The Mystery of Bird Migration IELTS Reading Answers
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The Mystery of Bird Migration is a real Reading test passage that appeared in the IELTS. The Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS aspirants, with diligent practice. To score well, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the IELTS Reading Module.
By solving and reviewing Sample Reading Questions from past IELTS papers, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark. Take the practice test below and check your score by unlocking the answers for The Mystery of Bird Migration!
To help you out, check out the video on How to Solve IELTS Reading Matching Headings with 5 Golden Tips for BAND 9!
The question types found in this passage are:
Matching Headings
In IELTS Matching Headings type of question, a list of headings will be given and you are asked to match these headings with a paragraph in the passage. You should read the headings before you begin reading the text. To get the correct answer, you have to read the complete paragraph and not just stop with the first few lines of the paragraph. There will also be many other headings that are not related to any of the paragraphs given in the passage, in such cases, try to identify those types of headings too.
Multiple Choice Questions
IELTS reading multiple choice questions have about 3-4 options from which we have to choose our answer. This might be in the form of a question & answer type or a choose a correct ending to a sentence type. These answers appear in chronological order according to the passage.
Sentence Completion
In IELTS Sentence completion, you’ll be asked to fill in the blank spaces using the words given in the text. It is important to pay close attention to the instructions that are given in the question because in some instructions there will be a word limit mentioned and you may lose marks if you don’t follow it.
The Mystery of Bird Migration
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Find the reading passage with The Mystery of Bird Migration PDF here.
Questions 14-20
Reading passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet
List of headings
i. The best moment to migrate
ii. The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground
iii.The influence of weather on the migration route
iv. Physical characteristics that allow birds to migrate
v. The main reason why birds migrate
vi. The best wintering grounds for birds
vii. Research findings on how birds migrate
viii. Successful migration despite the trouble of wind
ix. The contrast between long-distance migration and short-distance migration
x. Mysterious migration despite lack of teaching
14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
16 Paragraph C
17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph F
20 Paragraph G
Questions 21-22
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Write the correct letters in your answer sheet Which TWO of the following statements are true of bird migration?
A Birds often fly further than they need to.
B Birds travelling in family groups are safe.
C Birds flying at night need less water.
D Birds have much sharper eyesight than humans.
E Only shorebirds are resistant to strong winds.
Questions 23-26
Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR NUMBER from the passage.
Write your answers in your answer sheet
23 It is a great mystery that young birds like cuckoos can find their wintering grounds without………….
24 Evidence shows birds can tell directions like a…………..by observing the sun and the stars.
25 One advantage for birds flying at night is that they can avoid contact with ……………………….
26 Laboratory tests show that birds can detect weather without……………..signs.
The Mystery of Bird Migration IELTS Reading Answers With Locations and Explanations
Check out the answer key for this IELTS Academic Reading passage, The mystery of bird migration with detailed explanations.
14 Answer: IV
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph A; Line 2
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the characteristics that allow birds to migrate. It is also clear from the line, “They are equipped with lightweight, hollow bones, intricately designed feathers providing both lift and thrust for rapid flight, navigation systems superior to any that man has developed, and an ingenious heat conserving design that, among other things, concentrates all blood circulation beneath layers of warm, waterproof plumage, leaving them fit to face life in the harshest of climates.” Here, “lightweight, hollow bones, intricately designed feathers” are the main keywords.
15 Answer: V
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the reasons behind the migration of birds. It is also clear from the line, “The fundamental reason that birds migrate is to find adequate food during the winter months when it is in short supply. ” Here, “fundamental reason, short supply, food” are the main keywords.
16 Answer: II
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 5
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the feeding ground. It is also clear from the line, “Nobody knows, for instance, why British swallows, which could presumably survive equally well if they spent the winter in equatorial Africa, instead of fly several thousands of miles further to their preferred winter home in South Africa’s Cape Province. Another mystery involves the huge migrations performed by arctic terns and mudflat-feeding shorebirds that breed close to Polar Regions. In general, the further north a migrant species breeds, the further south it spends the winter.” According to these lines, why the Artic words and mudflat-feeding birds migrate to the polar region and not to the nearby feeding grounds is still a mystery. Here, “mystery and migration” are the main keywords.
