Part 3: For questions 21-30, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
THE SWIFFER
For a fascinating tale about creativity, look at a cleaning product called the Swiffer and how it
came about, urges writer Jonah Lehrer. In the story of the Swiffer, he argues, we have the key
elements in producing breakthrough ideas: frustration, moments of insight and sheer hard work. The
story starts with a multinational company which had invented products for keeping homes spotless,
and couldn't come up with better ways to clean floors, so it hired designers to watch how people
cleaned. Frustrated after hundreds of hours of observation, they one day noticed a woman do with a
paper towel what people do all the time: wipe something up and throw it away. An idea popped into
lead designer Harry West's head: the solution to their problem was a floor mop with a disposable
cleaning surface. Mountains of prototypes and years of teamwork later, they unveiled the Swiffer,
which quickly became a commercial success.
Lehrer, the author of Imagine, a new book that seeks to explain how creativity works, says this
study of the imagination started from a desire to understand what happens in the brain at the moment
Trang 7/14
of sudden insight. 'But the book definitely spiraled out of control,' Lehrer says. 'When you talk to
creative people, they'll tell you about the 'eureka' moment, but when you press them they also talk
about the hard work that comes afterwards, so I realized I needed to write about that, too. And then I
realized I couldn't just look at creativity from the perspective of the brain, because it's also about the
culture and context, about the group and the team and the way we collaborate.'
When it comes to the mysterious process by which inspiration comes into your head as if from
nowhere, Lehrer says modern neuroscience has produced a 'first draft' explanation of what is
happening in the brain. He writes of how burnt-out American singer Bob Dylan decided to walk away
from his musical career in 1965 and escape to a cabin in the woods, only to be overcome by a desire
to write. Apparently 'Like a Rolling Stone' suddenly flowed from his pen. 'It's like a ghost is writing
a song,' Dylan has reportedly said. 'It gives you the song and it goes away.' But it's no ghost, according
to Lehrer.
Instead, the right hemisphere of the brain is assembling connections between past influences and
making something entirely new. Neuroscientists have roughly charted this process by mapping the
brains of people doing word puzzles solved by making sense of remotely connecting information. For
instance, subjects are given three words - such as 'age', 'mile' and 'sand' - and asked to come up with
a single word that can precede or follow each of them to form a compound word. (It happens to be
'stone'.) Using brain-imaging equipment, researchers discovered that when people get the answer in
an apparent flash of insight, a small fold of tissue called the anterior superior temporal gyrus suddenly
lights up just beforehand. This stays silent when the word puzzle is solved through careful analysis.
Lehrer says that this area of the brain lights up only after we've hit the wall on a problem. Then the
brain starts hunting through the 'filing cabinets of the right hemisphere' to make the connections that
produce the right answer.
Studies have demonstrated it's possible to predict a moment of insight up to eight seconds before
it arrives. The predictive signal is a steady rhythm of alpha waves emanating from the brain's right
hemisphere, which are closely associated with relaxing activities. 'When our minds are at ease-when
those alpha waves are rippling through the brain - we're more likely to direct the spotlight of attention
towards that stream of remote associations emanating from the right hemisphere,' Lehrer writes. 'In
contrast, when we are diligently focused, our attention tends to be towards the details of the problems
we are trying to solve.' In other words, then we are less likely to make those vital associations. So,
heading out for a walk or lying down are important phases of the creative process, and smart
companies know this. Some now have a policy of encouraging staff to take time out during the day
and spend time on things that at first glance are unproductive (like playing a PC game), but daydreaming has been shown to be positively correlated with problem-solving. However, to be more
imaginative, says Lehrer, it's also crucial to collaborate with people from a wide range of backgrounds
because if colleagues are too socially intimate, creativity is stifled.
Creativity, it seems, thrives on serendipity. American entrepreneur Steve Jobs believed so. Lehrer
describes how at Pixar Animation, Jobs designed the entire workplace to maximize the chance of
strangers bumping into each other, striking up conversations and learning from one another. He also
points to a study of 766 business graduates who had gone on to own their own companies. Those with
the greatest diversity of acquaintances enjoyed far more success. Lehrer says he has taken all this on
board, and despite his inherent shyness, when he's sitting next to strangers on a plane or at a
conference, forces himself to initiate conversations. As for predictions that the rise of the Internet
would make the need for shared working space obsolete, Lehrer says research shows the opposite has
occurred; when people meet face-to-face, the level of creativity increases. This is why the kind of
place we live in is so important to innovation. According to theoretical physicist Geoffrey West, when
corporate institutions get bigger, they often become less receptive to change. Cities, however, allow
our ingenuity to grow by pulling huge numbers of different people together, who then exchange ideas.
Working from the comfort of our homes may be convenient, therefore, but it seems we need the
company of others to achieve our finest 'eureka' moments.
Questions 21-30: Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading
Passage? For questions 21- 26, choose:
Trang 8/14
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
21. It did not take long for the Swiffer to develop once the idea for it was conceived.
22. When Jonah Lehrer began writing his book, he had not intended to focus on creativity.
23. Lehrer was driven by his own experience of the ‘eureka’ moment.
24. Neuroscientists discovered from the word puzzle experiment that one part of the brain only
becomes active when a connection is made suddenly.
25. Scientists know a moment of insight is coming because there is greater activity in the right side of
the brain.
26. Some companies require their employees to stop working so they can increase the possibility of
finding answers.
Your answers:
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
For questions 27-30, complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage
for each answer. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
HOW OTHER PEOPLE INFLUENCE OUR CREATIVITY
• Steve Jobs: made changes to the ___ (27) ___ to encourage interaction at Pixar.
• Lehrer: Company owners must have a wide range of ___ (28) ___ to do well.
It’s important to start conservations with new people.
The ___ (29) ___ has not replaced the need for physical contact.
• Geoffrey West: living in ___ (30) ___ encourages creativity

