The Truth About Lying Ielts Reading Answers Work May 2026

To get the correct answers efficiently, follow this workflow:

Part 1: The Universal Habit The story begins by establishing a simple fact: everyone lies. It isn't just the domain of criminals or dishonest people; it is a fundamental part of human social interaction. Researchers have found that lying is pervasive in daily life. In a famous study discussed in the text, participants were asked to keep a diary of their social interactions. The results showed that people lie frequently—often about their feelings, their achievements, or to avoid conflict. The text establishes that while we despise lying in others, we are often quick to justify our own falsehoods.

Part 2: Detecting Deception (The Polygraph) The narrative then shifts to the scientific attempts to catch liars. Historically, the "Polygraph" (lie detector) was the go-to method. It works on the physiological arousal theory: when people lie, they get nervous, causing their heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat production to increase.

However, the story highlights a critical flaw. The polygraph does not actually detect lies; it detects anxiety. This leads to "false positives"—nervous innocent people are flagged as liars, while practiced liars or sociopaths who feel no guilt can beat the test easily. Because of this, the polygraph is often considered unreliable in scientific circles.

Part 3: The Micro-Expression Breakthrough The most significant part of the story involves the work of psychologist Paul Ekman. He proposed that the truth is hidden not in the body’s sweat, but in the face. Ekman discovered "micro-expressions"—facial expressions that last only a fraction of a second (about 1/25th of a second).

These micro-expressions are involuntary. Even if someone is smiling and telling a convincing story, a fleeting flash of fear or anger might cross their face. The text explains that while everyone makes these faces, very few people can spot them naturally. However, Ekman proved that with training, people can learn to spot these "leakage" emotions, making it possible to detect lies much more accurately than a machine. the truth about lying ielts reading answers work

Part 4: Why We Lie Finally, the story concludes by categorizing the types of lies. It distinguishes between "high-stakes lies" (used to cover up crimes) and "low-stakes lies" (white lies). Interestingly, the text notes that people are generally terrible at detecting lies in real-time. We tend to trust people who look us in the eye and speak confidently, even though these are often the exact techniques liars use. The "truth about lying," according to the passage, is that it is an evolutionary strategy used to maintain social bonds and protect oneself, and detecting it requires looking past the obvious verbal cues.

This is where 90% of students lose points on “The Truth About Lying.”

Question: Paul Ekman studied only American subjects.
Passage: Ekman studied subjects from the United States, Japan, and Brazil.

The passage mentions America and others → False (contradiction).

Question: Ekman’s research was funded by the FBI.
Passage: Ekman received grants from the National Institutes of Health. To get the correct answers efficiently, follow this

No mention of FBI → Not Given (even if it seems plausible).

You can memorize a set of “answers” from a forum and still fail the real exam, because the passage will be reworded.

What works every time:

Based on the story above, here is how the questions typically appear and what the answers generally are:

1. True/False/Not Given Answers:

Statement: Most people can naturally spot micro-expressions without training.

Statement: People lie more often to strangers than to friends.

2. Summary Completion / Fill in the Blanks:

Question: The polygraph measures __________ activity such as heart rate and sweating.

Question:* Liars can often pass tests if they do not feel a sense of __________.

3. Multiple Choice:

Let’s deconstruct the keyword again: “the truth about lying ielts reading answers work.”

These are the questions that cause the most confusion.