IELTS Reading: ‘What Are You Laughing At?’ – Full Translation & Detailed Answers

Laughter is often seen as a hallmark of human sophistication, closely tied to our ability to recognize humor or clever wordplay. However, scientific research indicates that laughter has a much more primitive origin and is shared by many animal species. This reading passage will take you from the antics of children and the panting of primates to the ultrasonic chirps of rats to uncover the core mechanics of this behavior.

Reading Passage

What are you laughing at?

A We like to think that laughing is the height of human sophistication. Our big brains let us see the humour in a strategically positioned pun, an unexpected plot twist or a clever piece of wordplay. But while joking and wit are uniquely human inventions, laughter certainly is not. Other creatures, including chimpanzees, gorillas and even rats, chuckle. Obviously, they don’t crack up at Homer Simpson or titter at the boss’s dreadful jokes, but the fact that they laugh in the first place suggests that sniggers and chortles have been around for a lot longer than we have. It points the way to the origins of laughter, suggesting a much more practical purpose than you might think.

B There is no doubt that laughing typically involves groups of people. ‘Laughter evolved as a signal to others – it almost disappears when we are alone,’ says Robert Provine, a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland. Provine found that most laughter comes as a polite reaction to everyday remarks such as ‘see you later’, rather than anything particularly funny. And the way we laugh depends on the company we’re keeping. Men tend to laugh longer and harder when they are with other men, perhaps as a way of bonding. Women tend to laugh more and at a higher pitch when men are present, possibly indicating flirtation or even submission.

C To find the origins of laughter, Provine believes we need to look at the play. He points out that the masters of laughing are children, and nowhere is their talent more obvious than in the boisterous antics, and the original context plays,’ he says. Well-known primate watchers, including Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall, have long argued that chimps laugh while at play. The sound they produce is known as a panting laugh. It seems obvious when you watch their behavior – they even have the same ticklish spots as we do. But remove the context, and the parallel between human laughter and a chimp’s characteristic pant laugh is not so clear. When Provine played a tape of the pant laughs to 119 of his students, for example, only two guessed correctly what it was.

D These findings underline how chimp and human laughter vary. When we laugh the sound is usually produced by chopping up a single exhalation into a series of shorter with one sound produced on each inward and outward breath. The question is: does this pant laughter have the same source as our own laughter? New research lends weight to the idea that it does. The findings come from Elke Zimmerman, head of the Institute for Zoology in Germany, who compared the sounds made by babies and chimpanzees in response to tickling during the first year of their life. Using sound spectrographs to reveal the pitch and intensity of vocalizations, she discovered that chimp and human baby laughter follow broadly the same pattern. Zimmerman believes the closeness of baby laughter to chimp laughter supports the idea that laughter was around long before humans arrived on the scene. What started simply as a modification of breathing associated with enjoyable and playful interactions has acquired a symbolic meaning as an indicator of pleasure.

E Pinpointing when laughter developed is another matter. Humans and chimps share a common ancestor that lived perhaps 8 million years ago, but animals might have been laughing long before that. More distantly related primates, including gorillas, laugh, and anecdotal evidence suggests that other social mammals may do too. Scientists are currently testing such stories with a comparative analysis of just how common laughter is among animals. So far, though, the most compelling evidence for laughter beyond primates comes from research done by Jaak Panksepp from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, into the ultrasonic chirps produced by rats during play and in response to tickling.

F All this still doesn’t answer the question of why we laugh at all. One idea is that laughter and tickling originated as a way of sealing the relationship between mother and child. Another is that the reflex response to tickling is protective, alerting us to the presence of crawling creatures that might harm us or compelling us to defend the parts of our bodies that are most vulnerable in hand-to-hand combat. But the idea that has gained most popularity in recent years is that laughter in response to tickling is a way for two individuals to signal and test their trust in one another. This hypothesis starts from the observation that although a little tickle can be enjoyable if it goes on too long it can be torture. By engaging in a bout of tickling, we put ourselves at the mercy of another individual, and laughing is a signal that we laughter is what makes it a reliable signal of trust according to Tom Flamson, a laughter researcher at the University of California, Los Angels. ‘Even in rats, laughter, tickle, play and trust are linked. Rats chirp a lot when they play,’ says Flamson. ‘These chirps can be aroused by tickling. And they get bonded to us as a result, which certainly seems like a show of trust.’

G We’ll never know which animal laughed the first laugh, or why. But we can be sure it wasn’t in response to a prehistoric joke. The funny thing is that while the origins of laughter are probably quite serious, we owe human laughter and our language-based humor to the same unique skill. While other animals pant, we alone can control our breath well enough to produce the sound of laughter. Without that control, there would also be no speech – and no jokes to endure.

Questions

Complete Translation of the Reading Passage

[Paragraph A] We like to think that laughter is the height of human sophistication. Our large brains allow us to see humor in a strategically placed pun, an unexpected plot twist, or a clever piece of wordplay. But while jokes and wit are uniquely human inventions, laughter certainly is not. Other creatures, including chimpanzees, gorillas, and even rats, also chuckle. Obviously, they don’t laugh while watching movies or giggle at the boss’s jokes, but the very fact that they know how to laugh suggests that laughter has been around for a lot longer than we have. It points to the origins of laughter as having a much more practical purpose than you might think.

