Bring Back the Cats Reading Answers

Jan 2, 2023

Bring Back the Cats Reading Answers contains 13 questions that are to be answered in 20 minutes. Bring Back the Cats Reading Answers is taken from the IELTS Academic Reading Cambridge 3 Test 4, Reading Passage 1. IELTS topic- Bring Back the Cats Reading Answers deals with time to start returning vanished native animals to Britain. This Bring Back the Cats Reading Answers, contains 2 different IELTS reading question types are given including- Choosing the Correct Answer and correct letter, and yes/no/not given. Candidates need to skim through the passage for the best answer. They can also refer to IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Bring Back the Cats Reading Answers

It's time to start returning vanished native animals to Britain, says John Vesty

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 tassel led 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.

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: 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.
Keywords: tasselled ears, islands took up farming
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, Lines 3-12
Explanation: The lynx, a huge spotted cat with tasselled ears, was thought to have gone out in Britain about 6,000 years ago. Before the residents of these islands began farming. These lines suggest that the Lynx lasted longer in Britain than previously assumed. It was considerably younger (5000 years) than previously anticipated (6000 years).

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: 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.
Keywords: large predators, behave, completely different ways
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Lines 4-9
Explanation: One of the most startling results of contemporary ecological systems is that ecosystems lacking great predators behave quite differently from those that do. Several of them drive dynamic processes that ripple up and down the food chain, generating niches for dozens of species that would otherwise struggle to exist. The killers turned out to be life givers. This shows that the existence of predators is important for biodiversity. Since they are life givers and one of the essential participants in pushing dynamic ecological processes. Hence preserving the ecosystem's equilibrium.

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: 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
Keywords: nothing out, keeping nature in a state
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Lines 1-5
Explanation: The British conservation system, we learn in the first sentence of the text, was based on random selection of animals and plants. That is, it wasn't based on any logic or method. This viewpoint is emphasized in the latter portion, and it leads to the faults in British conservation with their strategy.

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;
Keywords: policy, boost catches, surrounding seas;
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: At sea, the possibility is much greater: by prohibiting commercial fishing in huge regions. We may once again witness what 18th-century authors describe: massive shoals of fish being hunted by fin and sperm whales within sight of the English coast. This programme would also significantly increase catches in nearby waters. The fishing industry's fixation on scouring each inch of seabed, leaving zero breeding reserves, cannot be more detrimental to its own interests. This paragraph discusses the benefits of protecting fish and the habitats where they live from commercialization.

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.
Keywords: enthusiasm for rewilding, green movement, slightly less awful otherwise have been.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, Lines 3-6
Explanation: One of the reasons why rewilding is gaining popularity in the UK is because it provides a more exciting vision. The green movement's standard promise of 'Follow us and the world will be marginally less dreadful than it would otherwise be.' This phrase emphasizes the importance of rewilding and how it is more attractive and has a more positive, more appealing (inspiring) vision than previous efforts.

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.

trees
endangered species
hillsides
wild animals
humans
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: no threat to human beings, one preying on people
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, Lines 1-2
Explanation: The passage mentions that The lynx poses no threat to humans: there is no record of one preying on humans. This implies that lynx do not harm humans and are thus safe for human existence.

Question 20:

Answer: D wild animals
Supporting Sentence: 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.
Keywords: winkle out sika deer, impenetrable plantations
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, Lines 2-6
Explanation: It is a specialized predator of fallow deer, a species that has proliferated in Britain in the past few decades. So, stifling attempts to re-establish woodlands by severe browsing. It will also winkle out sika deer, an alien animal that is nearly tough to control since it hides in dense plantations of young trees. This shows that lynx would benefit the greenery & vegetation through preying on wild species such as roe deer and sika deer. It represents a hazard to agriculture fields for greenery and is expanding in population.

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, deep cover, livestock, farm subsidies
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, Lines 8-10
Explanation: The lynx needs a deep cover and hence poses minimal damage to sheep and other animals. They are required to be kept out of the forests as a requirement of farm subsidies. This implies that lynx will not be a concern (provide low risk) to agricultural animals. Such as sheep if they are kept away from woods, as lynx prefer extensive forest cover to hide.

Question 22:

Answer: A trees
Supporting Sentence: The attempt to reintroduce this predator marries well with the aim of bringing forests back to parts of our bare and barren uplands.
Keywords: predator marries well
Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, Lines 6-8
Explanation: The endeavor to restore this predator fits nicely with the goal of restoring forests to portions of our arid uplands. This implies that these predators would aid in the restoration of forests and trees by limiting the expansion of herbivores who graze unrestrained. The keywords “marries well'' are used as a link efficiently in this case.

Questions 23-26:
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the 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: eastern France and the Harz mountains in Germany
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Lines 5-8
Explanation: The lynx has been introduced to the Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges Mountains in eastern France, as well as the Harz Mountains in Germany, among other areas. This demonstrates that the lynx has been reintroduced in many regions of the world, and Britain is not the only or only European country to do so.

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

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: Although the article mentions that European lynx habitat has quadrupled since 1970 to over 10,000. There is no indication of this expansion exceeding environmentalists' expectations.

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

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: As with wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose and many other species
Keywords: wolves, bears, beavers, boar
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Lines 9-12
Explanation: The lynx, like wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose, and many other species, has expanded as farming has left the hills and people realize that it is more profitable to conserve iconic wildlife than to kill it, since visitors will pay to view it. This shows that when cultivation has ceased on the hill slopes, predators such as the lynx have expanded their ranges.

It has become apparent that species reintroduction has commercial advantages.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: It is more lucrative to protect charismatic wildlife than to hunt it, as tourists will pay for the chance to see it.
Keywords: lucrative, charismatic wildlife
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Lines 9-13
Explanation: The lynx has indeed been able to spread because farming has disappeared from the hills. People have realized that it is more profitable to protect likable wildlife than to hunt it because tourists will pay to see it. This is similar to how wolves, bears, beavers, bears, bison, moose, and many other species have been able to do so. Almost everywhere, with the exception of Britain, is seeing widespread rewilding. This shows that the species' reintroduction is profitable (has commercial benefits), since it draws visitors and boosts the revenue from their visits.

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