Animals can Tell Right From Wrong Reading Answers

Oct 31, 2025

Animals can Tell Right From Wrong Reading Answers consists of 13 questions and forms part of the evaluation framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Participants are given a time constraint of 20 minutes to finish the reading answers for the Animals can Tell Right From Wrong. This portion of the IELTS reading evaluation includes various types of questions, including choosing one word only from the text for each answer, writing the correct letter, and matching each animal with the correct description.

Animals Can Tell Right From Wrong Reading Answers provides a thorough examination of how many animals possess moral and emotional capacities, showing empathy, fairness, and cooperation within their groups. Research on species like wolves, elephants, monkeys, and whales suggests that morality and compassion are not exclusive to humans but evolved across the animal kingdom. For further practice with similar reading evaluations, candidates can check the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Animals can Tell Right From Wrong Reading Answers

Until recently, humans were thought to be the only species to experience complex emotions and have a sense of morality. But Professor Marc Bekoff, an ecologist at University of Colorado, Boulder, US, believes that morals are ‘hard-wired’ into the brains of all mammals and provide the ‘social glue’ that allows animals to live together in groups.

His conclusions will assist animal welfare groups pushing to have animals treated more humanely. Professor Bekoff, who presents his case in his book Wild Justice, said: ‘Just as in humans, the moral nuances of a particular culture or group will be different from another, but they are certainly there. Moral codes are species specific, so they can be difficult to compare with each other or with humans.’ Professor Bekoff believes morals developed in animals to help regulate behaviour in social groups. He claims that these help to limit fighting within the group and encourage co-operative behaviour.

His ideas have met with some controversy in the scientific community. Professor Frans de Waal, who examines the behaviour of primates, including chimpanzees, at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, US, said: ‘I don’t believe animals are moral in the sense we humans are – with a well-developed and reasoned sense of right and wrong – rather that human morality incorporates a set of psychological tendencies and capacities such as empathy, reciprocity, a desire for co-operation and harmony that are older than our species. Human morality was not formed from scratch, but grew out of our primate psychology. Primate psychology has ancient roots, and I agree that other animals show many of the same tendencies and have an intense sociality.’

Wolves live in tight-knit social groups that are regulated by strict rules. Wolves also demonstrate fairness. During play, dominant wolves will appear to exchange roles with lower-ranking wolves. They pretend to be submissive and go so far as to allow biting by the lower-ranking wolf, provided it is not too hard. Prof Bekoff argues that without a moral code governing their actions, this kind of behaviour would not be possible. Astonishingly, if an animal becomes aggressive, it will perform a ‘play bow’ to ask forgiveness before resuming playing. Among coyotes, cubs who are too aggressive are ignored by the rest of the group and end up having to leave entirely. Experiments with domestic dogs, where one animal was given some ‘treats’ and another wasn’t, have shown that they possess a sense of fairness as they allowed their companion to eat some.

Elephants are intensely social and emotional animals. Research by Iain Douglas-Hamilton, from the department of zoology at Oxford University suggests elephants experience compassion and has found evidence of elephants helping injured members of their herd. In 2003, a herd of 11 elephants rescued antelopes which had been herded into an enclosure in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The top female elephant carefully undid the metal latches holding the gates closed and swung them open, allowing the antelopes to escape. This is thought to be a rare example of animals showing empathy for members of another species – a trait previously thought to be the exclusive preserve of humankind.

A laboratory experiment involved training monkeys to insert a token into a slot to obtain food. A male who had become skilled at the task was found to be helping the oldest female, who had not learned how to do it. On three occasions the male monkey picked up tokens she dropped and inserted them into the slot and allowed her to have the food. As there was no benefit for the male monkey, Professor Bekoff argues that this is a clear example of an animal’s actions being driven by some internal moral code. Since chimpanzees are known to be among the most cognitively advanced of the apes and our closest cousins, it is perhaps not remarkable that scientists should find they live by moral codes. A chimpanzee known as Knuckles is the only known captive chimpanzee to suffer from cerebral palsy, which leaves him physically and mentally impaired. While he is rarely subjected to intimidating displays of aggression from older males, other chimpanzees interacting with him are very gentle and those who deviate from the code of conduct of a group are set upon by other members as punishment.

