Atlan IELTS Mock Test

Section D

Interest in hemispheres dates back to at least 1836.That year, at

amedicalconference,Frenchphysician Marc Dax reported on an unusual commonality among his patients. During his many years as a country doctor, Dax had encountered more than 40 men and women for whom speech was difficult, the result of some kind of brain damage. What was unique was that every individual suffered damage to the left side of the brain. At the conference, Dax elaborated on his theory, stating that each half of the brain was responsible for certain functions and that the left hemisphere controlled speech. Other experts showed little interest in the Frenchman's ideas.

Over time, however, scientists found more and more evidence of people experiencing speech difficulties following injury to the left brain, Patients with damage to the right hemisphere most often displayed disruptions in perception or concentration. Major advancements in understanding the brain’s asymmetry were made in the 1960s as a result of so-called split-brain surgery, developed to help patients with epilepsy. During this operation, doctors severed the corpus callosum — the nerve bundle that connects the two hemispheres. The surgical cut also stopped almost all normal communication between the two hemispheres,which offered researchers the opportunity to investigate each side’s activity. Section E

In 1949 neurosurgeon Juhn Wada devised the first test to provide access to the brain's functional organization of language. By injecting an anesthetic into the right or left carotid artery, Wada temporarily paralyzed one side of a healthy brain, enabling him to more closely study the other side's capabilities. Based on this approach, Brenda Milner and the late Theodore Rasmussen of the Montreal Neurological Institute published a major study in 1975 that confirmed the theory that country doctor Dax had formulated nearly 140 years earlier: in 96 percent of right-handed people, language is processed much more intensely in the left hemisphere.The correlation is not as clear in lefties, however. For two thirds of them, the left hemisphere is still the most active language processor. But for the remaining third, either the right side is dominant or both sides work equally, controlling different language functions.

That last statistic has slowed acceptance of the notion that the predominance of right- handedness is driven by left-hemisphere dominance in language processing. It is not at all clear why language control should somehow have dragged the control of body movement with it.Some experts think one reason the left hemisphere reigns over language is because the organs of speech processing — the larynx and tongue — are positioned on the bod’s symmetry axis. Because these structures were centered, it may have been unclear, in evolutionary terms, which side of the brain should control them, and it seems unlikely that shared operation would result in smooth motor activity.

Language and handedness could have developed preferentially for very different reasons as well. For example, some researchers, including evolutionary psychologist Michael C, Corballis of the University of Auckland In New Zealand, think that the origin of human speech lies in gestures. Gestures predated words and helped language emerge. If the left hemisphere began to dominate speech, it would have dominated gestures, too, and because the left brain controls the right side of

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Atlan IELTS Mock Test

the body, the right hand developed more strongly. Section F

Perhaps we will know more soon. In the meantime, we can revel in what, if any, differences handedness brings to our human talents. Popular wisdom says right-handed, left-brained people excel at logical, analytical thinking. Left-handed, right-brained individuals are thoughtto possess more creative skills and may be better at combining the functional featuresemergent in both sides of the brain. Yet some neuroscientists see such claims as pure speculation. Fewer scientists are ready to claim that left-handedness means greater creative potential.Yet lefties are prevalent among artists, composers and the generally acknowledged great political thinkers. Possibly if these individuals are among the lefties whose language abilities are evenly distributed between hemispheres, the intense interplay required could lead to unusual mental capabilities. Section G

Or perhaps some lefties become highly creative simply because they must be cleverer to get by in our right-handed world. This battle, which begins during the very early stages of childhood, may lay the groundwork for exceptional achievements.

Questions 28-32

Reading Passage 3 has seven sections from A-G,Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A—G, in boxes 28—32 on your answer sheet

NB You may use any letter more than once

28 29 30 31 32

phenomenon of using one side of their body for animals statistics on rate of one-handedness born

the age when the preference of using one hand is fixed great talents of occupations in left-handed population earliest record of researching hemisphere’s function

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Atlan IELTS Mock Test

Questions 33-36

Look at the following researchers and the list offindings below Match each researcher with the correct finding.

List of Researchers A Brenda Milner B Marian Annett C Peter Hepper D MichaleCorballis

33 34 35 36

Ancient language evolution is connected to body gesture and therefore influences handedness. A child handedness is not determined by just biological factors.

Language process is generally undergoing in the left-hemisphere of the brain.

The rate of development of one side of the body has influence on hemisphere preferencein fetus.

Questions 37-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 37—40 on your answer sheet, write YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer NOif the statement contradicts the claims of the writer NOT GIVENif it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

37 The study of twins shows that genetic determination is not the only factor for left handedness. 38 The number of men with left-handedness is larger than that of women . 39 Marc Dax’s report was widely recognized in his time.

40Juhn Wada based his findings on his research of people with language problems.

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