Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database – IELTS Reading Answers

To score well in IELTS Reading, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types by practising and reviewing IELTS Academic Reading passages like Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database.

The Academic passage, Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database, is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on a passage. Let’s see how easy this passage is for you and if you’re able to make it in 20 minutes. If not, try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

The Academic Reading passage, Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database consists of 13 questions and presents three different types of questions, which are:

• Matching Headings (Q.1-6)
• Matching Features (Q. 7-9)
• Multiple -Choice Questions (Q. 10-11) & (Q. 12-13)

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Reading Passage

Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database

A Are we now living through the sixth extinction as our own activities destroy ecosystems and wipe out diversity? That’s the doomsday scenario painted by many ecologists, and they may well be right. The trouble is we don’t know for sure because we don’t have a clear picture of how life changes between extinction events or what has happened in previous episodes. We don’t even know how many species are alive today, let alone the rate at which they are becoming extinct. A new project aims to fill some of the gaps. The Paleobiology Database aspires to be an online repository of information about every fossil ever dug up. It is a huge undertaking that has been described as biodiversity’s equivalent of the Human Genome Project. Its organizers hope that by recording the history of biodiversity they will gain an insight into how environmental changes have shaped life on Earth in the past and how they might do so in the future. The database may even indicate whether life can rebound no matter what we throw at it, or whether a human induced extinction could be without parallel, changing the rules that have applied throughout the rest of the planet’s history.

B But already the project is attracting harsh criticism. Some experts believe it to be seriously flawed. They point out that a database is only as good as the data fed into it, and that even if all the current fossil finds were catalogued, they would provide an incomplete inventory of life because we are far from discovering every fossilised species. They say that researchers should get up from their computers and get back into the dirt to dig up new fossils. Others are more sceptical still, arguing that we can never get the full picture because the fossil record is riddled with holes and biases.

C Fans of the Paleobiology Database acknowledge that the fossil record will always be incomplete. But they see value in looking for global patterns that show relative changes in biodiversity. “The fossil record is the best tool we have for understanding how diversity and extinction work in normal times,” says John Alroy from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara. “Having a background extinction estimate gives the US a benchmark for understanding the mass extinction that’s currently underway. It allows us to say just how bad it is in relative terms.”

D To this end, the Paleobiology Database aims to be the most thorough attempt yet to come up with good global diversity curves. Every day between 10 and 15 scientists around the world add information about fossil finds to the database. Since it got up and running in 1998, scientists have entered almost 340,000 specimens, ranging from plants to whales to insects to dinosaurs to sea urchins. Overall totals are updated hourly at www.paleodb.org. Anyone can download data from the public part of the site and play with the numbers to their heart’s content. Already, the database has thrown up some surprising results. Looking at the big picture, Alroy and his colleagues believe they have found evidence that biodiversity reached a plateau long ago, contrary to the received wisdom that species numbers have increased continuously between extinction events. “The traditional view is that diversity has gone up and up and up,” he says. “Our research is showing that diversity limits were approached many tens of millions of years before the dinosaurs evolved, much less suffered extinction.” This suggests that only a certain number of species can live on Earth at a time, filling a prescribed number of niches like spaces in a multi-storey car park. Once it’s full, no more new species can squeeze in, until extinctions free up new spaces or something rare and catastrophic adds a new floor to the car park.

E Alroy has also used the database to reassess the accuracy of species names. His findings suggest that irregularities in classification inflate the overall number of species in the fossil record by between 32 and 44 per cent. Single species often end up with several names, he says, due to misidentification or poor communication between taxonomists in different countries. Repetition like this can distort diversity curves. “If you have really bad taxonomy in one short interval, it will look like a diversity spike—a big diversification followed by a big extinction-when all that has happened is a change in the quality of names,” says Alroy. For example, his statistical analysis indicates that of the 4861 North American fossil mammal species catalogued in the database, between 24 and 31 per cent will eventually prove to be duplicates.

