IELTS READING COMPREHENSION

Reading Passage

During the global lockdowns of 2020, international shipping activity was drastically reduced, leading to an unexpected transformation beneath the ocean’s surface. With fewer vessels crossing the seas, underwater noise pollution fell to unprecedented levels, allowing natural marine sounds to re-emerge. As a result, the ocean—once dominated by mechanical hums—became filled with the acoustic signals of marine life, revealing a thriving soundscape that had long been masked by human activity. This phenomenon challenged the long-held belief that the ocean was silent, a perception that has since been radically transformed through advances in acoustic technology and marine research.

---

Question 1
The passage mainly describes:

A decline in marine species during lockdowns
The impact of reduced shipping noise on ocean soundscapes
The dangers of underwater technology
The history of global shipping

Question 2
What caused underwater sounds to become more noticeable?

An increase in marine animals
Advances in ship engines
A reduction in shipping traffic
Climate change effects

Question 3
The phrase “long-held belief” refers to:

A recently discovered theory
A scientific misconception corrected in 2020
An idea accepted for many years
A belief held only by scientists

Anaximenes Listening practice

Instructions

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

View on Vocaroo >>

1. Anaximenes lived in the century BCE.

2. He was from the city of .

3. Anaximenes believed that the fundamental principle of all things was .

4. He explained change through the processes of condensation and .

5. When air becomes thinner, it turns into .

Anaximander Listening Practice

Listening: Form Completion Instructions: Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer. Skill: Listen & Write

View on Vocaroo >>

1. Anaximander lived in the century BCE.

2. He was a student of .

3. He rejected the idea that a familiar could explain everything.

4. He proposed the concept of the as the origin of all things.

5. The apeiron is described as and infinite.

Let's practice Listening: Thales of Miletus quiz IELTS

View on Vocaroo >>

Listening: Thales of Miletus

Listen to the recording and complete the sentences below. Use ONE or TWO words only.

⏱️ Time left: 05:00

1. Thales of Miletus is considered the first __________ in Western history.

2. Thales lived in the __________ century BCE.

3. The Greek term for the origin of all things is __________.

4. According to Thales, the fundamental substance of reality was __________.

5. Thales rejected mythological explanations based on __________ or supernatural forces.

FINAL REVIEW QUIZ – PRESOCRATIC PHILOSOPHERS

🧠 Final Review Quiz – Presocratic Philosophers

This quiz reviews the key ideas of Presocratic philosophy, from the search for the archē to the use of reason and logic.

---

1️⃣ Multiple Choice

1. Who believed that water was the archē of all things?

Thales
Anaximander
Heraclitus
Democritus

2. Which philosopher argued that everything is in constant change?

Parmenides
Heraclitus
Empedocles
Zeno

3. Who claimed that reality is one and unchanging?

Parmenides
Heraclitus
Anaxagoras
Democritus

---

2️⃣ True / False

4. Empedocles proposed four eternal elements.

True
False

5. Democritus believed matter could be infinitely divided.

True
False

---

3️⃣ Multiple Choice

6. What role does Nous play according to Anaxagoras?

It is a material element
It organizes the cosmos
It causes illusion
It represents fire

7. Zeno’s paradoxes were designed to question the reality of:

motion
elements
atoms
myths

---

4️⃣ Fill in the Gap

8. Presocratic philosophers preferred __________ over myth.

tradition
reason
poetry

9. Democritus believed atoms move through empty space called the __________.

void
ether
archē

10. Zeno trusted __________ more than sensory experience.

observation
reason
emotion

---

ZENO OF ELEA

Zeno of Elea was a presocratic philosopher and a disciple of Parmenides. His main goal was to defend Parmenides’ claim that reality is one and unchanging. To do so, Zeno developed a series of logical arguments known as paradoxes, which aimed to show that movement and plurality lead to contradictions.

The most famous of these is the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, which argues that a faster runner can never overtake a slower one because he must first reach the point where the slower runner has already been. Through such reasoning, Zeno challenged common sense and sensory perception, insisting that true understanding comes from rational analysis rather than observation. 

