IELTS Reading Practice Test - Answers with Detailed Explanations

Answers for the Deafhood practice test with explanations are given in this post. Check the answers first in the following table.

1. C	5. E	9. A	13. Official Recognition
2. D	6. B	10. C
3. A	7. F	11. Natural Language
4. G	8. C	12. Eugenicists

 

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We have provided the Deafhood reading passage. Read the passage and answer all the questions (1-13) in 20 minutes.

Deafhood

A. At this point, you might be wondering: what does ‘deafhood’ mean? Is it a synonym for ‘deafness’? Is it a slightly more politically correct term to express the very same concept you’ve grown accustomed to-a person who lacks the power of hearing, or a person whose hearing is impaired? What’s wrong with terms like ‘hard of hearing’ or ‘deafness’? Have they not represented the deaf community just fine for the past few centuries? Who came up with the term ‘Deafhood’ anyway, and why?

B. The term ‘Deafhood’ was first coined in 1993 by Dr Paddy Ladd, a deaf scholar in the Deaf Studies Department at the University of Bristol in England. First explored through his doctoral dissertation in 1998, and later elaborated on in his 2003 book, ‘Understanding Deaf Culture – In Search of Deafhood‘, the idea behind Deafhood is twofold: first, it seeks to collect everything that is already known about the life, culture, politics, etc. of Sign Language Peoples (SLPs); secondly, it attempts to remove the limitations imposed on SLPs through their colonization from hearing people.

C. In order to understand what Deafhood represents, it’s first important to understand what is meant by colonisation. To do that, we need to examine two terms: Oralism and Audism. Oralism is a philosophy that first emerged in the late 19th century, and which suggests that reduced use of sign language would be more beneficial to SLPs, as it would allow them to integrate better to the hearing world. In that respect, sign language is dismissively regarded as a mere obstacle to listening skills and acquisition of speech-treated, in effect, in the same manner as the languages of other peoples who were oppressed and colonised, e.g. the Maori in New Zealand, or the Aborigines in Australia. Audism, however, is an even more sinister ideology: first coined in 1975 by Dr Tom Humphries of the University of California in San Diego, it describes the belief that deaf people are somehow inferior to hearing people, and that deafhood – or, in this case, we should say ‘deafness’ – is a flaw, a terrible disability that needs to be eliminated. It is the effect of these two ideologies that Deafhood seeks to counter, by presenting SLPs in a positive light, not as patients who require treatment.

D. But even if we understand the oppression that SLPs have suffered at the hands of hearing people since the late 1800s, and even if we acknowledge that ‘deafness’ is a medical term with negative connotations that need to be replaced, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to explain what the term Deafhood represents exactly. This is because Deafhood is, as Dr Donald Grushkin puts it, a ‘physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, cultural and linguistic’ journey that every deaf person is invited-but not obligated-to embark on.

E. Deafhood is essentially a search for understanding: what does being ‘Deaf’ mean? How did deaf people in the past define themselves, and what did they believe to be their reasons for existing before Audism was conceived? Why are some people born deaf? Are they biologically defective, or are there more positive reasons for their existence? What do terms like ‘Deaf Art’ or ‘Deaf Culture’ actually mean? What is ‘the Deaf Way’ or doing things? True Deafhood is achieved when a deaf person feels comfortable with who they are and connected to the rest of the deaf community through use of their natural language, but the journey there might differ.

F. Aside from all those questions, however, Deafhood also seeks to counter the effect of what is known as ‘neo-eugenics’. Neo-eugenics, as described by Patrick Boudreault at the 2005 California Association of the Deaf Conference, is a modern manifestation of what has traditionally been defined as ‘eugenics’, i.e. an attempt to eradicate any human characteristics which are perceived as negative. Deaf people have previously been a target of eugenicists through the aforementioned ideologies of Audism and Oralism, but recent developments in science and society-such as cochlear implants or genetic engineering-mean that Deafhood is once again under threat, and needs to be protected. The only way to do this is by celebrating the community’s history, language, and countless contributions to the world, and confronting those who want to see it gone.

G. So, how do we go forward? We should start by decolonising SLPs-by embracing Deafhood for what it is, removing all the negative connotations that surround it and accepting that deaf people are neither broken nor incomplete. This is a task not just for hearing people, but for deaf people as well, who have for decades internalised society’s unfavourable views of them. We should also seek recognition of the deaf community’s accomplishments, as well as official recognition of sign languages around the world by their respective governments. Effectively, what we should do is ask ourselves: how would the Deaf community be like, had it never been colonised by the mainstream world? And whatever it is it would be like, we should all together-hearing and Deaf alike-strive to achieve it.

Questions

Questions 1-7

The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
 
List of Headings

i.  Teens are increasingly urged to conform

ii.  The dystopian model scrutinized

iii.  Dystopian novels now focus on climate change

iv.  The original dystopias

v.  Dystopian literature’s accomplishments will outlive it

vi.  A score of dystopian novels has taken over YA shelves

vii.  The roots of dystopia can be found in teenage experiences

viii.  Dystopia is already dead

ix.  Dystopias promote ethical thinking

1. Paragraph A - ____
2. Paragraph B - ____
3. Paragraph C - ____
4. Paragraph D - ____
5. Paragraph E - ____
6. Paragraph F - ____
7. Paragraph G - ____

Questions 8-10

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
Write your answers in boxes 8-10 on your answer sheet.
 
