Birdlike Dinosaurs Reading Answers

Jan 10, 2025

Birdlike Dinosaurs Reading Answers is a generic topic for reading answers for the IELTS Exam. Birdlike Dinosaurs Reading Answers, in total, consist of 13 IELTS questions. In the given set of questions (Questions No. 1-6), the candidate has to choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the given list of headings. After that, from Questions No. 7-9, you have to answer in no more than two words for each respective question. And, on the remaining questions (Questions No. 10-13), you have to pick the paragraph's correct letter that satisfies the information asked in the question.

The IELTS Reading section section evaluates the candidate's ability to understand and interpret academic and general passages. Practicing with IELTS reading practice questions can help you get accustomed to different question formats in reading tasks, improve your vocabulary, and enhance your critical reading abilities. Understanding the instructions for all questions and managing your time efficiently are important strategies for achieving a high band score on the IELTS exam.

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Section 1 Birdlike Dinosaurs Reading Answers

A. Dinosaurs have been getting slowly more birdlike for decades-perhaps not in mainstream depictions, but at least in the minds of paleontologists. This is thanks to three pioneers: the late John Ostrom of Yale, who discovered a fossil called Deinonychus in 1964 and hypothesized that it was warm-blooded: John McLaughlin, a brilliant illustrator, science fiction writer, and scientist, who suggested that many dinosaurs were feathered and warm-blooded in a 1979 book called Archosauria; and perhaps most memorable, Robert Bakker, a bearded, pony-tailed paleontologist, who was once called a “fossil-junkie genius, the Galileo of paleontology.” He liked to describe Tyrannosaurus rex as “the 20,000-pound roadrunner from Hell.” Now, dinosaur-obsessed kids don't just think, but know: “Dinosaurs had feathers! And not just hairy kiwi-style feathers, but complex, asymmetrical vaned ones, like the flight feathers of modern birds. This new thinking has been spurred on by discoveries of exquisitely detailed fossils in deposits of fine textured lithographic limestone.

B. Since 1983, hundreds of such fossils-most of them from China — have reinforced the idea of warm-blooded, active, feathered dinos. Many are as detailed in their perfect reproduction of feathers as the iconic Archaeopteryx. The new fossils have provided clues for reinterpreting older fossils, too: we can now see where complex feathers attached (or “inserted”) on the arm bones of theropods, the carnivorous bipedal dinosaurs such as T. rex. Still, other fossils with feathers have been found in Mongolia.

C. When paleontologists say that dinosaurs were birdlike, they're talking about more than just feathers. It turns out that Saurischia -the dinosaur group that includes the theropods (including velociraptors and tyrannosaurs) and also the great sauropods (the largest land animals ever to walk the Earth, some formerly called “brontosaurs”)-had the incredibly efficient respiratory systems that distinguish birds today from all other animals. Air comes in, cycles through a network of air sacs in one direction, and flows out, allowing the animals to extract far more oxygen than the simple in-and-out breathing of mammals and reptiles. Paleontologist Peter Ward believed this was an evolutionary response to the catastrophic extinctions in the Permian Period, more than 250 million years ago. This was the greatest disaster life has ever faced (probably caused by hydrogen sulfide poisoning) when sea-level oxygen was equivalent to that at the top of Mt. Everest today. The efficient respiratory plan of dinosaurs and birds evolved then and, flowering in the Triassic, gave them the advantage over all other land animals until their fatal asteroid crashed into the planet 65 million years ago.

D. That respiratory system must have helped the enormous sauropods make it through this period. Before their relationship with birds was understood, evidence from fossilized tracks seemed to show that they lived in large migratory groups, with younger animals staying Inside the protection of the herd, and with three-toed predators dogging their flanks. They must have eaten so much that they could not remain long in any single place, waiting for trees to replenish their growth. A sluggish “lizard” could hardly have had such a lifestyle.