Multiple Choice

1. What was Zeno’s main philosophical goal?

To support Heraclitus
To defend Parmenides
To promote mythology
To explain the elements

2. What do Zeno’s paradoxes attempt to show?

Motion leads to contradictions
Motion is easily explained
Motion is physical illusion only
Motion is caused by atoms

---

True / False

3. Zeno believed sensory perception was always reliable.

True
False

4. Achilles and the Tortoise is a paradox about motion.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gap

5. Zeno argued that true knowledge comes from __________.

observation
reason
tradition

---

ANAXAGORAS OF CLAZOMENAE

Anaxagoras was a presocratic philosopher who introduced a radically new idea into Greek thought: Nous (Mind or Intellect). He argued that everything in the universe is composed of infinitely divisible particles, often called seeds, which contain portions of everything else. Nothing truly comes into being or perishes; instead, things change through mixture and separation.

What distinguishes Anaxagoras from earlier thinkers is his claim that Nous is an independent, intelligent force that initiates motion and organizes the cosmos. Unlike the material elements, Nous is pure, infinite, and unmixed. Through reason rather than myth, Anaxagoras offered one of the earliest explanations of cosmic order based on intelligence.

 

Multiple Choice

1. What is Nous according to Anaxagoras?

A physical element
An intelligent force
A mythological god
A sensory illusion

2. How does change occur?

Through mixture and separation
Through creation from nothing
Through divine conflict
Through chance

---

True / False

3. Nous is mixed with material substances.

True
False

4. Anaxagoras relied mainly on mythological explanations.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gap

5. Nous initiates __________ in the universe.

illusion
motion
decay

---

DEMOCRITUS OF ABDERA

Democritus was a presocratic philosopher best known for developing atomism. He argued that all reality is composed of atoms—tiny, indivisible, and eternal particles—moving through empty space, or void. These atoms differ in shape, size, and arrangement, and their combinations explain all physical phenomena.

According to Democritus, change does not result from the creation or destruction of matter but from the rearrangement of atoms. He rejected mythological explanations and emphasized rational inquiry, laying the groundwork for later scientific thinking. Although his ideas were largely speculative, they remarkably anticipate aspects of modern atomic theory.

Multiple Choice

1. What are atoms according to Democritus?

Indivisible particles
Living substances
Divine forces
Elements

2. What causes change in Democritus’ philosophy?

Creation of matter
Rearrangement of atoms
Divine intervention
Sensory illusion

---

True / False

3. Atoms differ in shape and size.

True
False

4. Democritus supported mythological explanations.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gap

5. Atoms move through empty space called the __________.

ether
void
fire

---

EMPEDOCLES OF ACRAGAS

Empedocles was a presocratic philosopher who attempted to reconcile the ideas of change and permanence. He proposed that reality is composed of four eternal elements: earth, water, air, and fire. These elements themselves never change, but they combine and separate to form all things in the universe. According to Empedocles, two opposing forces govern this process: Love, which unites the elements, and Strife, which separates them. Through the interaction of these forces, the natural world undergoes cycles of creation and destruction. In this way, Empedocles explained change without denying the permanence of being, bridging the philosophies of Heraclitus and Parmenides.

Multiple Choice

1. How many elements did Empedocles propose?

Two
Four
Five
Infinite

2. What role does Love play?

It unites the elements
It destroys matter
It creates illusion
It stops change

---

True / False

3. The four elements themselves never change.

True
False

4. Strife unites the elements.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gap

5. Empedocles explained change through __________ cycles.

random
natural
mythical

---

PARMENIDES OF ELEA

Parmenides of Elea was a presocratic philosopher who strongly opposed the idea of constant change. According to him, being is one, eternal, and unchanging. He argued that change and movement are illusions created by the senses, not by reason. For Parmenides, only what is can be thought or spoken about; what is not cannot exist.

He made a clear distinction between the way of truth, reached through rational thought, and the way of opinion, based on sensory experience. While everyday perception suggests that the world is in motion, Parmenides insisted that true knowledge must come from logic rather than observation. His ideas deeply influenced later philosophers, especially Plato.

