Dogs Detecting Drugs Reading Answers

Jul 31, 2025

Dogs Detecting Drugs Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Dogs Detecting Drugs Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the first question set, you have to fill in the blank with the correct answer using no more than three words for each. In the next question set, you have to state whether the statement is yes, no or not given according to the passage. In the last question set, choose no more than three words from the passage for each.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through many IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

DOGS DETECTING DRUGS

At the time when the smuggling of tablets began to increase seriously, comparatively few confiscations were made. The reason for this was partly that the Customs officers at this time were not prepared for the fight against illicit drugs, and partly that this kind of smuggling took place under circumstances that made it difficult to locate the hidden products.

By means of intelligence gathered and investigations carried out, it could were usually be transported in private cars and hidden in the chassis, the frames and the tyres, and in other spaces difficult to search. After having investigated various possibilities, two technical methods were taken forward, first the so-called narcotic detector, working on the basis of a number of rays from a radioactive source, secondly, the narcotic dogs. The first narcotic dogs were selected and trained for the Customs during the latter part of 1966 and were taken into service in the beginning of 1967. Four dogs and their handlers were used at the beginning. Dog training for different purposes in Sweden is centralized and takes place at the Army Dog Training Centre, where police dogs, army dogs, blind-leader dogs, avalanche search dogs, etc., are trained. This school was thus commissioned by the Board of Customs to train four dogs with handlers on a trial basis. The experience available was, in Sweden as well as in other countries, very meagre.

Initially dogs from the German Shepherd breed were trained, simply because the Army already had a suitable stock. By and by it was found out that dogs of the Labrador breed are suited to training for the search for drugs as well. The Labrador dog is normally calm and gentle and makes the search quietly and systematically. It also seems to be more persistent than the German Shepherd, which, as a general rule, must be regarded as more aggressive. Many people have, by tradition, awe and fear for the German Shepherd, which is often associated with guard and watchdogs. As the narcotic dog has to work among travellers, it was regarded as safer and more psychologically appropriate to choose a breed towards which people have no prejudices.

The training of the dog to trace drugs starts when it is twelve to eighteen months old. The first part of the training, the so-called obedience training, has been finished at that time, and this includes 4 to 6 months of normal obedience drill. Then the dog handler is sent to the dogs' training center to take over the dog. The first days are spent on becoming familiar with the dog and, after this, a 6-week-long training starts, to teach the dog to trace narcotic drugs. During this training, the drugs will be hidden in different objects and in different surroundings. The last week of the "drug training" Is spent entirely on so-called environment training. It Is Important to vary the hiding-places within a wide frame, as otherwise there is a risk that the dog associates the illicit drugs with a certain milieu or with a certain object.

The dogs are basically taught to search for both cannabis and psychotropic substances. It has proved possible to train the dogs for both these types of drugs simultaneously. The principle is that the training of a dog seems to give the better results, the fewer substances and smells lie has been trained to search for. An interesting question can be mentioned in this connection. There seems to be little research into what the dog's organ of smell really registers. A dog, which has been trained to search for tablets containing narcotics, indicates harmless headache pills as well and even, e.g., talcum powder. Research work in this respect might be necessary.

The environment training mentioned above is conducted in ships, lorries, warehouses and engine-rooms, to accustom the dog to noise, traffic, unknown and disturbing odours, etc. A great deal of importance is laid upon this training, and it is, at the same time, a kind of examination for

the dog to show how lie works in the type of milieu which will later be its working field. Not only the choice of the dog is important. The selection of dog handlers is at least as important in achieving a good result. It is the combination handler/dog that gives results. The handler's professional knowledge of methods of smuggling and hiding-places is a prerequisite if the dog shall be used rationally and be able to find spaces and hiding-places which cannot be discovered by ocular examination or ordinary search techniques. Normally, the handler should choose an object and a search area for the dog, and this is mainly used for so-called fine-search or point-search.

The dogs may search different articles. They are used for a strict search of all kinds of means of transport (motor cars, trains, ships, aircraft). They are also used in connection with house searches and finally in the examination of goods, such as commercial goods. luggage, postal parcels, letters, etc. If the dog is used monotonously to search for certain objects only, for instance, private cars, during rather long periods, the dog seems to become disinterested in searching. The dog's interest seems to diminish gradually. This risk is greatest at some small posts where there is only, or mainly, a special kind of traffic. Because of that fact, Sweden tries to let the dog teams operate within larger regions and with regular intervals, they may visit different Customs ports or places of entry in their region.

Sweden knows that the professional smuggler of drugs tries to avoid places where he knows that there are detector dogs. Efforts are also made to deceive the dogs. For instance, by putting the drugs in packages which prevent too much emission of smells or by adding strong-smelling substances with repellent or disturbing effects on the dog because of that Sweden tries to train the dogs to search for drugs to which have been added to, or which have been concealed in, different strong-smelling substances. Experience shows that a dog well-trained in this respect can detect drugs even prepared in this way.

Questions 1-4

Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each.

1. As drug smuggling became more prevalent, it was apparent that Customs were suffering from lack of preparation and inability to find ……………..

Answer: THE HIDDEN PRODUCTS/ILLICIT DRUGS

Supporting statement: "The reason for this was partly that the Customs officers at this time were not prepared for the fight against illicit drugs, and partly that this kind of smuggling took place under circumstances that made it difficult to locate the hidden products."