Experiments with rats have shown that they will not take food if they know their actions will cause pain to another rat. In lab tests, rats were given food which then caused a second group of rats to receive an electric shock. The rats with the food stopped eating rather than see this happen.

Whales have been found to have spindle cells in their brains. These specialised cells were thought to be restricted to humans and great apes, and appear to play a role in empathy and understanding the emotions of others. Humpback whales, fin whales, killer whales and sperm whales have all been found to have spindle cells. They also have three times as many spindle cells as humans and are thought to be older in evolutionary terms. This finding suggests that emotional judgements such as empathy may have evolved considerably earlier in history than formerly thought and could be widespread in the animal kingdom.

QUESTIONS 28-32

CHOOSE ONE WORD ONLY FROM THE TEXT FOR EACH ANSWER.

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS IN BOXES 28-32 ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.

Complex social behaviour in wolf packs Wolves live in packs and it is clear that there are a number of 28....

Answer: rules

Supporting statement: “Wolves live in tight-knit social groups that are regulated by strict rules.”

Keywords: wolves, social groups, regulated, strict rules

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 1

Explanation: The wolves’ social structure depends on rules that regulate their behavior within the pack. These rules maintain order and harmony, showing that their interactions are not random but guided by a moral-like system.

Concerning their behaviour. Some observers believe they exhibit a sense of 29.......

Answer: fairness

Supporting statement: “Wolves also demonstrate fairness.”

Keywords: wolves, demonstrate, fairness

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 2

Explanation: Wolves show fairness during play and social interactions, a quality that helps maintain cooperation within the pack and avoids unnecessary aggression.

The stronger, more senior wolves seem to adopt the roles of the junior wolves when they are playing together. They act as if they are 30........

Answer: submissive

Supporting statement: “During play, dominant wolves will appear to exchange roles with lower-ranking wolves. They pretend to be submissive…”

Keywords: dominant wolves, exchange roles, pretend, submissive

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 3–4

Explanation: The dominant wolves act submissive while playing, allowing junior wolves to feel equal and included — a sign of social empathy.

to the juniors and even permit some gentle 31.........

Answer: biting

Supporting statement: “They pretend to be submissive and go so far as to allow biting by the lower-ranking wolf, provided it is not too hard.”

Keywords: submissive, allow, biting, lower-ranking wolf

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 4–5

Explanation: The dominant wolves even allow gentle biting during play, showing controlled behavior that follows a moral code of fairness.

What is even more surprising is that when one of the juniors gets too forceful, it bends down begging for 32.....

Answer: forgiveness

Supporting statement: “If an animal becomes aggressive, it will perform a ‘play bow’ to ask forgiveness before resuming playing.”

Keywords: play bow, ask forgiveness, aggressive

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 5–6

Explanation: Wolves display gestures of forgiveness to restore harmony after aggressive behavior, reinforcing social bonds and mutual trust.

Only when that has been granted will the wolves continue playing.

QUESTIONS 33-37

LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING ANIMALS (QUESTIONS 33-37 )AND THE LIST OF DESCRIPTIONS BELOW MATCH EACH ANIMAL WITH THE CORRECT DESCRIPTION, A-G.

33. Coyotes

Answer: E. may be driven away by their peers if they do not obey the moral code

Supporting statement: “Among coyotes, cubs who are too aggressive are ignored by the rest of the group and end up having to leave entirely.”

Keywords: coyotes, too aggressive, ignored, leave group

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 6–8

Explanation: Aggressive coyotes face social rejection, demonstrating that animals can enforce moral conduct through exclusion.

