Task 1 Long Reading

Time allowed for this activity: 30 minutes

ISE II UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA AND EVENTS

TALES OF THE 'OLD HAG' CONTINUE TO ENDURE

Tales of the 'Old Hag' Continue to Endure

Paragraph 1
A terrifying phenomenon known to cause paralysis and hallucinations at night is surprisingly common,
known as sleep paralysis. Have you ever found yourself in a half-waking state, either while falling
asleep or waking up, and completely unable to move or cry out no matter how hard you try? Most
people will have experienced this at some point in their lives, the sensation tends to occur when
waking up and is characterized by being mentally awake and aware but being unable to physically
move. It happens when you gain consciousness but your muscles remain in an ultra-relaxed state.
The experience can be somewhat unnerving, but to a few people it can also be accompanied by
powerful auditory and visual hallucinations that can leave them absolutely terrified.

Paragraph 2
This distressing experience is thought to occur when a person is stuck in a transitional state between
wakefulness and sleep. Some people become aware that they are still asleep, but there inability to
move is thought to be due to the muscle atonia normally induced during REM sleep to stop us
physically acting out our dreams. For some people, this isn't only frightening, but it also seems to last
longer than what it really does.

Paragraph 3
To make matters worse, some people also experience strong hallucinations while paralyzed which
can include seeing an ominous figure in the room and feeling of a strong sense of presence, often
enough a malevolent one. In some of the worst cases, this intruder can be seen and felt physically
climbing on top of the helpless experiencer, resulting in a crushing sensation on the chest and
difficulty breathing. Surveys put the number of sleep paralysis sufferers between about 5 percent and
60 percent of the population.
Paragraph 4
Once referred to as 'old hag', the phenomenon can sometimes manifest visions of an old woman or
even demonic creatures, leading to stories of otherworldly creatures visiting people at night. Tales of
the incubus and succubus also stem from such experiences, the sufferer often feeling the sensation of
being crushed or restrained by the metaphysical intruder. One man told about his frequent sleep
paralysis episodes, during which he'd experience extremely realistic hallucinations of a young child,
skipping around the bed and singing nursery rhymes. Sometimes, the child would sit on his pillow and
talk to him. One night, the tot asked the man a personal question. When he refused to answer, the
child transformed into a "horrendous demong".

Paragraph 5
This particular experience has been referred to as "old hag" due to tha hallucinations of an ugly old
woman shrouded in black, sitting on the chest of the person that is having sleep paralysis. People who
have suffered such an experience have reported having trouble breathing with an extreme pressure
on their chest, and convinced that an old woman was the cause of this. Furthermore, this is a global
phenomenon, as it has been reported from all over the world. Fortunately though, aside from being
terrifying, sleep paralysis in itself is generally harmless.

Read the following text about ............ and answer the 15 questions on the next page.

ISE II UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA AND

EVENTS
TALES OF THE 'OLD HAG' CONTINUE TO ENDURE

Questions 1 5

The text on the prior page has five paragraphs (1 5). Choose the best title for each paragraph from
A F below and write the letter A F on the lines below. There is one title you don't need.
1.Paragraph 1 ___________
2.Paragraph 2 ___________
3.Paragraph 3 ___________
4.Paragraph 4 ___________
5. Paragraph 5 ___________
Questions 6 10

When does this occur, while you are sleeping

Physical Effects that Sleep Paralysis have on

people

How many people have this sort of experience

Defining sleep paralysis

Learning how to live with sleep paralysis in

your life.

Stories of dreams of people that go through this

phenomenon

Choose the five statements from A H below that are TRUE according to the information given in
the text on prior page. Write the letters of the TRUE statements on the lines below (in any
order).
A
Many people have been permanently affected by sleep
6.
___________
paralysis.
B

Sleep paralysis is something that happens while you are

asleep and are somewhat awake.

___________

It is often a scare event for the person that is going

through it.

9.

___________

10.

___________

Sometimes the body jerks involuntarily due to the effect

of sleep paralysis.

There are different version of hallucination that people

have, caused by this phenomenon.

This is quite well known in one particular location.

Loss of breath is one factor that can be experienced.

Although frightening when happening, there isn't any

real danger to having sleep paralysis.

7.

___________

8.

Questions 11 15

Complete sentences 11 15 with a word, phrase or number from the text (maximum three words).
Write the word, phrase or number on the lines below.
11.

In sleep paralysis, some people arouse from a ___________________ either when they just
awake or just go into sleep.
12.
At times, a person that is going from being asleep to being awake, can find themselves in a
___________________ .
13.
At times it is believed that somebody or something has climbed on the chest of the sleeper,
giving them a ___________________ feeling.
14.
A very popular image of some source that is sitting on the sleeper is known as the
___________________ .
15.
Luckily, sleep paraylisis, as unpleasant as it isn't known for being ___________________.
ANSWER KEY
1. D

2. A
3. C
4. F
5. B
6. B
7. C
8. E
9. G
10. H
11. half-waking state
12. transitional state
13. crushing / restraining / crushing and restaining / crushing or restraining
14. Old Hag
15. harmful

SOURCES
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/299677/tales-of-the-old-hag-continue-to-endure
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/viewnews.php?id=245595
https://www.yahoo.com/news/strange-sleep-disorder-makes-people-see-demons-152946861.html?
ref=gs