The Power of Music Reading Answers

IELTS has four parts: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. The Reading test checks if you can understand a passage, find specific details and follow how ideas are developed from one paragraph to the next.

The Power of Music looks at why music matters to people. It covers how music affects emotions, how it reflects culture, how it helps the brain and therapy, how it brings people together, and how it shapes personal identity. Each paragraph has its own theme, so the passage is easy to follow. The questions, though, often reword the ideas, and that’s where marks get lost.

This page gives you a practice version of the passage, 10 questions and the full the power of music reading answers with explanations. The passage is reworded and the questions are original, so they won’t match a published paper word for word.

Here’s the official test answer key for your reference: 

Question	Answer
1	C - It is a cultural identifier that embodies community values
2	B - It triggers the release of neurotransmitters related to pleasure
3	TRUE
4	B - Through the biochemical response it triggers in the brain
5	B - Expression
6	C - Causing adverse health effects
7	FALSE
8	B - Living archive
9	FALSE
10	C - Its emotional resonance

These are the answers for The Power of Music Reading Answers. You can now attempt the practice test below and then check your answers with the explanations to understand how each response is supported by the passage.

The Power of Music IELTS Reading Passage for Practice

This IELTS reading test passage focus on why can one song make you cry, and another make you feel at home in a crowd of strangers? This passage looks at what music does to people, to groups and to whole cultures.

Read it carefully, then answer the questions. Aim to finish in about 10 minutes.

The Power of Music

A: Music is often called a universal language. It crosses national borders and speaks straight to people’s feelings. It has been part of human societies from their earliest days, and over time it has grown into a rich mix of sounds and rhythms, each carrying emotion, memory and culture. Its power goes beyond how it sounds. It shapes our emotions, helps form cultural identity and can support healing and mental development. This passage looks at music as a record of culture, a trigger for feelings, and a tool for the mind and for therapy.

B: The Emotional Power of Music Most people agree that music’s best-known effect is on emotion. This is not just a matter of taste, because it is linked to brain chemistry. Research shows that some melodies and harmonies can set off the release of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, which are linked to pleasure, happiness and social bonding in turn. That helps explain why a song can bring tears, send a shiver down your spine or lift your mood. The effect is strong and widespread. It shapes not only individual experience but also group behaviour and social norms.

C: Music as a Cultural Mirror Music also reflects the culture, society and history it comes from. Every genre, from the classical symphonies of Western Europe to the traditional Sufi music of South Asia, tells the story of its people, their past, their struggles and their celebrations. Music carries languages, customs and stories that might otherwise disappear. In this way, it helps keep cultural diversity alive and encourages people to understand and value other societies.

D: Cognitive and Therapeutic Benefits Apart from emotion and culture, music has been linked to benefits for the mind and for treatment. Listening to music or playing an instrument is connected with better learning, stronger memory and sharper concentration. Musical training, especially from a young age, has been found to change the structure of the brain. It leads to better hearing and movement skills, stronger verbal ability and better non-verbal reasoning. Music therapy is also used to treat a range of psychological and neurological conditions, among them depression, anxiety and autism. Because music is so closely tied to how the brain works, therapists can help patients communicate, express emotion and heal in ways that words alone cannot.

E: The Social and Unifying Aspects of Music Music has a special ability to bring people together and create shared experience. Concerts, festivals and group singing show how it can unite people from different backgrounds around a common interest. The same power appears in social movements, national anthems and religious ceremonies, where music builds solidarity and a sense of belonging, and gives voice to shared goals. In times of conflict or tension, it can open a dialogue, help people reconcile and build understanding.

F: Music and Personal Identity On a personal level, people use music to explore and express who they are. What someone listens to or creates can reflect their personality, mood, values and experiences. Through lyrics, melody and rhythm, people find a voice for their private thoughts and feelings, and they build a “sonic identity” that fits their own story. In this sense, music is more than entertainment. It is a companion through life, echoing our joys, sorrows, hopes and fears.