E. The Mesozoic world was stranger than we ever imagined. It was the Weird Feathered Thing planet. The biggest carnivores, with their nine-inch teeth, were more like roadrunners than lizards. The skies were full of pterosaurs, which were not dinosaurs, birds, or reptiles, In any sense that we understand the word reptile. Their wings were covered with fur or fuzzy feathers, and they ranged from the size of a hummingbird to the wingspan, if not the weight, of a 747. Mark Witton's book Pterosaurs and his blog show how some had crests like radio antennae, some walked around and fed like storks, and some had bold stripes on their impossible headdresses. Several modern forms of birds had already emerged possibly, species not unlike chickens, ducks, parrots, and loons flew and swam around, surrounded by all those Weird Feathered Things. Only the mammals persisted like living fossils, remnants of a vanished age before the dinosaurs, furry and low-slung. As far as we know, no mammals are even as big as a German shepherd.

F. Then, in a moment, the world of birdlike monsters crashed. Their paradigm had shifted, leaving only bones to remind us of the ancient time. Their smaller relatives, the line of creatures we call true birds and the mundane crawling furry things called mammals that the great dinos had suppressed and dominated for untold millennia-would radiate to fill the world once again with Darwin's “endless forms. We would not be here if the world of the Mesozoic rulers had survived. But for a moment, let's raise a glass to them, whose planetary reign of some 200 million years was far longer than our species has yet achieved. Their smallest survivors are everywhere you look: the chickadees at your feeder, the roadrunners bashing lizards against rocks, the condors soaring over mountain ranges. And when you think about them, remember this: they had feathers.

Section 2

Solutions and Explanations

Questions 1-6

Reading passage 1 has six paragraphs, A-F. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings. Write the correct number, i-viii.

LIST OF HEADINGS

i. Archaeological evidence in Asia shows that some dinosaurs had feathers

ii. Three scientists with three contrasting findings

iii. Weird creatures in the prehistoric period

iv. Comparison between theropods and sauropods

v. The end of an era and the dawn of another

vi. Social characteristics that differentiate dinosaurs from other reptiles

vii. Another body feature of dinosaurs resembles that of birds

viii. Opinions agreeing that some dinosaur species were similar to birds nowadays

Paragraph A

Answer: viii (Opinions agreeing that some dinosaur species were similar to birds nowadays)

Supporting statement: “........Dinosaurs have been getting slowly more birdlike for decades-perhaps not in mainstream depictions, but at least in the minds of paleontologists. .........”

Keywords: Dinosaurs, Birdlike, Depictions

Keyword Location: para 1, Line 1-2

Explanation: It describes the growing consensus among experts and children that dinosaurs resembled modern birds, which is supported by fossil discoveries.

Paragraph B

Answer: i (Archaeological evidence in Asia shows that some dinosaurs had feathers)

Supporting statement: “........Since 1983, hundreds of such fossils-most of them from China — have reinforced the idea of warm-blooded, active, feathered dinos….........”

Keywords: Dinosaurs, feathered, fossils

Keyword Location: para 2, Line 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph discusses fossil discoveries in China and Mongolia that reveal evidence of dinosaur feathers, strengthening their similarity to birds.

Paragraph C

Answer: vii (Another body feature of dinosaurs resembles that of birds)

Supporting statement: “........When paleontologists say that dinosaurs were birdlike, they're talking about more than just feathers….........”

Keywords: Dinosaurs, Birdlike, Feathers

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 1-2

Explanation: The passage discusses how dinosaurs, particularly Saurischia, had efficient respiratory systems similar to modern birds, supporting their similarity beyond feathers.

Paragraph D

Answer: vi (Social characteristics that differentiate dinosaurs from other reptiles)

Supporting statement: “........That respiratory system must have helped the enormous sauropods make it through this period.….........”

Keywords: Respiratory, Sauropods, Reptiles,

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph highlights evidence of dinosaurs' social behavior, including migratory groups, herding for safety, and interactions with predators – traits that set them apart from other reptiles.

Paragraph E

Answer: iii (Weird creatures in the prehistoric period)

Supporting statement: “.........The Mesozoic world was stranger than we ever imagined. It was the Weird Feathered Thing planet. The biggest carnivores, with their nine-inch teeth, were more like roadrunners than lizards.….........”

Keywords: Mesozoic, Carnivores, Feathered

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 1-3

Explanation: This passage describes the bizarre characteristics of pterosaurs, feathered dinosaurs, and other strange Mesozoic creatures, emphasizing their uniqueness and diversity during this era.

