Making Time for Science IELTS Reading Answers: Improve Your Score!

The “Making Time for Science” passage is one of those IELTS readings that feels simple on the surface but has a lot going on. It talks about how time affects everything around us, animals, plants, and even our own sleep patterns. You will come across terms like circadian rhythm, chronobiology, and a few everyday habits that many of us don’t realise are deeply connected to science.

This passage often shows up in the exam with sentence completions and matching-type questions. It's a good one to practise because it’s all about details. In this article, you’ll find a full set of practice questions based on the passage, the right answers, and short explanations to guide you. It’s built to help you get used to the IELTS format without feeling overwhelmed. Take your time, read through it properly, and use it as a solid reference to improve your speed and accuracy for test day.

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Making Time for Science IELTS Reading Passage

The passage below, "Making Time for Science," is a very common Reading passage in the IELTS exam. Read the passage to answer questions 1—13, which are given below.

Making Time for Science IELTS Reading Answers 

1. Chronobiology might sound a little futuristic – like something from a science fiction novel, perhaps – but it’s actually a field of study that concerns one of the oldest processes life on this planet has ever known: short-term rhythms of time and their effect on flora and fauna.
2. This can take many forms. Marine life, for example, is influenced by tidal patterns. Animals tend to be active or inactive depending on the position of the sun or moon. Numerous creatures, humans included, are largely diurnal – that is, they like to come out during the hours of sunlight. Nocturnal animals, such as bats and possums, prefer to forage by night. A third group are known as crepuscular: they thrive in the low light of dawn and dusk and remain inactive at other hours.
3. When it comes to humans, chronobiologists are interested in what is known as the circadian rhythm. This is the complete cycle our bodies are naturally geared to undergo within the passage of a twenty-four-hour day. Aside from sleeping at night and waking during the day, each cycle involves many other factors, such as changes in blood pressure and body temperature. Not everyone has an identical circadian rhythm. ‘Night people’, for example, often describe how they find it very hard to operate during the morning but become alert and focused by evening. This is a benign variation within circadian rhythms known as a chronotype.
4. Scientists have limited abilities to create durable modifications of chronobiological demands. Recent therapeutic developments for humans, such as artificial light machines and melatonin administration, can reset our circadian rhythms, for example, but our bodies can tell the difference, and health suffers when we breach these natural rhythms for extended periods of time. Plants appear no more malleable in this respect; studies demonstrate that vegetables grown in season and ripened on the tree are far higher in essential nutrients than those grown in greenhouses and ripened by laser.
5. Knowledge of chronobiological patterns can have many pragmatic implications for our day-to-day lives. While contemporary living can sometimes appear to subjugate biology – after all, who needs circadian rhythms when we have caffeine pills, energy drinks, shift work and cities that never sleep? – keeping in synch with our body clock is important.
6. The average urban resident, for example, rouses at the eye-blearing time of 6.04 a.m., which researchers believe to be far too early. One study found that even rising at 7.00 a.m. has deleterious effects on health unless exercise is performed for 30 minutes afterwards. The optimum moment was whittled down to 7.22 a.m.; muscle aches, headaches, and moodiness were reported to be the lowest by participants in the study who awoke then.
7. Once you’re up and ready to go, what then? If you’re trying to shed some extra pounds, dieticians are adamant: never skip breakfast. This disorients your circadian rhythm and puts your body in starvation mode. The recommended course of action is to follow an intense workout with a carbohydrate-rich breakfast; the other way round, and weight loss results are not as pronounced.
8. Mornings are also great for breaking out the vitamins. Supplement absorption by the body is not temporal-dependent, but naturopath Pam Stone notes that the extra boost at breakfast helps us get energised for the day ahead. For improved absorption, Stone suggests pairing supplements with food that is soluble and steers clear of caffeinated beverages. Finally, Stone warns to take care with storage; high potency is best for absorption, and warmth and humidity are known to deplete the potency of a supplement.
9. After-dinner espressos are becoming more of a tradition – we have the Italians to thank for that – but to prepare for a good night’s sleep, we are better off putting the brakes on caffeine consumption as early as 3 p.m. With a seven-hour half-life, a cup of coffee containing 90 mg of caffeine taken at this hour could still leave 45 mg of caffeine in your nervous system at ten o’clock that evening. It is essential that, by the time you are ready to sleep, your body is rid of all traces.
10. Evenings are important for winding down before sleep; however, dietician Geraldine Georgeou warns that an after-five carbohydrate fast is more of a cultural myth than a chronobiological demand. This will deprive your body of vital energy needs. Overloading your gut could lead to indigestion, though. Our digestive tracts do not shut down for the night entirely, but their work slows to a crawl as our bodies prepare for sleep. Consuming a modest snack should be entirely sufficient.

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IELTS Reading Answers for "Making Time for Science" Questions

Questions 1-8

Complete the sentences below. 

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

Q1: One of the ____methodologies that life has ever known is the subject of the study of chronobiology.