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The Power of Music Reading Practice Questions

Now test yourself. The questions ask you to judge statements, find where information appears, and complete sentences with words from the passage.

Watch out for paraphrasing. The questions rarely use the same words as the passage.

Questions 1–4: True, False, Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
 FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
 NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Music has existed for as long as human societies have.
2. The brain chemicals that music releases are all linked to the same feeling.
3. Classical symphonies are the most popular type of music in Western Europe.
4. Playing an instrument has no effect on a person’s memory.

Questions 5–7: Matching Information

The passage has six paragraphs labelled A–F.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A–F in boxes 5–7.

Note: You may use any letter more than once.

1. a mention of music helping people communicate when ordinary words are not enough
2. a description of music keeping languages and customs from being lost
3. examples of events where people gather around music

Questions 8–10: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8–10.

1. Some melodies can trigger the release of dopamine, serotonin and ______.
2. In times of conflict, music can be a medium for dialogue and ______.
3. People who create or choose music build a “sonic ______” that fits their personal story. 

Also Read:
IELTS Syllabus	IELTS Test Format	IELTS Exam Pattern

The Power of Music Reading Answers with Explanation

Done with the questions? Use the power of music reading answers with location below to check each response. You’ll see where each answer sits in the passage, and where the common traps are.

Answers 1–10: Answer Key and Explanations

Answer 1: TRUE
Paragraph A says music has been part of human societies from their earliest days. The statement says it has existed as long as human societies have. Same idea, shorter words.
 Answer location: Paragraph A, sentence 3

Answer 2: FALSE
Paragraph B says the three chemicals are linked to pleasure, happiness and social bonding “in turn”. So each one goes with a different feeling. The statement says they share one, which is the opposite. The words “all” and “same” are the clue.
 Answer location: Paragraph B, sentence 3

Answer 3: NOT GIVEN
Paragraph C mentions Western European symphonies, but only as an example of a genre that reflects its culture. It never says anything about popularity. Don’t use your own general knowledge here. The question is about what the passage says.
 Answer location: Paragraph C, no information on this

Answer 4: FALSE
Paragraph D says listening to music or playing an instrument is connected with stronger memory. The statement says it has no effect, so it contradicts the passage.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, sentence 2

Answer 5: D
Paragraph D ends by saying therapists can help patients communicate and express emotion in ways that words alone cannot. “When ordinary words are not enough” is the question’s way of saying that. Paragraph E also mentions dialogue, but it’s about conflict between groups, not about words falling short.
 Answer location: Paragraph D, last sentence

Answer 6: C
Paragraph C says music carries languages, customs and stories that might otherwise disappear. “Keeping from being lost” matches “might otherwise disappear”. Don’t pick Paragraph F, which is about personal identity and not about preserving culture.
 Answer location: Paragraph C, sentence 3

Answer 7: E
Paragraph E gives concerts, festivals and group singing as examples of events where people unite around music. You can find it by scanning for the list. Paragraph E also names anthems and ceremonies, but the question is about events where people gather.
 Answer location: Paragraph E, sentence 2

Answer 8: oxytocin
Paragraph B lists dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. The sentence in the question has the first two, so the last one is missing. It’s one word, so it fits the limit. Copy the spelling carefully.
 Answer location: Paragraph B, sentence 3

Answer 9: reconciliation
Paragraph E says that in times of conflict, music can open a dialogue and help people reconcile. The question needs a noun after “and”, so the word form changes to “reconciliation”. Check the passage again. The word is written in that form, so you can copy it.
 Answer location: Paragraph E, last sentence

Answer 10: identity
Paragraph F says people build a “sonic identity” that fits their own story. The answer is the word after “sonic”. One word. Don’t write “personal identity”, because “personal” isn’t part of that phrase.
 Answer location: Paragraph F, sentence 3

Important Vocabulary for The Power of Music IELTS Reading Passage

This passage uses a few formal and scientific words. The questions often swap them for simpler ones, so learn the main ones before you try again.