Question

Part 3: For questions 21-30, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
THE SWIFFER
For a fascinating tale about creativity, look at a cleaning product called the Swiffer and how it 
came about, urges writer Jonah Lehrer. In the story of the Swiffer, he argues, we have the key 
elements in producing breakthrough ideas: frustration, moments of insight and sheer hard work. The 
story starts with a multinational company which had invented products for keeping homes spotless, 
and couldn&#x27;t come up with better ways to clean floors, so it hired designers to watch how people 
cleaned. Frustrated after hundreds of hours of observation, they one day noticed a woman do with a 
paper towel what people do all the time: wipe something up and throw it away. An idea popped into 
lead designer Harry West&#x27;s head: the solution to their problem was a floor mop with a disposable 
cleaning surface. Mountains of prototypes and years of teamwork later, they unveiled the Swiffer, 
which quickly became a commercial success.
Lehrer, the author of Imagine, a new book that seeks to explain how creativity works, says this 
study of the imagination started from a desire to understand what happens in the brain at the moment 
Trang 7/14
of sudden insight. &#x27;But the book definitely spiraled out of control,&#x27; Lehrer says. &#x27;When you talk to 
creative people, they&#x27;ll tell you about the &#x27;eureka&#x27; moment, but when you press them they also talk 
about the hard work that comes afterwards, so I realized I needed to write about that, too. And then I 
realized I couldn&#x27;t just look at creativity from the perspective of the brain, because it&#x27;s also about the 
culture and context, about the group and the team and the way we collaborate.&#x27;
When it comes to the mysterious process by which inspiration comes into your head as if from 
nowhere, Lehrer says modern neuroscience has produced a &#x27;first draft&#x27; explanation of what is 
happening in the brain. He writes of how burnt-out American singer Bob Dylan decided to walk away 
from his musical career in 1965 and escape to a cabin in the woods, only to be overcome by a desire 
to write. Apparently &#x27;Like a Rolling Stone&#x27; suddenly flowed from his pen. &#x27;It&#x27;s like a ghost is writing 
a song,&#x27; Dylan has reportedly said. &#x27;It gives you the song and it goes away.&#x27; But it&#x27;s no ghost, according 
to Lehrer.
Instead, the right hemisphere of the brain is assembling connections between past influences and 
making something entirely new. Neuroscientists have roughly charted this process by mapping the 
brains of people doing word puzzles solved by making sense of remotely connecting information. For 
instance, subjects are given three words - such as &#x27;age&#x27;, &#x27;mile&#x27; and &#x27;sand&#x27; - and asked to come up with 
a single word that can precede or follow each of them to form a compound word. (It happens to be 
&#x27;stone&#x27;.) Using brain-imaging equipment, researchers discovered that when people get the answer in 
an apparent flash of insight, a small fold of tissue called the anterior superior temporal gyrus suddenly 
lights up just beforehand. This stays silent when the word puzzle is solved through careful analysis. 
Lehrer says that this area of the brain lights up only after we&#x27;ve hit the wall on a problem. Then the 
brain starts hunting through the &#x27;filing cabinets of the right hemisphere&#x27; to make the connections that 
produce the right answer.
Studies have demonstrated it&#x27;s possible to predict a moment of insight up to eight seconds before 
it arrives. The predictive signal is a steady rhythm of alpha waves emanating from the brain&#x27;s right 
hemisphere, which are closely associated with relaxing activities. &#x27;When our minds are at ease-when 
those alpha waves are rippling through the brain - we&#x27;re more likely to direct the spotlight of attention 
towards that stream of remote associations emanating from the right hemisphere,&#x27; Lehrer writes. &#x27;In 
contrast, when we are diligently focused, our attention tends to be towards the details of the problems 
we are trying to solve.&#x27; In other words, then we are less likely to make those vital associations. So, 
