Biochemical Processes IELTS Reading Answers

Aug 16, 2023

Biochemical Processes IELTS Reading Answers is a general reading subject that explores Biochemical Processes. Biochemical Processes IELTS reading answers, have a total of thirteen questions. The specified topic generates a single type of question: True/False/Not Given. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Biochemical Processes IELTS Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Biochemical Processes

The Arctic is an area located at the northern-most part of the Earth and includes the Arctic Ocean, Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. It consists of an ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost. The area can be defined as north of the Arctic Circle, the approximate limit of the midnight sun and the polar night.

The average temperature in July, which is the warmest month, is below 10°C. Colder summer temperatures cause the size, abundance, productivity and variety of plants to decrease. Trees cannot grow in the Arctic, but in its warmest parts, shrubs are common and can reach 2 metres in height.

A thick blanket of snow lies several feet deep all over the ground. The sun appears for only a few brief hours each day before sinking below the horizon as blackness cloaks the land. As it vanished, a bitter chill tightens its grip. The Arctic is not a place to be in the throes of winter; it is hostile to almost all animal life. Amphibians would freeze solid here.

Nor can reptiles withstand the extreme cold. And yet there are animals here, animals that exhibit a remarkable tolerance of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet. Less than half a mere beneath the surface of the snow, a furry white creature, no bigger than a hamster, scurries along a tunnel. It is a collared lemming. It and other members of its family have excavated a complex home within the snowfield, but it costs the lemmings a great deal to survive here.

They pay by using some of their precious and scarce food supply to generate heat within their bodies so that their biochemical processes can continue to function efficiently. But in order to keep fuel costs to a minimum, they must conserve as much energy as they can. A thick insulating coat of fine fur covering all but the lemmings' eyes achieves this. Fur is the life preserver of the Arctic.

Only one class of animals have fur - mammals. Fur is comprised of dense layers of hair follicles. Hair is composed of a substance called keratin. It grows constantly, its roots embedded in the skin and surrounded by nerve fires so that its owner can sense any movement of the hair. It is this precious fur that gives land mammals the edge necessary to survive the harsh Arctic winter. Without it, wolves, lemmings and arctic foxes alike would surely perish.

The insulation provided by fur comes not from the fur itself, but largely from the layer of air trapped within the fur. Air is an extremely effective insulator, which is the same as saying it is a poor conductor, i.e. it has a very limited ability to conduct heat away from a warm surface. Studies reveal that if a layer of air of about five centimeters could be held in place close to the skin, it would provide the same insulation as does the impressively dense winter coat of the arctic fox.

If an arctic fox or wolf is exposed to an air temperature of about minus ten degrees, the temperature near the tips of the fur will match the air temperature, but at the surface of the skin, it will be closer to thirty degrees. This represents a temperature difference of around forty degrees. Such effective insulation is only made possible by the layer of trapped air contained within the long, fine and densely packed fur.

But Arctic mammals have more in their arsenal than just fur to protect them from the elements. Unlike amphibians, reptiles and other classes of animals, they are endotherms, meaning they can generate their own body heat. This is another of the defining characteristics of mammals. It is the mammalian ability to generate heat internally that enables the arctic fox or the lemming to remain warm and active in very cold conditions. Generating heat internally.

Arctic mammals can regulate their body temperature independent of external conditions; this is known as thermoregulation. When Arctic mammals are cold, they raise their metabolic rate and produce more heat. When they are warm, the reverse happens. Together, thermoregulation and fur make Arctic mammals perfectly equipped to face the toughest conditions the Arctic can throw at them.

Section 2

Questions 14-20
Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

Ques 14. Animals that live in the Arctic

can withstand extremely difficult living conditions.
often freeze solid during winter.
are mainly reptilian.
are mostly frogs or toads.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “.... yet there are animals here, animals that exhibit a remarkable tolerance of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet....”
Keywords: tolerance, inhospitable
Keyword location: para 4, line 2-3
Explanation: Animals that live in the Arctic have adapted to survive in the harsh and extreme conditions of the region. They have developed various physiological and behavioral adaptations to withstand low temperatures, limited food availability, and long periods of darkness.

Ques 15. Where do lemmings live?

on the surface of the snow
in tunnels built under the frozen ocean
in wide tunnels deep underground
about 50cm below the surface of the snow.

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “....It and other members of its family have excavated a complex home within the snowfield, but it costs the lemmings a great deal to survive here....”
Keywords: excavated, lemmings
Keyword location: para 4, line 4-5
Explanation: Lemmings, such as the collared lemming mentioned in the passage, live in the Arctic region. They create complex tunnel systems within the snowfield, typically burrowing about 50 cm beneath the surface of the snow.

Ques 16. Fur is

thick layers of hair.
common to all animal classes.
unhelpful to Arctic animals.
the life preserver only for small Arctic mammals.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “.....Fur is comprised of dense layers of hair follicles. Hair is composed of a substance called keratin. ...”
Keywords: dense, hair
Keyword location: para 6, line 1-2
Explanation: Fur refers to the dense layers of hair found in mammals. It is comprised of multiple strands of hair follicles that grow constantly from the roots embedded in the skin.

Ques 17. Why is trapped air good insulator?