Reading – Parmenides of Elea Multiple Choice

1. What did Parmenides believe about change?

It is an illusion
It is fundamental
It is caused by fire
It is unpredictable

2. According to Parmenides, what leads to true knowledge?

Sensory experience
Reason
Tradition
Myth

---

True / False

3. Parmenides believed being is eternal.

True
False

4. The way of opinion is based on reason.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gap

5. Parmenides rejected the evidence of the __________.

mind
senses
logos

HERACLITUS OF EPHESUS

Heraclitus of Ephesus was a presocratic philosopher best known for his doctrine of constant change.

 He famously argued that reality is never static, expressing this idea with the phrase panta rhei, meaning “everything flows.” According to Heraclitus, change is not a problem to be explained away, but the fundamental nature of reality itself.

Fire played a central role in his philosophy, symbolizing transformation and process. Heraclitus also emphasized the role of the logos, a rational principle that governs change and brings order to apparent chaos. Although the world seems unstable, it follows a rational structure that can be understood through reason. His philosophy challenged traditional views of permanence and deeply influenced later metaphysical thought.

– Heraclitus of Ephesus

Reading Comprehension Multiple Choice

1. What is Heraclitus best known for?

The theory of atoms
The idea of constant change
The four elements
Ethical philosophy

2. What does the phrase panta rhei mean?

Everything is permanent
Everything flows
Everything is fire
Everything is abstract

---

True / False

3. Heraclitus believed reality was stable and unchanging.

True
False

4. The logos brings rational order to change.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gaps

5. Fire symbolized __________ and process in Heraclitus’ philosophy.

transformation
stability
permanence

---

ANAXIMENES OF MILETUS

Anaximenes of Miletus was a presocratic philosopher who continued the search for the archē initiated by Thales and Anaximander. Unlike Anaximander, whose principle was abstract and indefinite, Anaximenes proposed a concrete and observable substance: air. According to Anaximenes, air is the fundamental principle of all things because it is essential to life and capable of transformation. Through processes such as rarefaction and condensation, air changes into different forms of matter. When air becomes rarefied, it turns into fire; when it condenses, it becomes wind, clouds, water, earth, and eventually stone. His theory provided a natural and rational explanation of change, linking physical processes to the diversity of the natural world.

Reading – Anaximenes of Miletus

1️⃣ Multiple Choice

1. What did Anaximenes propose as the archē?

Water
Air
Fire
The apeiron

2. How did Anaximenes explain change in nature?

Through rarefaction and condensation
Through divine intervention
Through mythological stories
Through ethical reasoning

---

2️⃣ True / False

3. Anaximenes believed that air could transform into other forms of matter.

True
False

4. His theory rejected natural explanations of change.

True
False

---

3️⃣ Fill in the Gaps

5. Anaximenes explained reality through __________ processes.

natural
mythological
ethical

---

ANAXIMANDER OF MILETUS

Anaximander of Miletus was a presocratic philosopher and a disciple of Thales. While he agreed that reality must originate from a fundamental principle, he rejected the idea that this principle could be a familiar physical substance such as water. Instead, he introduced the concept of the apeiron, meaning the indefinite or boundless.

According to Anaximander, the apeiron is eternal, infinite, and capable of generating all things. From it, the elements emerge and eventually return in a process governed by necessity and balance. His theory represents an important step toward abstract thinking, as it moved philosophy beyond observable matter and introduced a more conceptual explanation of the cosmos.

If Thales tried to explain the world by choosing one visible material, Anaximander asked a deeper question: What if the origin of everything cannot be seen at all?

