I created raised-line drawings of five different wheels, depicting spokes with lines that curved, bent, waved, dashed and extended beyond the perimeter of the wheel. I then asked eighteen blind volunteers to feel the wheels and assign one of the following motions to each wheel: wobbling, spinning fast, spinning steadily, jerking or braking. My control group consisted of eighteen sighted undergraduates from the University of Toronto.
All but one of the blind subjects assigned distinctive motions to each wheel. Most guessed that the curved spokes indicated that the wheel was spinning steadily; the wavy spokes, they thought, suggested that the wheel was wobbling; and the bent spokes were taken as a sign that the wheel was jerking. Subjects assumed that spokes extending beyond the wheel’s perimeter signified that the wheel had its brakes on and that dashed spokes indicated the wheel was spinning quickly.
In addition, the favoured description for the sighted was the favoured description for the blind in every instance. What is more, the consensus among the sighted was barely higher than that among the blind. Because motion devices are unfamiliar to the blind, the task I gave them involved some problem solving. Evidently, however, the blind not only figured out meanings for each line of motion, but as a group they generally came up with the same meaning at least as frequently as did sighted subjects.
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Question Focus: The diagram shows a wheel where the spokes extend beyond the edge of the wheel, and we need to label the type of motion this represents.
Correct Answer: E
Why this is correct: The diagram shows spokes going past the wheel's outer edge. The passage clearly says that spokes extending beyond the wheel's perimeter mean the wheel had its brakes on. So the correct label is use of brakes.
Passage Reference: Subjects assumed that spokes extending beyond the wheel's perimeter signified that the wheel had its brakes on
Common Mistake: Some students choose wobbling movement because it also sounds like an unstable motion. But wobbling is linked to wavy spokes, not spokes that extend past the wheel. This is a context shift trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'spokes extending beyond the wheel's perimeter' = Diagram: 'spokes sticking out past the wheel edge'
Tips: Always match the exact spoke shape in the diagram with the description in the passage.
Key Vocabulary:
- perimeter = outer edge
- signified = showed
Question Focus: The diagram shows a wheel with dashed spokes, and we need to identify the motion it represents.
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: and that dashed spokes indicated the wheel was spinning quickly.
Why this is correct: The diagram uses dashed spokes. The passage states that dashed spokes indicated the wheel was spinning quickly. Spinning quickly means rapid spinning, so this is the correct answer.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes choose steady spinning because both describe spinning. But the passage clearly separates spinning quickly from spinning steadily. This is a partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'spinning quickly' = Diagram: 'rapid spinning'
Tips: Pay attention to speed words like quickly, steadily, or fast. They are not interchangeable.
Key Vocabulary:
- indicated = showed
- rapid = fast
Question Focus: The diagram shows a wheel with curved spokes, and we need to label the type of motion.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: Most guessed that the curved spokes indicated that the wheel was spinning steadily
Why this is correct: The diagram shows curved spokes. The passage says the curved spokes indicated that the wheel was spinning steadily. That directly matches steady spinning, so this is the correct label.
Common Mistake: Some students pick wobbling movement because curved lines look unstable. But the passage links wavy, not curved, spokes to wobbling. This is a similar shape trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'spinning steadily' = Diagram: 'steady spinning'
Tips: Do not guess based on how the picture feels to you. Always confirm with the passage wording.
Key Vocabulary:
- steadily = smoothly and evenly
- curved = bent in a smooth shape
General Tips:
- Diagram questions usually follow the order of the passage, so move through the text step by step.
- Match the exact visual detail in the diagram, like curved, wavy, or dashed lines, with the passage description.
- Speed words matter in IELTS Reading. Quickly, steadily, and jerking describe different movements.
- Cross out each option after you use it so you do not reuse the same word.
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