Bovids Reading Answers

Dec 17, 2022

Bovids Reading Answers has 13 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes. Bovids Reading Answers is about a family of mammals called Biovids. It consists of 137 Species. Bovids Reading Answers comprises three types of questions- choose the correct letter, match the characteristics with correct subfamilies, and answer the given questions. Candidates are required to choose the correct letter from the given options after reading the IELTS reading passage. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage carefully to match the characteristics with correct subfamilies. Candidates are required to answer the asked questions in no more than three words. Candidates can undertake IELTS Reading practice papers to practise more on different topics.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Bovids Reading Answers

The family of mammals called bovids belongs to the Artiodactyl class, which also includes giraffes. Bovids are highly diverse group consisting of 137 species, some of which are man’s most important domestic animals.
Bovids are well represented in most parts of Eurasia and Southeast Asian islands, but they are by far the most numerous and diverse in the latter Some species of bovid are solitary, but others live in large groups with complex social structures. Although bovids have adapted to a wide range of habitats, from arctic tundra to deep tropical forest, the majority of species favour open grassland, scrub or desert. This diversity of habitat is also matched by great diversity in size and form: at one extreme is the royal antelope of West Africa, which stands a mere 25 cm at the shoulder; at the other, the massively built bisons of North America and Europe, growing to a shoulder height of 2.2m.
Despite differences in size and appearance, bovids are united by the possession of certain common features. All species are ruminants, which means that they retain undigested food in their stomachs, and regurgitate it as necessary. Bovids are almost exclusively

herbivorous: plant-eating “incisors: front teeth

herbivorous. Typically their teeth are highly modified for browsing and grazing: grass or foliage is cropped with the upper lip and lower incisors** (the upper incisors are usually absent), and then ground down by the cheek teeth. As well as having cloven, or split, hooves, the males of ail bovid species and the females of most carry horns. Bovid horns have bony cores covered in a sheath of horny material that is constantly renewed from within; they are unbranched and never shed. They vary in shape and size: the relatively simple horns of a large Indian buffalo may measure around 4 m from tip to tip along the outer curve, while the various gazelles have horns with a variety of elegant curves.

Five groups, or sub-families, may be distinguished: Bovinae, Antelope, Caprinae, Cephalophinae and Antilocapridae. The sub-family Bovinae comprises most of the larger bovids, including the African bongo, and nilgae, eland, bison and cattle. Unlike most other bovids they are all non-territorial. The ancestors of the various species of domestic cattle banteng, gaur, yak and water buffalo are generally rare and endangered in the wild, while the auroch (the ancestor of the domestic cattle of Europe) is extin
The term ‘antelope 1 is not a very precise zoological name _ it is used to loosely describe a number of bovids that have followed different lines of development. Antelopes are typically long-legged, fast-running species, often with long horns that may be laid along the back when the animal is in full flight. There are two main sub-groups antelope: Hippotraginae, which includes the oryx and the addax, and Antilopinae, which generally contains slighter and more graceful animals such as gazelle and the springbok. Antelopes are mainly grassland species, but many have adapted to flooded grasslands: pukus, waterbucks and lechwes are all good at swimming, usually feeding in deep water, while the sitatunga has long, splayed hooves that enable it to walk freely on swampy ground.
The sub-family Caprinae includes the sheep and the goat, together with various relatives such as the goral and the tahr. Most are woolly or have long hair. Several species, such as wild goats, chamois and ibex, are agile cliff 一 and mountain-dwellers. Tolerance of extreme conditions is most marked in this group: Barbary and bighorn sheep have adapted to arid deserts, while Rocky Mountain sheep survive high up in mountains and musk oxen in arctic tundra.
The duiker of Africa belongs to the Cephalophinae sub-family. It is generally small and solitary, often living in thick forest. Although mainly feeding on grass and leaves, some duikers – unlike most other bovids -are believed to eat insects and feed on dead animal carcasses, and even to kill small animals.
the pronghorn is the sole survivor of a New World sub-family of herbivorous ruminants, the Antilocapridae in North America. It is similar in appearance and habits to the Old World antelope. Although greatly reduced in numbers since the arrival of Europeans, and the subsequent enclosure of grasslands, the pronghorn is still found in considerable numbers throughout North America, from Washington State to Mexico. When alarmed by the approach of wolves or other predators, hairs on the pronghorn’s rump stand erect, so showing and emphasising the white patch there. At this signal, the whole herd gallops off at speed of over 60 km per hour.

