Detecting Deception - IELTS Reading Answers

Practicing the single IELTS Reading passages like 'Detecting Deception IELTS Reading Answers' allows you to focus on one skill at a time, such as finding specific details, locating keywords, or recognizing paragraph structure. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all three passages at once, they allow you to divide your preparation into manageable steps and master each skill thoroughly.

Solve the questions with the passage ‘Detecting Deception IELTS Reading Answers’, check your answers against the provided location and explanations, and improve your performance in the reading module with the help of the given IELTS exam preparation tips for band score of 8+.

Passage for Detecting Deception IELTS Reading Answers

The following reading answers passage, ‘Detecting Deception’, provides useful practice for the IELTS reading test. Practicing this passage and focusing on similar IELTS Reading topics for General and Academic will greatly improve your ability to tackle a variety of reading passages.

Detecting Deception

A According to lay theory there exist three core basic signs for spotting liars. These are speaking quickly and excessive fluctuations in pitch of voice, the liar becoming fidgety and hesitant when questioned on detail, and failure to make eye-contact. There is nothing too perplexing about that. Yet, a good liar will be just as aware of these as the person they’re lying to and thus will ensure that eye contact especially is evident. Shifty eyes can indicate that someone is feeling emotional perhaps from a lie, or perhaps just from nerves as a result of lying. Of course, this does not apply to instances where eye contact is non-existent, like during a telephone conversation. Psychologist Paul Eckman states that extensive use of details can make lies more believable. But they can also often trip up the liar. If the details change or contradict each other, you should suspect you’re being had.

B There exists an intrinsic link between emotional connections and effective lying. The notion is that it is harder to lie to those whom we know well and care for. There are two reasons for this: firstly, those close to us are more aware of our mannerisms and behavioural patterns and can more readily detect our default lying techniques. The second reason is that people we don’t know lack the emotional response that people we are close to have regarding lying. Robert Galatzer-Levy, MD, a psychoanalyst in private practice, reasons that, “The good liar doesn’t feel bad or have a guilty conscience, so it’s much more difficult to pick up on cues that they are lying.” This is why it is apparently so easy for salesmen and politicians alike to lie so effortlessly.

C Recently a lot of politicians have been making outrageous claims about their ability to tell when a person is lying. Many lay people apparently believe that people can make a pretty good assessment of when a person is lying or not. Research illustrates, however, that nothing could be further from the truth.

D University of Maryland professor, Patricia Wallace, an expert on deception detection states, “Psychological research on deception shows that most of us are poor judges of truthfulness and this applies even to professionals such as police and customs inspectors whose jobs are supposed to include some expertise at lie detection.” She then goes on to describe two of the many experiments in the psychological research literature which support this contention.

E The first study was conducted in 1987 and looked at whether police officers could be trained to detect deceptive eye witness statements. They watched videotaped statements of witnesses, some of whom were truthful and others who were not. They were told to pay close attention to non-verbal cues, such as body movements and posture, gestures, and facial expressions. They were also instructed to pay attention to the tempo and pitch of voices. In the end, however, the officers did only slightly better than chance at determining whether the witnesses were being truthful. And the more confident the officer was of his or her judgment, the more likely he or she was to be wrong.

F Airline customs inspectors, whose very job is to try and determine suspiciousness and lying, and lay people were used in another experiment. The inspectors and lay people in this experiment weren’t given any specific training or instructions on what to look for. They were simply told to judge the truthfulness of mock inspection interviews viewed on videotape and determine whether the passenger was carrying contraband and lying about it. The “passengers” being interviewed were actually paid volunteers whose job it was to try and fool the inspectors. Neither lay people nor inspectors did much better than chance. When questioned about what types of signs they looked for to determine lying behavior, the inspectors and lay people relied largely on preconceived notions about liars in general: liars will give short answers, volunteer extra information, show poor eye contact and nervous movements and evade questions.

G What nearly all deception experiments have in common to date is that they use videotape instead of live people in their design. Some might argue that it is this very difference which politicians and others are trying to emphasize. This is that people can’t tell when people are lying on videotape but can when the person is there, live, in front of them. Without research teasing out these subtle differences, however, it would be a leap of logic to simply assume that something is missing in a videotaped interview. This is a seemingly baseless assumption. A person interviewed on videotape is very much live to the people doing the interviewing. It is simply a recording of a live event. While there may be differences, we simply don’t know that any indeed exist. Without that knowledge, anyone who claims to know is simply speaking from ignorance or prejudice.

H The conclusions from this research are obvious. Trained professionals and untrained lay people, in general, cannot tell when a person is lying. If you’ve known someone for years, your chances for detecting truthfulness are likely higher, but strangers trying to guess truthfulness in other strangers will do no better than chance in their accuracy.

