The Triune Brain Reading Answers with IELTS Passage

The Triune Brain Reading Answers: The Triune Brain is a theory that helps us understand how the human brain works by dividing it into three main parts. Each part of the brain developed at a different time in evolution and has a special job. The first part is called the reptilian brain, which controls basic actions like breathing and staying alive. The second part is the limbic brain, which controls emotions and how we connect with other people. The third part is the neocortex, which helps us think, plan, and make decisions. This IELTS Reading passage talks about these three brain parts and how they affect human behaviour. In this article, we will go through the answers to the IELTS questions. For each one, we will show the correct answer, where it is found in the passage, a short sentence from the text (reference), and an explanation to help you understand clearly. This will help you do better in your IELTS Reading Test.

Free IELTS Reading Practice Tests

The Triune Brain Reading Passage

This passage on "The Triune Brain" is inspired by Reading Practice Tests. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the reading passage 2 below. The Triune Brain Reading Answers with detailed explanations for each section are available in the article below. 

The Triune Brain

1. The first of our three brains to evolve is what scientists call the reptilian cortex. This brain sustains the elementary activities of animal survival, such as respiration, adequate rest and a beating heart. We are not required to consciously “think” about these activities. The reptilian cortex also houses the “startle centre”, a mechanism that facilitates swift reactions to unexpected occurrences in our surroundings. That panicked lurch you experience when a door slams shut somewhere in the house or the heightened awareness you feel when a twig cracks in a nearby bush while out on an evening stroll are both examples of the reptilian cortex at work. When it comes to our interaction with others, the reptilian brain offers up only the most basic impulses: aggression, mating, and territorial defence. There is no great difference, in this sense, between a crocodile defending its spot along the river and a turf war between two urban gangs.

2. Although the lizard may stake a claim to its habitat, it exerts total indifference toward the well-being of its young. Listen to the anguished squeal of a dolphin separated from its pod or witness the sight of elephants mourning their dead, however, and it is clear that a new development is at play. Scientists have identified this as the limbic cortex. Unique to mammals, the limbic cortex impels creatures to nurture their offspring by delivering feelings of tenderness and warmth to the parent when children are nearby. These same sensations also cause mammals to develop various types of social relations and kinship networks. When we are with others of “our kind” – be it at soccer practice, church, school or a nightclub – we experience positive sensations of togetherness, solidarity and comfort. If we spend too long away from these networks, then loneliness sets in and encourages us to seek companionship.

3. Only human capabilities extend far beyond the scope of these two cortexes. Humans eat, sleep and play, but we also speak, plot, rationalise and debate the finer points of morality. Our unique abilities are the result of an expansive third brain – the neocortex – which engages with logic, reason and ideas. The power of the neocortex comes from its ability to think beyond the present, concrete moment. While other mammals are mainly restricted to impulsive actions (although some, such as apes, can learn and remember simple lessons), humans can think about the “big picture”. We can string together simple lessons (for example, an apple drops downwards from a tree; hurting others causes unhappiness) to develop complex theories of physical or social phenomena (such as the laws of gravity and a concern for human rights).

4. The neocortex is also responsible for the process by which we decide on and commit to particular courses of action. Strung together over time, these choices can accumulate into feats of progress unknown to other animals. Anticipating a better grade on the following morning’s exam, a student can ignore the limbic urge to socialise and go to sleep early instead. Over three years, this ongoing sacrifice translates into a first-class degree and a scholarship to graduate school; over a lifetime, it can mean groundbreaking contributions to human knowledge and development. The ability to sacrifice our drive for immediate satisfaction in order to benefit later is a product of the neocortex.

5. Understanding the triune brain can help us appreciate the different natures of brain damage and psychological disorders. The most devastating form of brain damage, for example, is a condition in which someone is understood to be brain dead. In this state, a person appears merely unconscious – sleeping, perhaps – but this is illusory. Here, the reptilian brain is functioning on autopilot despite the permanent loss of other cortexes.

6. Disturbances to the limbic cortex are registered in a different manner. Pups with limbic damage can move around and feed themselves well enough but do not register the presence of their littermates. Scientists have observed how, after a limbic lobotomy2, “one impaired monkey stepped on his outraged peers as if treading on a log or a rock”. In our own species, limbic damage is closely related to sociopathic behaviour. Sociopaths in possession of fully-functioning neocortexes are often shrewd and emotionally intelligent people but lack any ability to relate to, empathise with or express concern for others.

7. One of the neurological wonders of history occurred when a railway worker named Phineas Gage survived an incident during which a metal rod skewered his skull, taking a considerable amount of his neocortex with it. Though Gage continued to live and work as before, his fellow employees observed a shift in the equilibrium of his personality. Gage’s animal propensities were now sharply pronounced while his intellectual abilities suffered; garrulous or obscene jokes replaced his once quick wit. New findings suggest, however, that Gage managed to soften these abrupt changes over time and rediscover an appropriate social manner. This would indicate that reparative therapy has the potential to help patients with advanced brain trauma gain an improved quality of life.