Section 2

Question 1 - 3
Choose the correct letter A, B, C, or D.
Write your answers in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheets.
(Guide: Candidates need to study the passage, and select the correct answer from the options)

Bovids mostly inhabit

Africa
Eurasia
Southeast Asia
South America

Answer: C. Southeast Asia
Keywords: Southeast, Asia, bovids.
Supporting Sentence: Bovids are not so common in endemic insular faunas and are mainly recorded in Southeast Asia, Japan, and some Mediterranean islands.
Keyword Location: Second Paragraph.
Explanation: According to paragraph 2, species diversity contributed to the extension of livable areas into open grasslands and pastures. We learn that the main habitats of bovids are Southeast Asia, Japan, and a few islands in the Mediterranean. Insular faunas with indigenous species typically do not have bovids.

What are the most favorable locations for the existence of bovids?

tropical forests
wetlands
Mountains
Open grassy areas

Answer: D. Open grassy areas
Keywords: Habitat, adapt, grassland, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: This late Miocene radiation was partly because most bovids became adapted to more open, grassland habitats.
Keyword Location: Second Paragraph.
Explanation: Bovids' traits have rapidly evolved over time, as stated in paragraph 2 of that paragraph. While many genera lived in huge groups, some became accustomed to living alone. Most bovid species preferred open grassy habitats because they could meet their herd's feeding needs there, such as in grasslands and pastures.

What is the common feature of idle bovid species?

Their horns are short.
They store food in the body.
They have upper incisors.
Their hooves are undivided.

Answer: B. They store food in the body.
Keywords: chew, stomach, features, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: Bovids retain undigested food in their stomachs to be regurgitated and chewed again as necessary Bovids are almost exclusively herbivorous.
Keyword Location: Fourth Paragraph.
Explanation: Bovids are typically herbivores, as noted in the fourth paragraph. They hold undigested food in their stomachs, chewing it again before it is fully digested. Rumination is a common mechanism used by most herbivores.

Questions 4 - 8:
Look at the following characteristics (Questions and the list of subfamilies below).
Match each characteristic with the correct;
Write the correct letter A-D, in the boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.
(Guide: Candidates need to study the passage and match each of the characteristic with the correct answers)

Note: You may use any letter more than once.

Can survive in harsh habitats.
Move at a high speed.
Origins of modern ox and cow.
Does not defend a particular area of land.
Sometimes takes small animals as their food supply.

Bovinae.
Antelope.
Caprinae.
Cephalophinae.

Question: 4

Answer: C. Caprinae.
Keywords: Caprinae, sheep, goat, deserts, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: Subfamily Caprinae consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. Its members are commonly referred to as the sheep and the goat, together with various relatives such as the goral and the tahr. The group did not reach its greatest diversity until the recent ice ages when many of its members became specialists for marginal, often extreme, environments: mountains, deserts, and the subarctic region.
Keyword Location: Seventh Paragraph.
Explanation: According to the seventh paragraph, the Caprinae subfamily of bovids includes medium-sized bovids like goats and sheep. Several caprinae species, include Rocky mountain sheep, Bighorn sheep, and Barbary sheep. It has been shown that they can survive in some of the most hostile conditions, including deserts, mountains, and even subarctic regions.

Question: 5

Answer: B. Antelope.
Keywords: Antelope, legs, run, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: Antelope is not a cladistic or taxonomically defined group. The term is used to describe all members of the family Bovidae that do not fall under the category of cattle, or goats. Not surprisingly for animals with long, slender yet powerful legs, many antelopes have long strides and can run fast.
Keyword Location: Sixth Paragraph.
Explanation: The sixth paragraph mentions the traits of the antelope subfamily. The capacity for quick movement is one of the key traits. The legs of antelopes are long, slender, and strong. Since their legs are built differently than other bovids', they can run more quickly and with longer strides. With the aid of their fanned hooves, certain antelopes can even move easily through marshy terrain.

Question: 6

Answer: A. Bovinae.
Keywords: Bovinae, cattle, yak, rare, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: Bovinae species are all non-territorial. As the ancestors of the various species of domestic cattle, banteng, gaur, yak, and water buffalo are generally rare and endangered in the wild, while another ancestor, auroch, has been extinct in the wild for nearly 300 years.
Keyword Location: Fifth Paragraph.
Explanation: According to the fifth paragraph, the Bovinae subfamily includes all Bovid animals, such as cattle, bison, and buffaloes. It lists a number of the Bovinae subfamily's distinctive traits, including the fact that they are the ancestors of the majority of cattle we see today.

