Cats - Scroundels or Scapegoats Reading Answers

Mar 20, 2024

Cats - Scroundels or Scapegoats Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Cats - Scroundels or Scapegoats Reading Answers have a total of 14 IELTS questions in total. This topic has 8 questions in which you have to fill up the black choosing appropriate title for the paragraphs. In the rest of the questions we have say whether statement is true or false.

Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS Reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Cats - Scroundels or Scapegoats Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Cats - scoundrels or scapegoats?

The campaign against cats has become so exaggerated it has lost its focus. Much energy that could be put to good use is being wasted on futile campaigns that do little more than aggravate cat owners.
It is widely believed that because cats prey on native birds they could bring about their extermination. But predation seldom leads to extinction in such a simplistic way If it did there would be no animals left in Africa, as those big cats called Lions would have eaten them all up.
Enormous numbers of birds are killed by pet cats in gardens, it is true. But while this may sound alarming, ecologically there is nothing wrong with it - predation is a fact of life. Birds are killed in forests too, by a whole gamut of predators including snakes, goannas, falcons, butcherbirds, quolls, dingoes and even spiders. Pet cats are the urban counterparts to a range of native predators.
Hunting by pet Cats would only be a problem if the rate of predation, combined with other deaths, exceeded the breeding rate of the birds. This does not seem to be the case. Several studies show that urban environments actually support a higher density of birds than native forests, despite all the cats. This is partly because of all the garden plants with berries and nectar rich flowers.
The native garden birds killed by cats are nearly all widespread adaptable species that are thriving in response to urbanisation. Some of them are probably more abundant now than they were before European settlement. This definitely seems to be the case for the common garden skinks that cats often kill.
Feral cats are a much greater threat to wildlife than pet cats, and in some situations they are a major hazard. But not usually to birds, which they seldom eat. Studies of their diet confirm what cartoonists have always known: that cats prefer rats, mice and other small mammals. In a major article on cats (Nature Australia, Winter 1993) Chris Dickman stated: 'In most Australian studies, rabbits constitute the single most important prey.
I would suggest that foxes pose a greater problem, yet there is no passionate public campaign to oust foxes, presumably because it is obvious we can never eliminate the millions of wild foxes in Australia. Yet the same common sense thinking is not applied to cats. It is thought instead that, if everyone would only spay their cats, string bells around their necks and keep them in at night, cats would no longer kill wildlife. But what of the millions of feral cats in our deserts and woodlands? They are the bigger problem, but they are no more controllable than foxes or cane toads.
To be useful, the anti-cat campaign should focus on specific situations where cats are a proven problem, and where something can actually be done about it. But to make the sweeping claim that 'Cats threaten the future survival of most wildlife', as the Victorian Department of Environment does in a leaflet, is to exaggerate the case so badly that it robably does more harm than good, by pitting cat owners against conservationists, instead of bringing them together as allies. Tim Low, Nature Australia, Autumn 1996

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1 - 8

Reading Passage 1 has 6 sections A-H. From the list of headings below choose the most suitable heading for sections A-H.

Write the appropriate number (i-x) NB There are more headings than sections so you will not use all of them.

You may use any of the headings more than once.

List of headings

(i) The feeding habits of feral cats

(ii) A pointless campaign

(ili) Cats: a dangerous pet

(iv) A more realistic campaign

(v) An increase in the garden bird population

(vi) A false belief

(vii) Ways of controlling feral cats

(viii) Garden birds: a threatened species

(ix) Natural predators of birds /

(x) The impossibility of controlling feral cats

Section A

Answer: II
Supporting statement:“..........The campaign against cats has become so exaggerated it has lost its focus. Much energy that could be put to good ...........”
Keywords: focus, energy
Keyword Location: para A, line 1
Explanation: Para A discusses how the campaign against cats has become exaggerated and futile, wasting energy and aggravating cat owners.

Section B

Answer: VI
Supporting statement:“...........It is widely believed that because cats prey on native birds they could bring about their extermination. But predation seldom leads to extinction in such a simplistic way..........”
Keywords: birds, simplistic
Keyword Location: para B, line 2
Explanation: para B challenges the belief that cats could bring about the extinction of native birds, arguing that predation seldom leads to extinction in such a simplistic manner.