heading out for a walk or lying down are important phases of the creative process, and smart 
companies know this. Some now have a policy of encouraging staff to take time out during the day 
and spend time on things that at first glance are unproductive (like playing a PC game), but day￾dreaming has been shown to be positively correlated with problem-solving. However, to be more 
imaginative, says Lehrer, it&#x27;s also crucial to collaborate with people from a wide range of backgrounds 
because if colleagues are too socially intimate, creativity is stifled.
Creativity, it seems, thrives on serendipity. American entrepreneur Steve Jobs believed so. Lehrer 
describes how at Pixar Animation, Jobs designed the entire workplace to maximize the chance of 
strangers bumping into each other, striking up conversations and learning from one another. He also 
points to a study of 766 business graduates who had gone on to own their own companies. Those with 
the greatest diversity of acquaintances enjoyed far more success. Lehrer says he has taken all this on 
board, and despite his inherent shyness, when he&#x27;s sitting next to strangers on a plane or at a 
conference, forces himself to initiate conversations. As for predictions that the rise of the Internet 
would make the need for shared working space obsolete, Lehrer says research shows the opposite has 
occurred; when people meet face-to-face, the level of creativity increases. This is why the kind of 
place we live in is so important to innovation. According to theoretical physicist Geoffrey West, when 
corporate institutions get bigger, they often become less receptive to change. Cities, however, allow 
our ingenuity to grow by pulling huge numbers of different people together, who then exchange ideas. 
Working from the comfort of our homes may be convenient, therefore, but it seems we need the 
company of others to achieve our finest &#x27;eureka&#x27; moments.
Questions 21-30: Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading 
Passage? For questions 21- 26, choose:
Trang 8/14
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information 
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information 
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
21. It did not take long for the Swiffer to develop once the idea for it was conceived.
22. When Jonah Lehrer began writing his book, he had not intended to focus on creativity.
23. Lehrer was driven by his own experience of the ‘eureka’ moment.
24. Neuroscientists discovered from the word puzzle experiment that one part of the brain only 
becomes active when a connection is made suddenly.
25. Scientists know a moment of insight is coming because there is greater activity in the right side of 
the brain.
26. Some companies require their employees to stop working so they can increase the possibility of 
finding answers.
Your answers:
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
For questions 27-30, complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage 
for each answer. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
HOW OTHER PEOPLE INFLUENCE OUR CREATIVITY
• Steve Jobs: made changes to the ___ (27) ___ to encourage interaction at Pixar.
• Lehrer: Company owners must have a wide range of ___ (28) ___ to do well.
 It’s important to start conservations with new people. 
 The ___ (29) ___ has not replaced the need for physical contact.
• Geoffrey West: living in ___ (30) ___ encourages creativity

Accepted Answer

Here are the answers to the questions:

21. FALSE
22. FALSE
23. NOT GIVEN
24. TRUE
25. FALSE (Scientists can predict a moment of insight because of the steady rhythm of alpha waves emanating from the brain&#x27;s right hemisphere, not greater activity in the right side of the brain)
26. FALSE (Companies encourage employees to take time out and do unproductive things, not stop working entirely)

For questions 27-30, here are the answers:

27. workplace
28. acquaintances
29. Internet
30. cities

Part 3: For questions 21-30, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. THE SWIFFER For a fascinating tale about creativity, look at a cleaning product called the Swiffer and how it came...