Cambridge ielts 1-15 series reading answers explained

11. Answer: FALSE 
Explain 
– Key words: ants, Giraldo‟s experiments, behaved, predicted 
– It is stated in paragraph 4 that “Giraldo expected the older ants to perform 
poorly…but the elderly ants were all good caretakers and trail-followers”. This implies that the elderly 
ants behaved differently from what she expected (predicted). She thought that they would perform 
badly, but they performed well. 
12. Answer: NOT GIVEN 
Explain 
– Key words: recent, studies, bees, different, methods, measuring, age-related decline 
– With regard to recent studies of bees, the author only mentions in paragraph 6 that the results about 
age-related decline were mixed: some showed it while some didn‟t. However, there is nothing said 
about the methods used, So this statement is NOT GIVEN. 
13. Answer: TRUE 
Explain 
– Key words: Pheidole dentata laboratory, live, longer 
– The first sentence of paragraph 3 reveals that in the lab, Pheidole dentata 
ants typically live for around 140 days. Later, in paragraph 7, it is said that 
“out in the wild, the ants probably don‟t live for a full 140 days”. This clearly means that the ants tend 
to live longer in laboratory conditions. 
– The statement is therefore TRUE. 

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473 
WHY ZOOS ARE GOOD
14. Answer: B 
Explain 
– Key words: quickly, animal, species, die out 
– It is mentioned in paragraph B that “some of these collapses have been 
sudden, dramatic and unexpected”, with “these collapses” referring to the 
extinction of animals. The word “sudden” is a synonym for quickly, so the 
sentence suggests that some animals may become extinct, or die out, quickly. 
15. Answer: E 
Explain 
– Key words: preferable, study, animals, captivity, wild 
– The term „animals in captivity‟ is another way of saying „animals in zoos‟. The role of zoos in 
animal research is mentioned in paragraph E: “Being able to undertake research on animals in zoos 
where there is less risk and fewer variables means real changes can be effected on wild populations”. 
So, zoos have many advantages for studying how animals live, act and react. Thus, – The answer is 
paragraph E. 
16. Answer: C 
Explain 
– Key words: two, ways, learning, animals, other than, zoos 
– Several ways of learning about animals are mentioned in paragraph C: zoos, television 
documentaries, and museums. Thus, this paragraph shows two ways of learning about animals other 
than visiting them in zoos. 
17. Answer: A 
Explain 
– Key words: animals, zoos, healthier, wild 
– The first sentence of the passage is: “it is perfectly possible for many species of animals living in 
zoos or wildlife parks to have a quality of life as high as, or higher than, in the wild”. Higher quality of 
life implies that zoo animals may be healthier than those in the wild. The author then goes on to 
discuss various reasons why zoos are healthy places for animals, including a good diet, treatment of 
illnesses and a safe environment from predators.