Reading – Anaximander of Miletus

Multiple Choice

1. What was Anaximander’s main philosophical contribution?

The theory of atoms
The concept of the apeiron
The four elements
Ethical philosophy

2. Why did Anaximander reject water as the archē?

It was too specific and limited
It was mythological
It was invisible
It was immaterial

---

True / False

3. The apeiron is finite and limited.

True
False

4. Anaximander introduced a more abstract explanation of reality.

True
False

---

Fill in the Gaps

5. Anaximander proposed the __________ as the origin of all things.

apeiron
water
fire

---

THALES OF MILETUS

 

Thales of Miletus is traditionally considered the first philosopher of Western thought. His main contribution was the idea that the universe can be explained through a single natural principle rather than divine intervention. Thales proposed that water is the archē, the fundamental substance from which everything originates and to which everything returns.

For Thales, water represented life, change, and continuity. His approach marked a radical shift from mythological explanations toward rational inquiry, establishing the foundations of scientific thinking.

Now, image trying to understand all modern technology by identifying its basic component. Just as many devices rely on electricity, Thales believed that all reality depended on water.

Reading Comprehension

Thales of Miletus is traditionally regarded as the first philosopher in Western thought. Unlike mythological explanations that attributed natural events to the actions of gods, Thales sought to explain the universe through a single natural principle. His revolutionary idea was that water is the archē, the fundamental substance from which all things originate.

Thales observed that water is essential for life, capable of transformation, and present in different states. Based on these observations, he proposed that water underlies the diversity of the natural world. Although his theory may seem simplistic today, it marked a crucial shift from mythos to logos, laying the foundations for scientific and philosophical reasoning.

1️⃣ Multiple Choice

1. Why is Thales considered revolutionary?

He focused on ethics
He used reason to explain nature
He wrote dialogues
He supported mythology

2. What did Thales identify as the archē?

Water
Fire
Air
Atoms

---

2️⃣ True / False

3. Thales relied mainly on mythological explanations.

True
False

4. Thales’ ideas helped initiate scientific thinking.

True
False

---

3️⃣ Fill in the Gaps

5. Thales believed that __________ was the origin of all things.

water
air
fire

---

Presocratic Philosophy

What Presocratic Philosophy tried to explain?

Presocratic philosophy refers to the body of philosophical ideas developed in ancient Greece between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE, before Socrates. These thinkers sought to explain the origin and functioning of the universe through reason (logos) rather than through mythological narratives (mythos).

One of their main concerns was the search for the archē, the fundamental principle or origin of all things. Presocratic philosophers aimed to provide rational and natural explanations of reality, focusing on nature (phýsis), change, permanence, and the structure of the cosmos. Their ideas laid the foundations of Western science and philosophy.

Among the most important presocratic thinkers were Thales of Miletus, who proposed water as the archē; Anaximander, who introduced the concept of the apeiron, the indefinite or boundless; and Anaximenes, who identified air as the primary substance. Heraclitus emphasized constant change, famously stating that everything flows, while Parmenides argued that true being is one and unchanging. Empedocles suggested that reality is composed of four elements—earth, water, air, and fire—and Democritus developed the theory of atoms as the basic constituents of matter.

---

Reading Comprehension - Multiple Choice

1. What characterizes presocratic philosophy?

Mythological explanations only
Rational explanations of nature
Ethical discussions about society
Political philosophy

2. What does the term archē mean?

Moral law
The origin or principle of all things
A mythological god
Social order

---

True / False

3. Presocratic philosophers relied mainly on myth.

True
False

4. Heraclitus believed that reality is in constant change.

True
False

5. Democritus proposed that everything is made of atoms.

True
False

---

The presocratics and the Hylozoism

 

Hylozoism

Hylozoism is a presocratic philosophical doctrine which claims that all matter is alive or possesses a vital principle. Early Greek philosophers such as Thales, Anaximenes, and Heraclitus believed that nature was not inert but active and dynamic. For them, matter and life were inseparable.

This view differed significantly from animism, which explained natural phenomena through external spirits, and from materialism, which regarded matter as lifeless and governed only by physical laws. Hylozoism represents an important transition from mythological explanations of the world to rational and philosophical inquiry, laying early foundations for Western thought.

