38 | scientists | Other scientists have written books to explain their fields to non-scientists |
| 39 | experiments | It may help to have a pencil and paper ready to check claims and carry out experiments. |
| 40 | theorems | and, in particular, theorems, how to analyze complicated principles |

## Why these answers are right

**27. D.** You need books written for readers assumed to lack mathematical knowledge. Section D says other scientists wrote books for non-scientists but had to leave out the mathematics, because those readers could not follow it. That assumption places this item in D.

**28. B.** The item asks where the writer explains how this book is unusual. Section B says the book aims to reveal the reasoning behind discoveries, and in that respect differs from most books on mathematics for the general public. So the answer is B.

**29. G.** This item asks for personal accounts of being helped by mathematics. Section G quotes a physician who says math training was ideal preparation for medical school and a lawyer who credits math for success at law school. These first-person stories make the answer G.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/preface-to-how-the-other-half-thinks-adventures-in-mathematical-reasoning/answers).

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