Paragraph F

Answer: v (The end of an era and the dawn of another)

Supporting statement: “.........Then, in a moment, the world of birdlike monsters crashed. Their paradigm had shifted, leaving only bones to remind us of the ancient times.….........”

Keywords: Paradigm, Monsters, Ancient

Keyword Location: para 6, Line 1-2

Explanation: This passage describes the extinction of the dinosaurs, their dominance for 200 million years, and the rise of birds and mammals, marking a transition between two eras.

Questions 7-9

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each

Trex and velociraptors are relatives, categorized as ____________.

Answer: Theropods

Supporting statement: “......... It turns out that Saurischia -the dinosaur group that includes the theropods (including velociraptors and tyrannosaurs) and also the great sauropods (the largest land animals ever to walk the Earth.….........”

Keywords: Theropods, Saurischia, Sauropods

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 2-4

Explanation: The passage clearly states that Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus (which includes T. rex) belong to a group of carnivorous bipedal dinosaurs called theropods.

Mammals in the dinosaur era were smaller than a ___________.

Answer: German Shepherd

Supporting statement: “.........Only the mammals persisted like living fossils, remnants of a vanished age before the dinosaurs, furry and low-slung. As far as we know, no mammals are even as big as a German shepherd..….........”

Keywords: Mammals, Dinosaurs, Fossils, Furry

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 11-14

Explanation: The passage clearly states that during the dinosaur era, mammals were “furry and low-hanging” and that “no mammal grows as big as a German shepherd,” confirming their small size.

As dinosaurs have become extinct, we now can only base on their __________ to describe them.

Answer: Fossil Evidence

Supporting statement: “.........Then, in a moment, the world of birdlike monsters crashed. Their paradigm had shifted, leaving only bones to remind us of the ancient time. ..….........”

Keywords: Paradigm, Bones, Dinosaurs, Extinct

Keyword Location: para 6, Line 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph explains that after the extinction of dinosaurs, the only remaining sources for understanding and describing them are fossils, including details such as feathers.

Questions 10-13

Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-F.

A reference to a natural catastrophe that killed many animals before the dinosaur era

Answer: Paragraph C

Supporting statement: “.........This was the greatest disaster life has ever faced (probably caused by hydrogen sulfide poisoning) when sea-level oxygen was equivalent to that at the top of Mt. Everest today.….........”

Keywords: Disaster, Oxygen, Catastrophe, Poisoning

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 11-13

Explanation: Paragraph C discusses the Permian period, a catastrophic extinction event caused by hydrogen sulfide poisoning that preceded the dinosaurs and wiped out most life forms.

A brief comparison between the existence on Earth of humans and dinosaurs

Answer: Paragraph F

Supporting statement: “.........We would not be here if the world of the Mesozoic rulers had survived. But for a moment, let's raise a glass to them, whose planetary reign of some 200 million years was far longer than our species has yet achieved..….........”

Keywords: Mesozoic, Planetary, Existence, Reign

Keyword Location: para 6, Line 6-8

Explanation: Paragraph F compares the reign of dinosaurs, which lasted 200 million years, to the shorter existence of humans on Earth, reflecting on the dominance and legacy of dinosaurs.

Locations where fossils of feathered dinosaurs were discovered

Answer: Paragraph B

Supporting statement: “.........Since 1983, hundreds of such fossils-most of them from China — have reinforced the idea of warm-blooded, active, feathered dinos..….........”

Keywords: Feathered, Dinosaurs, Reinforced, Fossils

Keyword Location: para 2, Line 1-2

Explanation: Paragraph B mentions places where feathered dinosaur fossils were found, specifically China and Mongolia, which reinforces the idea of warm-blooded, feathered dinosaurs.

The reason why dinosaurs could dominate the animal world

Answer: Paragraph C

Supporting statement: “.........It turns out that Saurischia -the dinosaur group that includes the theropods (including velociraptors and tyrannosaurs) and also the great sauropods (the largest land animals ever to walk the Earth, some formerly called “brontosaurs”)..….........”

Keywords: Dinosaurs, Brontosaurs, Theropods

Keyword Location: para 3, Line 2-6

Explanation: Paragraph C explains that dinosaurs had an efficient respiratory system, allowing them to extract more oxygen, which gave them an evolutionary advantage in dominating the animal world.

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