Opinions and Attitudes
In this unit you will practise:
- recognising positive and negative tone
- distinguishing views from claims
- answering Yes / No / Not Given tasks
- using grammar to complete summaries
1. Argumentative texts
The most difficult and complex texts are in Reading Section 3. These passages may feature arguments for or against a specific idea or theory. Or, they may present a discussion of different arguments. In texts like this, it is important to be aware of the writer's overall tone. A writer's choice of words often indicates their attitude towards a topic.
Practice 1.1
Put the adjectives into the correct column, to show whether they suggest a positive or negative tone.
positive
negative
Practice 1.2
Spend two minutes skim reading the following passage to get the main ideas. Then read it again and notice adjectives that indicate a personal opinion or attitude.
Living with Mies
Lafayette Park is a group of modernist townhouses in the US designed by the architect Mies van der Rohe.
Lafayette Park is an enclave of single- and two-storey modernist townhouses in Detroit. Like hundreds of developments nationwide, it was the result of post-war urban renewal. But unlike most postwar urban renewal projects, it had a trio of world-class designers behind it: Ludwig Hilberseimer as urban planner, Alfred Caldwell as landscape designer, and Mies van der Rohe as architect.
The site was originally part of Black Bottom, a poor but culturally important neighbourhood close to the centre of Detroit. The old streets were cleared for redevelopment, and the new townhouses were built between 1958 and 1962. While much of Detroit began a steep decline soon after, Lafayette Park stayed afloat. It is economically stable, despite the fact that Detroit has suffered enormous population loss.
One reason is that the people who live there tend to be unusually settled. Residents often stay for many years, and some families have occupied the same homes for decades. They have an abundance of beautiful housing options, but many have a surprisingly neutral attitude towards the architecture. Some admire Mies van der Rohe's reputation; others simply enjoy the space, light and quiet.
Indeed, the beauty of the townhouses is not always obvious from the outside. There is a kind of austere uniformity to the buildings when viewed from the street. Some visitors find them severe or unappealing, but residents appreciate interiors that function as blank canvases for a variety of decorating styles.
The townhouses are famous, but they do not behave like museum pieces. Owners and tenants adapt them to suit ordinary life: bookshelves, plants, children, workspaces and inherited furniture sit against the clean lines of the original design. The best design does not force a personality on its residents. Instead, it helps them bring out their own.
2. Identifying the writer's views/claims
In Yes / No / Not Given tasks, you will be asked whether the statements in the questions match the views or claims of the writer. A view is a personal opinion. A claim is a statement made by the writer and presented as a fact.
Practice 2.1
Look at these extracts and decide whether they are views or claims.
Like hundreds of developments nationwide, they were the result of post-war urban renewal.
While much of Detroit began a steep decline soon after, Lafayette Park stayed afloat.
Detroit has an abundance of beautiful housing options.
There is a kind of austere uniformity to the Lafayette Park townhouses when viewed from the outside.
Indeed, the best design does not force a personality on its residents.
Practice 2.2
Choose YES if the statement agrees with the views or claims in the passage, NO if it contradicts the writer, and NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say.
It is the era in which Lafayette Park was developed that makes it special.
Since 1962, many people have moved away from Detroit.
Mies van der Rohe's designs influenced other architects in Detroit.
The exterior of each building in Lafayette Park has a distinct style.
Good architecture allows its occupants to reveal their identity.
Practice 2.3
For each answer in 2.2, give supporting evidence, correct the statement, or explain what the passage does not tell you.
3. Identifying grammatical features
There are two types of summary completion tasks: one with a box of possible answers, and one without a box, where you need to choose word/s from the passage to complete the summary. With a box of possible answers, the options may be actual words from the passage, or synonyms of words in the passage.
Test Tip A summary is different from a set of notes, because it consists of complete sentences that are connected together grammatically. Decide what type of word is needed, locate the relevant part of the passage, then choose the word or phrase that accurately fills each gap.
Practice 3.1
Look at the box of possible answers A-F and decide what type of word each one is.
A settled
B adapt
C neutral
D poor
E afford
F strongly
Practice 3.2
Read the summary below and decide what type of word you need for gaps 1-4.
The residents of Lafayette Park
Lafayette Park was originally quite a 1 __________ area of Detroit. Nowadays, the area is unusual because its residents are more 2 __________ than those in other areas of the city. In general, the residents of Lafayette Park feel quite 3 __________ about the famous architecture they live in. But the residents do appreciate the fact that they can 4 __________ the townhouses and make them their own.
Practice 3.3
Read the relevant part of the passage in 1.2 and complete the summary using the list of words A-F in 3.1.
The residents of Lafayette Park
Lafayette Park was originally quite a 1 area of Detroit. Nowadays, the area is unusual because its residents are more 2 than those in other areas of the city. In general, the residents of Lafayette Park feel quite 3 about the famous architecture they live in. But the residents do appreciate the fact that they can 4 the townhouses and make them their own.
For summary completion tasks without a box of answers, consider the grammatical features of the summary and choose words from the text that accurately complete it.
Test Tip Use the title of the summary to help you find the part of the passage you need to read in detail to find your answers.
Practice 3.4
Skim read this passage to understand the main points.
Meerkat study
Dr Alex Thornton from the University of Cambridge recently led a study into meerkat society. Meerkats are highly social mongooses that live in large social groups and take turns foraging for food and standing guard to look out for predators. Research has shown that the animals have their own traditions within their group. For example, while members of one meerkat troop will consistently rise very early, those of another will emerge from their burrows much later in the morning.
In an attempt to assess whether meerkats simply copy these behavior patterns or are taught them, Thornton and his team travelled to the Kalahari Desert and set a series of tests for a group in the wild. One test involved putting a scorpion into a transparent container. The meerkats had to work out how to open the opaque lid of the container in order to reach the scorpion inside. The tests showed that the more subordinate juvenile members of meerkat troops are the most innovative when it comes to foraging; these low-ranking males were best at solving problems and obtaining the treat. However, Dr Thornton conceded that the meerkats did not ever appear to work out that it was the opaque surface of the box that they should attack in preference to the transparent ones. So this may simply be evidence of persistence rather than actual intelligence.
Practice 3.5
Look at this summary completion task. What types of word will you need to fill in the gaps?
A recent study at Cambridge University discovered that different meerkat groups 1 __________ at different times of the day. This demonstrates that each group has distinct customs. They also learned that young, male meerkats were more 2 __________ than other members of their social groups when it came to problem solving. The researchers conducted an experiment where the meerkats had to try to open a container. If they did, they were rewarded with a 3 __________. However, they also found that the meerkats never learned that it was the 4 __________ part of the container that they needed to open.
Practice 3.6
Read the text in 3.4 carefully and choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text to complete each answer in the summary.
A recent study at Cambridge University discovered that different meerkat groups 1 at different times of the day. This demonstrates that each group has distinct customs. They also learned that young, male meerkats were more 2 than other members of their social groups when it came to problem solving. The researchers conducted an experiment where the meerkats had to try to open a container. If they did, they were rewarded with a 3. However, they also found that the meerkats never learned that it was the 4 part of the container that they needed to open.
Test Tip For any questions where you need to write words from the passage, a hyphenated word counts as one word.