The unexplained rejection of closer feeding ground
17 Answer: X
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph D; Line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the mystery of migration. It is also clear from the line, “One of the greatest mysteries is how young birds know how to find the traditional wintering areas without parental guidance. Very few adults migrate with juveniles in tow, and youngsters may even have little or no inkling of their parents’ appearance.” Here, “greatest mysteries and parental guidance” are the primary keywords.
18 Answer: VII
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph E, Line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the success of migration. It is also clear from the line, “Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions. They seem also to be able to detect the earth’s magnetic field, probably due to having minute crystals of magnetite in the region of their brains.” Here, “evidence and detect” are the main keywords.
19 Answer: I
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph F, Line 5
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the best moment to migrate. It is also clear from the line, “Often birds react to weather changes before there is any visible sign of them. Lapwings, which feed on grassland, flee west from the Netherlands to the British Isles, France, and Spain at the onset of a cold snap.” Here, “weather changes” is the main keywords.
20 Answer: VIII
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph G, line 4
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the successful migration. It is also clear from the line, “Conversely, each autumn a small number of North American birds are blown across the Atlantic by fast-moving westerly tailwinds. Not only do they arrive safely in Europe, but, based on ringing evidence, some make it back to North America the following spring, after probably spending the winter with European migrants in sunny African climes.” Here, “arrive safely” is the main keyword.
21 Answer: A
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can refer to, “One puzzling fact is that many birds journey much further than would be necessary just to find food and good weather.” The sentence has been paraphrased. However, the meaning remains the same. In the given sentence, journey much further is changed to fly further, and than would be necessary is changed to than they need to.
22 Answer: C
Question type: Multiple Choice Question
Answer location: Paragraph E, 12
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can refer to, “Travelling at night provides other benefits. Daytime predators are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit skies is reduced.” The sentence has been paraphrased. However, the meaning remains the same. In the given sentence, Dehydration is changed to less water.
23 Answer: Parental Guidance
Question type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph D; Line 5
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer to, “It is mind-boggling to consider that, once raised by its host species, the young cuckoo makes its way to ancestral wintering grounds in the tropics before returning single-handedly to northern Europe the next season to seek out a mate among its kind.” The sentence has been paraphrased. However, the meaning remains the same. In the given sentence, ancestral wintering grounds is changed to wintering grounds.
24 Answer: Compass
Question type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph E; Line 1
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer to, “Mounting evidence has confirmed that birds use the positions of the sun and stars to obtain compass directions.” The sentence has been paraphrased. However, the meaning remains the same. In the given sentence, positions of the sun and stars is changed to observing the sun and stars. Also, to obtain compass directions is changed to tell directions.
25 Answer: Predators
Question type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 12
Answer explanation: In the said paragraphs, refer to, “Daytime predators are avoided and the danger of dehydration due to flying for long periods in warm, sunlit skies is reduced.” The sentence has been paraphrased. However, the meaning remains the same. In the given sentence, are avoided is paraphrased with they can avoid.
26 Answer: Visible
Question type: Sentence Completion
Answer location: Paragraph F; Line 5
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, refer to, “Often birds react to weather changes before there is any visible sign of them.” The sentence has been paraphrased. However, the meaning remains the same. In the given sentence, react to weather changes is paraphrased to detect weather changes.
We at IELTSMaterial.com would urge every IELTS aspirant to time this test as in the real exam and find the answers without looking at the key. If you haven’t, then we would earnestly advise you to take one of our IELTS reading practice tests or check out the links given below:
Reading passage 1 at IELTS Reading Test 22 with Answer Key
Reading passage 3 at IELTS Reading Test 24 with Answer Key
Also check:
Practice IELTS Reading based on question types
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