Daydreaming Reading Answers: The IELTS Reading section often features passages on psychology, behaviour, and human cognition. "Daydreaming" is one such topic. This passage explores the concept of daydreaming, how it differs from dreaming, its benefits, and its perception across cultures. Understanding such themes is essential for achieving high scores in IELTS Reading.
Here, you will find Daydreaming Reading Answers with clear explanations to typical IELTS question types, including True/False/Not Given, Summary Completion, and Multiple Choice. These model answers and strategies will help you improve your accuracy, save time, and approach the IELTS Reading more confidently.
Free IELTS Reading Practice Tests
Daydreaming Reading Answers Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on questions 1-14, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Daydreaming
Everyone daydreams sometimes. We sit or lie down, close our eyes and use our imagination to think about something that might happen in the future or could have happened in the past. Most daydreaming is pleasant. We would like the daydream to happen and we would be very happy if it did actually happen. We might daydream that we are in another person’s place, or doing something that we have always wanted to do, or that other people like or admire us much more than they normally do.
Daydreams are not dreams, because we can only daydream if we are awake. Also, we choose what our daydreams will be about, which we cannot usually do with dreams. With many daydreams, we know that what we imagine is unlikely to happen. At least, if it does happen, it probably will not do so in the way we want it to. However, some daydreams are about things that are likely to happen. With these, our daydreams often help us to work out what we want to do, or how to do it to get the best results. So, these daydreams are helpful. We use our imagination to help us understand the world and other people.
Daydreams can help people to be creative. People in creative or artistic careers, such as composers, novelists and filmmakers, develop new ideas through daydreaming. This is also true of research scientists and mathematicians. In fact, Albert Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited whereas imagination is not.
Research in the 1980s showed that most daydreams are about ordinary, everyday events. It also showed that over 75% of workers in so-called ‘boring jobs’, such as lorry drivers and security guards, spend a lot of time daydreaming in order to make their time at work more interesting. Recent research has also shown that daydreaming has a positive effect on the brain. Experiments with MRI brain scans show that the parts of the brain linked with complex problem-solving are more active during daydreaming. Researchers conclude that daydreaming is an activity in which the brain consolidates learning. In this respect, daydreaming is the same as dreaming during sleep.
Although there do seem to be many advantages with daydreaming, in many cultures it is considered a bad thing to do. One reason for this is that when you are daydreaming, you are not working. In the 19th century, for example, people who daydreamed a lot were judged to be lazy. This happened in particular when people started working in factories on assembly lines. When you work on an assembly line, all you do is one small task again and again, every time exactly the same. It is rather repetitive and, obviously, you cannot be creative. So many people decided that there was no benefit in daydreaming.
Other people have said that daydreaming leads to ‘escapism’ and that this is not healthy, either. Escapist people spend a lot of time living in a dream world in which they are successful and popular, instead of trying to deal with the problems they face in the real world. Such people often seem to be unhappy and are unable or unwilling to improve their daily lives. Indeed, recent studies show that people who often daydream have fewer close friends than other people. In fact, they often do not have any close friends at all.
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Daydreaming Reading Answers Sample Questions with Explanations
Questions 1–8: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage?
1. Most daydreams are about things that happened in the past.
Answer: False
Explanation: The passage states, "We use our imagination to think about something that might happen in the future or could have happened in the past." This means not most but some are about the past.
2. Daydreams and night dreams are the same.
Answer: False
Explanation: It clearly says, "Daydreams are not dreams, because we can only daydream if we are awake."
3. Daydreaming is usually an enjoyable activity.
Answer: True
Explanation: The passage notes, "Most daydreaming is pleasant."
4. Daydreams never come true in real life.
Answer: False
Explanation: It says, "Some daydreams are about things that are likely to happen."
5. Daydreaming can help people come up with creative ideas.
Answer: True
Explanation: It mentions, "People in creative or artistic careers... develop new ideas through daydreaming."
6. Albert Einstein believed imagination was more important than knowledge.
Answer: True
Explanation: The passage quotes Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge..."
7. People with boring jobs daydream more than others.
Answer: True
Explanation: Research showed over 75% of workers in boring jobs spend a lot of time daydreaming.
8. Daydreaming damages the brain’s ability to solve problems.
Answer: False
Explanation: The passage says the opposite: "The parts of the brain linked with complex problem-solving are more active during daydreaming."
Questions 9–10: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.
Research shows that daydreaming can actually help the (9) __________ work better. Although some societies consider it (10) __________, recent studies reveal that it can improve creativity and problem-solving skills.
9. brain
Explanation: The passage says, "daydreaming has a positive effect on the brain."
10. bad
Explanation: It says, "in many cultures it is considered a bad thing to do."
Questions 11–13: Multiple Choice Questions
11. According to the passage, what did people in the 19th century think about daydreaming?
A. It was healthy
B. It was creative
C. It was lazy behaviour
D. It was part of their daily work
Answer: C
Explanation: The passage states, "In the 19th century... people who daydreamed a lot were judged to be lazy."
12. What is escapism in the context of daydreaming?
A. Creating scientific theories
B. Solving everyday problems
C. Avoiding real life by imagining success
D. Making friends in the real world
Answer: C
Explanation: Escapism is described as, "living in a dream world... instead of trying to deal with the problems... in the real world."
13. What do recent studies show about people who daydream frequently?
A. They are more successful
B. They have fewer close friends
C. They are highly productive
D. They are happier than others
Answer: B
Explanation: The passage mentions, "people who often daydream have fewer close friends..."
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