Question: 7

Answer: A. Bovinae.
Keywords: Bovinae, non-territorial, cattle, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: Unlike most other Bovids, Bovinae species are all non-territorial.
Keyword Location: Fifth Paragraph.
Explanation: According to the fifth paragraph, species of the Bovinae subfamily do not have territorial boundaries like other bovid species do. They typically move about according to the weather and the availability of food.

Question: 8

Answer: D. Cephalophinae.
Keywords: Duiker, Cephalophinae, rodents, consume, bovid.
Supporting Sentence: Some Duikers, belonging to the Cephalophinae subfamily consume insects and carrions(dead animal carcasses) from time to time and even manage to capture rodents or small birds.
Keyword Location: Eighth Paragraph.
Explanation: The bovids belonging to the cephalophinae subfamily are briefly described in paragraph 8. The subfamily member, the duiker, also eats insects, small animals, birds, and other plant matter in addition to leaves, seeds, etc.

Questions 9 - 13:

Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

(Guide: Candidates need to answer the questions from 9 to 13 by selecting not more than three words)

What is the smallest species of Bovids?

Answer: Royal Antelope.
Keywords: royal antelope, 25cm tall, weighs 3kg.
Supporting Sentence: The royal antelope, at the opposite extreme, is only 25 cm tall and weighs the utmost 3 kg.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3.
Explanation: The royal antelope, which is the smallest species of bovid, is discussed in paragraph 3. The greatest weight of a Royal Antelope is found to be 3 kg, and they are roughly 25 cm long. Bovid species exhibit a great deal of variety in size. On the one hand, there is the diminutive royal antelope. Gaurs, on the other hand, can grow to a height of roughly 2-3 metres and a weight of up to 1,000 kilograms.

Which member of the Bovinae has died out?

Answer: Auroch.
Keywords: auroch, ancestors, extinct.
Supporting Sentence: As the ancestors of the various species of domestic cattle, banteng, gaur, yak, and water buffalo are generally rare and endangered in the wild, while another ancestor, auroch, has been extinct in the wild for nearly 300 years.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5.
Explanation: In paragraph 5, it is mentioned that the Auroch, an ancestor species of the Bovinae subfamily of bovids, went extinct about 300 years ago. The majority of the cow, buffalo, and other progenitor species are now relatively rare and endangered.

What helps sitatunga move quickly on swampy lands?

Answer: long and splayed hooves.
Keywords: sitatunga, swamp, splayed hooves.
Supporting Sentence: Several species of antelope have adapted to living in the mountains and rocky outcrops and a couple of species of antelope are even semi-aquatic and these antelope live in swamps, for instance, the sitatunga has long, splayed hooves that enable it to walk freely and rapidly on swampy ground.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6.
Explanation: According to paragraph 6, Sitatunga has long, spread hooves that allow for easy travel across muddy terrain. Hooves that are long and spread act in a row. While they restrict their ability to walk on land, they greatly aid sitatungas that live in swamps.

Where can Barbary sheep survive?

Answer: Arid deserts.
Keywords: barbary, arid desert, extreme.
Supporting Sentence: Barbary and bighorn sheep have been found in arid deserts, while rocky mountain sheep survive high up in mountains and musk oxen in the arctic tundra.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7.
Explanation: According to paragraph 7, Barbary sheep have been seen to thrive in dry desert environments. They also have evolved a specialisation in enduring harsh settings, similar to other species of the caprinae subfamily. Such organisms have been able to exist and flourish in hostile environments due to the physical traits that have evolved over time as a result of evolution.

What is the only survivor of Antilocapridae?

Answer: Pronghorn.
Keywords: Pronghorn, Antilocapridae, north America.
Supporting Sentence: The pronghorn is the only living member of the subfamily Antilocarpridae in North America.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9.
Explanation: According to paragraph 9, the only remaining member of the bovid subfamily Antilocapridae is the pronghorn. It is the sole surviving member of the Antilocapridae family. Pronghorns sprint at high speeds while absorbing shocks with their cushioned toes. They have been safe from predators thanks to their capacity to flee.

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