# THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN'S PLAY: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 1, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 1, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | creativity | this fantasy is helping her take her first steps towards her capacity for creativity |
| 2 | rules | she's learning about the need to follow rules and take turns with a partner. |
| 3 | cities | pointing out that over half the people in the world now live in cities. |
| 4 | traffic | Outdoor play is curtailed by perceptions of risk to do with traffic |
| 5 | traffic | parents' increased wish to protect their children from being the victims of crime |
| 6 | competition | which is leading to greater competition in academic learning and schools. |
| 7 | evidence | But what they often lack is the evidence to base policies on. |
| 8 | life | there is very little data on the impact it has on the child's later life. |
| 9 | TRUE | the ability to self-regulate has been shown to be a key predictor of academic performance. |
| 10 | TRUE | can even be useful in the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. |
| 11 | NOT GIVEN | Children wrote longer and better-structured stories when they first played with dolls representing characters in the story. |
| 12 | FALSE | With the Lego building, however, not a single child said this through the whole year of the project. |
| 13 | TRUE | Somehow the importance of play has been lost in recent decades. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. creativity.** The note says building a magical kingdom may help develop ___. Paragraph A explains that Alice's fantasy game is helping her take her first steps towards a capacity for creativity, which will matter in adult life, so creativity is the noun that fits.

**2. rules.** The note links board games with ___ and turn-taking. Paragraph B says that when Alice and her brother play a board game she learns about the need to follow rules and take turns, so rules is the word paired with turn-taking.

**3. cities.** One recent change is that populations of ___ have grown. In paragraph E Whitebread notes that more than half the world's people now live in cities, which describes the growth of urban populations, so cities is the answer.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-importance-of-childrens-play/answers).

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