The History of the Tortoise – IELTS Reading Answers

IELTS Academic Reading consists of 40 questions divided over three passages, similar to The History of the Tortoise – IELTS Reading Answers. It can be difficult for some test-takers to complete the test within 60 minutes. To master this section, you should begin practising IELTS Reading passages like The History of the Tortoise – IELTS Reading Answers on a regular basis.

The Academic passage, The History of the Tortoise,  is a reading passage that is part of the Cambridge IELTS 9 Reading Test 1 and contains some of the IELTS reading question types. If you are interested in familiarizing yourself with all the question types, don’t hesitate to take an IELTS reading practice test.

The passage, The History of the Tortoise, is an IELTS Academic reading passage that consists of 14 questions.  

The question types found in this passage are: 

• IELTS Reading Short-Answer Type Question (Q. 1-4)
• True/False/Not Given IELTS Reading (Q. 5-7)
• Flowchart/IELTS Sentence Completion (Q. 8-13)
• IELTS Reading Multiple-Choice Questions (Q. 14)

Reading Passage 

The History of the Tortoise

Questions 1-4

1 What had to transfer from sea to land before any animals could migrate?

2 Which TWO processes are mentioned as those in which animals had to make big changes as they moved onto land?

3 Which physical feature. possessed by their ancestors, do whales lack?

4 Which animals might ichthyosaurs have resembled?

Questions 5-7

5 Turtles were among the first group of animals to migrate back to the sea.

6 It is always difficult to determine where an animal lived when its fossilized remains are incomplete.

7 The habitat of ichthyosaurs can be determined by the appearance of their fossilized remains.

Questions 8-13

Method of determining where the ancestors of turtles and tortoises come from

• Step 1: 71 species of living turtles and tortoises were examined and a total of 8 ……………. were taken from the bones of their forelimbs.
• Step 2: The data was recorded on a 9 ………………. (necessary for comparing the information). Outcome: Land tortoises were represented by a dense 10 ……………… of points towards the top. Sea turtles were grouped together in the bottom part.
• Step 3: The same data was collected from some living 11 ……………… species and added to the other results. Outcome: The points for these species turned out to be positioned about 12 ……………… up the triangle between the land tortoises and the sea turtles.
• Step 4: Bones of R quenstedti and P talampayensis were examined in a similar way and the results were added. Outcome: The position of the points indicated that both these ancient creatures were 13………………….

Questions 14

14 According to the writer, the most significant thing about tortoises is that

A they are able to adapt to life in extremely dry environments.

B their original life form was a kind of primeval bacteria,

C they have so much in common with sea turtles.

D they have made the transition from sea to land more than once.

Answers of The History of the Tortoise Reading Answers With Location and Explanations

1 Answer: plants

Question type: Short Answer Question

Answer location: Paragraph 1

Answer explanation: In the last line of the first paragraph, it is stated, “And we mustn’t forget the plants, without whose prior invasion of the land none of the other migrations could have happened.” We can understand from these lines that plants had to transfer from sea to land before any animals could migrate, that is prior to the invasion of the land. Thus, the answer is to plant.

2 Answer: breathing and reproduction

Question type: Short Answer Question

Answer location: Paragraph 2

Answer explanation: The introductory lines of the 2nd paragraph states that moving from water to land involved a major redesign of every aspect of life, including breathing and reproduction. These lines indicate that breathing and reproduction were the two processes in which animals had to make big changes as they moved out of the land. Thus, the answer is breathing and reproduction.

3 Answer: gills

Question type: Short Answer Question

Answer location: Paragraph 2,line 9

Answer explanation: We find a reference for Whales in the 2nd paragraph, which states that Whales (including the small whales we call dolphins) and dugongs, with their close cousins the manatees, ceased to be land creatures altogether and reverted to the full marine habits of their remote ancestors. They don‘t even come ashore to breed. In the 9th line of the 2nd paragraph, it is stated that they do, however, still breathe air, having never developed anything equivalent to the gills of their earlier marine incarnation. These lines suggest that although the gills were possessed by their ancestors, Whales lacked gills as their physical characteristics. Hence, the answer is gills.