Word	Meaning
Universal	Shared by or true for everyone
Evoke	To bring out a feeling or memory
Neurotransmitter	A chemical that carries signals between brain cells
Dopamine	A brain chemical linked to pleasure
Oxytocin	A brain chemical linked to bonding between people
Cultural identity	The sense of belonging to a group through its customs and traditions
Diversity	A wide range of different things or people
Cognitive	Connected with thinking, learning and memory
Therapeutic	Helping to treat or heal
Solidarity	Unity and support among a group
Reconcile	To end a conflict and restore good relations
Sonic	Connected with sound

Try using three or four of these words in your own sentences. It helps you remember them, and you’ll recognise their paraphrases faster in the test.

How to Approach The Power of Music IELTS Reading Questions?

This passage is easy to read, because each paragraph has one clear topic. But the questions are written to test your understanding of paraphrase and detail, so you can’t just scan for matching words. Work out what each question wants, find the right paragraph, and then read that part carefully.

Here are a few simple ways to approach the power of music IELTS reading answers:

1. Identify Keywords and Their Synonyms

Underline the main words in the question and think of other words with the same meaning. The passage will probably use those.

In the question	In the passage
for as long as human societies have	from their earliest days
when ordinary words are not enough	in ways that words alone cannot
from being lost	might otherwise disappear
gather around music	unite around a common interest

So don’t search for the exact words. Search for the idea.

2. Locate Supporting Details in the Passage

Each paragraph has a clear label. Use it as a landmark:

• A: the general idea of music’s power
• B: emotions and brain chemicals
• C: culture and history
• D: the mind and therapy
• E: bringing people together
• F: personal identity

Once you know which paragraph to read, find the sentence that supports the answer and read the whole thing. A matching word on its own doesn’t always mean you’ve found the answer.

3. Understand the Question Instructions

Read the instructions before every task, because they change what counts as a correct answer.

For sentence completion, NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS means one or two, never three. Copy the words exactly from the passage and check that the sentence still reads correctly. For matching information, a letter can be used more than once if the note says so. And for True/False/Not Given, remember the three choices. If the passage says the same thing, it’s True. If it says the opposite, it’s False. If it doesn’t talk about it, it’s Not Given.

4. Match Information with the Correct Paragraph

Matching information questions don’t follow the passage order, so Question 5 can be in Paragraph D while Question 6 is in C and Question 7 is in E.

Give each paragraph a short label in your head, like the list above. Then read the question and ask, “Which paragraph is this about?” Be careful with similar topics. Paragraphs D and E both mention communication, but D is about therapy and E is about groups and conflict. Check the exact situation before you decide.

5. Manage Your Time and Check Your Answers

Spend about 10 minutes on this passage, or around 20 minutes on a full IELTS passage with more questions. If you get stuck, mark the question and come back.

When you finish, check each answer against the sentence in the passage. Did you copy the word correctly? Did you pick True when the passage only hinted at it? Small slips like these can lose you marks you had already earned.

Looking for more IELTS Reading practice? Read these answer guides to practise different passage topics and question types: Transition Care for the Elderly IELTS Reading Answers The Origin of Writing Reading Answers Eco Tourism Reading Answers Online Roommate Finder Toronto IELTS Reading Answers, Explanation IELTS Reading Answers for Coinage in Ancient Greece

Conclusion

The Power of Music shows how one art form can affect emotion, culture, the brain, groups and personal identity. The ideas are simple, but the questions reword them, so it pays to match meaning and not just words. Paragraph labels and short notes help you stay on track.

When you check the power of music reading answers, don’t only look at what you got wrong. Look at how you got there. Did you miss a paraphrase? Did you pick the wrong paragraph because two topics sounded alike? Spotting that is what improves your score. For more practice, try a few more The Power of Music IELTS reading answer sets, and time yourself each time. 

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