Ambergris – IELTS Reading Answers

Ambergris is a real reading test passage that appeared in the IELTS. With diligent practice of such passages and IELTS Reading recent actual tests, the Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS aspirants. To score well, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the Reading Module.

There are 13 questions with the Ambergris IELTS Reading passage that feature 3 different question types that are quite common in IELTS Academic Reading. The question types found in this passage are:

• IELTS Reading Matching Features (Q. 1-6)
• IELTS Reading Summary Completion (Q. 7-9)
• True/False/Not Given IELTS Reading (Q. 10-13)

Ambergris

Answers of Ambergris Reading Answers With Location and Explanations

Now it’s time to check the Ambergris answer key to get an idea of how well you have mastered this section and how you can prepare better to get a high IELTS Reading band score.

1 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching features

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 2

Answer explanation: The opening lines of paragraph A suggests that “the use of ambergris in Europe is now entirely confined to perfumery-as a material of perfumery. Its high price varies from $15 to $25 an ounce, though it formerly occupied on inconsiderable place in medicine.” Here, the term very expensive has been paraphrased to high price. Thus, we can state that only ambergris is expensive.

2 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching features

Answer location: Paragraph A, last line

Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can find out that “it occupies a very important place in the perfumery of the East, and there it is also used in pharmacy and as a flavouring material in cookery.” Since this paragraph discusses ambergris only and it is mentioned that besides perfumery it is also used as a flavoring material in cookery, which can also be referred to as flavor food, we can conclude that the correct answer is A.

3 Answer: D

Question Type: Matching features

Answer location: Complete Paragraph

Answer explanation: The word currency is not found in the entire passage. So it does not relate to either of them

4 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching features

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1

Answer explanation: Paragraph E puts forward the information that “the true source and character of ambergris were first satisfactorily established by Dr. Swediaur in a communication to the Royal Society.” Hence, only ambergris is referred to in a communication.

5 Answer: B

Question Type: Matching features

Answer location: Paragraph B, line 3

Answer explanation: If you read clearly, it is mentioned that “although considered a gem, amber is a hard, transparent and wholly-organic material derived from the resin of extinct species of trees.” Here, the term transparent means could be seen through. Hence, we can infer that only amber is a hard substance through which you can see through.

6 Answer: beaks

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 2

Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. You must note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it is said that “it was found by Dr. Swediaur that ambergris very frequently contained the horny mandibles or beaks of the squid, on which the sperm whales are known to feed.” Thus, we can deduce that Dr. Swediaur discovered the formation of ambergris through (experiences) several stages. Such sperm whales are known to feed on the horny( hard substance) and mandibles or beaks of the squid.

7 Answer: passage

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, last line

Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can refer to “that observation, in connection with the fact of ambergris being frequently taken from the intestines of the sperm whale, sufficiently proved that the substance is produced by the whale’s intestine as a means of facilitating the passage of undigested hard, sharp beaks of squid that the whale has eaten.” The steps involved in the formation of ambergris starts when whales eat beaks of squid and produced substances in their intestine to facilitate the passage that goes undigested.

8 Answer: vomited

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, line 3

Answer explanation: You can note the paraphrasing here. In the passage, it states that “often expelled by vomiting, ambergris floats in chunks on the water and is of a deep grey colour, soft consistence, and an offensive, disagreeable smell.” Here, the term expelled means to send out something by force. Thus, we can infer that when sperm whales force out ambergris through vomiting, some pieces (chunks) of it float on water.

9 Answer: hardens

Question Type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, 2nd last line

Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes “following months to years of photo-degradation and oxidation in the ocean, this precursor gradually hardens, developing a dark grey or black colour, a crusty and waxy texture, and a peculiar odour that is at once sweet, earthy, marine, and animalist.” Since it is mentioned that months to years of photo-degradation and oxidation in the ocean causes ambergris to turn hard, we can state that months to years of exposure to air causes ambergris to harden.

10 Answer: TRUE

Question Type: True/False and Not Given Question

Answer location: Paragraph H, line 4

Answer explanation: Paragraph H puts forward the information that “in the 20th century, 90% of ambergris was derived in the processing of killing sperm whales.” This line from the passage confirms that in the 20th century, most ambergris (90%) were derived (was made) from the process of killing sperm whales.

11 Answer: NOT GIVEN

Question Type: True/False and Not Given Question

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: None of the passages confirms or denies that ambergris’s cost increased recently.

12 Answer: NOT GIVEN

Question Type: True/False and Not Given Question

Answer location: N/A

Answer explanation: None of the passages confirms or denies ambergris still remains in the perfume making.

13 Answer: FALSE

Question Type: True/False and Not Given Question

Answer location: Paragraph I, 2nd last line

Answer explanation: Few lines in the said paragraph convey that “the most important of these is Ambrox, which has taken its place as the most widely used amber odorant in perfume manufacture.” According to author, the most important substance in perfume is ambrox, not ambergris.

Tips to Solve the Question Types in Ambergris IELTS Reading Answers

Now that you have the answers and explanations for Ambergris Reading Answers, let’s explore some IELTS exam preparation tips for answering the three question types.

Matching Features

In this type of question, there will be a list of items in the box and some related features. You need to match these items by reading and understanding some sentences in the passages. The list may be of the name of people or cities. For example, if there is a name of a person in the box of items then the question may be to match the sentence with the person who said them. Like other types of match questions, some of the items mentioned may not be available in the passage.

• Read questions and underline or circle keywords. This will help you find out where you would have to read and find later. Also, focus on how often every detail or name is appearing in the passage.
• Scan the passage using the IELTS Reading keyword techniques and look for information given in the features and questions.
• Skim through the areas that are surrounded by keywords and features in the passage.
• Don’t get confused in case the text has synonyms of the information that is originally present in the question.
• Keep in mind that answers will not be in an order as questions.

Summary Completion

Here, you will be provided with a summary of information from a text, and there will be a few gaps. You will either get a list of words to be filled in the gaps or you could be asked to find answers from the reading passage. You will have to insert a few words from the text into the gaps. All of the information in the summary will also be available in the IELTS Reading text. However, they will be using paraphrasing and synonyms. Thus, you cannot expect to find the exact words.

• Read the sentences carefully: This will give you an idea of the type of word or phrase that is missing.
• Scan the passage for the keywords: The keywords in the sentence can help you to identify the correct word or phrase.
• Read the sentence with the missing word or phrase: This will help you to see how the word or phrase fits into the sentence.
• Check your answer: Once you have filled in the gap, make sure that your answer makes sense in the context of the sentence.

True/False/Not Given Questions

These IELTS Academic questions are very tricky. They consists of several statements – If the statement is present in the article as it is then you need to mark it as true. If the statement is found to be the opposite of the sentence which is there then it should be marked as false. If the statement given in the question is not at all present in the article then it should be marked as not given.

• Before reading the material, have a look at your list of True, False, and Not Given questions.
• Then, scan the passage for synonyms or paraphrased words of the keywords. When you have highlighted the keywords, swiftly read the text to look for paraphrases or synonyms.
• Match the highlighted words in the questions with their synonyms in the text. Once you find both sets of keywords, cross-check them to find the answer.
• If the facts match, the answer is TRUE, and in case it doesn’t match, it is FALSE. If you are unable to find the answer or unsure of it, mark it NOT GIVEN.
• Do not spend a lot of time finding the sentence which is not there if you want to achieve a high IELTS band score.

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