Bring Back The Big Cats Reading Answers

Jan 27, 2023

Bring Back The Big Cats Reading Answers contains a write up about Big cats. Bring Back The Big Cats Reading Answers contain a total of 9 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 13 questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. The paragraphs describe hunting a mystery animal called a llewyn. It has been aerated in a poem.

Bring Back The Big Cats Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises three types of questions: choose the correct option, complete the sentences and yes/no and not given. Candidates must carefully and properly read each paragraph. It is necessary to interpret each text. In order to respond to the questions, you must identify the paragraph's main idea. It's vital to keep in mind the crucial facts. The answers must not exceed more than two words. The information which has not been provided in the paragraphs must be marked as not given. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Bring Back The Big Cats Reading Answers

There is a poem, written around 598 AD, which describes hunting a mystery animal called a llewyn. But what was it? Nothing seemed to fit, until 2006, when an animal bone, dating from around the same period, was found in the Kinsey Cave in northern England. Until this discovery, the lynx – a large spotted cat with tasselled ears – was presumed to have died out in Britain at least 6,000 years ago, before the inhabitants of these islands took up farming. But the 2006 find, together with three others in Yorkshire and Scotland, is compelling evidence that the lynx and the mysterious llewyn were in fact one and the same animal. If this is so, it would bring forward the tassel-eared cat’s estimated extinction date by roughly 5,000 years.
However, this is not quite the last glimpse of the animal in British culture. A 9th-century stone cross from the Isle of Eigg shows, alongside the deer, boar and aurochs pursued by a mounted hunter, a speckled cat with tasselled ears. Were it not for the animal’s backside having worn away with time, we could have been certain, as the lynx’s stubby tail is unmistakable. But even without this key feature, it’s hard to see what else the creature could have been. The lynx is now becoming the totemic animal of a movement that is transforming British environmentalism: rewilding.
Rewilding means the mass restoration of damaged ecosystems. It involves letting trees return to places that have been denuded, allowing parts of the seabed to recover from trawling and dredging, permitting rivers to flow freely again. Above all, it means bringing back missing species. One of the most striking findings of modern ecology is that ecosystems without large predators behave in completely different ways from those that retain them. Some of them drive dynamic processes that resonate through the whole food chain, creating niches for hundreds of species that might otherwise struggle to survive. The killers turn out to be bringers of life.
Such findings present a big challenge to British conservation, which has often selected arbitrary assemblages of plants and animals and sought, at great effort and expense, to prevent them from changing. It has tried to preserve the living world as if it were a jar of pickles, letting nothing in and nothing out, keeping nature in a state of arrested development. But ecosystems are not merely collections of species; they are also the dynamic and ever-shifting relationships between them. And this dynamism often depends on large predators.
At sea the potential is even greater: by protecting large areas from commercial fishing, we could once more see what 18th-century literature describes: vast shoals of fish being chased by fin and sperm whales, within sight of the English shore. This policy would also greatly boost catches in the surrounding seas; the fishing industry’s insistence on scouring every inch of seabed, leaving no breeding reserves, could not be more damaging to its own interests.
Rewilding is a rare example of an environmental movement in which campaigners articulate what they are for rather than only what they are against. One of the reasons why the enthusiasm for rewilding is spreading so quickly in Britain is that it helps to create a more inspiring vision than the green movement’s usual promise of ‘Follow us and the world will be slightly less awful than it would otherwise have been.’
The lynx presents no threat to human beings: there is no known instance of one preying on people. It is a specialist predator of roe deer, a species that has exploded in Britain in recent decades, holding back, by intensive browsing, attempts to re-establish forests. It will also winkle out sika deer: an exotic species that is almost impossible for human beings to control, as it hides in impenetrable plantations of young trees. The attempt to reintroduce this predator marries well with the aim of bringing forests back to parts of our bare and barren uplands. The lynx requires deep cover, and as such presents little risk to sheep and other livestock, which are supposed, as a condition of farm subsidies, to be kept out of the woods.
On a recent trip to the Cairngorm Mountains, I heard several conservationists suggest that the lynx could be reintroduced there within 20 years. If trees return to the bare hills elsewhere in Britain, the big cats could soon follow. There is nothing extraordinary about these proposals, seen from the perspective of anywhere else in Europe. The lynx has now been reintroduced to the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France and the Harz mountains in Germany, and has re-established itself in many more places. The European population has tripled since 1970 to roughly 10,000. As with wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose and many other species, the lynx has been able to spread as farming has left the hills and people discover that it is more lucrative to protect charismatic wildlife than to hunt it, as tourists will pay for the chance to see it. Large-scale rewilding is happening almost everywhere – except Britain.
Here, attitudes are just beginning to change. Conservationists are starting to accept that the old preservation-jar model is failing, even on its own terms. Already, projects such as Trees for Life in the Highlands provide a hint of what might be coming. An organisation is being set up that will seek to catalyse the rewilding of land and sea across Britain, its aim being to reintroduce that rarest of species to British ecosystems: hope.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 14-18:
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

Q14. What did the 2006 discovery of the animal bone reveal about the lynx?