[Paragraph B] There is no doubt that laughter typically involves groups of people. Robert Provine, a neuroscientist, states that laughter evolved as a signal to others and almost completely disappears when we are alone. Provine found that most laughter arises as a polite reaction to everyday remarks rather than anything particularly funny. The way we laugh depends on our companions. Men tend to laugh longer and harder when they are with other men to bond. Women laugh more and at a higher pitch when men are present, which may indicate flirtation or submission.

[Paragraph C] To find the origins of laughter, Provine believes we need to look at play. The true masters of laughter are children, as shown most clearly through their boisterous antics. Primate observers such as Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall have long argued that chimpanzees laugh while playing, producing a sound known as a panting laugh. They also have ticklish spots just like humans. However, stripped of this context, the similarity between human laughter and a chimpanzee’s panting laugh is not so clear. When people listen to an audio recording of it, very few can correctly guess what the sound is.

[Paragraph D] These findings highlight the differences between chimpanzee and human laughter. The sound of our laughter is produced by breaking up a single exhalation. Elke Zimmerman compared the sounds made by human infants and chimpanzees in response to tickling. She discovered that baby and chimp laughter share the same pitch and intensity patterns. This supports the idea that laughter existed long before humans arrived. What began simply as a breath modification associated with playful interactions has taken on a symbolic meaning as a sign of joy.

[Paragraph E] Humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor that lived roughly 8 million years ago, but animals may have been laughing long before that. Gorillas also laugh, and scientists are currently analyzing the prevalence of laughter across various animal species. So far, the most compelling evidence for laughter outside of primates comes from Jaak Panksepp’s research on the ultrasonic chirps made by rats while playing and responding to tickling.

[Paragraph F] Why do we laugh? One theory suggests laughter originated to strengthen the mother-child bond. Another suggests the reflex response to tickling serves a protective purpose. However, the most popular current theory is that laughter triggered by tickling is a way for two individuals to signal and test trust. According to Tom Flamson, laughter serves as a reliable signal of trust. Even in rats, laughter, tickling, and trust are closely linked, helping them bond more closely with humans.

[Paragraph G] We will never know which animal laughed first, but we can be certain it was not in response to a joke. While the origins of laughter are quite serious, we owe our current laughter and humor to a unique skill: breath control. Without that control, there would be no speech and no jokes to endure.

Academic Vocabulary Summary from the Reading Passage

• Sophistication (n): The quality of being complex, refined, or highly developed.

• Wordplay (n): Clever or witty use of words and meanings; puns.

• Mitochondria (n): Mitochondria (a scientific term often encountered in evolutionary reading passages).

• Vocalizations (n): Sounds produced by the vocal cords; animal calls or cries.

• Anecdotal evidence (n): Evidence based on personal accounts or casual observations rather than rigorous scientific proof.

• Ultrasonic chirps (n): High-frequency sounds beyond the human hearing range.

• Hypothesis (n): A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

• Hand-to-hand combat (n): Direct physical fighting at close quarters.

• Preconditions (n): Conditions that must be fulfilled before something else can happen.

Answer Key and Detailed Explanations

1. B (Elke Zimmerman): Paragraph D states that Elke Zimmerman compared human babies and chimpanzees, discovering that their laughter follows the same pattern.

2. D (Jaak Panksepp): Paragraph E mentions Jaak Panksepp’s research into the ultrasonic chirps produced by rats.

3. A (Tom Flamson): Paragraph F quotes Tom Flamson stating that laughter is a reliable signal of trust.

4. C (Robert Provine): Paragraph B notes that Provine found laughter is often a polite reaction rather than a response to humor.

5. B (Elke Zimmerman): Paragraph D mentions Zimmerman’s belief that laughter existed long before humans appeared.

6. C (Robert Provine): Paragraph B states Provine believes laughter functions as a signal to others and disappears when we are alone.

7. I (play): Paragraph C: “To find the origins of laughter, Provine believes we need to look at the play.”

8. C (origins): Paragraph D: “…does this pant laughter have the same source (origins) as our own laughter?”

9. G (primates): Paragraphs C and E mention that primates know how to laugh.

10. E (confidence/trust): Paragraph F discusses how laughter reflects trust and confidence between individuals.

11. NOT GIVEN: The passage only states that men laugh more when with other men; it does not specify whether women do the same among themselves (it only mentions women laugh more in the presence of men).

12. TRUE: Paragraph G affirms: “While other animals pant, we alone can control our breath well enough to produce the sound of laughter.”

13. NOT GIVEN: The passage does not compare the range of situations in which chimpanzees and rats laugh.

This reading passage provides a multidimensional perspective on the origins of laughter from biological and sociological viewpoints. Practicing with this content helps you hone your skills in distinguishing between researchers’ perspectives (Matching Features) and navigating biological logic traps (True/False/Not Given). It is a great opportunity to build your advanced evolutionary vocabulary and optimize your reading speed for the actual exam.