# Why some women cross the finish line ahead of men: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 4, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 1, Test 4, 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 | E | Sears said that this has halted progress for women in as much as delayering has taken place either where women are working or in layers they aspire to. |
| 15 | G | Organisations such as the European Women's Management Development Network provide a range of opportunities for women to enhance their skills and contacts. |
| 16 | A | while one in six men who appear on interview shortlists get jobs, the figure rises to one in four for women. |
| 17 | C | Women tend to research thoroughly before applying for positions or attending interviews. ... Men, on the other hand, seem to rely on their ability to sell themselves |
| 18 | F | Demographic trends suggest that the number of women going into employment is steadily increasing. ... making them better qualified to move into management positions. |
| 19 | D | This year the survey shows a doubling of the number of women serving as non-executive directors compared with the previous year. |
| 20 | C | It's still so hard for women to even get on to shortlists - there are so many hurdles and barriers. |
| 21 | B | Sears also noted a positive trend from the recession, which has been the growing number of women who have started up on their own. |
| 22 | A | significantly fewer women apply for senior positions in comparison with men. |
| 23 | B | Women have raised the level of grades we are employed in but we have still not broken through barriers to the top. |
| 24 | double | This year the survey shows a doubling of the number of women serving as non-executive directors compared with the previous year. |
| 25 | de-layering | In Europe a recent feature of corporate life in the recession has been the delayering of management structures. |
| 26 | demographic trends | Demographic trends suggest that the number of women going into employment is steadily increasing. |
| 27 | employers | Antal agreed that there have been some positive signs but said "Until there is a belief among employers |

## Why these answers are right

**14. E.** Company restructuring is a paraphrase of the delayering of management structures in paragraph E. Sears says this delayering has halted progress for women because it happens where they work or in the layers they hope to reach, which is the drawback the statement describes.

**15. G.** The statement asks where associations supporting professional women are discussed. Paragraph G names the European Women's Management Development Network and says such organizations offer women chances to build skills and contacts through workshops and conferences, so G is the match, with organizations paraphrased as associations.

**16. A.** You need the paragraph that gives the success rate of women applying for management jobs. Paragraph A reports that women have a higher success rate than men, with one in four shortlisted women getting jobs compared with one in six men, so A matches.

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