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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 12

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This reading practice simulates one part of the IELTS General Reading test. You should spend about twenty minutes on it. Read the passage and answer questions 29-40.

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Paleontologists have argued for a long time that the demise of the dinosaurs was caused by climatic alterations associated with slow changes in the positions of continents and seas resulting from plate tectonics. Off and on throughout the Cretaceous (the last period of the Mesozoic era, during ...
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Questions 29-37
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 29-37 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE   if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE   if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN   if there is no information on this.

29. The weather in the late Cretaceous period is generally considered to be worse than today

30. During the late Cretaceous period the number of plants and species of animals on Earth almost doubled

31. The retreat of the seaways at the end of the Cretaceous has been fully explained.

32. Climate changes associated with the movement of seaways before the Cretaceous period did not cause dinosaurs to become extinct.

33. The fossil record suggests that there was an abrupt extinction of many plants and animals at the end of the Mesozoic era.

34. Scientists believed that the amount of iridium in layers of clay would provide information on extinction events.

35. The amount of Ir in the boundary clay came from microscopic meteorites during the time the boundary clay was deposited.

36. The asteroid collision caused an extreme decrease in rainfall on the continents.

37. It took around fifty or more years for dinosaurs to become extinct.

The answer is FALSE. The passage states, "the Late Cretaceous climate was milder than today’s. The days were not too hot, nor the nights too cold. The summers were not too warm, nor the winters too frigid." (Paragraph 1). This indicates that the weather during the Late Cretaceous period was milder and thus not worse than today. The statement in the question contradicts the passage.

Associated Text:
the Late Cretaceous climate was milder than today’s. The days were not too hot, nor the nights too cold. The summers were not too warm, nor the winters too frigid.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. Nowhere in the passage does it mention that the number of plants and species of animals on Earth almost doubled during the late Cretaceous period. The passage discusses extinction events and climatic factors but does not state any information about a doubling of plant and animal species.

Associated Text:

The answer is FALSE. In paragraph 2, the passage says, "No one knows why" referring to why the seaways retreated at the end of the Cretaceous. Therefore, the retreat of the seaways has not been fully explained, contradicting the statement.

Associated Text:
No one knows why.

The answer is TRUE. In paragraph 3, the passage says that the shallow seaways had "retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but not with this one?" This shows that previous climate changes associated with seaway movement did not result in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Associated Text:
the shallow seaways had retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but not with this one?

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph 4 states, "Many plants and animals disappear abruptly from the fossil record as one moves from layers of rock documenting the end of the Cretaceous up into rocks representing the beginning of the Cenozoic (the era after the Mesozoic)." This indicates that the fossil record supports an abrupt extinction of many plants and animals at the end of the Mesozoic era.

Associated Text:
Many plants and animals disappear abruptly from the fossil record as one moves from layers of rock documenting the end of the Cretaceous up into rocks representing the beginning of the Cenozoic (the era after the Mesozoic).

The answer is TRUE. The passage in paragraph 4 states, "Scientists felt that they could get an idea of how long the extinctions took by determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay and they thought they could determine the time it took to deposit the clay by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) it contained." Therefore, the amount of Ir in the clay was used to provide information about the extinction event.

Associated Text:
Scientists felt that they could get an idea of how long the extinctions took by determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay and they thought they could determine the time it took to deposit the clay by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) it contained.

The answer is FALSE. The passage (paragraph 5) explains that while microscopic meteorites continually bombard Earth, "other reliable evidence suggests that the deposition of the boundary clay could not have taken one million years. So the unusually high concentration of Ir seems to require a special explanation." Therefore, the high amount of Ir could not have come from normal deposition of microscopic meteorites during boundary clay formation.

Associated Text:
other reliable evidence suggests that the deposition of the boundary clay could not have taken one million years. So the unusually high concentration of Ir seems to require a special explanation.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage talks about the asteroid collision causing extreme episodes of acid rain but does not mention an extreme decrease in rainfall on the continents. Therefore, there is no information provided regarding the effect on total rainfall.

Associated Text:
the impact kicked up a dust cloud that cut off sunlight for several months, inhibiting photosynthesis in plants; decreased surface temperatures on continents to below freezing; caused extreme episodes of acid rain; and significantly raised long-term global temperatures through the greenhouse effect.

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph 6 states, "This disruption of food chain and climate would have eradicated the dinosaurs and other organisms in less than fifty years." Thus, it did not take fifty or more years; it happened in less than fifty years.

Associated Text:
This disruption of food chain and climate would have eradicated the dinosaurs and other organisms in less than fifty years.

Questions 38-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.

38. Which of the following is true of the Late Cretaceous climate?

39. Which of the following reasons is suggested in paragraph 2 for the extinction of the dinosaurs?

40. Why does the author mention the survival of “snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles”?

The answer is (D). In paragraph 1, the passage says, "The days were not too hot, nor the nights too cold. The summers were not too warm, nor the winters too frigid." and "The shallow seas on the continents probably buffered the temperature of the nearby air, keeping it relatively constant." (D) "The climate did not change dramatically from season to season" best summarizes this, while the other options contradict the given information.

Associated Text:
The days were not too hot, nor the nights too cold. The summers were not too warm, nor the winters too frigid. The shallow seas on the continents probably buffered the temperature of the nearby air, keeping it relatively constant.

The answer is (C). In paragraph 2, it states, "Over a period of about 100,000 years, while the seas pulled back, climates around the world became dramatically more extreme: warmer days, cooler nights; hotter summers, colder winters. Perhaps dinosaurs could not tolerate these extreme temperature changes and became extinct." (C) "The change from mild to severe climates during the Late Cretaceous period" best reflects this explanation.