---

1️⃣ Multiple Choice

1. What is the central idea of hylozoism?

Matter is controlled by spirits
Matter is lifeless
Matter possesses life or a vital principle
Life exists separately from matter

2. Which philosophers are associated with hylozoism?

Plato and Aristotle
Socrates and Parmenides
Thales, Anaximenes, and Heraclitus
Democritus and Epicurus

---

2️⃣ True / False

3. Hylozoism separates matter from life.

True
False

4. Animism and hylozoism are the same.

True
False

5. Hylozoism helped move philosophy away from myth.

True
False

---

Let's Practice Reading skills

 

Reading Comprehension Quiz

Text: Early Philosophical Explanations of the World

The earliest deliberate efforts to explain the world focused mainly on describing how it developed from a simple and therefore fully understandable origin. By contrast, questions concerning human life appear to have been addressed through a different line of inquiry, one more closely linked to the poetic tradition, in which older inherited assumptions continued to be accepted, even when they were occasionally contradictory. In addition, both the initial state of the world and the process through which it diversified were imagined in anthropomorphic terms, that is, explained as the result of a single progenitor or a pair of progenitors. This genealogical mode of explanation persisted even after the Milesian philosophers definitively abandoned the traditional mythological framework previously discussed. Part of Heraclitus’ originality lies precisely in his radical rejection of this approach.

Presocratic Philosophy – Reading Comprehension Quiz

This quiz evaluates your understanding of early Greek philosophy, focusing on the transition from mythological explanations (mythos) to rational inquiry (logos), a defining characteristic of Presocratic thought.

Presocratic Philosophy – Review Quiz

1. What was the main goal of the earliest Presocratic attempts to explain the world?

To explain the growth of the world from a simple beginning
To describe human emotions
To defend poetic traditions

2. In early Greek philosophy, questions about human life were treated in the same way as explanations of the natural world.

False
True

3. Why were older mythological assumptions sometimes incompatible with Presocratic philosophy?

They conflicted with new rational explanations
They were scientifically proven wrong
Poets rejected them

4. In the context of early philosophy, what does “anthropomorphic” most nearly mean?

Explaining reality by giving it human characteristics
Explaining reality using abstract laws
Explaining reality through physical elements

5. Why did genealogical explanations continue even after mythology began to be abandoned?

Philosophers still relied on inherited explanatory models
Mythology was officially restored
Poetry replaced philosophy

6. What makes Heraclitus original among the Presocratic philosophers?

He radically rejected anthropomorphic explanations
He refined mythological traditions
He merged poetry with genealogy

7. What does “traditional mythological framework” imply in early Greek thought?

A belief system inherited from poetic traditions
A scientific structure based on experimentation
A political ideology

8. What attitude toward early Greek philosophy is reflected in the text?

Analytical and neutral, recognizing intellectual development
Strongly critical of all early thinkers
Preference for mythology over philosophy

The New Journal Article 4

Adapted By Daniel Sánchez 

Task: Read the article and Answer the following questions with a partner. Explain how you found the responses.

Reading Comprehension – Origin of the World

1. According to Norse mythology, how did the world begin?

A. Through divine speech
B. From chaos alone
C. From the interaction of fire and ice
D. After human sacrifice

2. What role does Bachué play in Chibcha mythology?

A. She destroys the old world
B. She teaches warfare
C. She creates the sun
D. She gives life and teaches harmony

3. Which culture believed the world had been created and destroyed several times?

A. Greek
B. Jewish
C. Chibcha
D. Aztec

4. What sustains the Aztec Fifth Sun?

A. Natural cycles
B. Human sacrifice
C. Divine order
D. Chaos

---

5. Greek mythology describes Chaos as the first state of existence.

TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN

6. The Jewish creation story involves multiple gods.

TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN

7. All creation myths emphasize harmony with nature.

TRUE
FALSE
NOT GIVEN

---

8. From where did Bachué emerge?

9. What did God use to create the world?

10. Creation through spoken command:

Select Norse mythology Greek mythology Jewish tradition

The New Journal Article 3

 

Adapted By Daniel Sánchez 

Task: Read the article and Discuss the following questions with a partner.

Do you consider what people say is always true? why?

I wonder if you know what philosophy means?