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READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 25 minutes on Questions 27-31,
which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
Charles Darwin [VOL 4]
Charles Darwin, the brilliant anthropologist and creator of
the theory of evolution, is not normally associated with the modern business
world. Nevertheless, Darwinian evolutionary theory is the foundation of a new
wave of ideas about human behaviour in general and particularly the way people
behave in the workplace; these ideas have given the title of evolutionary
psychology. Evolutionary psychology revolves around the notion that our brains,
like our bodies, have an inherited evolutionary design that has scarcely
changed for 10,000 years, as respected evolutionary psychology experts Leda
Cosmides and John Tooby comment, our modern skulls house a Stone Age mind. The
US biologist Edward O Wilson sees evolutionary psychology as being a discipline
which is based on both socio-biology, which is the study of the biological
basis of social behaviour, and psychology, which is the systematic study of
human behaviour.
Nigel Nicholson, an organisational psychologist from the
London Business School, is a strong supporter of evolutionary psychology and on
this subject has published Managing the Human Animal. His book takes the reader
on a journey from the Stone Age plains of the savannah to the modern office,
and includes a discussion of Darwinism and behavioural psychology together with
a dissection of dysfunctional organisational behaviour. It is an effective
approach explaining why people behave as they do, particularly at work.
Evolutionary psychology is increasingly being cited in management circles,
where managers are trying to understand puzzling aspects of human behaviour and
by doing so improve the workplace. Nicholson believes that evolutionary
psychology can help managers understand what goes wrong in organisational life
and what they can do about it.
Nicholson maintains that evolutionary psychology dismisses
the long-held assumption that our minds are like blank pages just waiting for
culture and experience to write on them and shape our nature. He points out
that sophisticated research shows the brain actually houses a store of
knowledge when we are born, and now genetic research is establishing there are
certain genes that account for abilities, tastes and tendencies. The stored
knowledge in the human brain has not changed much since the Stone Age. As Tooby
and Cosmides stress, there have not been enough generations for a brain that is
well adapted to our post-industrial life to evolve through natural selection.
The evolutionary psychology version of human nature revolves around some key
elements which we have inherited from our hunter-gatherer minds. One key
element is emotion. Emotion was originally essential to keep early man alive
and safe from predators. Emotion was, and continues to be our radar, guiding us
throughout today’s techno defined business world. Despite this, the business
world emphasises rational not emotional behaviour, and does not admit the
importance of emotion. We still use the emotional part of our minds to make
sense other people’s behaviour and to create an impression, so we can often be
taken in by appearances. This mental predisposition actually works best in
small communities (the tribe), not in much larger environments filled with
people we barely know (the modern workplace). Our minds naturally try to re-create
our ancestral communities with networks of no more than 150 people, where there
are clear hierarchies and leaders. As a consequence, it takes very little to
trigger people’s innate distrust of others because our safety in antiquity
depended on supporting our near family and friends whom we valued more than
other people.
So what advice does Nicholson have for the corporate world?
He thinks that by knowing the reasons for people’s behaviour it is possible to
mould corporate environments into places that have more chance of working
efficiently and being pleasant places to work in. Nicholson admits that not
everybody in the business world agrees with his belief in the effectiveness of
evolutionary psychology in the workplace. One group that resists the theory of
evolutionary psychology is young MBAgraduates who are just beginning their
careers and feel that evolutionary psychology will make their lives at work
more difficult. Older and wiser executives point out that they still tend to
cling to the idea of a magic formula to bring people into line with corporate
strategy. But that is back-to-front thinking according to Nicholson, who
contends that we should be reinventing our business structures, not our
fundamental human nature.
At the end of his book, Nicholson gives his forecast of what
will and will not change in the business world. He believes that most people
will still prefer more traditional forms of work and throughout their lives
will continue to aim at lifelong status advancement. He also maintains that the
line between work and home will be less defined, but that people will prefer
traditional working patterns if working from home leaves them isolated from
their work community. He doubts that the high-tech ideas of virtual companies
will ever be very successful because people will still want to meet each other
face-to-face. Nicholson describes his ideal organisation in the future: it
would be decentralized, with small sub-units: the staff would be from diverse
backgrounds and be allowed a high degree of self determination. New endeavours
and creativity would replace systems and rationality. Nicholson acknowledges
that there is a long way to go in terms of the translation of his ideas of
evolutionary psychology into practical propositions, but he is confident more
and more people will come round to his way of thinking.
Questions 27-31 Choose the correct letter A, B, C,
or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
27. The writer's purpose in the first paragraph is to
A. oppose the views of Charles Darwin
B. compare experts' opinions of Darwin's theory.
C. explain the theory of evolutionary psychology.
D. name experts in the field of evolutionary psychology.
28. In the third paragraph, which view about
evolutionary psychology matches Nicholson's opinion?