4 Answer: dolphin

Question type: Short Answer Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 3,line 6

Answer explanation: The 6th line of the 3rd paragraph states that Ichthyosarus were reptilian contemporaries of the dinosaurs, with fins and streamlined bodies. The fossils look like dolphins and they surely lived like dolphins, in the water. It is evident from these lines that dolphins resembled ichthyosaurs. Hence, the answer is dolphins.

5 Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 2

Answer explanation: We find a reference in the 2nd line of paragraph 2, which states that Nevertheless, a good number of thoroughgoing land animals later turned around, abandoned their hard-earned terrestrial re-tooling, and returned to the Water again. Although these lines indicate that a large number of thoroughgoing land animals went back to the sea again, it is not mentioned whether the turtles were the first group of animals to migrate back to the sea. Thus, the answer is Not Given.

6 Answer: False

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 3, line 5

Answer explanation: Paragraph 3, Line 5 states the writer saying, “You might wonder how we can tell whether fossil animals lived on land or in water, especially if only fragments are found. Sometimes it’s obvious.” These lines indicate that though the fossilized remains are in fragments (incomplete), it’s not always difficult (sometimes it’s obvious) to determine if the animal lived in water or land. Thus, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.

7 Answer: True

Question type: True/ False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph 3, line 6

Answer explanation: In the 6th line of paragraph 3, it is mentioned that Ichthyosarus were reptilian contemporaries of the dinosaurs, with fins and streamlined bodies. The fossils look like dolphins and they surely lived like dolphins, in the water. These lines indicate that the habitat of ichthyosaurus can be determined by the appearance of their fossilized remains. Hence, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.

Tips to Solve the Question Types in The History of the Tortoise IELTS Reading Answers

Since now you know the answers to the Reading Answers of The History of the Tortoise with explanation, let us check out some quick tips to answer the three types of questions in the Reading Answers of The History of the Tortoise.

Short-Answer Type Questions: 

Short Answer Type Questions is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to scan through a passage and answer questions based on the information given following the word limit.

To answer short-answer type questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Go through the instructions carefully – You will find the word limit for the answers there, which you have to follow strictly.
• Read the questions and highlight the keywords – The next step will be to read the questions to know what keywords or information you have to look for in the passage.
• Use the ‘Wh’ words in the questions – Words like ‘What’, (names), ‘Where’ (place), ‘When’ (time), etc. will enable you to understand the type of information you are looking for.
• Use reading techniques to study the passage quickly – Do not waste your time reading the whole passage. Scan through the passage to find out the keywords or their synonyms. If headers are given, use them to locate the answer easily.
• Check the spelling – Once you find the answer, note the correct spelling in your answer sheet.

True/False/Not Given

In IELTS Reading, ‘True, False, Not Given’ questions are based on facts. Several factual statements will be provided to you, and it is up to you to determine whether or not they are accurate by reading the text.

To answer this type of question, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the question and identify the keywords – Before reading the material, have a look at your list of True, False, and Not Given questions.
• 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.
• Identify 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.

Flowchart/Sentence Completion:

Answering the flowchart questions is quite similar to how we solve the sentence completion questions of the IELTS Reading test. You will be asked to fill in the blanks in incomplete phrases with the relevant words or numbers.

• Read the instructions carefully. It will help you determine the word limit (no more than two, one word, etc) and important terms like ‘using words from the text’ or ‘from the text’. You have to follow these strictly.
• Read the incomplete sentences first. Also, think about keywords and how they could be represented by synonyms or paraphrasing.
• Locate where the information is by scanning quickly. If you can’t, move on.
• Study the reading text by using the skimming and scanning techniques. It will help to establish the answer quickly. When scanning for your answer, make sure you are thinking about paraphrasing and synonyms.
• The answers appear in the same order as the questions.Also, check your spelling and remember that your answer should be grammatically correct.

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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