8. According to Dr. Paddy Ladd, Deafhood

1. is a more appropriate term than ‘hard of hearing’.
2. doesn’t colonize SLPs as much as ‘deafness’ does.
3. strives to get rid of the effects of colonization.
4. contributes positively to the life and culture of deaf people.

9. Oralism suggests that

1. SLPs have no use for sign language.
2. SLPs don’t belong in the hearing world.
3. hearing people are superior to SLPs.
4. SLPs are unable to acquire speech.

10. Aborigines in Australia are similar to deaf people because

1. eugenicists also tried to eradicate them.
2. They were also considered inferior by their oppressors.
3. their languages were also disrespected.
4. their languages were also colonized.

Questions 11-13

Answer the questions below with words taken from Reading Passage.
Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
 
11. What should deaf people use to communicate with each other, according to deafhood? - __________

12. Who has used oralism and audism to attack the deaf community? - __________

13. What does the deaf community strive to achieve for sign language worldwide? - __________

Answers for Deafhood with Explanations

Check Deafhood reading answers with explanations below.

(Note: The text in Bold mentions the location and keywords for the justification. The lines in italics show the referring lines of the passage.)

1. Answer: C

Explanation: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line of paragraph C mentions that To do that, we need to examine two terms: Oralism and Audism. Oralism is a philosophy that first emerged in the late 19th century, suggesting that reduced use of sign language would be more beneficial to SLPs, as it would allow them to integrate better into the hearing world. In that respect, sign language is dismissively regarded as a mere obstacle to listening skills and acquisition of speech-treated, in effect, in the same manner as the languages of other peoples who were oppressed and colonized, e.g. the Maori in New Zealand, or the Aborigines in Australia. 

2. Answer: D

Explanation: 2nd line of paragraph D explains that This is because Deafhood is, as Dr. Donald Grushkin puts it, a ‘physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, cultural and linguistic’ journey that every deaf person is invited-but not obligated to embark on.

3. Answer: A

Explanation: The whole paragraph A cites that At this point, you might be wondering: what does ‘deafhood’ mean? Is it a synonym for ‘deafness’? Is it a slightly more politically correct term to express the very same concept you’ve grown accustomed to regarding a person who lacks the power of hearing or a person whose hearing is impaired? What’s wrong with terms like ‘hard of hearing’ or ‘deafness’? Have they not represented the deaf community just fine for the past few centuries? Who came up with the term ‘Deafhood’ anyway, and why?

4. Answer: G

Explanation: 3rd line of paragraph G describes that This is a task not just for hearing people, but for deaf people as well, who have for decades internalized society’s unfavorable views of them. 

5. Answer: E

Explanation: The last line of paragraph E narrates that True Deafhood is achieved when a deaf person feels comfortable with who they are and connected to the rest of the deaf community through the use of their natural language, but the journey there might differ.

6. Answer: B

Explanation: 1st line of paragraph B states that The term ‘Deafhood’ was first coined in 1993 by Dr. Paddy Ladd, a deaf scholar in the Deaf Studies Department at the University of Bristol in England. 

7. Answer: F

Explanation: 3rd line of paragraph F proves that Deaf people have previously been a target of eugenicists through the aforementioned ideologies of Audism and Oralism, but recent developments in science and society-such as cochlear implants or genetic engineering mean that Deafhood is once again under threat, and needs to be protected.

8. Answer: F

Explanation: 2nd line of paragraph B depicts that First explored through his doctoral dissertation in 1998, and later elaborated on in his 2003 book, ‘Understanding Deaf Culture – In Search of Deafhood‘, the idea behind Deafhood is twofold: first, it seeks to collect everything that is already known about life, culture, politics, etc. of Sign Language Peoples (SLPs); secondly, it attempts to remove the limitations imposed on SLPs through their colonization from hearing people.

9. Answer: A

Explanation: 3rd line of paragraph C justifies that Oralism is a philosophy that first emerged in the late 19th century, suggesting that reduced use of sign language would be more beneficial to SLPs, as it would allow them to integrate better into the hearing world.

10. Answer: C

Explanation: 4th line of paragraph C represents that In that respect, sign language is dismissively regarded as a mere obstacle to listening skills and acquisition of speech-treated, in effect, in the same manner as the languages of other peoples who were oppressed and colonized, e.g. the Maori in New Zealand, or the Aborigines in Australia.

11. Answer: Natural Language

Explanation: The last line of paragraph E notifies that True Deafhood is achieved when a deaf person feels comfortable with who they are and connected to the rest of the deaf community through the use of their natural language, but the journey there might differ.

12. Answer: Eugenicists

Explanation: 3rd line of paragraph F says that Deaf people have previously been a target of eugenicists through the aforementioned ideologies of Audism and Oralism, but recent developments in science and society-such as cochlear implants or genetic engineering mean that Deafhood is once again under threat, and needs to be protected.

13. Answer: Official Recognition

Explanation: 4th line of paragraph G tells that We should also seek recognition of the deaf community’s accomplishments, as well as official recognition of sign languages around the world by their respective governments.

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