Keywords: Customs officers, prepared, difficult, locate, hidden products

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 2-4

Explanation: The text explicitly states that Customs officers were unprepared and found it difficult to locate hidden products, which directly answers what they were unable to find.

2. Narcotic dogs were initially trained on a ………… in Sweden.

Answer: TRIAL BASIS

Supporting statement: "This school was thus commissioned by the Board of Customs to train four dogs with handlers on a trial basis."

Keywords: Board of Customs, train, dogs, trial basis

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 10-11

Explanation: The passage clearly states that the training of the first narcotic dogs was done on a trial basis in Sweden.

3. Generally speaking, the German Shepherd is viewed by most people as more……….. in contrast to the Labrador, which is docile.

Answer: AGGRESSIVE

Supporting statement: "It also seems to be more persistent than the German Shepherd, which, as a general rule, must be regarded as more aggressive."

Keywords: persistent, German Shepherd, general rule, more aggressive

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The text directly contrasts the Labrador with the German Shepherd, stating that the German Shepherd must be regarded as more aggressive.

4. The word used to describe the underneath of a car is……………

Answer: CHASSIS

Supporting statement: "By means of intelligence gathered and investigations carried out, it could were usually be transported in private cars and hidden in the chassis, the frames and the tyres, and in other spaces difficult to search."

Keywords: transported, private cars, hidden, chassis

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 1-2

Explanation: The passage mentions the chassis as one of the difficult-to-search spaces in private cars where drugs were hidden, which refers to the underneath of a car.

Questions 5-8

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage I? 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

5. Dogs start training at the Army Dog Training Centre when they are between six and twelve months old.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: "The training of the dog to trace drugs starts when it is twelve to eighteen months old. The first part of the training, the so-called obedience training, has been finished at that time, and this includes 4 to 6 months of normal obedience drill."

Keywords: training, starts, twelve to eighteen months old

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 1-3

Explanation: The passage states that drug tracing training starts when dogs are twelve to eighteen months old, and by that time, obedience training (4 to 6 months) has already been completed. This contradicts the statement that training starts between six and twelve

6. Even after training, sometimes dogs are unable to distinguish between narcotic and non-narcotic substances.

Answer: YES

Supporting statement: "A dog, which has been trained to search for tablets containing narcotics, indicates harmless headache pills as well and even, e.g., talcum powder. Research work in this respect might be necessary."

Keywords: trained, narcotics, indicates, harmless headache pills

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 6-7

Explanation: A dog trained to detect narcotics will also point out harmless headache pills and even talcum powder, as the text makes clear, proving an inability to tell the difference.

7. Dogs will specialize in areas such as lorries or warehouses to the exclusion of others.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: "If the dog is used monotonously to search for certain objects only, for instance, private cars, during rather long periods,......become disinterested in searching……..and with regular intervals, they may visit different Customs ports or places of entry in their region."

Keywords: monotonously, certain objects, disinterested, diminish, larger regions

Keyword Location: Para 7, Lines 4-8

Explanation: According to the passage, dogs get bored if they are repetitively used to look for specific objects. Sweden attempts to prevent this by having dog teams work in bigger areas and visit various customs ports or points of entry. The idea that dogs specialize at the cost of others is dismissed by this; variety is promoted.

8. Dog handlers are chosen for their professional knowledge of smugglers' habits.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text explicitly states, The handler's professional knowledge of methods of smuggling and hiding-places is a prerequisite if the dog shall be used rationally and be able to find spaces and hiding-places. This directly supports the idea that dog handlers are chosen for this knowledge.

Questions 9-13

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each.

Dogs are used to search for transport, houses, and goods of 9……….. They cannot be restricted to 10……….. otherwise their effectiveness 11…………. gradually.

Thereby Swedish dog teams move within 12………..at 13………….

9…………..

Answer: ALL KINDS

Supporting statement: "They are used for a strict search of all kinds of means of transport (motor cars, trains, ships, aircraft)."

Keywords: strict search, all kinds, means of transport

Keyword Location: Para 7, Lines 1-2

Explanation: According to the paragraph, dogs are employed for a variety of transport for search tasks.

10………..

Answer: CERTAIN OBJECTS ONLY

Supporting statement: "If the dog is used monotonously to search for certain objects only, for instance, private cars, during rather long periods, the dog seems to become disinterested in searching."

Keywords: search, certain objects only, disinterested

Keyword Location: Para 7, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The text indicates that dogs should not be restricted to searching for certain objects only, as it leads to disinterest.

11……………

Answer: DIMINISH(ES)

Supporting statement: "The dog's interest seems to diminish gradually."

Keywords: dog's interest, diminish gradually

Keyword Location: Para 7, Line 6

Explanation: According to the passage, if the dog is handled in a repetitive manner, its interest and, thus, effectiveness, could gradually diminish.

12…………

Answer: LARGER REGIONS

Supporting statement: "Because of that fact, Sweden tries to let the dog teams operate within larger regions and with regular intervals, they may visit different Customs ports or places of entry in their region."

Keywords: Sweden, dog teams, operate, larger regions

Keyword Location: Para 7, Lines 7-9

Explanation: According to the text, Sweden makes an effort to allow dog teams to operate in wider areas.

13……………

Answer: REGULAR INTERVALS

Keywords: dog teams, operate, regular intervals

Keyword Location: Para 7, Lines 7-9

Explanation: According to the passage, dog teams work in wider areas at regular intervals.

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