Q2: The rise and fall of sea levels affect how ___creatures behave.

Q3: According to circadian rhythms, our bodies are made to undergo the ____in a whole day.

Q4: A ‘night person’ can still have a healthy ____.

Q5: New medicinal advancements allow us to restore our circadian cycles. Disruption of these natural rhythms impairs our ____.

Q6: Naturally produced vegetables have more ___nutritional value.

Q7: Everyday life can benefit greatly from the ____of chronobiological trends.

Q8: Researchers identify 7:22 am as the ideal _____ to wake up.

Questions 9-12

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-H, below.

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet

A eat a light meal.

B is taking supplements at breakfast. 

C is taking supplements with foods that can dissolve them.

D eat a low carbohydrate breakfast.

E only when feeling anxious

F exercise before breakfast.

G mid-afternoon.

H stay away from carbohydrates.

Q9: To lose weight, we should

Q10: A way which is not a way to improve supplement absorption

Q11: The best time to stop drinking coffee is

Q12: In the evening, we should

Question 13

Choose the correct letter (A, B, C or D) from the given options.

13. Which of the following phrases best describes the main aim of Reading Passage?

   A to suggest healthier ways of eating, sleeping and exercising

   B to describe how modern life has made chronobiology largely irrelevant

   C to introduce chronobiology and describe some practical applications

   D to plan a daily schedule that can alter our natural chronobiological rhythms

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IELTS Reading Answers: Making Time for Science IELTS Reading Answers

1. Answer: oldest processes

• Answer location: Paragraph 1
• Reference: “Chronobiology… concerns one of the oldest processes life on this planet has ever known…”
• Explanation: The study focuses on time rhythms that are among the earliest natural phenomena.

2. Answer: marine life

• Answer location: Paragraph 2
• Reference: “Marine life, for example, is influenced by tidal patterns.”
• Explanation: This describes the impact of sea level changes on animal behavior.

3. Answer: complete cycle

• Answer location: Paragraph 3
• Reference: “This is the complete cycle our bodies are naturally geared to undergo…”
• Explanation: Refers to the natural 24-hour process that defines human circadian rhythms.

4. Answer: circadian rhythm

• Answer location: Paragraph 3
• Reference: “‘Night people’… a benign variation within circadian rhythms…”
• Explanation: A night person still follows a natural body rhythm, even if it’s different from others.

5. Answer: health

• Answer location: Paragraph 4
• Reference: “…health suffers when we breach these natural rhythms…”
• Explanation: Breaking natural rhythms negatively affects well-being.

6. Answer: essential nutrients

• Answer location: Paragraph 4
• Reference: “…vegetables grown in season… are far higher in essential nutrients…”
• Explanation: Natural growth produces better nutritional content.

7. Answer: knowledge

• Answer location: Paragraph 5
• Reference: “Knowledge of chronobiological patterns can have many pragmatic implications…”
• Explanation: Understanding these rhythms benefits everyday decision-making.

8. Answer: time

• Answer location: Paragraph 6
• Reference: “The optimum moment was whittled down to 7.22 a.m.”
• Explanation: The study identified this specific time as ideal for waking up.

9. Answer: F – exercise before breakfast

• Answer location: Paragraph 6
• Reference: “Even rising at 7.00 a.m. has deleterious effects on health unless exercise is performed for 30 minutes afterwards.”
• Explanation: Weight loss is more effective with exercise before a meal.

10. Answer: E – only when feeling anxious

• Answer location: Paragraph 7
• Reference: “Supplement absorption by the body is not temporal-dependent…”
• Explanation: Emotional states like anxiety are not mentioned as factors; thus, this is incorrect or not applicable.

11. Answer: G – mid-afternoon

• Answer location: Paragraph 8
• Reference: “...putting the brakes on caffeine consumption as early as 3 p.m.”
• Explanation: Coffee should be stopped by mid-afternoon to prevent sleep issues.

12. Answer: A – eat a light meal

• Answer location: Paragraph 9
• Reference: “Consuming a modest snack should be entirely sufficient.”
• Explanation: A small evening snack is advised over heavy eating.

13. Answer: C – to introduce chronobiology and describe some practical applications

• Answer location: Whole passage (especially paragraphs 1 and 5)
• Reference: Introduction to chronobiology and its examples like sleep, food, caffeine, and supplements
• Explanation: The passage introduces the concept and discusses how it relates to daily human behavior and health.

Read more about: Tips For Reading in IELTS Exam | IELTS Academic Reading | IELTS Reading Tips And Tricks | IELTS General Reading Test |

Conclusion 

The “Making Time for Science” passage can seem tricky, but with the right approach, you can answer every question easily. 

Focus on reading carefully, looking for key words, and practicing different question types. If you feel stuck or want more guidance, connect with a free 1:1 counselling session with upGrad. 

They can give you personal tips and help you prepare better for your IELTS exam. Start your journey to a higher score today!