The Power of Play Reading Answers (Cambridge IELTS 14 Test 3)

The Power of Play is Reading Passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 3, Academic Reading. The passage examines how researchers define play, how play differs from work, and how parents and educators can productively join children's play. The 14 questions test matching researchers to claims (Q27-31), Yes/No/Not Given against the writer's views (Q32-36), and summary completion using one word from the passage (Q37-40).

Passage overview at a glance

What the passage is about

The Power of Play covers the developmental and educational importance of play. It opens with the observation that children play in any circumstances, even without toys, and that society has created a false dichotomy between play and learning. The passage then surveys how researchers attempt to define play - through type-based descriptions (Miller & Almon), continuum-based criteria (Rubin et al.'s scale of playfulness), and through what is intrinsically vs extrinsically motivated. It contrasts free play, guided play (where adults co-play to extend the child's thinking), and direct instruction, drawing on Hirsch-Pasek's work on how adult goals shape play, Joan Goodman's defence of integrating work-like activity into play, and Pellegrini's argument that some elements of play matter more than others.

Complete answer key with explanations

Questions 27-31: Matching researchers (A-G)

Match each statement with the correct researcher. The list of researchers is: A. Elkind, B. Miller & Almon, C. Rubin et al., D. Stuart Brown, E. Pellegrini, F. Joan Goodman, G. Hirsch-Pasek et al. Each answer is a single letter A-G.

Q#	Statement	Answer	Where to find it
27	Play can be divided into a number of separate categories.	B	The passage cites Miller & Almon (2009) for "discrete descriptions of various types of play such as physical, construction, language, or symbolic play". Different types = separate categories.
28	Adults' intended goals affect how they play with children.	G	Hirsch-Pasek et al. are cited for the claim that "the adult's role in play varies as a function of their educational goals and the developmental level of the child". Educational goals = intended goals.
29	Combining work with play may be the best way for children to learn.	F	Joan Goodman is cited for the suggestion that "hybrid forms of work and play" or guided play may be especially productive for learning.
30	Certain elements of play are more significant than others.	E	Pellegrini is cited as having argued that "process orientation and a lack of obvious functional purpose may be the most important aspects of play". Most important = more significant.
31	Activities can be classified on a scale of playfulness.	C	Rubin et al. proposed the "scale of playfulness" approach: children's behaviour can be ranged in degree from 0% to 100% playful. Scale = classification by degree.

Questions 32-36: Yes / No / Not Given

Mark YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer, NO if it contradicts them, and NOT GIVEN if the writer expresses no view either way. The distinction between YES/NO/NG and TRUE/FALSE/NG is that here you are tracking what the writer claims, not factual truth.

Q#	Statement	Answer	Where to find it
32	Children need toys in order to play.	NO	The opening paragraph says children play "in any circumstances, for instance when they have no real toys". No real toys needed = directly contradicts the need-for-toys claim.
33	It is a mistake to treat play and learning as separate types of activities.	YES	Paragraph 2 ends with "our society has created a false dichotomy between play and learning". False dichotomy = mistaken separation. The writer's view aligns with the statement.
34	Play helps children to develop their artistic talents.	NOT GIVEN	The passage discusses categories of play (physical, construction, language, symbolic) but does not claim that play develops artistic talents specifically. Artistic talent development is not addressed.
35	Researchers have agreed on a definition of play.	NO	The passage opens its definition section with "full consensus on a formal definition of play continues to elude the researchers and theorists who study it". Elude = no agreement, contradicting the claim of agreement.
36	Work and play differ in terms of whether or not they have a target.	YES	The passage notes "unlike play, work is typically not viewed as enjoyable and it is extrinsically motivated". Extrinsically motivated = targeted toward an external goal; play is process oriented (means more important than ends). The writer endorses the target/no-target distinction.

Questions 37-40: Summary completion (ONE WORD ONLY)

Complete the summary about guided play using ONE WORD ONLY from the passage. All four answers appear in the closing section on parents and educators as co-players.

Q#	Summary context	Answer	Where to find it
37	An adult can play with a child and develop the play, for instance by __________ the child to investigate different aspects of their game.	encouraging	The passage describes adults supporting play by "encouraging further exploration or new facets to the child's activity". Encouraging investigation = encouraging the child to investigate.
38	The adult joins the child's play following the child's own __________.	desire	The passage stresses that in guided play the adult does not direct - the child's own desire (or desires) shapes the activity. The wording in the passage frames it as following the child's own desire.
39	The child's __________ is preserved while the adult provides scaffolding.	autonomy	The passage emphasises that guided play maintains "the child's autonomy" even as the adult provides structured opportunities. Autonomy preserved = child still in control.
40	Guided play is an avenue through which parents and educators can provide more __________ learning experiences.	targeted	The passage states "guided play is an avenue through which parents and educators can provide more targeted learning experiences". Verbatim match.

Question type strategy for this passage

Vocabulary worth learning from this passage

• Dichotomy, a division between two contrasted ideas or things
• Consensus, general agreement among a group
• Elude, to evade or escape (here: agreement evades researchers)
• Continuum, a continuous sequence in which adjacent points are not perceptibly different
• Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, doing something for its own sake vs for an external reward
• Process oriented, focused on how something happens rather than the end result
• Scaffolding, in education, the temporary support an adult provides a learner
• Hybrid, a mixture of two different things

Related Cambridge Reading practice

Cambridge 14, Test 3 also includes The Concept of Intelligence (Passage 1) and Saving Bugs to Find New Drugs (Passage 2). Browse our Reading answers hub for more Cambridge passage answer keys including The Thylacine from Cambridge IELTS 17 and Henry Moore from Cambridge IELTS 15.

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