34. domestic dogs

Answer: C. sometimes share treats with a peer

Supporting statement: “Experiments with domestic dogs… have shown that they possess a sense of fairness as they allowed their companion to eat some.”

Keywords: domestic dogs, fairness, share, companion

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, last lines

Explanation: Domestic dogs show fairness by sharing treats, indicating awareness of equality within social settings.

35. Elephants

Answer: G. may help a different type of animal which is in difficulty

Supporting statement: “The top female elephant carefully undid the metal latches… allowing the antelopes to escape.”

Keywords: elephants, rescued, antelopes, helping

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, lines 3–5

Explanation: Elephants demonstrated empathy by freeing antelopes — an act of compassion toward another species.

36. Diana monkeys

Answer: D. may assist a peer who is failing to complete a task

Supporting statement: “The male monkey picked up tokens she dropped and inserted them into the slot and allowed her to have the food.”

Keywords: male monkey, helped, female, inserted tokens

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 2–4

Explanation: Diana monkeys help peers in need, suggesting altruistic behavior not driven by personal gain.

37. Rats

Answer: F. seem unwilling to benefit from something that hurts their peers

Supporting statement: “Rats were given food which then caused… another group of rats to receive an electric shock. The rats with the food stopped eating rather than see this happen.”

Keywords: rats, food, electric shock, stopped eating

Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, lines 1–3

Explanation: Rats refused to eat when their eating harmed others, reflecting empathy and moral restraint.

List of Descriptions

A. often attack peers who fail to follow the moral code

B. appear to enjoy playing with members of a different species

C. sometimes share treats with a peer D may assist a peer who is failing to complete a task

E. may be driven away by their peers if they do not obey the moral code

F. seem unwilling to benefit from something that hurts their peers

G. may help a different type of animal which is in difficulty

QUESTIONS 38-40

CHOOSE THE CORRECT LETTER, A, B, C OR D.

WRITE THE CORRECT LETTER IN BOXES 38-40 ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET.

38. What view is expressed by Professor de Waal?

A. Apes have advanced ideas about the difference between good and evil.

B. The social manners of some animals prove that they are highly moral.

C. Some human moral beliefs developed from our animal ancestors.

D. The desire to live in peace with others is a purely human quality.

Answer: C. Some human moral beliefs developed from our animal ancestors.

Supporting statement: “Human morality was not formed from scratch, but grew out of our primate psychology.”

Keywords: human morality, not formed from scratch, primate psychology

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, lines 4–6

Explanation: Professor de Waal emphasizes that human morality evolved from animal instincts like empathy and cooperation, showing shared evolutionary roots.

39. Why does Professor Bekoff mention the experiment on Diana monkeys?

A. It shows that this species of monkey is not very easy to train.

B. It confirms his view on the value of research into certain monkeys.

C. It proves that female monkeys are generally less intelligent than males.

D. It illustrates a point he wants to make about monkeys and other creatures.

Answer: D. It illustrates a point he wants to make about monkeys and other creatures.

Supporting statement: “As there was no benefit for the male monkey, Professor Bekoff argues that this is a clear example of an animal’s actions being driven by some internal moral code.”

Keywords: no benefit, example, internal moral code

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 4–6

Explanation: Bekoff uses the Diana monkey experiment to illustrate his broader argument that animals can act morally without personal gain.

40. What does the writer find most surprising about chimpanzees?

A. They can suffer from some of the same illnesses as humans.

B. They appear to treat disabled peers with consideration.

C. They have sets of social conventions that they follow.

D. The males can be quite destructive at times.

Answer: B. They appear to treat disabled peers with consideration.

Supporting statement: “Other chimpanzees interacting with him are very gentle and those who deviate… are set upon by other members as punishment.”

Keywords: chimpanzees, gentle, disabled peer, Knuckles

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, last lines

Explanation: The gentle treatment of the disabled chimpanzee Knuckles shows that chimpanzees display empathy and protect vulnerable members — a moral sensitivity similar to human compassion.

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