# What's so funny?: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 5, Test 2, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 5, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | FALSE | unique in that it serves no apparent biological purpose |
| 15 | NOT GIVEN | Plato expressed the idea that humour is simply a delighted feeling of superiority over others. |
| 16 | TRUE | joke-telling relies on building up a psychic tension which is safely punctured by the ludicrousness of the punchline |
| 17 | FALSE | most modern humour theorists have settled on some version of Aristotle's belief |
| 18 | TRUE | in order to understand not only humour but language understanding and reasoning in machines |
| 19 | NOT GIVEN | A comedian will present a situation followed by an unexpected interpretation that is also apt. |
| 20 | TRUE | a gaping expression accompanied by a panting "ah, ah" noise |
| 21 | problem solving | particularly the right prefrontal believed to be critical for problem solving. |
| 22 | temporal lobes | But there was also activity in the temporal lobes at the side of the head |
| 23 | evaluating information | This patch of brain tucked behind the orbits of the eyes is associated with evaluating information. |
| 24 | C | Making a rapid emotional assessment of the events of the moment is an extremely demanding job for the brain |
| 25 | A | respond emotionally not only to their surroundings, but to their own thoughts |
| 26 | F | Whether a joke gives pleasure or pain depends on a person's outlook. |
| 27 | D | If we can figure out how the mind processes humour, then we'll have a pretty good handle on how it works in general. |

## Why these answers are right

**14. FALSE.** The statement says Koestler saw laughter as biologically important in several ways. Paragraph A quotes him calling it the luxury reflex, 'unique in that it serves no apparent biological purpose', which is the opposite, so the answer is FALSE.

**15. NOT GIVEN.** The statement links Plato's view of humor to above-average intelligence. Paragraph B says Plato saw humor as a delighted feeling of superiority over others, but feeling superior is not being cleverer, and intelligence is never mentioned, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.

**16. TRUE.** The statement says Kant thought a good joke releases nervous energy in a controlled way. Paragraph B says Kant and Freud believed jokes build up 'a psychic tension which is safely punctured' by the punchline. Psychic tension is nervous energy and 'safely' means controlled, so TRUE.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/whats-so-funny/answers).

[Practice What's so funny?](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/whats-so-funny)