TEST 3
61
Reading (
3
)
Reading Passage
7
Recalling it
A
Memory and recollection vary from person to person. Take three average citizens
with a similar degree of honesty and integrity and ask them to make a statement
concerning a bank raid that they all witnessed. Whilst the three statements will
contain a fair degree of concurrence, there will also be areas of dissimilarity. When
a person observes an event, not only are cognitive (or thinking)
powers involved
but also emotions are involved, especially when the incident observed is of an
unpleasant nature.
B
In our primitive ancestors, emotional stress had a survival value. It prepared us to
face or flee a danger (‘flight or fight’ syndrome). Today’s stressors are more likely
to be perceived threats to an individual’s wellbeing and selfesteem rather than
actual threats to survival. However,
any stressful situation, real or apparent, can
trigger many of the same effects, for example, increased blood pressure, heart rate
and anxiety.
C
‘Preexam nerves’ is an anxiety state experienced by candidates prior to an
examination. It is perfectly natural to feel apprehensive about an important test.
Negative thoughts disappear quickly when the candidate makes a promising start.
On the other hand, a poor start increases the stress felt by the individual who can
then experience a ‘retrieval failure’. In this circumstance the information is held in
the memory but cannot be accessed. The knowledge has been forgotten temporarily
to remain on the ‘tipof thetongue’. In intensely stressful situations, panic sets in and
the relevant knowledge becomes blocked out completely by thoughts of failure.
D
The ability to cope with stress is influenced by personality (way of thinking and
behaving)
and social circumstances, so what one person finds stressful another
may find stimulating. Managing your own stress depends in part upon becoming
aware of what your own particular stressors are. You can then confront each situation
and try to change it and/or change your thoughts and emotional reactions to the
stressor, so as to lessen its impact. Emotional support from family,
friends and
work colleagues leads to an improvement in coping with longterm stress. When
confronted with a potentially stressful examination, one solution is to sit back, take a
few deep breaths and relax to steady the nerves. Relaxation techniques will improve
HOW TO MASTER THE IELTS
62
the memory but they cannot help a candidate to retrieve knowledge that they
have yet to acquire. In this respect, shortterm memory improves if you repeat new
information to yourself several times, learning by rote.
E
Clear and precise information is required when giving instructions. How often, in an
unfamiliar district, has the reader stopped a passing stranger for simple and clear
directions? How often also have the replies been unclear, rambling accompanied by
wild gesticulations? The route may be clear in the eye of the director but the message
is lost if salient points are either omitted or out of sequence. Accurate recall of past
events is facilitated by notetaking and in particular by placing information under the
headings: who, what, where, when and how. When information is classified under
these headings it acts as a cue that enables the reader to construct partial images of
previous events or to recall details that might otherwise be overlooked. It is important
not to confuse facts with opinions and to clearly preface opinions with ‘I believe’,
‘I think’, ‘In my view’ or similar words. Memories can
be triggered from several
sources and it is useful to include both visual and verbal aids when revising for an
examination. Revision tools include spider diagrams that expand on a central idea,
coloured highlighting of related topics, flash cards with questions and answers, as
well as mnemonic devices (small rhymes), such as ‘I before e except after c’, that
aid spelling, for example.
F
Nerves play a big part in public speaking. Despite this, an impromptu speech can
be delivered effectively if the speaker is knowledgeable in the subject matter and
sounds enthusiastic. Slide presentations are a popular means of delivering a speech.
Typically, a 15minute talk can be linked to a sequence of 30 slides, lasting 30
seconds on average. Each slide contains a few key elements that serve to cue the
memory towards the necessary detail. It is essential to make a solid start, in which
case it is advisable to memorize the opening lines of the speech by practising it out
loud several times. The slides should link naturally so that the talk never sounds
stilted. It is not necessary to memorize the speech word for word. All that is necessary
is for the speaker to be familiar with the content of the
slide and to develop the
speech from the key words. It is advisable to record the speech on a dictaphone and
then to play it back to check the continuity and duration.