It is a good conductor of heat.
Air helps us to breathe.
It is a bad conductor of heat.
It absorbs heat and cold very well.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...The insulation provided by fur comes not from the fur itself, but largely from the layer of air trapped within the fur....”
Keywords: insulation, fur
Keyword location: para 7, line 1-2
Explanation: Trapped air is a good insulator because it is a poor conductor of heat. Heat transfer occurs through conduction, convection, and radiation. In the case of trapped air, conduction is the main mode of heat transfer.

Ques 18. If the temperature at the tip of the fur of an arctic fox is minus ten degrees, the temperature at the surface of the skin will be closer to

forty degrees.
ten degrees.
thirty degrees.
thirty-five degrees.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...tips of the fur will match the air temperature, but at the surface of the skin, it will be closer to thirty degrees...”
Keywords: insulation, fur
Keyword location: para 8, line 2-3
Explanation: According to the passage, if the air temperature is around minus ten degrees, the temperature at the tips of the fur of an arctic fox will match the air temperature. However, at the surface of the skin, it will be closer to thirty degrees

Ques 19. What is an endotherm?

an animal that can generate heat inside its body
an animal that cannot generate heat inside its body
an animal that never gets cold
an animal that has special insulation

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...reptiles and other classes of animals, they are endotherms, meaning they can generate their own body...”
Keywords: reptiles, generate, heat
Keyword location: para 9, line 2-3
Explanation: An endotherm is an animal that can generate heat internally, also known as warm-blooded. These animals have the ability to regulate their body temperature independent of the external environment.

Ques 20. Thermoregulation and fur help Arctic mammals

cope with hot temperatures.
protect themselves from the elements.
regulate the temperature of their surroundings.
create a layer of trapped air within their fur.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “... Together, thermoregulation and fur make Arctic mammals perfectly equipped to face the toughest conditions the Arctic can throw at them....”
Keywords: thermoregulation, toughest
Keyword location: para 10, line 4-5
Explanation: Thermoregulation and fur help Arctic mammals primarily by protecting them from the harsh elements of the Arctic environment. Thermoregulation allows these mammals to regulate their body temperature independently of the external conditions.

Questions 21-26
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

The Arctic winter is something few animals can survive, but there are a select few that show an amazing (21)............ of the severe winter conditions. These animals have to use their food resources to keep their body temperature high so that the biochemical (22).............. inside them continue to run. One thing that helps them keep their bodies warm is their (23)........ which consists of thick layers of hair that provide insulation for their bodies; it is their life (24)...... The layer of trapped air that they also have provides very effective insulation from cold because it is not a good (25)... ... of heat. In the case of an Arctic mammal getting cold, it deals with it by increasing its (26)........ rate to generate more heat.

Q.21

Answer: TOLERANCE
Supporting statement: “...Nor can reptiles withstand the extreme cold. And yet there are animals here, animals that exhibit a remarkable tolerance of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet....”
Keywords: reptiles, tolerance
Keyword location: para 4, line 1-2
Explanation: In this context, tolerance means the capacity to handle and adapt to challenging environmental conditions, such as extreme cold, limited food availability, and long periods of darkness.

Q.22

Answer: PROCESSES
Supporting statement: “...scarce food supply to generate heat within their bodies so that their biochemical processes can continue to function efficiently....”
Keywords: biochemical, efficiently
Keyword location: para 5, line 1-2
Explanation: The passage mentions that these animals in the Arctic, such as the lemmings, need to use their food resources to generate heat within their bodies. By doing so, they are able to maintain a sufficiently high body temperature to support their biochemical processes and bodily functions.

Q.23

Answer: FUR
Supporting statement: “... It is this precious fur that gives land mammals the edge necessary to survive the harsh Arctic winter. Without it, wolves, lemmings and arctic foxes alike would surely perish.....”
Keywords: mammals, wolves
Keyword location: para 6, line 4-5
Explanation: The passage mentions that the fur of Arctic animals, such as the arctic fox and lemmings, plays a crucial role in helping them keep their bodies warm. The fur consists of thick layers of hair that provide insulation by trapping a layer of air close to the skin.

Q.24

Answer: PRESERVER
Supporting statement: “...A thick insulating coat of fine fur covering all but the lemmings' eyes achieves this. Fur is the life preserver of the Arctic...”
Keywords: insulating, preserver
Keyword location: para 5, line 4-5
Explanation: In the context of Arctic animals, the fur can be described as their "life preserver." The thick layers of hair in their fur serve as insulation and provide essential protection from the extreme cold temperatures of the Arctic environment.

Q.25

Answer: CONDUCTOR
Supporting statement: “...but largely from the layer of air trapped within the fur. Air is an extremely effective insulator, which is the same as saying it is a poor conductor, ...”
Keywords: air, insulator
Keyword location: para 7, line 1-3
Explanation: The layer of trapped air within the fur of Arctic animals provides excellent insulation from the cold. Air is a poor conductor of heat, meaning it does not transfer heat easily.

Q.26

Answer: METABOLIC
Supporting statement: “...Arctic mammals can regulate their body temperature independent of external conditions; this is known as thermoregulation. When Arctic mammals are cold, they raise their metabolic rate and produce more heat. ...”
Keywords: metabolic, thermoregulation
Keyword location: para 10, line 1-3
Explanation: Arctic mammals have the ability to regulate their body temperature by increasing their metabolic rate when they get cold. Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur within an organism to sustain life.