Section C

Answer: IX
Supporting statement:“........Enormous numbers of birds are killed by pet cats in gardens, it is true. But while this may sound alarming, ecologically there is nothing wrong with it.............”
Keywords: gardens, wrong
Keyword Location: para C, line 1
Explanation:: para C discusses how pet cats are urban counterparts to native predators, highlighting the natural predation of birds by various animals.

Section D

Answer: V
Supporting statement:“...........Hunting by pet Cats would only be a problem if the rate of predation, combined with other deaths, exceeded the breeding rate of the birds. This does not seem to be the case. ..........”
Keywords: predation, seem
Keyword Location: para D, line 1
Explanation: Para D explains that urban environments support a higher density of birds than native forests, partly due to the presence of garden plants with berries and nectar-rich flowers.

Section E

Answer:V
Supporting statement:“.........The native garden birds killed by cats are nearly all widespread adaptable species that are thriving in response to urbanisation. Some of them are probably more abundant now than they were before European settlement. ............”
Keywords: species, settlement
Keyword Location: para E, line 1
Explanation: para E discusses how native garden birds killed by cats are adaptable species thriving in response to urbanization, suggesting an increase in their population.

Section F

Answer: I
Supporting statement:“.......... major hazard. But not usually to birds, which they seldom eat. Studies of their diet confirm what cartoonists have always known: that cats prefer rats, mice and other small mammals...........”
Keywords: rats, mice
Keyword Location: para F, line 2
Explanation: Para F discusses the feeding habits of feral cats, highlighting their preference for rats, mice, and small mammals over birds.

Section G

Answer:X
Supporting statement:“..........I would suggest that foxes pose a greater problem, yet there is no passionate public campaign to oust foxes, presumably because it is obvious we can never eliminate the millions of wild foxes in Australia...........”
Keywords: public, millions
Keyword Location: para F, line 1
Explanation: Para G discusses the difficulty of controlling feral cats, comparing it to the challenge of controlling wild foxes or cane toads.

Section H

Answer: IV
Supporting statement:“........To be useful, the anti-cat campaign should focus on specific situations where cats are a proven problem, and where something can actually be done about it. But to make the sweeping claim that 'Cats threaten the future survival of most wildlife',.............”
Keywords: sweep, wildlife
Keyword Location: para H, line 2
Explanation: Para H suggests that the anti-cat campaign should focus on specific situations where cats are a proven problem and proposes a more realistic approach to addressing the issue.

Questions 9 - 14

Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer of

Reading Passage Write:

YES if the statement agrees with the writer

No if the statement contradicts the writer

NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage

The activity of predators, such as lions, causes extinction of other animals.

Answer:NO
Supporting statement:“...........But while this may sound alarming, ecologically there is nothing wrong with it - predation is a fact of life. Birds are killed in forests too, by a whole gamut of predators including snakes, ..........”
Keywords: gamut, snakes
Keyword Location: para C, line 2
Explanation: The passage in para B argues against the belief that predators like cats cause extinction in a simplistic manner.

Other animals eat more birds than cats.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation:The passage do not give direct comparison between the predation of birds by cats and other animals.

There are more birds per kilometre in towns and cities than in a forest environment.

Answer: YES
Supporting statement:“.....................”
Keywords: Density of birds
Keyword Location: para
Explanation: Para D mentions that urban environments actually support a higher density of birds than native forests.

The large number of plants in gardens has helped to increase the bird population.

Answer: YES
Supporting statement:“..........Several studies show that urban environments actually support a higher density of birds than native forests, despite all the cats...........”
Keywords: higher, density
Keyword Location: para D, line 2
Explanation: Para D states that urban environments support a higher density of birds partly because of garden plants with berries and nectar-rich flowers.

The author believes that all wild foxes should be killed.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: Para G mentions the greater problem of foxes but does not express the author's stance on whether all wild foxes should be killed.