Love Stories IELTS Reading: Answers & Detailed Explanations

Hello! Continuing our series of in-depth exam walkthroughs, today we’re diving into a topic that is as romantic as it is academically rigorous: The Psychology of Love.

This article, prepared by the ECE language center, provides a complete breakdown of the “Love Stories” reading passage, including a bilingual translation, key academic vocabulary, and a detailed guide to solving each question.

Reading Passage & Questions

Reading Passage: Love Stories

Paragraph 1 “Love stories” are often associated – at least in the popular imagination – with fairy tales, adolescent daydreams, Disney movies, and other frivolous pastimes. For psychologists developing taxonomies of affection and attachment, however, this is an area of rigorous academic pursuit. Beginning in the early 1970s with the groundbreaking contributions of John Alan Lee, researchers have developed classifications that they believe better characterize our romantic predispositions. This involves examining not a single, universal, emotional expression (“love”), but rather a series of divergent behaviors and narratives that each has an individualized purpose, desired outcome, and state of mind. Lee’s gritty methodology painstakingly involved participants matching 170 typical romantic encounters (e.g., “The night after I met X…”) with nearly 1500 possible reactions (“I could hardly get to sleep” or “I wrote X a letter”). The patterns unknowingly expressed by respondents culminated in a taxonomy of six distinct love “styles” that continue to inform research in the area forty years later.

Paragraph 2 The first of these styles – eros – is closely tied in with images of romantic love that are promulgated in Western popular culture. Characteristic of this style is a passionate emotional intensity, a strong physical magnetism – as if the two partners were literally being “pulled” together – and a sense of inevitability about the relationship. A related but more frantic style of love called mania involves an obsessive, compulsive attitude toward one’s partner. Vast swings in mood from ecstasy to agony – dependent on the level of attention a person is receiving from his or her partner – are typical of manic love.

Paragraph 3 Two styles were much more subdued, however. Storge is a quiet, companionate type of loving – “love by evolution” rather than “love by revolution,” according to some theorists. Relationships built on a foundation of platonic affection and caring are archetypal of storge. When care is extended to a sacrificial level of doting, however, it becomes another style – agape. In an agape relationship, one partner becomes a “caretaker,” exalting the welfare of the other above his or her own needs.

Paragraph 4 The final two styles of love seem to lack aspects of emotion and reciprocity altogether. The ludus style envisions relationships primarily as a game in which it is best to “play the field” or experience a diverse set of partners over time. Mutually-gratifying outcomes in relationships are not considered necessary, and deception of a partner and lack of disclosure about one’s activities are also typical. While Lee found that college students in his study overwhelmingly disagreed with the tenets of this style, substantial numbers of them acted in a typically ludic style while dating, a finding that proves correct the deceit inherent in ludus. Pragma lovers also downplayed emotive aspects of relationships but favored practical, sensible connections. Successful arranged marriages are a great example of pragma, in that the couple decides to make the relationship work; but anyone who seeks an ideal partner with a shopping list of necessary attributes (high salary, same religion, etc.) fits the classification.

Paragraph 5 Robert J. Sternberg’s contemporary research on love stories has elaborated on how these narratives determine the shape of our relationships and our lives. Sternberg and others have proposed and tested the theory of love as a story, “whereby the interaction of our personal attributes with the environment – which we in part create – leads to the development of stories about love that we then seek to fulfill, to the extent possible, in our lives.” Sternberg’s taxonomy of love stories numbers far more, at twenty-six, than Lee’s taxonomy of love styles, but as Sternberg himself admits there is plenty of overlap. The seventh story, Game, coincides with ludus, for example, while the nineteenth story, Sacrifice, fits neatly on top of agape.

Paragraph 6 Sternberg’s research demonstrates that we may have predilections toward multiple love stories, each represented in a mental hierarchy and varying in weight in terms of their personal significance. This explains the frustration many of us experience when comparing potential partners. One person often fulfils some expected narratives – such as a need for mystery and fantasy – while lacking the ability to meet the demands of others (which may lie in direct contradiction). It is also the case that stories have varying abilities to adapt to a given cultural milieu and its respective demands. Love stories are, therefore, interactive and adaptive phenomena in our lives rather than rigid prescriptions.

Paragraph 7 Steinberg also explores how our love stories interact with the love stories of our partners. What happens when someone who sees love as art collides with someone who sees love as a business? Can a Sewing story (love is what you make it) co-exist with a Theatre story (love is a script with predictable acts, scenes and lines)? Certainly, it is clear that we look for partners with love stories that complement and are compatible with our own narratives. But they do not have to be an identical match. Someone who sees love as mystery and art, for example, might locate that mystery better in a partner who views love through a lens of business and humour. Not all love stories, however, are equally well predisposed to relationship longevity; stories that view love as a game, as a kind of surveillance or as addiction are all unlikely to prove durable.

Paragraph 8 Research on love stories continues apace. Defying the myth that rigorous science and the romantic persuasions of ordinary people are incompatible, this research demonstrates that good psychology can clarify and comment on the way we give affection and form attachments.

Questions

Questions 27-34 Look at the following statements (Questions 27–34) and the list of styles in the box below. Match each statement with the correct term, A–F. Write the correct letter, A–F, in boxes 27–34 on your answer sheet. NB: You may use any letter more than once.

27. My most important concern is that my partner is happy.

28. I enjoy having many romantic partners.

29. I feel that my partner and I were always going to end up together.

30. I want to be friends first and then let romance develop later.

31. I always feel either very excited or absolutely miserable about my relationship.

32. I prefer to keep many aspects of my love life to myself.

33. When I am in love, that is all I can think about.

34. I know before I meet someone what qualities I need in a partner.

List of Love Styles

A. Eros

B. Mania

C. Storge

D. Agape

E. Ludus

F. Pragma

Questions 35–40 Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 35–40 on your answer sheet, write

• YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

• NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

• NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35. People’s notions of love affect their relationships, rather than vice versa.