Questions for Detecting Deception Reading Answers 

The ‘Detecting Deception’ is an IELTS Academic Reading passage with 13 questions. The question types in this reading passage include:

• IELTS Reading Yes, No, Not Given (Q. 15-20)
• IELTS Reading Sentence Completion (Q. 21-24) 
• IELTS Reading Short Answer Questions (Q. 25-27)

Questions 15 – 20

15 Tactics that liars use to trick people frequently give them away.

16 Good liars show less emotional response to the fact that they are lying.

17 In the two experiments described in the text, the police performed better than the airline customs inspectors.

18 The preparation for both experiments described in the text were very similar.

19 Not looking people in the eye was one technique used by the airline customs inspectors to help successfully spot liars.

20 Patricia Wallace has carried out at least two deception experiments.

Questions 21 – 24

21 It has been put forward that politicians use the ————- between speaking live and on television to help them fool people.

22 Liars are often ————- the things that people look for in liars.

23 Two vocal clues that policemen listened for in their experiment were ————-.

24 ————- were used to try and fool the airline customs inspectors and lay people.

Questions 25 – 27

25 Apart from television, what example does the text give of conversation when people don’t look each other in the eye?

26 Who has recently asserted that they can spot liars easily?

27 What is the similarity in most psychological lying research?

Answers for Detecting Deception with Location and Explanations

Now it is time to cross-check your answers using the answer key below for the Detecting Deception IELTS reading passage. Make sure to create strategies based on the feedback from this practice and master IELTS Reading question types with examples.

15 Answer: Yes

Question type: Yes/No/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 8 – line 10

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph A say that “Psychologist Paul Eckman states that extensive use of details can make lies more believable. But they can also often trip up the liar. If the details change or contradict each other, you should suspect you’re being had.” This suggests that tactics that liars use to trick people frequently give them away. Hence the answer is yes.

16 Answer: Yes

Question type: Yes/No/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 6 – line 8

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph B says that “The good liar doesn’t feel bad or have a guilty conscience, so it’s much more difficult to pick up on cues that they are lying.” This indicates that good liars show less emotional response to the fact that they are lying. Hence the answer is yes.

17 Answer: Not Given

Question type: Yes/No/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraphs E and F

Answer explanation: Paragraphs E and F talk about two experiments conducted with police inspectors and airline customs inspectors, two professions where lie detection is essential. However, it was concluded from these experiments that neither of the two groups was good at lie detection and they relied on conventional methods of spotting liars. However, it is not mentioned that the police performed better than the airline customs inspectors at lie detection. Hence the answer is not given

18 Answer: No

Question type: Yes/No/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraphs E and F

Answer explanation: In the experiment with police inspectors, they watched videotaped statements of witnesses, some of whom were truthful and others who were not. However, in the experiment with airline customs inspectors, the inspectors and lay people in this experiment weren’t given any specific training or instructions on what to look for. They were simply told to judge the truthfulness of mock inspection interviews viewed on videotape and determine whether the passenger was carrying contraband and lying about it. This indicates that the two experiments were different in nature. Hence the answer is no.

19 Answer: No

Question type: Yes/No/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 7 – line 10

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph F say that “When questioned about what types of signs they looked for to determine lying behaviour, the inspectors and lay people relied largely on preconceived notions about liars in general: liars will give short answers, volunteer extra information, show poor eye contact and nervous movements and evade questions.” This suggests that the inspectors used eye contact to detect liars. Hence the answer is no.

20 Answer: Not Given

Question type: Yes/No/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph D

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph D say that “University of Maryland professor, Patricia Wallace, an expert on deception detection states, “Psychological research on deception shows that most of us are poor judges of truthfulness and this applies even to professionals such as police and customs inspectors whose jobs are supposed to include some expertise at lie detection.” She then goes on to describe two of the many experiments in the psychological research literature which support this contention.” This suggests that Patricia Wallace describes two experiments on deception detection, but it is not mentioned that she conducted any experiments. Hence the answer is not given.

21 Answer: Subtle Differences

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 4 – line 6

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph G says that “Without research teasing out these subtle differences, however, it would be a leap of logic to simply assume that something is missing in a videotaped interview.” This suggests that politicians use the subtle differences between speaking live and on television to help fool people. Hence the answer is subtle differences.

22 Answer: Aware of

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 4 – line 5

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph A says that “Yet, a good liar will be just as aware of these as the person they’re lying to and thus will ensure that eye contact especially is evident.” This suggests that liars are often aware of the things that people look for in liars. Hence the answer is aware of.

23 Answer: tempo and pitch

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 4 – line 5

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph E says that “They were also instructed to pay attention to the tempo and pitch of voices.” This indicates that two vocal clues that policemen listened for in their experiment were tempo and pitch. Hence the answer is tempo and pitch.

