Cambridge 13 Reading Test 2 - Answers With Explanation

1. Cinnamon was "an ingredient mixed with oils for anointing people's bodies."

2. It was also "a token indicating friendship among lovers and friends."

3. "In ancient Rome, mourners attending funerals burnt cinnamon to create a pleasant scent."

4. At a banquet, offering guests a spice plate was "a sign of wealth."

5. "Cinnamon was also reported to have health benefits and was thought to cure various ailments, such as indigestion."

6. Arab merchants "took it from India, where it was grown."

7. They carried it "on camels via an overland route to the Mediterranean."

8. "Their journey ended when they reached Alexandria."

9. European traders "brought it back to Venice," from where it travelled on to the rest of Europe.

10. The Portuguese built their monopoly in 1518 and held it until the Dutch "broke the 150-year Portuguese monopoly" by 1640 — that spans the entire 16th century — TRUE.

11. The Dutch arrived "at the very beginning of the 17th century," but only "by 1640" did they break the Portuguese monopoly — decades later, not immediately — FALSE.

12. The passage says the Dutch began cultivating their own trees to supplement wild ones, but never compares the yields of the two — NOT GIVEN.

13. "The spice trade overall was diminishing in economic potential, and was eventually superseded by the rise of trade in coffee, tea, chocolate, and sugar" — FALSE.

14. Paragraph B reports that after a sniff of oxytocin, "people become more charitable, better at reading emotions... and at communicating constructively in arguments" — its beneficial effects.

15. Paragraph F explains oxytocin "is a very simple and ancient molecule that has been co-opted for many different functions," so "it's going to have many effects on just about everything" — why its effects are complex.

16. Heinrichs recalls: "'For eight years, it was quite a lonesome field.'" — a period of little scientific attention, found in paragraph B.

17. Paragraph E: "Where once researchers took no notice of such findings, now a more nuanced understanding of oxytocin's effects is propelling investigations down new lines" — researchers had ignored parts of their own data.

18. "Participants who had sniffed oxytocin via a nasal spray beforehand invested more money than those who received a placebo" — a sign of greater trust, from Heinrichs's study.

19. Shamay-Tsoory found that in a competitive game, oxytocin made people feel "more envy when others won" — increased jealousy.

20. Bartz found oxytocin "improves people's ability to read emotions, but only if they are not very socially adept to begin with," and "reduces cooperation" in anxious people — the effect depends on the person.

21. "It was through various studies focusing on animals that scientists first became aware of the influence of oxytocin."

22. "It is also released by women in childbirth, strengthening the attachment between mother and baby."

23. "Participants who had sniffed oxytocin via a nasal spray beforehand invested more money than those who received a placebo instead."

24. "When volunteers played a competitive game, those who inhaled the hormone showed more pleasure when they beat other players, and felt more envy when others won."

25. "People who had received a dose of oxytocin actually became less cooperative when dealing with complete strangers."

26. "Dutch men became quicker to associate positive words with Dutch names than with foreign ones."

27. "Managers often fail to recognise the less obvious but profound ways these trends are influencing consumers' aspirations, attitudes, and behaviours" — they miss the deeper impact of trends.

28. Coach avoided cutting prices because that "would have risked cheapening the brand's image" — protecting its reputation for luxury.

29. "Tesco has not abandoned its traditional retail offerings but augmented its business with these innovations" — the core business stayed the same.

30. "Spending resources to incorporate elements of a seemingly irrelevant trend into one's core offerings sounds like it is hardly worthwhile" — an approach with no obvious payoff at first glance.

31. The ME2 "catered to kids' huge desire to play video games while countering the negatives, such as associations with lack of exercise and obesity" — addressing health concerns through a handheld game.

32. "By reaffirming the toy category's association with physical play, the ME2 counteracted some of the widely perceived negative impacts of digital gaming devices" — iToys turned a criticism of gaming into a selling point.

33. "They teamed up with technology company Apple to launch Nike+" — a collaboration with another manufacturer.

34. Tesco customers "accumulate points for such activities as reusing bags, recycling cans... these green points can be redeemed for cash" — an incentive scheme.

35. Coach's research "revealed that customers were eager to lift themselves and the country out of tough times" — a positive attitude to hard times.

36. Nike combined its "reputation for high-performance athletic footwear" with "the digital revolution" — a lifestyle trend from outside the sportswear sector.

37. "Creating the sub-brand allowed Coach to avert an across-the-board price cut" — it kept its core product prices intact.

38. "Once you have gained perspective on how trend-related changes... impact on your category, you can determine which of our three innovation strategies to pursue."

39. "If aspects of the category clash with undesired outcomes of a trend... there is an opportunity to counteract those changes by reaffirming the core values of your category."

40. "If analysis reveals an increasing disparity between your category and consumers' new focus, your innovations need to transcend the category to integrate the two worlds."