F Of course, the fossil record is undeniably patchy. Some places and times have left behind more fossil-filled rocks than others. Some have been sampled more thoroughly. And certain kinds of creatures—those with hard parts that lived in oceans, for example–are more likely to leave a record behind, while others, like jellyfish, will always remain a mystery. Alroy has also tried to account for this. He estimates, for example, that only 41 per cent of North American mammals that have ever lived are known from fossils, and he suspects that a similar proportion of fossils are missing from other groups, such as fungi and insects.

G Not everyone is impressed with such mathematical wizardry. Jonathan Adrain from the University of Iowa in Iowa City points out that statistical wrangling has been known to create mass extinctions where none occurred. It is easy to misinterpret data. For example, changes in sea level or inconsistent sampling methods can mimic major changes in biodiversity. Indeed, a recent and thorough examination of the literature on marine bivalve fossils has convinced David Jablonsky from the University of Chicago and his colleagues that their diversity has increased steadily over the past 5 million years.

H With an inventory of all living species, ecologists could start to put the current biodiversity crisis in historical perspective. Although creating such a list would be a task to rival even the Palaeobiology Database, it is exactly what the San Francisco-based ALL Species Foundation hopes to achieve in the next 25 years. The effort is essential, says Harvard biologist Edward o. Wilson, who is alarmed by current rates of extinction. “There is a crisis. We’ve begun to measure it, and it’s very high,” Wilson says. “We need this kind of information in much more detail to protect all of biodiversity, not just the ones we know well.” Let the counting continue.

Questions 1-6

List of Headings

i. Potential error exists in the database
ii. Supporter of database recleared its value
iii. The purpose of this paleobiology data
iv. Reason why some certain species were not included in it
v. Duplication of breed but with different names
vi. Achievement of Paleobiology Database since
vii. Criticism on the project which is waste of fund

1 Paragraph A

2 Paragraph B

3 Paragraph C

4 Paragraph D

5 Paragraph E

6 Paragraph F

Questions 7-9

A Jonathan Adrain

B John Alroy

C David Jablonsky

D Edward o. Wilson

7 Creating the Database would help scientists to identify connections of all species.

8 Believed in contribution of detailed statistics should cover beyond the known species.

9 Reached a contradictory finding to the tremendous species die-out.

Questions 10-11

Please choose TWO CORRECT descriptions about the ‘The Paleobiology Database’ in this passage.

A almost all the experts welcome this project

B intrigues both positive and negative opinions from various experts

C all different creature in the database have unique name

D aims to embrace all fossil information globally

E get more information from record rather than the field

10 ………………………….

11 ………………………….

Questions 12-13

12 According to the passage, jellyfish belong to which category of ‘The Paleobiology Database’?

A repetition breed

B untraceable species

C specifically detailed species

D currently living creature

13 What is the author’s suggestion according to the end of the passage?

A continue to complete counting the number of species in the Paleobiology Database

B stop contributing ‘The Paleobiology Database’

C try to create a database of living creature

D study more in the field rather than in the book

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Answers of Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database Reading Answers with Location and Explanation

Check out Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database Reading Passage with answers and detailed explanations.

1 Answer: iii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph A

Answer explanation: In the introductory paragraph, it is given, “The Paleobiology Database aspires to be an online repository of information about every fossil ever dug up… Its organizers hope that by recording the history of biodiversity they will gain an insight into how environmental changes…may even indicate whether life can rebound no matter what we throw at it, or whether a human induced extinction could be without parallel, changing the rules that have applied throughout the rest of the planet’s history.”. It is noted that as we don’t have complete data on the atmosphere before extinction, the database on paleobiology data is created to help reveal information on the changes in the environment, life before extinction, etc. Hence, the answer is iii (The purpose of this paleobiology data).

2 Answer: i

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph B, Line 2 – Line 3

Answer explanation: In the specified lines, it is stated that “Some experts believe it to be seriously flawed. They point out that a database is only as good as the data fed into it, and that even if all the current fossil finds were catalogued, they would provide an incomplete inventory of life because we are far from discovering every fossilised species.”. This shows that the second paragraph discusses the flaws of the database. Hence, the answer is i (Potential error exists in the database).

