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IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 40

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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 1-14.

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A poem written in approximately 598 AD describes the hunt for a mysterious creature known as a llewyn. What could it have been? No living thing seemed to fit, that is until an animal bone dating from around the same period was discovered in 2006 at the Kinsey Cave in northern England. Before the bo...
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Questions 1-9
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 1-9 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.

1. The 2006 discovery of the animal bone revealed that the lynx vanished from Britain several thousand years ago.

2. The llewyn creature lived throughout Europe over 5,000 years ago.

3. Large predators promote the overall health of an ecosystem.

4. The number one goal of rewilding is to preserve an ecosystem exactly as it is, preventing any changes.

5. Protecting large areas of the sea from commercial fishing would result in practical benefits for the fishing industry.

6. Domesticated farm animals are common prey for lynx populations re-established in Europe.

7. Some areas in Europe have successfully reintroduced the lynx.

8. Changes in agricultural practices have not extended the habitat of the lynx in Europe.

9. It has become evident that species reintroduction has commercial advantages.

The answer is FALSE. The passage in paragraph 1 describes that before the 2006 bone discovery, lynxes were believed to have gone extinct about 6,000 years ago in Britain. However, the bone found dating from around the same period as the 598 AD poem suggests that lynxes may have survived until only about 1,000 years ago, not several thousand. Therefore, the statement that the 2006 discovery revealed the lynx vanished several thousand years ago contradicts the new evidence.

Associated Text:
If this potential explanation turns out to be true, it would mean that lynxes only went extinct 1,000 years ago in this area.

The answer is NOT GIVEN. The statement is about the llewyn living throughout Europe over 5,000 years ago. The passage does not provide any information regarding the distribution of the llewyn (or lynx) throughout Europe 5,000 years ago. It only focuses on Britain and related archaeological finds and poetry.

Associated Text:

The answer is TRUE. According to paragraph 3, the text states that large predators instigate dynamic processes which resonate throughout the food chains, allowing hundreds of more vulnerable species to thrive and that these predators breathe life into an ecosystem. This clearly supports the idea that large predators promote the overall health of an ecosystem.

Associated Text:
Large predators may instigate dynamic processes which resonate throughout entire food chains, leading to the creation of specific niches allowing hundreds of more vulnerable species to thrive. In fact, these predators actually breathe life into an ecosystem as they kill prey.

The answer is FALSE. The passage in paragraph 3 specifically states that the most important goal of rewilding is to restore species that have disappeared, not to preserve the ecosystem exactly as it is. In fact, the movement emphasizes dynamic change rather than stasis or preventing any changes.

Associated Text:
the most important of all is to restore species that have disappeared.

The answer is TRUE. In paragraph 5, it is described that if large areas are off-limits to commercial fishermen, nearby fish stocks would benefit, and this would positively impact the fishing industry by allowing breeding grounds to recover and fish populations to increase.

Associated Text:
The bounty of fish in nearby areas would be affected positively as well.

The answer is FALSE. The passage in paragraph 6 explains that the lynx does not pose much risk to livestock, as it requires almost complete cover to hunt and domesticated animals should not be in the woods. The lynx is described as a specialist predator of deer, not domesticated farm animals.

Associated Text:
The lynx needs almost complete cover to hunt, therefore it doesn’t pose much of a risk to livestock, who, as a condition of farm subsidies, should not be allowed in the woods.

The answer is TRUE. Paragraph 7 specifically mentions that in several regions such as the Jura Mountains, Alps, Vosges, and Harz Mountains, the lynx has been successfully reintroduced over the last 40 years, and their numbers have increased.

Associated Text:
In places such as the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France and the Harz mountains in Germany, and many other places, the lynx has successfully been reintroduced. In the past 40 years, lynx numbers in Europe have gone up three times to roughly 10,000.

The answer is FALSE. The statement says changes in agricultural practice have NOT extended lynx habitats, but the passage says the end of farming in the hills has actually allowed lynx populations to spread. Therefore, the correct answer is FALSE.

Associated Text:
the end of farming practices in the hills has allowed the lynx population to spread.

The answer is TRUE. The passage states in paragraph 7 that people now realize it is more profitable to protect charismatic wildlife like the lynx because travelers spend money to visit and see these animals. This supports the idea that species reintroduction has commercial advantages.

Associated Text:
it’s actually more lucrative to protect charismatic wildlife than it is to destroy it, as travelers spend money on to visit the areas and see the animal for themselves.

Questions 10-11
Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 10-11 on your answer sheet.

advocates are able to articulate what they want, rather than what they are against, which sets them apart from other groups.

Reintroducing the lynx to certain areas would lower the populations of other animals, such as the Roe and deer.

The answer is rewilding. Paragraph 6 explicitly mentions that participants in rewilding articulate what they stand for instead of what they are against, setting them apart from other environmental movements.

Associated Text:
Participants in rewilding articulate what they stand for instead of what they are against making it somewhat of a rarity amongst other similar environmental movements.

The answer is sika. According to paragraph 6, another species that the lynx hunts is the sika deer. This population control would be one of the outcomes of reintroducing the lynx.

Associated Text:
Another species that lynx hunts is the exotic sika deer, which hides in impenetrable groups of small trees, making them virtually resistant any human attempts to control their population.

Questions 12-14
Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in 12-14 on your answer sheet.

There would be many benefits to reintroducing the lynx to Britain. While no evidence suggested that the lynx has ever put in danger, it would reduce the numbers of certain wild animals. It would also present only a minimal threat to , provided these were kept away from lynx habitats.  Finally, the reintroduction programme would also link efficiently with the aim to return to certain areas of the country.

The answer is humans. In paragraph 6, it is stated that there is no recorded instance of a lynx attacking any human being, indicating that the lynx would not pose a threat to humans.

Associated Text:
There is no recorded instance of a lynx attacking any human being, so it seems that they do not pose any direct threat to us.

The answer is livestock. Paragraph 6 says the lynx needs almost complete cover to hunt and does not pose much risk to livestock, which should not be allowed in the woods, indicating minimal danger for domesticated animals.

Associated Text:
The lynx needs almost complete cover to hunt, therefore it doesn’t pose much of a risk to livestock, who, as a condition of farm subsidies, should not be allowed in the woods.

The answer is forests. According to paragraph 6, the reintroduction of the lynx supports the goal of encouraging the regrowth of forests in certain upland parts of the country.

Associated Text:
To reintroduce this predator pairs quite well with the goal of encouraging the regrowth of forests in parts of the country, especially in barren uplands.

Answer Sheet
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
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
N/A
30
N/A
31
N/A
32
N/A
33
N/A
34
N/A
35
N/A
36
N/A
37
N/A
38
N/A
39
N/A
40
N/A
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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