24 Answer: paid volunteers

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 5 – line 6

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph F says that “The “passengers” being interviewed were actually paid volunteers whose job it was to try and fool the inspectors.” This clearly shows that paid volunteers were used to try and fool the airline customs inspectors and lay people. Hence the answer is paid volunteers.

25 Answer: telephone conversation

Question type: Short Answer Questions

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 6 – line 8

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph A says that “Of course, this does not apply to instances where eye contact is non-existent, like during a telephone conversation.” Thus the answer is a telephone conversation.

26 Answer: politicians

Question type: Short Answer Questions

Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1 – line 2

Answer explanation: The following line from Paragraph C says that “Recently a lot of politicians have been making outrageous claims about their ability to tell when a person is lying.” Hence the answer is politicians.

27 Answer: videotape

Question type: Short Answer Questions

Answer location: Paragraph E and F

Answer explanation: In both experiments that Paragraphs E (The first study was conducted in 1987 and looked at whether police officers could be trained to detect deceptive eye witness statements. They watched videotaped statements of witnesses… ) and F (Airline customs inspectors, whose very job is to try and determine suspiciousness and lying, and lay people were used in another experiment. … They were simply told to judge the truthfulness of mock inspection interviews viewed on videotape…) talked about, videotapes were used. Hence the answer is videotape.

Tips to Solve the Passage Question Types in the Detecting Deception IELTS Reading Answers 

Let us check out some quick IELTS Reading tips and techniques to increase your reading speed and overall comprehension to answer the passage question types in the IELTS Reading Answers of Detecting Deception.

Yes/No/Not Given

• Identify whether the question asks for opinion or fact: The instruction says ‘reflect the views of the writer’, so you must focus on the writer’s opinion, not just general facts. This means your answer depends on whether the writer agrees, contradicts, or does not mention the statement.
• Locate keywords and scan for matching ideas: Use phrases like ‘tactics that liars use’ (Q. 15) or ‘good liars show less emotional response’ (Q. 16) to find the relevant lines. Look for paraphrases, such as ‘trip up the liar’ matching ‘give them away’.
• Decide between YES and NO using meaning: If the passage supports the idea (e.g., liars being exposed by their tactics → Q. 15), choose YES. If the passage says the opposite (e.g., different preparation in experiments → Q. 18), choose NO.
• Choose NOT GIVEN only when information is missing: For Q. 17 (police performed better…), the passage mentions both groups but does not compare their performance. If there is no direct comparison or conclusion, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
• Avoid assumptions based on general knowledge: For example, Q. 20 (Patricia Wallace experiments) may seem logical, but the passage only says she describes experiments, not conducts them. Never infer beyond what is clearly stated.

Sentence Completion

• Identify key phrases in the sentence: Look at prompts like ‘between speaking live and on television’ (Q. 21) or ‘vocal clues… policemen listened for’ (Q. 23). These keywords guide you to the exact part of the passage.
• Predict the type of answer needed: For example, Q. 23 clearly requires two items (vocal clues), while Q. 21 requires a phrase describing a difference. Prediction helps you recognise the correct answer faster.
• Scan for paraphrased information: The passage may use phrases like ‘subtle differences’ instead of repeating the full question wording. Always match the idea, not the exact words.
• Copy words exactly from the passage: The instruction says “NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS”, so answers like ‘tempo and pitch’ must be written exactly. Do not change word forms or add extra words.
• Ensure the answer fits grammatically: Insert your answer into the sentence, e.g., ‘Liars are often ______ the things…’ (Q. 22). The phrase ‘aware of’ fits both grammatically and logically.
• Follow the order of the passage: Answers for Q. 21–24 appear in sequence in the text (Paragraphs A → G). This helps you move forward systematically without re-reading earlier sections.

Short Answer Type Questions

• Identify keywords and question focus: For example, ‘conversation when people don’t look each other in the eye’ (Q. 25) or ‘who has recently asserted…’ (Q. 26). This tells you whether to look for a situation, person, or concept.
• Scan for specific details like nouns or examples: Look for clear references such as ‘telephone conversation’ (Q. 25) or ‘politicians’ (Q. 26). These answers are often explicitly stated in the passage.
• Use surrounding context to confirm meaning: For Q. 27, both experiments mention ‘videotaped statements/interviews’, showing the common element. Always confirm that the answer matches the shared feature asked in the question.
• Follow the word limit instructions carefully: The instruction says “NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER”, so answers like ‘videotape’ must be concise. Exceeding the word limit will result in losing marks.
• Check that the answer fits the question grammatically: For example, ‘Who has recently asserted…?’ (Q. 26) requires a person (plural noun) like ‘politicians’. Ensure the answer matches both grammar and meaning.

Well done on completing the Detecting Deception IELTS Reading Answers! You need to improve your reading speed, understanding of questions, and information retrieval to achieve a high IELTS score. So, to crack IELTS Reading in the first go, try solving more of the recent IELTS Reading practice tests and work on your comprehension skills.

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