Also Read: 

• IELTS Reading Tips And Strategies

• IELTS Listening Tips

• IELTS Writing Tips

• IELTS Speaking Tips And Tricks

The Triune Brain IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1–5: Matching Information
Match each statement with the correct section A–E.

1. A case where damage to the brain changed someone's social behaviour

2. An example of animals ignoring others after brain damage

3. Description of the oldest part of the brain

4. An explanation of how advanced thinking is possible

5. An example of people acting aggressively due to primitive instincts

Questions 6–10: True/False/Not Given

6. The reptilian brain enables humans to plan for the future.

7. The limbic cortex is responsible for creating strong emotional bonds.

8. The neocortex is the smallest of the three brain structures.

9. Sociopaths always have damage to the reptilian brain.

10. Gage recovered all his previous intellectual abilities after the accident.

Questions 11–13: Multiple Choice

11. According to the passage, what happens in a brain-dead person?
    A. The neocortex continues to function
    B. All brain activity stops
    C. Only the reptilian brain remains active
    D. The limbic system is damaged

12. Why can humans sacrifice immediate pleasure?
    A. Because of the limbic response
    B. Due to reflexes in the reptilian brain
    C. Because the neocortex allows future planning
    D. Since social pressure enforces it

13. What is the main purpose of the passage?
    A. To explain animal behaviour
    B. To describe brain development stages and their roles
    C. To explore only the neocortex’s function
    D. To outline physical brain injuries

The Triune Brain IELTS Reading Answers with Explanations

Question 1

• Answer: E

• Answer Location: Last paragraph

• Answer Reference: “Phineas Gage… a metal rod skewered his skull…”

• Answer Explanation: The passage discusses how Gage’s personality changed after neocortex damage, showing how brain injury altered his social behaviour.

Question 2

• Answer: D

• Answer Location: Second last paragraph

• Answer Reference: “One impaired monkey stepped on his outraged peers…”

• Answer Explanation: Monkeys with limbic damage no longer noticed their peers, which is a clear example of ignoring others after brain damage.

Question 3

• Answer: A

• Answer Location: First paragraph

• Answer Reference: “The first of our three brains to evolve… reptilian cortex…”

• Answer Explanation: This part introduces the reptilian brain as the oldest, responsible for survival and reflexes.

Question 4

• Answer: C

• Answer Location: Third paragraph

• Answer Reference: “Our unique abilities… neocortex… logic, reason…”

• Answer Explanation: The neocortex enables abstract reasoning, long-term thinking, and moral understanding—forms of advanced thinking.

Question 5

• Answer: A

• Answer Location: First paragraph

• Answer Reference: “Only the most basic impulses: aggression, mating…”

• Answer Explanation: Aggression and territorial defence are linked to the reptilian brain, showing primitive instincts at play.

Question 6

• Answer: False

• Answer Location: First and third paragraphs

• Answer Reference: “We are not required to consciously ‘think’…”, “The neocortex… think beyond the present…”

• Answer Explanation: The reptilian brain handles automatic functions, not planning. Future planning is a function of the neocortex.

Question 7

• Answer: True

• Answer Location: Second paragraph

• Answer Reference: “The limbic cortex… delivers feelings of tenderness and warmth…”

• Answer Explanation: The limbic system generates emotional responses that support social bonds and care for offspring.

Question 8

• Answer: Not Given

• Answer Location: Not Given

• Answer Reference: Not Given

• Answer Explanation: Not Given

Question 9

• Answer: False

• Answer Location: Second last paragraph

• Answer Reference: “Sociopaths… lack any ability to relate… despite fully-functioning neocortexes…”

• Answer Explanation: Sociopathy is linked to limbic damage, not reptilian brain dysfunction.

Question 10

• Answer: False

• Answer Location: Final paragraph

• Answer Reference: “Garrulous or obscene jokes replaced his once quick wit…”

• Answer Explanation: Gage’s intellectual and social abilities were negatively affected. Although he showed improvement, he did not fully recover.

Question 11

• Answer: C

• Answer Location: Sixth paragraph

• Answer Reference: “The reptilian brain is functioning on autopilot despite the permanent loss of other cortexes.”

• Answer Explanation: In brain-dead individuals, only the reptilian brain remains active; the others are non-functional.

Question 12

• Answer: C

• Answer Location: Fifth paragraph

• Answer Reference: “The ability to sacrifice… is a product of the neocortex.”

• Answer Explanation: The neocortex allows humans to plan and act for future benefits by overriding immediate desires.

Question 13

• Answer: B

• Answer Location: Throughout the passage

• Answer Reference: Descriptions of reptilian, limbic, and neocortex functions

• Answer Explanation: The passage aims to explain the three-part model of the brain and the roles each part plays in human behaviour and development.

Guidance to PW