Its physical appearance was very distinctive.
Its extinction was linked to the spread of farming.
It vanished from Britain several thousand years ago.
It survived in Britain longer than was previously thought.

Answer: D- It survived in Britain longer than was previously thought.
Supporting Sentence: If this is so, it would bring forward the tassel-eared cat’s estimated extinction date by roughly 5,000 years.
Keywords: tassel-eared, cat’s, 5,000 years
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, lines 7-8
Explanation: As per paragraph A, it has been mentioned clearly that the discovery from 2006, together with three others in Yorkshire and Scotland, provides strong proof that the lynx and the enigmatic llewyn were in reality the same animal. If true, this would push the predicted extinction date of the tassel-eared cat by about 5,000 years. So, the correct answer is D as per the explanation provided and lines of paragraph A.

Q15. What point does the writer make about large predators in the third paragraph?

Their presence can increase biodiversity.
They may cause damage to local ecosystems.
Their behaviour can alter according to the environment.
They should be reintroduced only to areas where they were native.

Answer: A- Their presence can increase biodiversity.
Supporting Sentence: Some of them drive dynamic processes that resonate through the whole food chain, creating niches for hundreds of species that might otherwise struggle to survive.
Keywords: dynamic, resonate, niches, survive
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, lines 5-7
Explanation:As per paragraph C, it has been clearly mentioned that some of them fuel dynamic processes that have an impact on the entire food chain and help hundreds of species find niches where they may otherwise face survival challenges. The murderers end up being the ones who bring life. So, the correct answer is A as per the explanation and the lines given ion paragraph C.

Q16. What does the writer suggest about British conservation in the fourth paragraph?

It has failed to achieve its aims.
It is beginning to change direction.
It has taken a misguided approach.
It has focused on the most widespread species.

Answer: C- It has taken a misguided approach.
Supporting Sentence: Such findings present a big challenge to British conservation, which has often selected arbitrary assemblages of plants and animals and sought, at great effort and expense, to prevent them from changing.
Keywords: British, arbitrary, assemblages, changing
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Lines 1-3
Explanation:As per paragraph D, it has been stated that results provide a significant challenge to British conservation, which has frequently chosen arbitrary collections of plants and animals and tried, at great expense and effort, to stop them from altering. It has made an effort to conserve the living world by preserving it in an immobile stage of development, as if it were a jar of pickles with nothing coming in and nothing going out. So, the correct answer is C as per thee explanation provided.

Q17. Protecting large areas of the sea from commercial fishing would result in

practical benefits for the fishing industry.
some short-term losses to the fishing industry.
widespread opposition from the fishing industry.
certain changes to techniques within the fishing industry.

Answer: A- practical benefits for the fishing industry.
Supporting Sentence: This policy would also greatly boost catches in the surrounding seas; the fishing industry’s insistence on scouring every inch of seabed, leaving no breeding reserves, could not be more damaging to its own interests.
Keywords: fishing, industry’s, insistence, scouring, breeding
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, lines 3-5
Explanation: As per paragraph E, it has been stated clearly that the fishing industry's emphasis on searching every square inch of the seabed and removing any potential breeding reserves could not be more detrimental to its own interests. This program would also significantly increase catches in the nearby waters. So, the correct answer is A as per the explanation provided.

Q18. According to the author, what distinguishes rewilding from other environmental campaigns?

Its objective is more achievable.
Its supporters are more articulate.
Its positive message is more appealing.
It is based on sounder scientific principles.

Answer: C- Its positive message is more appealing.
Supporting Sentence: One of the reasons why the enthusiasm for rewilding is spreading so quickly in Britain is that it helps to create a more inspiring vision than the green movement’s usual promise of ‘Follow us and the world will be slightly less awful than it would otherwise have been.’
Keywords: enthusiasm, rewilding, Britain
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, lines 2-5
Explanation: As per paragraph F, it has been stated that rewilding helps to offer a more exciting vision than the typical green movement pledge that "Follow us and the world will be marginally less dreadful than it would have been," which is one of the reasons why its popularity is growing so quickly in Britain. So, the correct answer is C.

