Are you an Optimist or a Pessimist? - Test 2

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Reading · Cambridge English Proficiency 2, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read an article about the advantages and disadvantages of pessimistic and optimistic attitudes. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

As a nation, the British are not a very optimistic bunch. When we were first granted the honour of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, according to an opinion poll at the time, 55 per cent of us were more concerned about the likely impact on the transport network while the Games were on than with celebrating the arrival of the greatest show on Earth. But alongside this type of staunch pessimism resides an unsettling feeling that we should be more positive. We are always trying to dislodge each other's pessimism. Test it for yourself: sit gloomily in a public place and see how long it takes before a smiling passer-by says, 'Cheer up, it might never happen!' or offers one of those trite aphorisms about 'looking on the bright side' or 'clouds having silver linings'. The self-help industry rakes in billions through peddling hope and positive thinking. But can a positive outlook really improve our lives? How can optimism make people more trustworthy, or sports events more successful? It can't, says Professor Elaine Fox, a neuroscientist who recently published a book called Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain about our ambivalent feelings of optimism and pessimism. Our negativity is the response of a rational mind and positivity is a delusion, she says, and for most of us they both act to balance us out. 'Positivity is a delusion. But it is a useful delusion. If we didn't have some sort of optimism we wouldn't ever get out of bed in the morning. But pessimism has its place,' she says. So, when we think positively, are we just tricking ourselves that things will get better? It's a little more complicated than that, says Professor Fox. 'Where self-help books say "just think happy thoughts" it doesn't work.' But some degree of optimism can work to our advantage, because if we feel more positive, we will take more positive actions. 'Optimism gives you a sense of control,' she explains. So, to return to the example of the Olympics, if we had just repeated the mantra, 'the Olympics will be amazing, the Olympics will be amazing' it wouldn't have made it happen. In the event we actually did respond positively to them, but by taking the kind of actions – buying tickets to events, or getting involved as volunteers – that meant we ended up loving the whole experience. More dramatically, positive thoughts can have concrete health benefits and can help us through certain situations, Professor Fox explains. In experiments on pain in which students are asked to keep their hands in a bucket of ice water for as long as they can stand it, students who believe they have been given a painkiller, but have in actual fact just been given a sugar pill, will keep their hand in longer than those who aren't given anything. Scans of their brains show they actually produce a surge of dopamine, a so-called 'happy' chemical, which combats the pain. 'Thomas Edison, the famous American inventor, said, "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." In general, optimists will try harder and spend longer on something than pessimists,' says Professor Fox. 'They also believe they have some control over their life, and that's why they tend to be more successful.' But don't shrug off your grumpy cynicism just yet. Professor Fox says a healthy dose of negativity can help us out, too. 'The amygdala – the fear system in our brain that helps us detect threat and danger – is really at the root of pessimism. Pessimism helps us suss out danger in our lives.' And although most of us are unlikely to need this reaction the same way our caveman ancestors did – for fight-or-flight reactions – fear is still a useful trait. 'A pessimistic outlook would work if you were setting up your own business,' says Professor Fox, 'to identify risk and avoid it.' So, there is a place for pessimism. 'They say the aeroplane was invented by an optimist and the parachute was invented by a pessimist. That's the reason I called the book Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, because we need both.' Anticipate sunshine, but carry an umbrella and you should get along just fine.

illustrated an underlying mindset.

contradicted stereotypes of national character.

reflected a shift in public opinion.

indicated the dangers of ambivalence.

The writer says that British attitudes to the 2012 Olympic Games

is more desirable than being pessimistic.

is a necessary counter to our negativity.

is likely to lead to unrealistic expectations.

is as natural a quality as pessimism.

In the second paragraph, we learn that Professor Fox believes being optimistic

It is difficult to find any sensible advice about it.

It is ineffective unless carefully planned.

It is desirable as it will lead to material benefits.

It is likely to be the basis for practical achievement.

What does Professor Fox suggest about positive thinking in the third paragraph?

the futility of merely thinking positively

the way that positive thoughts can motivate people

the importance of overcoming negative thinking

the fact that people can be trained to think in certain ways

What is the writer illustrating by using the phrase 'the Olympics will be amazing'?

In order to be successful, we have to experience failure.

Optimists gain success through persistence.

Successful people are often unwilling to work for others.

Success comes more easily to optimists than pessimists.

What point is exemplified by the reference to Thomas Edison?

was a necessary consequence of the invention of the aeroplane.

proved that humans always tend to fear the worst.

was comparable to someone starting a company.

demonstrated a readiness to confront the idea of risk.

In the final paragraph, it is said that the invention of the parachute

Are you an Optimist or a Pessimist?

Whichever you are, a new book reveals that you can learn a lot from attempting the opposite attitude.

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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