3 Answer: ii

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph C, Line 1 – Line 2

Answer explanation: In the mentioned paragraph, it is given that “Fans of the Paleobiology Database acknowledge that the fossil record will always be incomplete. But they see value in looking for global patterns that show relative changes in biodiversity.”. It can be concluded that the third paragraph refers to the fact that fans accept the errors in the database but claim that it is still valuable to find out the global patterns. Hence, the answer is ii (Supporter of database recleared its value).

4 Answer: vi

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph D

Answer explanation: In the fourth paragraph, it is given, “To this end, the Paleobiology Database aims to be the most thorough attempt yet to come up with good global diversity curves.”. This paragraph explores how the database has been helpful and helped scientists and researchers reach important conclusions using the information that is added on a daily basis. Hence, the answer is vi (Achievement of Paleobiology Database since).

5 Answer: v

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph E, Line 3 – Line 4

Answer explanation: In the above-mentioned paragraph, it is stated that “Single species often end up with several names, he says, due to misidentification or poor communication between taxonomists in different countries. Repetition like this can distort diversity curves.”. It can be pointed out that the fifth paragraph explains how Alroy found out that there is duplication of the same species under different names, which has led to an increase in the records by 32-45 percent. Hence, the answer is v (Duplication of breed but with different names).

6 Answer: iv

Question type: Matching Headings

Answer location: Paragraph F, Line 4

Answer explanation: Through a reference line like, “And certain kinds of creatures—those with hard parts that lived in oceans, for example–are more likely to leave a record behind, while others, like jellyfish, will always remain a mystery.”, it can be concluded that the sixth paragraph indicates the reason why certain creatures, like jellyfish, are left out of the database. Hence, the answer is iv (Reason why some certain species were not included in it).

7 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph C, Line 3

Answer explanation: In the cited location, it is stated that ““The fossil record is the best tool we have for understanding how diversity and extinction work in normal times,” says John Alroy from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara.”. Based on this reference, it can be concluded that John Alroy is of the opinion that the database will enable scientists like him to identify the connections between diversity (connections of all species) and the extinction of all species. Hence, the answer is B (John Alroy).

8 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph H, Line 5

Answer explanation: In the provided line, it is said that “Wilson says. “We need this kind of information in much more detail to protect all of biodiversity, not just the ones we know well.””. This shows that Harvard biologist Edward o. Wilson believes that the detailed information in the database will help in knowing about species that are still unknown. Hence, the answer is D (Edward o. Wilson).

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database IELTS Reading Answers

Since now you know the answers to the Reading Passage of Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database with explanations, let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the Fossil Files: The Paleobiology Database IELTS Reading passage.

Matching Headings: 

You must match the heading in this type of question to the appropriate paragraph or reading segment in the text. Your ability to figure out the paragraph’s key concept and its supporting ideas will be put to the test.

• Take your time to rephrase the potential headings’ keywords.
• Find the main idea by scanning and skimming the paragraphs. Sometimes the essential idea of the paragraph is expressed in the header.
• For clarification on the paragraph’s main idea, see the first and last sentences. Likewise, quickly scan the middle of the paragraph to make sure you comprehend it.
• Don’t try to match words. Your primary goal is to match a correct paragraph.
• Choose the heading that best fits the paragraph after reading it again if two seem to be appropriate.
• The number of headings will always be greater than the number of paragraphs or sections. Therefore, some headings will never be utilized.

Matching Features:

In this type of question, you will have to match a list of options with the relevant set of statements. Some tips for answering matching features questions and obtaining a high band in the IELTS examination are given below:

• 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 appears in the passage.
• Scan the passage 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.

Multiple-Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple-choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

• Before reading the passage, read the question and select the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the question statement is short on information.
• Then, using the keywords, read the passage to find the relevant information.
• To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant words and match them with each option.
• You will find several options with keywords that do not correspond to the information.
• Try opting for the elimination method mostly.
• Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than just the keywords.

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