Questions 19-22:
Complete the summary using the list of words and phrases A-F below.
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.

Reintroducing the lynx to Britain

There would be many advantages to reintroducing the lynx to Britain. While there is no evidence that the lynx has ever put 19 …………………….. in danger, it would reduce the numbers of certain 20…………………….. whose populations have increased enormously in recent decades. It would present only a minimal threat to 21…………………….., provided these were kept away from lynx habitats. Furthermore, the reintroduction programme would also link efficiently with initiatives to return native 22……………………… to certain areas of the country.

A trees	B endangered species	C hillsides
D wild animals	E humans	F farm animals

Question 19:

Answer: E – humans
Supporting Sentence: The lynx presents no threat to human beings: there is no known instance of one preying on people.
Keywords: lynx, preying, predator, intensive
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 1-4
Explanation:There are no known instances of lynxes preying on humans, hence they pose no threat to people. The benefits of restoring the lynx to Britain are stated in lines 1-4 of paragraph G at a time when there is no proof that the lynx has ever endangered humans. So, as per the paragraph G, the correct answer is E, humans.

Question 20:

Answer: D – Wild animals
Supporting Sentence: It is a specialist predator of roe deer, a species that has exploded in Britain in recent decades, holding back, by intensive browsing, attempts to re-establish forests.
Keywords: lynx, preying, predator, intensive
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 1-4
Explanation:As per paragraph G, it has been clearly mentioned that It is a specialized predator of roe deer, a species that has proliferated in Britain in recent decades and has stymied efforts to reestablish forests by vigorous browsing. The lynx would decrease the population of some wild creatures, whose numbers have greatly expanded recently. So, the correct answer is D, wild animals.

Question 21:

Answer: F – Farm animals
Supporting Sentence: The lynx requires deep cover, and as such presents little risk to sheep and other livestock, which are supposed, as a condition of farm subsidies, to be kept out of the woods.
Keywords: lynx, subsidies, livestock,
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 6-8
Explanation:As per paragraph G, it has been clearly mentioned that the lynx prefers dense cover, it poses little damage to sheep and other livestock, which must be kept out of the forests in order to get farm subsidies. According to lines 6–8 of paragraph G, the lynx would only pose a slight risk to the farm animals. So, the correct answer is F – Farm animals.

Question 22:

Answer: A – trees
Supporting Sentence: The lynx requires deep cover, and as such presents little risk to sheep and other livestock, which are supposed, as a condition of farm subsidies, to be kept out of the woods.
Keywords: predator, livestock, subsidies,
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 5-8
Explanation: As per paragraph G, it has been clearly mentioned that the lynx prefers dense cover, it poses little damage to sheep as well as other livestock, which must be kept out of the forests in order to get farm subsidies. According to lines 5-8 of paragraph G, the restart program would be linked to efforts to bring native trees back to various areas of the country. So, the correct answer is A, trees as per the explanation provided.

Questions 23-26:
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage?
In boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Britain could become the first European country to reintroduce the lynx.

Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: The lynx has now been reintroduced to the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France and the Harz mountains in Germany, and has re-established itself in many more places.
Keywords: Jura Mountains, Vosges, France, Germany,
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 4-6
Explanation: As per paragraph H, it has been stated that The Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France, the Harz mountains in Germany, and many more locations have seen the reintroduction of the lynx. The lynx has now been re-introduced to the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France, and the Harz, according to lines 4-6 of paragraph H. Therefore, it is false to say that because the statement is co tarry. Hence, the correct answer is NO.

The large growth in the European lynx population since 1970 has exceeded conservationists’ expectations.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation:There has been no relevant information provided in the paragraph associated with the question statement. Thus, the correct answer is Not Given.

Changes in agricultural practices have extended the habitat of the lynx in Europe.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: There is nothing extraordinary about these proposals, seen from the perspective of anywhere else in Europe.
Keywords: wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 7-10
Explanation: According to people from all around Europe, as stated in paragraph H, nothing significant justifies the comments concerning big cats. These plans are not particularly unique when seen in the context of other parts of Europe. So, the correct answer is Yes as per the explanation provided and the statement of paragraph H.

It has become apparent that species reintroduction has commercial advantages.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: Large-scale rewilding is happening almost everywhere – except Britain.
Keywords: wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 7-10
Explanation: According to paragraph H, the reintroduction of the species has financial benefits since tourists will pay to view it, which makes it profitable. Thus, it is the right choice. Almost everywhere, with the exception of Britain, is seeing widespread rewilding. So, the correct answer is Yes as per the explanation provided and the statement of paragraph H.

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