# WANT TO BE FRIENDS?: answers and explanations

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 7, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 7, 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 | i | many people now turn to their online social networks ahead of sources such as newspapers and television for trusted and relevant news or information |
| 28 | x | But are these vast networks really that relevant to us on a personal level? ... very good for 'servicing' relationships, but not for establishing them |
| 29 | ii | much more successful in their social relationships ... are more likely to be liked in subsequent social interactions |
| 30 | vii | Online social networking may also have tangible effects on our well-being. ... means we need never feel alone |
| 31 | iii | We'll have to learn how to live a more transparent life |
| 32 | v | persuaded the group to pick their colour, even when they had to persuade the vast majority |
| 33 | F | greater persuasive power could lie with well-connected individuals |
| 34 | E | we are seeing a lowering of barriers among acquaintances |
| 35 | C | our primate brains place a cap on the number of genuine social relationships we can actually cope with |
| 36 | D | people who use these sites to keep updated on the activities of their acquaintances are more likely to be liked |
| 37 | B, E | You couldn't maintain all of those weak ties on your own ... Online sites, such as Facebook, give you a way of cataloguing them. |
| 38 | B, E | The ability to broadcast to our social group means we need never feel alone ... There's more of a safety net now. |
| 39 | A, E | What they hear could well be inaccurate, but the change is happening nonetheless. |
| 40 | A, E | We may have to give up some ability to show very limited glimpses of ourselves to others. |

## Why these answers are right

**27. i.** Paragraph B needs a heading about a change in how we find facts. It says many people "now turn to their online social networks ahead of sources such as newspapers and television" for news, which is a shift in fact-finding habits, heading i.

**28. x.** Paragraph C opens by asking whether vast networks are really relevant on a personal level. Dunbar caps genuine relationships at about 150 and says online networking is good for servicing ties "but not for establishing them." These reservations match heading x, doubts about the value of online socializing.

**29. ii.** Paragraph D describes Hancock's experiment on getting others to like you. Participants who first viewed a Facebook profile were "much more successful in their social relationships," and he concluded such users "are more likely to be liked." Being liked is being popular, so heading ii fits.

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

[Practice WANT TO BE FRIENDS?](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/want-to-be-friends)