A. Our characters determine our career choices.
B. We begin life without any preconceived notions.
C. Our interests and skills depend on our environment.
D. We inherit ideas and characteristics from our ancestors.
29. The writer discusses the key element of emotion in
order to
A. criticise primitive survival strategies.
B. explain attitudes and actions at work.
C. demonstrate the slowness of evolution.
D. suggest companies today are poorly structured.
30. Which of the following does Nicholson predict will
happen in the business world?
A. Companies will remain in city centres.
B. Promotion will no longer motivate people.
C. Employees will be less independent than now.
D. Social interaction will remain important to workers.
31. Which of the following is the most suitable title for
Reading Passage 3?
A. How successful companies manage change.
B. Understanding the origins of workplace behaviour.
C. Darwin’s theories rejected by modern management.
D. Why post-industrial organisations need to evolve more
quickly.
Questions 32 – 35 Do the following statements
agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet, write:
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the
writer
NO if the statement contradicts with the claims of
the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer
thinks about this
32. Nicholson makes a persuasive argument in his book.
33. Tooby and Cosmides believe natural selection
through the generations has prepared.
34. Ourreliance on technology causes emotional problems
in the workplace
35. People today are more trusting than they used to be.
Questions 36 - 40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I,
below.
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 36-40 on
your answer sheet.
Nicholson's advice to the corporate world
Nicholson believes that if we know why people act the way
they do, we can 36______ employees will work more efficiently. Nicholson
37______ but some executives are more open to what evolutionary
psychology says. However, these executives still believe that there is a 38______
that will make employees act according to the company's practices. According to
Nicholson, we should change our 39______ business environments, not our
fundamental 40______.
|
A acknowledge
D strategy G corporate B rejects
E formula H understand C evolution
F structure I nature |
✅ QUESTIONS 27–31 (Multiple Choice)
27. C – explain the theory of evolutionary psychology
Location:
Paragraph 1 explains the meaning of evolutionary psychology:
“Evolutionary psychology revolves around the notion…”
“…our modern skulls house a Stone Age mind.”
→ The purpose is to explain the theory, not list names or oppose Darwin.
28. D – We inherit ideas and characteristics from our ancestors.
Location (Para 3):
“…the brain actually houses a store of knowledge when we are born…”
“…there are certain genes that account for abilities, tastes and tendencies.”
→ Nicholson says we’re born with inherited knowledge, not blank pages.
29. B – explain attitudes and actions at work
Location (Para 4):
“Emotion was originally essential…”
“We still use the emotional part of our minds…”
“This predisposition… works best in small communities… not the modern workplace.”
→ Emotion explains behaviour in today’s workplace.
30. D – Social interaction will remain important to workers
Location (Para 6):
“…people will prefer traditional working patterns if working from home leaves them isolated.”
“…virtual companies will never be very successful because people still want to meet face-to-face.”
→ Workers will still want face-to-face interaction.
31. B – Understanding the origins of workplace behaviour
Location:
The whole passage links Stone Age psychology → modern workplace behaviour, e.g.:
“…explain why people behave as they do, particularly at work.”
→ The BEST overall title.
✅ QUESTIONS 32–35 (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)
32. Nicholson makes a persuasive argument in his book.
❌ NOT GIVEN
Location:
The passage does not judge the quality or persuasiveness of his argument.
It only says he is a “strong supporter” and describes his ideas.
33. Tooby and Cosmides believe natural selection… has prepared us for post-industrial life.
❌ NO
Location:
“…there have not been enough generations for a brain that is well adapted to our post-industrial life to evolve…”
→ They believe the opposite.
34. Our reliance on technology causes emotional problems in the workplace.
❌ NOT GIVEN
Location:
Technology is mentioned (e.g., “techno-defined business world”), but never linked directly to emotional problems.
35. People today are more trusting than they used to be.
❌ NO
Location:
“…it takes very little to trigger people’s innate distrust of others…”
→ People still have innate distrust, not more trust.
✅ QUESTIONS 36–40 (Summary Completion)
Use the word list: A-I
36. H – understand
Location:
“…by knowing the reasons for people’s behaviour it is possible to mould corporate environments…”
→ Knowing → understanding.
37. B – rejects
Location:
“Nicholson admits that not everybody in the business world agrees…”
→ He rejects others’ views; they reject his.
38. E – formula
Location:
“…they still tend to cling to the idea of a magic formula to bring people into line…”
39. F – structure
Location:
“…we should be reinventing our business structures, not our fundamental human nature.”
40. I – nature
Location:
Same sentence:
“…not our fundamental human nature.”
🎉 FINAL ANSWER KEY
| Q | Answer |
|---|---|
| 27 | C |
| 28 | D |
| 29 | B |
| 30 | D |
| 31 | B |
| 32 | NOT GIVEN |
| 33 | NO |
| 34 | NOT GIVEN |
| 35 | NO |
| 36 | H |
| 37 | B |
| 38 | E |
| 39 | F |
| 40 | I |
PASSWORD: IELTS3
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