36. Some of our love stories are more important to us than others.

37. Our love stories can change to meet the needs of particular social environments.

38. We look for romantic partners with a love story just like our own.

39. The most successful partners have matching love stories.

40. No love story is more suited to a long relationship than any other.

Summary of the Reading Passage

The passage discusses psychological research regarding love and its various styles:

• Paragraph 1: Introduces the serious scientific study of love, beginning with John Alan Lee in the 1970s. He developed a taxonomy of six love styles based on thousands of participant responses.

• Paragraph 2: Describes the Eros style (passionate, intense, a sense of destiny) and Mania (obsessive, mood swings from extreme joy to agony).

• Paragraph 3: Describes the Storge style (calm love, developing from friendship) and Agape (sacrificial love, putting the partner’s needs above one’s own).

• Paragraph 4: Describes the Ludus style (viewing love as a game, deceitful, no need for commitment) and Pragma (pragmatic, choosing a partner based on a list of criteria like salary or religion).

• Paragraph 5: Robert J. Sternberg’s research on “Love as a story.” He expanded the list to 26 stories but acknowledged overlap with Lee’s work.

• Paragraph 6: Sternberg points out that individuals may have multiple love stories with varying levels of importance (mental hierarchy). These stories can adapt to cultural environments.

• Paragraph 7: Interaction between partners’ stories. We look for complementarity and compatibility rather than identical matches. Some styles (like games or addiction) are generally not durable.

• Paragraph 8: Concludes that scientific research on love is ongoing and helps clarify how humans express affection.

Key Vocabulary Summary

Useful Grammatical Structures

• Reduced Relative Clause:

  • Sentence: “The patterns unknowingly expressed by respondents culminated in a taxonomy…”

  • Analysis: A reduction of “…which were expressed by respondents…”.

• Comparative Structure:

  • Sentence: “…Sternberg’s taxonomy of love stories numbers far more, at twenty-six, than Lee’s taxonomy…”

  • Analysis: Comparing the quantity between the two classification systems.

Answers & Detailed Explanations

27. D (Agape)

• Question: My most important concern is that my partner is happy.

• Location: Paragraph 3: “…exalting the welfare of the other above his or her own needs.”

• Explanation: The Agape style prioritizes the welfare of the other person above one’s own needs, which aligns with prioritizing a partner’s happiness.

28. E (Ludus)

• Question: I enjoy having many romantic partners.

• Location: Paragraph 4: “…best to ‘play the field’ or experience a diverse set of partners over time.”

• Explanation: The Ludus style views love as a game and enjoys experiencing a diverse set of partners.

29. A (Eros)

• Question: I feel that my partner and I were always going to end up together.

• Location: Paragraph 2: “…and a sense of inevitability about the relationship.”

• Explanation: The Eros style carries a sense of “inevitability,” implying that the couple was destined to be together.

30. C (Storge)

• Question: I want to be friends first and then let romance develop later.

• Location: Paragraph 3: “Relationships built on a foundation of platonic affection and caring…”

• Explanation: Storge is a type of love that develops from platonic affection, characterized by calm companionship.

31. B (Mania)

• Question: I always feel either very excited or absolutely miserable about my relationship.

• Location: Paragraph 2: “Vast swings in mood from ecstasy to agony…”

• Explanation: The Mania style is characterized by extreme mood swings, from ecstasy (very excited) to agony (miserable).

32. E (Ludus)

• Question: I prefer to keep many aspects of my love life to myself.

• Location: Paragraph 4: “…lack of disclosure about one’s activities are also typical.”

• Explanation: Ludus is characterized by a lack of disclosure regarding personal activities.

33. B (Mania)

• Question: When I am in love, that is all I can think about.

• Location: Paragraph 2: “…involves an obsessive, compulsive attitude toward one’s partner.”

• Explanation: Mania involves an obsessive, compulsive attitude, meaning one is constantly thinking about their partner.

34. F (Pragma)

• Question: I know before I meet someone what qualities I need in a partner.

• Location: Paragraph 4: “…seeks an ideal partner with a shopping list of necessary attributes…”

• Explanation: Pragma involves seeking a partner based on a pre-determined “shopping list” of necessary attributes.

35. YES

• Question: People’s notions of love affect their relationships, rather than vice versa.

• Location: Paragraph 5: “…these narratives determine the shape of our relationships and our lives.”

• Explanation: The passage states that narratives (notions) determine the shape of our relationships, confirming that notions affect relationships.

36. YES

• Question: Some of our love stories are more important to us than others.

• Location: Paragraph 6: “…represented in a mental hierarchy and varying in weight in terms of their personal significance.”

• Explanation: We have a hierarchy where stories vary in weight and personal significance, meaning some are more important than others.

37. YES

• Question: Our love stories can change to meet the needs of particular social environments.

• Location: Paragraph 6: “Love stories are, therefore, interactive and adaptive phenomena…” and “…adapt to a given cultural milieu…”

• Explanation: Love stories are adaptive to their cultural milieu (social environment).

38. NO

• Question: We look for romantic partners with a love story just like our own.

• Location: Paragraph 7: “Certainly, it is clear that we look for partners… that complement… But they do not have to be an identical match.”

• Explanation: The passage states we look for partners who complement us, but they do not need to be an identical match.

39. NOT GIVEN

• Question: The most successful partners have matching love stories.

• Explanation: Paragraph 7 discusses compatibility and complementarity, but it does not compare success levels to define which partners are “most successful.”

40. NO

• Question: No love story is more suited to a long relationship than any other.

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