Associated Text:
Over a period of about 100,000 years, while the seas pulled back, climates around the world became dramatically more extreme: warmer days, cooler nights; hotter summers, colder winters. Perhaps dinosaurs could not tolerate these extreme temperature changes and became extinct.

The answer is (B). In paragraph 3, the survival of "snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles" is discussed to question why cold-blooded animals survived while dinosaurs did not, especially if climatic changes were so extreme. The author states, "It’s hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope," suggesting this challenges the adequacy of the climate hypothesis regarding dinosaur extinction.

Associated Text:
If true, though, why did cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the freezing winters and torrid summers? ... It’s hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded.

Answer Sheet
1
N/A
2
N/A
3
N/A
4
N/A
5
N/A
6
N/A
7
N/A
8
N/A
9
N/A
10
N/A
11
N/A
12
N/A
13
N/A
14
N/A
15
N/A
16
N/A
17
N/A
18
N/A
19
N/A
20
N/A
21
N/A
22
N/A
23
N/A
24
N/A
25
N/A
26
N/A
27
N/A
28
N/A
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Score Summary
0 / 1
Multiple Choice
Matching Sentence Endings
Note Completion
Table Completion
Flow Chart Completion
Summary Completion
Multiple Selection
Short Answer
Matching Headings
Matching Features
Matching Information
Identifying Information
Identifying Viewer Claims
Sentence Completion
Diagram Labelling
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Tips to improve your reading speed
To get a high score on the IELTS reading section, you need to have a fast reading speed. To have a fast reading speed, you need to improve your vocabulary and practice dissecting sentences. One strategy to dissect a sentence is to look for the subject and verb of the sentence. Finding the subject and verb will help you better understand the main idea of said sentence. Keep in mind, a common feature of a IELTS reading passage is to join strings of ideas to form long compound sentences. This produces large chunks that students have a hard time absorbing. Do not get overwhelmed by its length, just look for the subject and verb, the rest of the ideas will flow.

Keep in mind, having a slow reading speed makes skimming or scanning a reading passage more difficult. The process of quickly skimming through a reading passage for specific keywords or main ideas is a requirement for you to employ successful reading strategies to improve your IELTS reading score. In other words, skimming and scanning are critical skills to ensure you complete all questions in the allotted time frame.
IELTS Reading Strategies
Once you can read and comprehend a passage with a rate of, at least, 220 words per minute, you'll be ready to start implementing our strategies. All too often, students spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time answering the questions. Here is a step by step guide for tackling the reading section.

  1. Step 1: Read questions first

    One of the most common mistakes that candidates make when approaching the reading exam is reading every single word of the passages. Although you can practice for the exam by reading for pleasure, "reading blindly" (reading without any sense of what the questions will ask) will not do you any favors in the exam. Instead, it will hurt your chances for effectively managing your time and getting the best score.

    The main reason to read the questions first is because the type of question may determine what you read in the passage or how you read it. For example, some question types will call for the "skimming" technique, while others may call for the "scanning" technique.

    It is important to answer a set of questions that are of the same question type. You'll need to determine which question type you want to tackle first. A good strategy would be to start with the easier question type and move on to more difficult question types later. The Easiest question types are the ones where you spend less time reading. For example, the Matching Heading question type is an easier one because you only need to find the heading that best describes the main idea of a paragraph. An example of a difficult question type would be Identifying Information. For this question type, you'll need to read each paragraph to find out if each statement is TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN according to the passage.

    Here is a table that lists the difficulty levels for each question type. Use this table as a reference when choosing which question type you want to tackle first.

    Difficulty level Question Type
    Easy Sentence Completion
    Short answer
    Medium Matching Features
    Multiple choice
    Matching Headings
    Summary, Table, Flow-Chart Completion
    Difficult Matching Sentence Endings
    Matching Information
    Identifying Information (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN)
    Identifying Viewer's claims (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

  2. Step 2: Read for an objective

    After you've read the questions for the passage, you will be able to read for an objective. What does this mean? For example, if you come across a question that includes the year "1896", you can make a note of when this year comes up in the text, using it to answer the question later on. There are two reading techniques that will help you stay on track with reading for an objective. The first one, skimming, is best defined as reading fast in order to get the "gist", or general idea, or a passage. With this technique, you are not stopping for any unfamiliar words or looking for specific details. The second technique, scanning, is best defined as reading for specific information. With this technique, you are not reading for the overall gist, but rather, specific information. Notice how each of these techniques has a specific objective in mind. This will help you find information more quickly.

  3. Step 3: Take notes

    As you're reading for an objective, you should also be making notes on the margins of the passage, placing stars next to key information, or underlining things that you believe will help you answer the various questions. This will make it easier for you to check back when you are asked certain things in the questions. Choose whichever note-taking system is right for you - just make sure you do it!

  4. Step 4: Answer wisely

    After you've read the questions, read the passage, and have taken any appropriate notes, you you should have located the part of the text where you where you need to read carefully. Then just read carefully and think critically to determine the correct answer.

IELTS Reading Question Types

The IELTS reading test contains many different question types:

Matching HeadingsIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Headings
Matching InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Information
Matching FeaturesIELTS Reading Lesson: Matching Features
Summary CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Summary Completion
Identifying InformationIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Information
Identifying Writer's claimsIELTS Reading Lesson: Identifying Writer's claims
Multiple ChoiceIELTS Reading Lesson: Multiple Choice
Short AnswerIELTS Reading Lesson: Short Answer
Match Sentence EndingIELTS Reading Lesson: Match Sentence Ending
Sentence CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Sentence Completion
Table CompletionIELTS Reading Lesson: Table Completion
 
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